Direct-to-consumer Maine farmers markets are considered essential businesses under Gov. Janet Mills' public health emergency. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry has issued  helpful guidelines for farmers and municipalities to follow, as the spring and summer farmers market season approaches.

The Maine Municipal Association each Friday summarizes events surrounding the public health emergency in a brief update, primarily from a municipal viewpoint. This week’s update explores the early arrival of seasonal residents, Maine’s first recorded COVID-19 death, member FAQs, and more. For a more thorough list of resources, which we update daily, please visit our Coronavirus Updates and Resources web page.

Gov. Janet Mills today launched a new web area that has advice and updates regarding the COVID-19 public health emergency, focusing on ways that Maine residents can make donations, volunteer and support local businesses during this period. It also promotes the state’s 211 line for people who need advice and help.

City Manager Jon Jennings has declared a State of Emergency in Portland and issued a Stay at Home Requirement. The order clearly spells out the history of the coronavirus public health emergency, and outlines what the city is requiring citizens to do and not to do. It took effect yesterday, Wednesday, at 5 p.m.

There has been some confusion, with reduced (or no) municipal office hours due to the coronavirus emergency, about Rapid Renewal, the State of Maine’s online service for trailer and vehicle registration renewals. It is available for all municipalities in Maine to join. Municipal officers are advised to contact the staff at InforME, Maine’s online service provider, to be participate in the system. The service is not automatically available; municipalities must complete this process, as it allows InforME to accurately receive each municipality’s registration data. 

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management reports it will not begin enforcement of the state’s ban on single-use plastic bags until Jan. 15, 2021, in light of the coronavirus emergency. The bureau says state law pre-empts municipal enforcement of the ban.

During the coronavirus emergency, local and state wastewater officials have seen an increase in people flushing items that public sewer systems cannot handle. This can create a major problem, clogging your home’s plumbing, jamming sewers and tangling equipment at wastewater treatment facilities. Only toilet paper should be flushed. Everything else should be bagged and handled as household trash.

Starting today, the Maine Municipal Association each Friday will summarize events surrounding the public health emergency in a brief update, primarily from a municipal viewpoint. The weekly updates will include interactive links to official documents, news items, videos and more. For a more thorough list of resources, which we are updating daily, please visit our Coronavirus Updates and Resources web page.

Nominations are being accepted for three seats on the Maine Municipal Association’s 12-member Executive Committee, which steers the organization on policy and budgetary priorities. The Vice President position is also open to municipal officials who have served at least 12 consecutive months on the MMA Executive Committee during the past five years. The Nominating Committee will interview candidates for the Vice President position and selected candidates for the Executive Committee positions during its meeting on Friday, May 15. Elected municipal officers and chief appointed officials (town and city managers, administrators) qualify for Executive Committee openings. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 1, 2020.​

The City of Lewiston has produced informational videos about the coronavirus in six different languages. The videos were meant to be generic – not referring specifically to Lewiston resources – so they can be shared throughout the municipal community.