Conducting Municipal Business During the Crisis

Personnel Issues
- Municipalities that reimburse the State for unemployment insurance claims made by former employees are required to only pay 50% of their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarter statement amount due to a change in federal law. More information from the Maryland Department of Labor.
- Hazard Pay Guidelines and Policies (NLC April 16 blog post)
- NLC General Employer COVID-19 Questions and Answers
- Take a look at this list compiled from several sources to get a sense of issues to consider when making personnel decisions.
- Homeland Security Guidance on Essential Workers
- The Families First Coronavirus Response Acttakes effect on April and expires on December 31, mandates local governments (with under 500 employees) provide paid sick and family leave
Re-Openings of the Community
- ICMA provides seven things to consider when reopening communities.
- Best practices for reopening buildings in which employees and constituents interact.
- A Legal Perspective on Reopening Communities
- Denton’s posting to the public regarding re-opening the tennis courts.
- Salisbury Roadmap to Recovery
- Salisbury Restaurant Reopening Application
- Gaithersburg Phased Reopening Plan
General Emergency Powers of Municipalities
- Municipal Emergency Powers in Maryland
- The Battle of State & Local Emergency Orders in Maryland
Municipal Elections
- Governor Hogan issued an Executive Orderon March 30 that allows for the suspension of the formal charter amendment process laid out in State law only as it pertains to municipal elections during the state of emergency.
  - Example of a charter amendment resolution citing the Executive Order.
  - Example of resolution altering the date of a municipal election citing the Executive Order.
  - Example of notice to the Governorof a change to a municipal election date.
    - With regard to providing "notice to the Governor," please send the information to Chris Mincher in the Governor’s Office of Legal Counsel: Christopher.mincher@maryland.gov
- Due to the particular nuances of each municipality it is strongly recommended that a municipal attorney is consulted to help navigate the process of delaying or altering the manner in which an election is conducted.
Budgeting
- MML’s annual budget memos: Memo #1 Memo #2
- Steps to consider when budgeting during a crisis from ICMA
- 10 Tips to Stay Financially Organized During the Crisis
- If you are subject to the constant yield tax rate procedures, please review this guidance from SDAT.
Organizing and Holding Virtual Public Meetings
- Items to consider when considering a move to virtual meetings.
- Here are a few tips to keep virtual meetings secure.
- Maryland Municipal Attorneys Association Guidance on Virtual Meetings.
- Maryland Attorney General Open Meetings Act FAQ’s.
Processing and Responding to Public Information Act Requests
- To the extent practicable, municipal record custodians should make a good faith effort to accommodate PIA requests.
- Understanding the current reality of limited staffing, the Maryland PIA Ombudsman provided recent guidance.
Water and Wastewater Shutoffs
- Governor Hogan issued an Executive Order prohibiting the shut off of water and wastewater service during the state of emergency.