The Maine Emergency Management Agency will be co-sponsoring a three-day Heritage Emergency And Response Training (HEART) from August 27-August 29 at the Maine Cultural Building in Augusta. Sessions will run from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm daily and will provide realistic, hands-on training in damage assessment, rapid documentation, emergency evacuation and salvage, rehousing and storage, crisis communication, team building, and more. Later in the year, a five-part webinar series will build upon the in-person training, reinforcing concepts covered in the August training.

Would your town like to know more about Real ID? The Maine Secretary of State’s Office will give presentations to community groups to share information and answer questions, as it prepares to launch Real ID on July 1 and throughout the phase-in period. Please reach out if you would like a BMV representative to visit and speak about this change in Maine driver licenses and IDs. Anyone who’s interested in a visit can email Kristen Muszynski, Director of Communications at  Kristen.Muszynski@maine.gov or sos.office@maine.gov.

The Maine Municipal Association is pleased to offer an opportunity for your municipality to nominate one of your own for the Association’s most prestigious award, the MMA Ethel N. Kelley Memorial Award. The award recognizes distinguished service at the municipal government and community level, and will be presented at MMA’s Annual Convention.

Maine Municipal Association’s State & Federal Relations staff compiled new Municipal Revenue Sharing figures for FY 2020 based on recent action by the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. The committee voted – Gov. Janet Mills has not yet weighed in – to increase overall revenue sharing from 2.5% of state income and sales tax revenue to 3%. MMA’s figures show the potential impact of that decision for every municipality.

The Nature Conservancy is seeking initial proposals for a new round of competitive grants from the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program. More than $5 million will be available for award in 2019 for those seeking to restore and protect wetlands and significant wildlife habitat in Maine. Wetland restoration and enhancement projects are strongly encouraged in this round. Public agencies, municipalities, tribes, and non-profit conservation organizations are encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent. To be considered, all Letters of Intent must be submitted online by 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 27, 2019.

To read more:  http://mnrcp.org or contact maineresources@tnc.org.

The National Civic League wants to help assist and recognize towns and cities that encourage homeowners and small businesses to install solar energy sources. The program, called SolSmart, is run in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy. Assistance can be provided at no cost to municipalities.

MaineHousing will hold five forums around the state this summer concerning the issue of affordable housing, starting with Presque Isle on June 18. This is MaineHousing’s 50th anniversary year. It will provide special focus areas on six key topics: homelessness, affordability, community development, low-income and special needs consumers, protected class members/fair housing, and the quality of housing.

Maine Municipal Association’s 2019 Nominating Committee is pleased to put forth a slate of candidates to lead our Executive Committee in 2020 and beyond. Our current vice president is Christine Landes, city manager in Gardiner, who is scheduled to become president on Jan. 1, 2020. The Nominating Committee has proposed that James Gardner, Jr., town manager in Easton, become vice president in 2020. Also nominated to the EC were: Jon Beekman, chair of select board in the Town of Fayette; David Cyr, town manager in Mars Hill; and, Ivan McPike, mayor in the Town of Hampden. There is also a petition process for people interested in running for a seat on the MMA Executive Committee. Petition forms are due no later than July 5, 2019.

A workshop helping people to understand PFAS – an emerging pollutant also known as per- and poly-fluoroalklyl substances – will be held on the morning of Thursday, May 30 at the Jewish Community Alliance in Portland. Scientists say PFAS in drinking water are emerging as a contaminant threat. Municipal attendance is encouraged. The workshop is being hosted by E2Tech.

The Sun Journal newspaper will host a panel discussion called “Go Fire Yourself!” that will explore how to handle angry and difficult customers and citizens. Is the public really always right? How should you respond when a citizen goes too far? The 90-minute event will be held at Central Maine Community College in Auburn, starting at 7:30 a.m. on May 16. Panelists include: Patricia Griffin, University of Southern Maine marketing professor; Kathryn Fecteau, L.L. Bean job coach; and Carl Natale, the Sun Journal’s digital editor.