MML leadership and staff met with both Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. and House Speaker Michael Busch last week to discuss issues of importance to municipalities as the legislative session gathered momentum. During the meeting with Speaker Busch, MML President and Laurel Mayor Craig Moe and MML Executive Director Scott Hancock briefed the House Speaker on critical budgetary and stormwater issues. Later in the week, MML Past President and Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz, along with Chesapeake Beach Mayor Bruce Wahl, MML Executive Director Scott Hancock, and MML Director of Government Relations Candace Donoho met with Senate President Mike Miller to also discuss critical municipal budgetary issues and other legislative issues impacting cities and towns. Both legislative leaders acknowledged the plight of Maryland's municipalities with regard to the budget but indicated that the impact of the budget cuts in the FY 2011 budget is intended to be spread evenly across the board between State and local government.

During a three-hour long briefing before the House Environmental Matters Committee, MML was asked to discuss several land use issues specific to legislation signed into law over the past several years. Following an update related to the recently adopted 2009 stormwater management regulations, MML Director of Government Relations Candace Donoho was joined by Christopher Jakubiak of Jakubiak and Associates who briefed the Committee on the implementation of HB 1141. HB 1141 is land use legislation signed into law in 2006 that requires a municipal growth element and water resources element to be adopted by a municipality effective October 1, 2009 unless an extension has been granted by the Maryland Department of Planning. Mr. Jakubiak and Ms. Donoho indicated that although the legislation does impose a significant unfunded mandate on most cities and towns, in the long run it will lead to better land use decisions and improved communications among municipalities, counties and the State.

MML was also asked to brief the Committee about legislation passed in 2009 to extend municipal building permits in an effort to reduce building and development costs and to allow projects that might have been stalled due to the economy to continue. MML would like to thank the municipal planners group which provided much of the information and data used by MML staff during this lengthy briefing.

The last portion of the briefing addressed newly implemented Planning Commission and Boards of Appeals members' training requirements and was presented by the staff of the Maryland Department of Planning. MML worked closely with the Maryland Department of Planning to develop the curriculum for the training program. Members of these bodies must complete the curriculum by July 1, 2010. The modules are available online at planning.maryland.gov/YourPart/EducationWelcome.shtml at no charge. MML also plans to offer the curriculum on the first day of the 2010 annual convention on Sunday, June 27, 2010. Members of these two municipal bodies who attend this workshop will fulfill the requirements of the legislation. More information will follow as details are confirmed.

In the second of three fiscal briefings, MML President and Laurel Mayor Craig Moe was joined by MML Past President and Legislative Committee Chairman Jack A. Gullo, Jr., MML Past President and Bel Air Mayor David Carey, and MML Director of Government Relations Candace Donoho appearing before the House Ways and Means Committee last week to discuss the catastrophic impact of two additional years of a 90% Highway User Revenue reductions and a 35% reduction in Police Aid (except Prince George's County which received a lesser reduction). MML representatives also discussed the importance of passing legislation to reauthorize the Heritage Structure Tax Credit Program which sunsets in Fiscal Year 2010. MML will brief the House Appropriations Committee at the end of this week, completing the Leagues' series of fiscal briefings in 2010. The League will now turn its attention to addressing the catastrophic effect of a three-year 90% reduction in HURs.

The MML Executive Committee has directed staff, for the second straight year, to make every effort to hold dues assessments to the same rates as the prior year. Therefore, the PRELIMINARY proposed MML dues schedule, based on the approved formula for the upcoming fiscal year, is submitted for your FY 2011 budget planning. The dues schedule can be found at www.mdmunicipal.org/documents/11dues.pdf. Please contact Finance Director Steve Gindes for more information at SteveG@mdmunicipal.org.

MML is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the "If I Were Mayor, I Would…" Essay Contest. Through the contest the League has educated almost 20,000 students about Maryland municipal government! If you have not done so already, please contact the 4th grade teachers at schools in or near your municipalities to schedule visits to 4th grade classrooms to talk about the contest theme (Using Community Volunteers) and municipal government. Contest brochures/entry forms were mailed to cities and towns last October and mailed directly to fourth-grade teachers in December. The brochure and a study guide can also be downloaded from MML's website at Essay Contest.

Fourth grade MSA testing will take place in most schools during the month of March, so now is the best time to make contact, before teachers begin preparing students for the test. Please help us to make this 10th anniversary year the best ever!

The 2009-2010 MML Communications Committee is making great progress on multiple projects this year that include a special celebration for the 10th annual "If I Were Mayor, I Would…" Essay Contest. In recognition of the 10th year anniversary, one grand prize winner will be chosen from among the 11 district winners and will be invited to read his or her essay during the awards ceremony in Annapolis in May and again during the MML convention in June.

The committee is also working on designing a coloring/activity book for younger elementary school children to increase their knowledge about municipal government and assembling a volunteer resource guide that would also list various online sites where information about volunteer programs and guidelines could be found. Both of these projects will be designed so that they can be downloaded from MML's website, ready to use whenever municipal officials have need of them.

Additionally, the committee is working on the development of a video about MML and how it assists and supports Maryland cities and towns; the planned video can be shown on municipal cable channels.

MML's Hometown Emergency Preparedness Ad Hoc Committee (HEPAC) met again on January 16 at MML Headquarters in Annapolis. At the meeting, Committee member and Taneytown Councilman Henry Heine gave a presentation on the HyperAlert emergency notification system used by the Maryland Transit Administration. The Committee also discussed its interest in having an emergency preparedness theme for the 2011 MML Convention, upgrading its status to that of a standing committee, and adding emergency preparedness to the list of Academy for Excellence in Local Governance core classes. HEPAC will meet again in February and the Committee will discuss the content and design of an emergency preparedness guide for Maryland municipalities.

The deadline to submit applications for the 2010 All-America City Award, sponsored by the National Civic League, is March 15, 2010 at 5 p.m. (MST). The finalists for the competition will be announced April 5, 2010. The All-America City Award is the oldest and most prestigious civic award in the country.

Now in its 61st year, the All-America City Awards recognize neighborhoods, villages, towns, cities, counties and metro regions for outstanding civic accomplishments. To win, communities have to demonstrate their ability to address serious challenges with innovative, grassroots strategies that promote inclusiveness, civic engagement and cooperation between the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

Applications are now available on-line at www.ncl.org or by e-mailing Kristin Seavey at kristins@ncl.org or calling 303/571-4343. A webinar will be conducted February 17 to help participants through the application process.

The International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA) is making a special offer to MML members, regardless of whether they are also members of IMLA, to participate in IMLA Teleconferences at the IMLA member price during the month of February. IMLA Teleconferences have been very successful and well received by participants. In fact, one city attorney's office commented that they liked the Land Use series so much that when their budget was cut, they chipped in out of their own pockets to register for the series.

To access the service at the member rate use the code SLDT in large letters anywhere on a registration form. This Wednesday, February 3, 2010, IMLA is sponsoring a 75-minute webinar on Introduction to Web 2.0/Social Networking for Local Governments, the first in a four-part series. This session costs IMLA non-members $99, but MML members who use the code SLDT on the top of the registration form will receive the IMLA Member rate, which in this case is FREE! Here's the link to the registration form: www.imla.org/images/stories/pdf/Events/2010Teleconferences/web20socialnetworking2010.pdf

2010 marks the Maryland Municipal League's 6th year of co-sponsoring the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance. A national procurement cooperative serving state and local government, U.S. Communities provides contracts for office supplies, furniture, computers and peripherals, electrical and general supplies. And now U.S. Communities is offering a wide array of "Going Green" products and services that can help your municipality save money while simultaneously reducing its carbon footprint. Visit their Going Green website at www.gogreencommunities.org/ for more information.