Associate Membership

The Association

The Maine Municipal Association is a voluntary association of Maine’s cities, towns, and plantations. It was founded in 1937 as a non-profit, non-partisan organization for the purpose of strengthening the quality of local government in Maine. MMA provides a wide variety of services to assist local government in effectively and efficiently delivering quality services to Maine’s citizens.

The Maine Municipal Association’s bylaws establish an Associate Membership category for a number of public and quasi-municipal entities. Most of these organizations depend on local tax dollars or local service fees for support. The Association believes that by making select services available to qualifying organizations it is able to help reduce the overall costs of providing local government services.

Associate Member status in the Maine Municipal Association does not afford the Associate Member a vote or formal involvement in the Association’s policy development or adoption process. The category of Associate Membership is one of limited services and not of representation.

Who is Eligible?

Counties, public & quasi-municipal corporations such as utility districts, school administrative districts, regional planning commissions, councils of government, and other special purpose districts or quasi-municipal corporations, public agencies, Maine State agencies and certain instrumentalities may be eligible for Associate Membership. In addition, non-profit corporations whose purpose and function is to perform governmental or quasi-governmental services for the benefit of the general public may be eligible.

What Services are Available?

• Access to the wealth of information contained on the MMA website at www.memun.org, including access to the restricted areas and bulk purchasing programs available only to our members.

• Access to inquiry services on labor relations, personnel, human resources, state and federal programs, and other general technical assistance and information. Please note that this does not include access to the advisory legal opinions, which cannot be rendered as part of the Associate Membership services.

• Access to fee-based, professional services at the same rate available to municipal members. These fee-based services include: labor contract negotiations, executive search assistance, personnel audits, pay classification studies, job promotion testing, performance evaluations and general personnel rules and regulations.

• Access to research publications at the same rate available to municipal members.

• Attendance at MMA conferences and workshops at the same registration fee available to municipal members.

• MMA Publications:

  One subscription to the Maine Townsman;

  One subscription to the Legislative Bulletin, published each week during legislative sessions;

  One MMA Municipal Directory published annually; and

• An opportunity to participate in MMA administered Group Self-Insurance programs as listed below. (Please note that qualifying as an Associate Member does not guarantee eligibility to participate in the group self-funded insurance programs; each program has its own eligibility guidelines.)

MAINE MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES HEALTH TRUST

The Health Trust, administered by MMA, is a group, self-funded program whose mission is to meet the needs of local government employees, retirees and dependents, and employers, by providing cost-effective, quality employee benefit programs and superior services. The Health Trust is committed to supporting the delivery of appropriate health care services, controlling the cost of care, and improving participants’ health. The Health Trust offers the following benefit programs to MMA members:

• Health Plans – Quality plans include indemnity (fee for service) plans; and Point of Service (POS) managed care plans offering preventive benefits and in- and out-of-network benefits. All plans provide basic life insurance, retiree coverage, a prescription drug card and access to preferred provider networks.

• Dental Plan– The Health Trust offers one dental plan, which provides coverage for preventive, basic, and major services, with a low calendar year deductible.

• Income Protection Plan – Three benefit options, all providing weekly short-term disability benefits covering non-job-related illness and injury for up to 52 weeks.

• Long Term Disability Plan – Groups with 10 or more covered employees may participate in a fully-insured Long Term Disability insurance product offered through the Health Trust and UnumProvident.

• Life Insurance – Affordable group rate coverages, including Basic, Supplemental, and Dependent Life insurance products, all underwritten by Prudential Life Insurance Company.

• Wellness Works – The Health Trust's health education and promotion program provides services including on-site screenings ("personal wellness profiles"), and classes covering a variety of topics, including nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and men’s and women’s health. Employer groups with active wellness programs may also be eligible for grants to help fund wellness activities at the worksite.

RISK MANAGEMENT SERVICES

MMA Risk Management Services programs offer members the opportunity to participate in several self-funded pool programs and to receive a variety of risk management services. All service to members, including marketing, underwriting, claims management and loss control is provided by well-qualified professional employees of MMA. The programs are managed by insurance professionals and governed by boards comprised of participating members. The programs are financially sound and are supported by reinsurance and excess insurance coverage purchased from highly rated insurance companies. The RMS group self-insurance programs are designed to meet the specific needs of municipalities and quasi-municipal entities in the State of Maine while providing a superior quality of service to MMA's members.

The three major programs are:

• Property and Casualty Pool – Coverage is included for buildings and contents, mobile equipment, automobile, general liability and public officials, including employment practices liability exposures. Police Professional and Ambulance/Nurse Malpractice liability coverage is also included. Members may request changes in property, automobile, and equipment coverage electronically via the MMA website. The P&C program utilizes the immunities and limitations of the Maine Tort Claims Act.

• Workers Compensation Fund – This program allows members to meet their statutory obligations to injured employees through effective claims management practices, return to work programs and, when appropriate, assignment of staff Nurse Case Managers. Claims reporting is available online, via fax, or by mail. MMA's licensed claims representatives work closely with members to ensure the best outcomes for both employees and employer.
  Loss control services including property and hazard surveys, training, and consultation are provided to participants of the P & C Pool and the WC Fund. RMS loss control services include the provision of web-based online safety training as well as customized on-site and regional training opportunities.

• Unemployment Compensation Fund – Each participant in the Fund is classified as a Direct Reimbursement Employer by the Maine Department of Labor. MMA administers the Fund and reimburses DOL for unemployment compensation claims. MMA also assists members through the fact-finding and appeals process when claims are filed. Each member’s funds are separately maintained.

Membership

Those interested in obtaining information on qualifications and fees for Associate Membership should contact the MMA Executive Office at 1-800-452-8786. Those interested in pursuing Associate Membership status should submit a request along with a copy of your organization's bylaws, your articles of incorporation, and/or other legal corporate papers to:

Executive Office
Maine Municipal Association
60 Community Drive
Augusta, ME 04330-9486
(FAX: 207-626-3358)