How many times have you been spotted in a grocery store and a constituent has made a passionate plea for you to meet a community need? City and town officials and staff are the pulse of the community, and your residents understand the importance of your support. The Maryland Municipal League recognizes the impact of community and we’re asking our local government community to band together through community service. 

Maryland Municipal League is proud to partner with Diakonia, a comprehensive provider for homeless men, women, families, and veterans on the Lower Eastern Shore, for our first summer conference community service project. Diakonia offers an array of services: emergency shelter, rent/financial assistance, food assistance, veteran homeless assistance, and operates a local thrift store.  

If you’re looking for additional visibility for your city or town, join the cities of Cambridge, Frederick, Hagerstown, New Carrollton, Pocomoke City, The Port Towns, Westminster, Williamsport, and MML’s Police Executive Association (PEA) for Municipal Tuesday’s MML Main Street event, an exclusive member municipality showcase opportunity.

Registration for the MML Main Street event includes:

 

As we prepare for our summer conference, we also reflect back on the memory of those whom we have lost.  The League will recognize municipal officials who have passed away since June of 2023 at the conference as we have done in the past.  We are calling upon you, our members, to make sure that all are remembered. 

The Maryland Municipal League is proud to be one of the 130 partners to support the Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong coalition. If you know someone impacted by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, please see the resources available below.

To date, more than 130 partners have joined the alliance, committing more than $15 million and providing other non-monetary support for port workers and to the broader recovery. 

The Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Fund, established by the Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF) has been the primary resource for alliance members to support port workers, first responders and their families, and impacted Key Bridge communities.   The fund has received support from over 300 contributors. The consistent needs identified by each community include immediate support for basic human needs. This includes the ask for private financial support for workers affected by the port closure, with assistance to cover basic essentials.  

Applications are now being accepted for the African American Heritage Preservation Program FY2025 grant round. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the grant guidelines, view a recorded webinar and contact program staff with any questions, including whether your project is eligible. All applications must be completed and submitted by 11:59 pm on July 1, 2024.

The African American Heritage Preservation Program (AAHPP) provides grants to assist in the preservation of buildings, sites, or communities of historical and cultural importance to the African American experience in Maryland.

The AAHPP is administered as a partnership between the Maryland Historical Trust and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC). The program typically receives an annual appropriation of $5,000,000 for grants per year.

NLC routinely pulls together great resources for cities and towns following Supreme Court decisions. Below are some recent offerings:

In case you missed our webinar last month on the Lindke v. Freed decision in which the Supreme Court set forth the test for when local government officials are considered "state actors" for the purposes of the First Amendment when they post on social media. Please find a recording of the webinar, as well as an FAQ on the court decision, here. 

Join us for a Lunch and Learn webinar on May 14, noon to 1 p.m., to learn how to use the MML Digital Library, a new tool designed to  provide access to a myriad of documents and data that may help your municipal operations. 

The EPA Mid-Atlantic Summit is a one-day virtual event geared towards addressing environmental health topics relevant to the Mid-Atlantic Region. The summit is held annually and features an opening plenary with state environmental secretaries and concurrent sessions focused on various topics, including equity, environmental justice, sustainability, grant opportunities, and more. This year's Summit will be held on Thursday, May 16, 2024, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

The Summit is free and open to the public.  Additional information, including how to registration is available here. The Summit will convene representatives from communities; non-profit organizations; Tribes; professional associations and advocacy groups; businesses; academia; and federal, state, and local government in the Mid-Atlantic Region (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia).

We are nearing the end of the 2024 Banner City/Town year. Based on 2023 summer conference and 2023 fall conference attendance, our records indicate that 87 municipalities remain in contention for a 2024 designation.  Now is the time to ensure that your city/town makes it to the finish line to receive recognition for your engagement in the League. 

We are excited to announce that all Banner Cities and Towns will be recognized in this year's Closing General Session at the summer conference. Our Closing Session will shine the light on our most engaged municipalities. Those obtaining the 2024 designation will be provided closing session details closer to the summer conference.

Municipal Staff-Focused Workshops 

• Showcase Solutions 
• Cabinet Secretaries Roundtables
  
• Population Forums 
• Additional Academy Core and Electives 
• A.M. Keynote session featuring Brandon P. Fleming, renowned speaker, nationally acclaimed educator, and author of MISEDUCATED

Staff lunches

Read about transformative proposals for improving community governance, public health outcomes, local elections, city management, and local decision-making in the Spring 2024 National Civic Review. Also, the importance of hope in efforts to bring about positive community change.

The Review's online edition is now open access. You can read it here.

All formal requests for an amendment to the MML Bylaws for the upcoming 2024 Annual Business Meeting must be submitted in writing no later than April 12^th to MML CEO Theresa Kuhns. A formal letter with direct wording, background of the request, and member municipality is required. If the amendment request is on behalf of an MML-sponsored group, please include a cover letter, approved meeting minutes, action item and vote.

Please submit requests to:

Theresa Kuhns

Chief Executive Officer

The Maryland Municipal League

[email protected]

 

Maryland Municipal League (MML) leadership invites you to learn more about an important municipal rail safety communication system. On Thursday, April 25 from 12:00-1:00 p.m., MML will be hosting a webinar in partnership with Maryland Class I freight carriers to facilitate increased direct communication between local governments and rail operators. Presenters from CSX and Norfolk Southern will focus on existing information sources that will assist local leaders and municipalities to better understand details about freight rail shipments and how best to coordinate emergency response.

Rail safety has been an important issue for years touching on public health, emergency response, infrastructure damage, and environmental impact. Rail has been identified as an anticipated transportation option with the loss of the Key Bridge for the current trucking industry routes of hazardous materials through the I-95 corridor. We highly encourage you or a representative from your municipality to participate in the webinar.

Member pricing for our summer conference is still available.  Our lowest rates since 2017 gets you the most sessions we’ve ever had. The regular registration fee is $725 through May 31.

The conference’s 53 sessions include:

•     Optional mobile tours of an innovative local solution (Berlin, Ocean City, Salisbury)
•     Convening of MML Caucuses
•     5 Academy for Excellence in Local Governance Core Courses
•     7 Academy Electives
•     Address from Governor Wes Moore
•     Maryland’s Best Block Party
•     General sessions featuring:  
•         Nationally acclaimed speaker Brandon Fleming
•         Bayside Chat with Senator Ben Cardin (Invited)
•     Access to nearly 300 vendors in our award-winning expo
•     Cabinet Secretaries Office Hours
•     And much more...

 

The Chesapeake Bay Program is conducting a survey of local elected and appointed officials involved in policy making. Results will be used to improve and enhance training and information for local leaders. Please take 10 minutes to share your opinion. The survey is being conducted by an independent contractor (Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG)). Your feedback is confidential. If you have any questions, please contact the survey helpdesk at [email protected].

Survey Here

Gain insights from our esteemed panelists as they discuss MML's legislative objectives, the Maryland state budget, and other important municipal issues and information that emerged from the Maryland General Assembly's 2024 legislative session. Don't miss out on this opportunity to hear how this year's legislative session may impact Maryland's cities and towns. 

Watch here!

Maryland entities, including municipalities, will receive funding for about 60 specific projects as part of the federal Consolidated Appropriations Law. These projects are funded through the Highway Infrastructure Programs account and as such will be administered by the Maryland Department of Transportation. The list of projects can be found in the table at the end of the Joint Explanatory Statement, Maryland projects begin on page 239. For further questions on a project in your city or town, please contact Bill Jorch, [email protected]

 

Since their formation in 2023, our caucus groups have been meeting to discuss how race, culture and identity intersect with their roles as municipal officials. Designed to ensure that all voices have a place at the table, the groups are open to any MML member.

Interested individuals should plan to attend the convening of the caucuses on Sunday, June 23 the first day of the MML summer conference.