7:30 a.m. Registration Begins
7:30 – 10:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
9:00 – 10:30 a.m. WELCOME AND KEYNOTE SPEAKER
What and How? Anticipating the Future of Local Government
Ninety five percent of leaders say it's their job to create strategies for their organizations. Those same leaders spend only 1.5-4.5 minutes each day thinking strategically about the future. Is your town or city ready for what’s coming? Do you know what to watch for? In this session, economist and Top 50 professional futurist Rebecca Ryan teaches no-cost, no-permission techniques to anticipate the future and shares 5 signals of the future she’s watching, to anticipate the future of local government in Maine.
Presenter: Rebecca Ryan
Certification: Valid for 1.25 MTCMA Certification credits in the following categories: Leadership
10:30 – 10:45 a.m. BREAK
10:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Concurrent Sessions
Focus on Public Safety Employee Health for Retention and Support
Municipalities are concerned about retaining their public safety professionals and programs that support unique employee health is one investment communities can make that improve retention and health outcomes for their staff. There is absolutely no question that the number one killer of active and retired law enforcement officers and fire fighters is heart disease. Join Dr. Benjamin Stone, founder of Sigma Tactical Health and Wellness, for an in-depth overview of the early detection model, specific to public safety professionals, that he and his team are creating in an effort to permanently change this shocking statistics.
Presenter: Dr. Benjamin Stone, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sigma Tactical Health and Wellness
Certification: Valid for 1.25 MTCMA Certification credits in the following categories: Human Resources and Leadership.
Post-Pandemic Alternative Work Schedules
The pandemic exposed both municipal employers and employees to the possibilities of alternative work schedules and working remotely. This session will explore the issues surrounding alternative work schedules, pros and cons, and how alternative work schedules might be utilized in municipal employment.
Presenter: David Barrett, Director, Personnel Services & Labor Relations, MMA
Certification: Valid for 1.25 MTCMA Certification credits in the following categories: Human Resources and Leadership.
Comprehensive Plans: It’s Not Just for Zoning
Comprehensive Plans are often seen as exhaustive and expensive projects that seem to be kept on a shelf except for zoning projects. It doesn’t have to be this way! Learn how the planning process and the resulting plan can help you manage operations, provide sound long-range capital planning, and help chief elected officials fine-tune their goal-setting procedures.
Presenters: Anne Krieg, City Planner, City of Bangor; Noel Musson, Principal/Planner, The Musson Group; other panelist TBA
Certification: Valid for 1.25 MTCMA Certification credits in the following category: Finance/Budget and Leadership.
General Assistance 101 – Sponsored by Maine Welfare Directors’ Association (MWDA)
This session will provide an overview of General Assistance and the responsibility of municipalities to administer the program according to State guidelines. This will be a basic presentation with ample time for questions and is ideal for those new to General Assistance.
Presenters: Stacey Parra, Treasurer/Deputy Clerk, Town of Union; KaTina Vanadestine, GA Administrator/Deputy Clerk, City of Ellsworth
Part One: Brownfields How-To: An Interactive FAQ – Sponsored by Maine Community Development Association (MCDA)
This session will provide an overview of Maine’s Brownfield redevelopment program, as well as updates on Maine and federal program priorities, and how to access available grant funds.
Presenters: Nick Hodgkins, Director of the Maine Brownfields Remediation Program; Alan Peterson, Project Manager, EPA Region 1; moderated by: Steve Dyer, Principal/Senior Project Manager, Ransom Consulting
Part Two: Community Successes: Housing and Economic Development Brownfield Reuse Strategies – Sponsored by Maine Community Development Association (MCDA)
Presenters: Tracey Desjardins, Director of Economic Development and Planning, City of Gardiner; Maureen McGlone, Project Manager, Ransom Consulting; Nick Sabatine, Principal & Vice President, Ransom Consulting; Travis Roy, Assistant City Manager, City of Old Town; moderated by: Scott LaFlamme, Director of Economic Development, Town of Yarmouth
12:00 - 1:15 p.m. FEATURED SPEAKER LUNCHEON
Maine’s Economic Future: Progress, Opportunities, and Challenges
Historic federal resources responsibly allocated through Governor Mills’ Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan have allowed Maine to make significant headway in implementing the state’s 10-Year Economic Development Strategy. Please join Heather Johnson, Maine’s Commissioner for Economic and Community Development, as she provides an update on the plan, and what progress on areas like broadband expansion, housing, and renewable energy mean for Maine municipalities.
Presenter: Heather Johnson, Maine Commissioner of Economic and Community Development
Certification: Valid for 1.25 MTCMA Certification credits in the following categories: Leadership and Finance/Budget.
1:15 – 2:30 p.m. Concurrent Sessions
MMA Annual Business Meeting
Please join us as MMA President James Bennett, Vice President Elaine Aloes and Executive Director Cathy Conlow shed light on MMA’s upcoming priorities and reflect on the events and activities in 2022.
Certification: Valid for 1.00 MTCMA Certification credit in the following category: Leadership.
EMS Informed Community Self-Determination Grants – How to Create Resident Informed Support for EMS Services
Municipalities are struggling to fill crucial public safety roles across the spectrum and as a result Maine’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system is facing significant challenges statewide. This session will provide information on one grass roots facilitated approach for broader community involvement in understanding local pressures. Informed Community Self-Determination (ICSD) can directly involve residents and tax payers in a process to review available local EMS services and create alignment with community response expectations through a newly state funded grant process. ICSD grants use outside expert facilitation to arm the community with information regarding available service levels nearby, conceptualize the level of service desired before it is needed, understanding of what that level of response will cost and offer possible alternatives to achieve the community’s defined goals. The result can improve community support for EMS services by expanding such conversations beyond budgetary reviews alone. EO, PS, BF
Presenters: Sam Hurley, Director, Maine EMS; Kevin McGinnis, Director, Friends of Maine EMS; Jay Bradshaw, Retired Director, Maine Ambulance Association; Chris Baker, Deputy Fire Chief, City of Old Town; Jesse Thompson, EMS Director, Town of Union
Certification: Valid for 1.25 MTCMA Certification credits in the following categories: Leadership and Finance/Budget.
Drafting Town Meeting Warrants, Articles and Ballot questions
Drafting and posting a town meeting warrant requires considerable forethought and careful preparation. This nuts and bolts discussion will cover the legal requirements and time frames applicable to calling open and referendum town meetings and will address essential elements of the warrant including the nature, content and form of the warrant, drafting articles and ballot questions, posting, other special considerations and pitfalls to avoid.
Presenters: Breana Gersen and Rebecca McMahon, Staff Attorneys, MMA Legal Services Department
Certification: Valid for 1.25 MTCMA Certification credits in the following category: Legal.
What You Should Know About Recruiting, Retaining, and Supporting Younger Municipal Workers
Ensuring a healthy municipal workforce in the future necessitates understanding younger workers and how to leverage their talents, as well as how best to recruit, retain, and support them as employees. This panel discussion will feature the perspectives of early-career municipal workers who will offer their thoughts around and experiences in Maine municipal government, as well as address and dispel some of the stereotypes commonly associated with younger workers. This session will be especially helpful for those who are responsible for hiring and supervision, but also anyone who would like to gain insights into generational differences in the workplace.
Panelists: Courtney O’Donnell, Assistant City Manager/HR Director, City of Bangor; Peter Jamieson, Town Manager, Town of Millinocket; Yanina Nickless, Assistant to the Town Manager and HR Administrator, Town of Kennebunkport; Jacob Gran, Town Clerk and Registrar of Voters, Town of Bucksport
Certification: Valid for 1.25 MTCMA Certification credits in the following categories: Human Resources and Leadership.
Senior Tax Statutes: What You Need to Know – Sponsored by Maine Municipal Tax Collectors’ & Treasurers' (MMTCTA) & Maine Government Finance Officers Association (MEGFOA)
Join MMA’s Kate Dufour and MRS’s Peter Lacy to learn the basic parameters of the tax relief programs available to Maine Seniors. This session will tackle the projected changes in the upcoming legislative session, as well as the expectation for future and continued reimbursement to Maine communities.
Presenters: Kate Dufour, Director of Advocacy & Communications, MMA; Peter Lacy, Director, Property Tax Division, Maine Revenue Services
2:30 – 2:45 p.m. BREAK
2:45 - 4:00 p.m. Concurrent Sessions
What We Forgot To Tell You About DEI!
As part of the ongoing Racial Reckoning in America, many local communities have jumped into efforts surrounding DEI: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Yet, in the race to try and do the right thing, there may be things overlooked, missed, or lost in understanding along the way. This session aims to provide the pieces of what you may not know or have misunderstood regarding DEI, to help you better in working through these massive issues. Maybe you feel like DEI isn’t for your group; learn how it can still benefit you and your communities even though you have gone this long without addressing it. Learn from current Racial Equity and Reconciliation Advocate Dustin Ward, who has continued efforts in launching, facilitating, and guiding DEI committees, groups, and polices in a variety of contexts.
Presenter: Dustin Ward, President/Founder and Racial Equity and Reconciliation Advocate, It Is Time, LLC; and Selectboard Member, Town of New Gloucester
Certification: Valid for 1.25 MTCMA Certification credits in the following categories: Human Resources, Leadership, and Ethics.
Resurgent Community: One Maine Community’s Journey
Portland Press Herald headline on March 10, 2019 read “Biddeford: Not Your Parents’ City Anymore”. It was not long ago that Biddeford was known as the community with a trash-burning incinerator that dominated its downtown and image. Today, Biddeford is the youngest community in the state and is often featured in mainstream media as among the best places to live in Maine. With a new vibrant downtown that features arts, culture, restaurants and more, the transformation might seem magical to some. In reality, it has taken over a decade to achieve thanks to very deliberate work on the part of community leaders. This session is not simply about the Biddeford story but will feature Biddeford leaders sharing their insights and lessons learned that are applicable to small and large communities alike.
Presenters: James Bennett, City Manager, City of Biddeford; Alan Casavant, Mayor, City of Biddeford; Norm Belanger, Council President, City of Biddeford
Certification: Valid for 1.25 MTCMA Certification credits in the following categories: Finance/Budget and Leadership.
Affordable Housing Development – How Municipalities Play a Role in Overcoming the Current Housing Crisis
MaineHousing will discuss affordable housing needs broadly – including what municipalities in Maine have done to clear the way for much needed housing in their communities – as well as how current programs can serve the various needs in municipalities around the State. MaineHousing will walk through the development process, with an eye towards the interaction with the municipality, to give attendees an idea of how developments come to be.
Presenters: Adam Krea, Senior Director of Finance and Lending, MaineHousing; Mark Wiesendanger, Director of Development, MaineHouse
Certification: Valid for 1.25 MTCMA Certification credits in the following categories: Leadership, Elected Relations, and Finance/Budget.
Let’s Chat About Local Roads & Bridges
Don’t miss your chance to have all your burning local roads questions answered! Pete Coughlan will lead a discussion on a variety of issues, including: paving, bridges and minor spans (“Bridge Ranger” services), “Road Ranger” services, traffic issues, salt purchasing, local road inventory, “speed feedback signs” and crosswalk warning beacons, posted roads, and Local Road Assistance funding (LRAP).
Presenter: Peter Coughlan, Director, Local Roads Center, MaineDOT
Certification: Valid for 1.25 MTCMA Certification credits in the following categories: Finance/Budget.
Fire Chief: More Than a Title – Sponsored by Maine Fire Chiefs’ Association (MFCA)
This session will provide an overview of the current issues encountered by fire chiefs, the liability issues incurred by communities, and the Maine Fire Chiefs’ training programs and certification process.
Presenters: Chief William St. Michel (Ret.), MFCA Executive Director; MFCA President Chief Darrell White, City of Presque Isle; MFCA 1st VP Chief Thomas Higgins, City of Bangor; Chief Geoffrey Low, Town of Orono; Chief Michael Robitaille, Town of Yarmouth
Certification: Valid for 1.25 MTCMA Certification credits in the following categories: Human Resources.
4:00 – 6:30 p.m. Member Appreciation Reception
Make sure to bring your boogie shoes for this “70’s extravaganza” with Motor Booty Affair, Maine’s “Ultimate Disco Party Band”!
6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Awards Dinner Banquet
MMA Ethel N. Kelley Memorial Award
Outgoing President’s Remarks
Incoming President Swearing-In Ceremony