In accordance with a directive of the President, Governor Janet Mills has ordered the United States and State of Maine flags be lowered immediately to half-staff through Monday, May 16, 2022 in solemn remembrance of the one million Americans, including 2,332 Maine people, lost to COVID-19.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is hosting a series of Food Scrap Diversion Workshops in collaboration with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry and the University of Maine Mitchell Center for Sustainable Solutions.  Events taking place in Auburn, Caribou, Cumberland, and Kennebunk will provide an opportunity to learn about the most up-to-date food waste recycling initiatives.

Via adoption of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) will allow millions of American households to reduce their internet service costs by up to $30/month (or $75/month on Tribal lands). The Biden-Harris Administration has secured commitments from 20 leading internet providers—covering more than 80% of the U.S. population across urban, suburban, and rural areas—to either increase speeds or cut prices and is launching a comprehensive effort to make sure as many ACP-eligible households as possible take advantage of this new program.

Governor Janet Mills announced today that the ConnectMaine Board of Directors has voted to approve the second round of broadband infrastructure projects funded by the High Speed Internet Infrastructure Bond she spearheaded and that Maine voters overwhelmingly approved in July 2020. This second round of funding will connect approximately 6,000 Maine homes and businesses to high-speed internet.

Governor Janet Mills, U.S. Senator Angus King, and Representative Chellie Pingree announced today a $50 million Homeowner Assistance Fund through the Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection to provide direct relief to Maine homeowners at risk of losing their homes because of hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The national program, authorized and funded through the American Rescue Plan, can be used by homeowners in default because of COVID-19 to pay home-related expenses including their mortgage, utilities, and property taxes.

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month and Northern Light Health is asking municipal officials across the state to get the word out by adopting a proclamation to spread awareness and remove stigma associated with behavioral health.  Whether it’s a friend, family member, or co-worker, chances are someone you know is living with a behavioral health condition. Sadly, only about 55% of affected Mainers receive any form of treatment due in part to overburdened facilities. Concerns about behavioral health issues, including substance use, have grown during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the effects will outlast the pandemic itself.

The Maine Municipal Association is pleased to announce that Peter Osborne has been appointed as the Director of Educational Services to lead MMA’s efforts to provide municipal employees quality and ongoing educational and training opportunities in all areas of the state.

Alicia Gaudet, who started her MMA career in 2016 as the Manager of Educational Services, has been promoted to the position of Assistant Director of Educational Services and Conventions.

Join the state’s Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan team on Thursday, May 5 at 12:00 PM for a webinar discussing the Jobs Plan’s grant and program opportunities for municipalities and local communities. The webinar will be cohosted with the Maine Municipal Association. To participate, please register here.

The Governor’s Administration announced $2.5 million in grant funding to 75 communities access Maine to help them fight climate change. Grants from Community Resilience Partnership will support local climate action, clean energy and energy efficiency projects, and strengthen regional cooperation in support of the State’s climate action plan, Maine Won’t Wait. Read the full press release for more information about the Community Resilience Partnership and examples of funded projects across Maine.

On Monday, the Maine State Legislature adopted a joint resolution recognizing May 1-7, 2022 as National Small Business week, coinciding with the Maine District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announcement of the winners of its annual small business awards. This year’s winners include entrepreneurs located in Biddeford, Freeport, Portland, Greenbush, Portland, Vinalhaven, and Liberty.  Information on this year’s winners and how your municipality can highlight the important contributions of small businesses in your communities is linked here.

Treasury has agreed to host two additional live demonstrations of a Project & Expenditure Report submission, as we know you also continue to receive questions. These will take place Thursday April 21 and Monday April 25 at 2:00pm Eastern Time. Registration information for Thursday’s webinar can be found below and we will forward the registration information for Monday’s webinar as soon as we receive it.

The opportunity is for community leaders in one or two rural areas of Maine in 2022.

To further help members with the reporting requirements, MMA is hosting a live demonstration of the ARPA portal. Topics to be covered include account creation, assigning administrative users, submitting supporting documentation, and completing reporting requirements. The session will begin with a live demonstration of the portal features, review the requirements of the Project and Expenditure Report, and will conclude with a brief Q&A.

Maine DEP’s Municipal Stream Crossing Grant Program provides grants that match local funding for the upgrade of culverts at stream crossings on municipal roads. Projects funded through this program will benefit public infrastructure and safety by replacing failing culverts that are at risk of complete washout or collapse; reduce flooding and increase resiliency with the installation or larger, higher capacity and longer-lived crossings, benefit fish and wildlife by opening and reconnecting stream habitat fragmented by undersized and impassable culverts, and represent a cost-effective and efficient investment based on planning, detail, and local matching funds committed to the project.

More information including examples of successful applications and the master score sheet for this round is available on the Maine DEP's website and at the link below.

Congresswoman Pingree just released information on how communities can apply for FY 2023 Community Project Funding, previously known as earmarks. The guide for apply for funding can be accessed here. Municipal officials interested in filing an application for federal funding must do so before 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13, 2022.