The American Planning Association Maryland (APA MD 2026) Conference, held this year at the Turf Valley Resort on October 18 - 20, will feature a free training on Sunday, October 18 for Planning Commissioners to support compliance with the Smart and Sustainable Growth Act of 2009. 

The Smart and Sustainable Growth Act of 2009 directs county and municipal planning commission/board and board of appeals members to complete an education course. The Planning Commission, Planning Board, and Board of Appeals Education Course, also known as the Planning Commissioner Training Course, is hosted by the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP), and satisfies this state requirement per Section 1-206 of the Land Use Article. 

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) today released its $21.9 billion Draft Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP) for Fiscal Years 2027-2032. The balanced plan outlines the Department’s continued focus on prioritizing safety, addressing maintenance needs and growing Maryland’s economy. The six-year capital budget makes meaningful progress toward improving transportation across Maryland by advancing initiatives to lower traffic fatalities, rehabbing and replacing pavement and bridges, modernizing transit operations and leveraging current assets - like the Port of Baltimore, BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and state-owned land for transit-oriented development - to drive economic growth.

The release of the draft program launches the Maryland Department of Transportation's public engagement process that includes a meeting in every Maryland county and Baltimore City to receive input from local officials and the public. This year’s tour is scheduled to take place during September and October with local jurisdictions hosting the meetings. The schedule can be found here but is subject to change and will be updated as needed throughout the process.

Maryland Department of Labor staff presented to the MML membership about the State's paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program as part of the Lunch and Learn webinar series. In case you missed it, or would like to rewatch it, the recording of the webinar can be found on MML's YouTube page here with a copy of the presentation slides here.

Elements of the program are already live such as employer registration through the State platform, now is the time to make decisions on how to comply with the law in a manner that meets the needs of your employees and your municipal budget.

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has begun preliminary conversations with MML and other stakeholders about concepts it is considering for potential legislation in the 2027 General Assembly session. These discussions are happening unusually early in the legislative development process, giving MML an opportunity to identify potential municipal impacts and provide feedback while proposals are still taking shape. 

At this stage, these are concepts only. They have not necessarily received final approval from the Administration, bill language has not been drafted, and the proposals may change substantially or may not ultimately be introduced at all. The concepts cover a range of housing and community development issues, including housing production and development requirements, local revenues and incentives, community revitalization programs, and other DHCD programs and authorities. Given the significant housing and land-use legislation considered in recent sessions, MML is paying particular attention to concepts that could affect municipal planning, zoning, infrastructure, finances, or local decision-making. 

Hear directly from the Maryland Department of Labor as they provide updates on the rapidly approaching rollout of the State's Family and Medical Leave Insurance program on September 2.

On Wednesday, September 2 at noon, MML will host a Lunch and Learn webinar focused on the State's Family and Medical Leave Insurance program. With deadlines approaching and decisions to be made, the Department of Labor staff will walk through the program, next steps, and options to comply with the law. 

The Maryland Open Meetings Act requires that every public body, including municipalities, have at least one person complete Open Meetings Act training to meet the requirements of the state's Open Meetings Act law. That training requirement can be met by either taking the Academy for Excellence in Local Governance in-person core class training or completing an online training module, which can now be found exclusively on the Maryland Attorney General's website.  This training is no longer available through the University of Maryland's Institute for Governmental Service.  For more information, contact Tom Reynolds at [email protected].

With the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session in the rearview mirror, please check out MML's Legislative Summary!

Call for proposals! The 2026 Small Business Anti-Displacement Network Summit on Preventing Climate Displacement is looking for panels or individual presentations about equitable climate resilience and recovery strategies that keep small businesses in place. The online summit will be held November 12-13, 2026.

Co-hosted by the Gentrification & Urban Displacement Lab at the Boston University Initiative on Cities, the summit will examine how climate displacement is increasingly affecting vulnerable communities and small businesses across the U.S. and globally. Climate disasters, the long-term effects of climate change, and climate adaptation or mitigation strategies can kickstart or compound gentrification. New public and private climate-related investments can significantly change communities, displacing small businesses and the residents whom they serve. BIPOC- and immigrant-owned small businesses in low-wealth neighborhoods are particularly vulnerable to climate displacement. 

Is Your Social Media ADA-Compliant? Understanding the New Requirements

The deadline for the new ADA Title II digital accessibility requirements has been extended, giving public sector communications teams twelve months to align their digital presence with federal standards. While this extension provides some breathing room, the complexity of moving from theory to practice remains. This session will show how your team can confidently implement accessibility standards within a fast-paced communications environment.

Municipalities must have a valid Local Abatement Plan filed with the State by July 1, 2026 or funds may be redirected! Register for this May 6th webinar to learn more.

It can be a transformational time for your municipality with the impact the Opioid Restitution money can have to help address opioid and overdose issues. MOOR and MML are hosting this webinar on May 6 from noon to 1:00 p.m. to discuss the restitution dollars, as well as the Targeted Abatement Grants (TAG) and how to access this funding. Register here.

The Maryland General Assembly concluded its 90-day legislative session on Monday, April 13. This was an incredibly successful year for the Maryland Municipal League (MML) including passing a priority bill for the third time in the past four years! Below is a recap of a handful of impactful bills. For a more in-depth summary, please see the article soon to be published in the Local and sign up for the Legislative Session Wrap Up webinar scheduled for April 28 from noon - 1:00 pm (Link to register).

MML Priority Bill

The Maryland Department of Labor (DoL) has released new details on the State's paid family leave program titled the Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Program, with some of the provisions of the law starting this year.

Additionally, DoL is hosting a webinar about the program on April 21, you can register here.

We have some incredible momentum to share. Thanks to your collective advocacy and outreach, the push for HB 1142 is working. We are pleased to report that the House of Delegates has passed the bill in time for the crossover deadline. This is a massive step toward modernizing municipal revenue and ensuring our cities and towns have the fiscal tools they need for the future.

We owe a huge thank you to Chair Jheanelle Wilkins and the members of the House of Delegates for their leadership and for recognizing the urgency of this issue.

One of the Governor’s priority housing bills, the Starter and Silver Homes Act (SB 36 / HB 239), appears unlikely to advance this session following the crossover deadline. The bill would have significantly limited local zoning authority by prohibiting jurisdictions from establishing certain minimum lot size, setback, and dimensional standards for single-family homes, overriding locally adopted development frameworks in areas served by public water and sewer.

Neither version of the bill moved out of committee prior to crossover. House Bill 239 was not approved by the House Economic Matters Committee, and Senate Bill 36 did not receive a vote in the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee, as committees instead prioritized other housing legislation this session.

Last week, the Maryland Municipal League (MML) testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on HB 594. While MML supports the bill - which seeks to return a portion of sales tax revenue to the City of Baltimore - we officially testified as Support with Amendment.

Currently, HB 594 would require the Comptroller to pay the City of Baltimore one-third of the sales and use tax revenues collected within its borders. In the hearing, MML staff highlighted how municipalities are the economic hubs of the state, where 34% of all sales tax revenue is generated despite only accounting for 5% of the state’s land mass.

For nearly 60 years, Maryland’s municipal revenue structure has remained largely unchanged, forcing our cities and towns to rely on property taxes for approximately 50% of their general fund budgets. This over-dependence is no longer sustainable.

We have a critical opportunity to change this. HB 1142, MML's priority bill sponsored by Ways and Means Chair Jheanelle Wilkins, establishes a Task Force to Modernize County and Municipal Revenue Structures. This "blue-ribbon" commission will study alternative revenue sources - such as those used in other states - to ensure our communities can remain fiscally resilient without placing the entire burden on property owners.

Last week, the Maryland Municipal League (MML) testified before the House Appropriations Committee in strong support of HB 559. This bill represents a critical turning point in our years-long advocacy to restore and protect Highway User Revenues (HUR) for Maryland’s cities and towns.

For years, municipal governments have operated under temporary "funding bridges" that increased our share of gas tax and vehicle fee revenues. However, under current law, those increases are set decrease after Fiscal Year 2027, from the 3.0% allocation of Highway User Revenues to 2.4%.