The Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) program at the University of Maryland pairs faculty expertise with student ingenuity to tackle sustainability issues facing Maryland communities. Partnering with local, county, and statewide Maryland agencies and jurisdictions, PALS creates customized coursework to target specific economic, environmental and social sustainability challenges identified by the partner community. The collaborative university-community partnership delivers recommendations, strategies and tools to address a community’s most pressing challenges, providing a road map for creating sustainable, thriving places to live, work and play. 

Total Funding Available: $10,000

There are only two weeks left to apply for the READY Local Governments Training Program.

Applications Are Due July 31 at 5:00 p.m. E.T

The Maryland Department of Information Technology (DoIT) announced that partnerships with the security research community have helped identify and fix more than 200 unique cybersecurity vulnerabilities on public-facing State of Maryland IT assets. The effort is part of DoIT’s broader cybersecurity strategy to remediate vulnerabilities and strengthen state defenses.

DoIT recently hosted Hack the State 2 with 12 security researchers vetted by BugCrowd. Through legal reporting channels and bug bounty incentives, researchers identify qualifying vulnerabilities. Hack the State 2, combined with the existing Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP) launched last October, positions Maryland as a leader among states in this area. Few, if any, other states have programs of this size and scope. This program is one of several cybersecurity advances the State has made in the last year. In February, the State released the Cybersecurity and Privacy Policy Suite, a comprehensive governance framework that is hardening state systems by mandating advanced “zero-trust” cybersecurity practices. It has also expanded its cybersecurity information-sharing umbrella to ensure that local partners and critical infrastructure providers have access to up-to-date threat intelligence. 

Maryland’s Office of Overdose Response is inviting members of the public to participate in its upcoming town hall series focused on using prescription opioid settlement funds. Marylanders are encouraged to share their ideas for how settlement proceeds can best be used to decrease overdoses and increase access to substance use disorder prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery services.

These town halls are open to the public and registration is not required to attend. However, attendees who would like to speak should complete the registration form found at StopOverdose.maryland.gov/ORF.

The State of Maryland's Municipal Technical Assistance Program (MTAP) continues to assist Maryland municipalities in understanding the eligibility, compliance, and reporting requirements of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (CLFRF) program.

Is your city or town anticipating a sizable turnover in elected officials? Would they benefit from engaging in a facilitated team-building dialogue, discussion of roles and responsibilities, as well as a goal-setting exercise to get everyone on the same page?  The Maryland Municipal League has helped more than a dozen member municipalities get their newly elected officials’ terms off to a productive and collaborative start. Standard retreats are five hours long with a facilitation fee of $2,500 for members with populations of 10,000 or less and $4,000 for those with more than 10,000 residents. For more information, contact MML Director of Leadership Development and retreat facilitator Tom Reynolds at [email protected].

The Maryland Open Meetings Act requires that every public body, including municipalities, have at least one person complete Open Meetings Act training to meet the requirements of the state's Open Meetings Act law. That training requirement can be met by either taking the Academy for Excellence in Local Governance in-person core class training or completing an online training module, which can now be found exclusively on the Maryland Attorney General's website.  This training is no longer available through the University of Maryland's Institute for Governmental Service.  For more information, contact Tom Reynolds at [email protected].

Is Your Social Media ADA-Compliant? Understanding the New Requirements

The deadline for the new ADA Title II digital accessibility requirements has been extended, giving public sector communications teams twelve months to align their digital presence with federal standards. While this extension provides some breathing room, the complexity of moving from theory to practice remains. This session will show how your team can confidently implement accessibility standards within a fast-paced communications environment.

Apply Now for the Class of 2027 (Cohorts 25, 26, 27) Maryland Certified Public Manager® Program, Schaefer Center for Public Policy, The University of Baltimore 

If you want everyone to enjoy what is special about your municipality, chapter or department, join us on Municipal Tuesday at the MML Main Street event, an exclusive member municipality showcase opportunity.

Registration for MML Main Street event includes:

Tuesday, June 16 at the MML Summer Conference is crafted with municipal professionals in mind. It is truly a full conference experience in one day and focused on celebrating municipalities and the staff who support them. Plan to join us on Municipal Tuesday and learn alongside the elected officials who you assist daily.

Municipal Tuesday Registration is now open. At $150 for one day, it is the most cost-effective way for municipal professionals to attend our conference who are looking to connect with colleagues and attend workshops specifically designed with the local government professional, in mind.

Your registration includes:

Housed within the University of Maryland's National Center for Smart Growth, the Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability Program (PALS) pairs faculty expertise with student ingenuity to tackle sustainability issues facing Maryland communities. Partnering with local, county, and statewide Maryland agencies, PALS creates customized coursework to target specific economic, environmental and social sustainability challenges identified by the partner community. The collaborative university-community partnership delivers recommendations, strategies and tools to address a community’s most pressing challenges, providing a road map for creating sustainable, thriving places to live, work and play. Since its inception in 2014, PALS has directed over 400 customized courses toward site-specific projects across the state, addressing issues of capacity building, economic and community development, environmental sustainability, health and wellness, and social resilience, engaging over 800 students along the way.

On May 8, PALS students from the Fall 25 and Spring 26 semesters will present their projects in a poster showcase and will be available to discuss their work and experiences. Not only is attending the showcase an important way to support UMD students and learn more about their work in the community, but it is also a great opportunity to learn more about how participating in the PALS program can benefit your community or organization.

Join us on Tuesday, June 16, as we celebrate Maryland's municipalities and the staff who support them. Municipal Tuesday offers a full conference experience in a single day with multiple ways for staff to attend at an exclusive rate. It's the most cost-effective way for municipal professionals to attend our conference.

The day consists of:

This year’s fourth grade "If I Were Mayor, I Would..." essay contest winners captured the volunteer readers and finalist judges’ attention with their dynamic essays.

Thank you to our volunteer readers, who were so impressed by the essays they would sometimes forget the ideas were from fourth graders.

Our featured Bay Stage brings national voices to MMLCon. Hear from talented national speakers as they cover everything from personal development to building programs in your municipality that will empower residents to play an essential role in your city's health.

Looking to secure the final core class credits you need to complete your Academy for Excellence in Local Governance certification? The 2026 MML Summer Conference will offer five core classes to help you reach that milestone:

• Ethics, Sunday, June 14, 1:15 - 3:00 p.m.
• Municipal Budgeting, Monday, June 15, 10:15 - 12:00 p.m.
• Structure of Municipal Government, Monday, June 15, 1:15 - 3:00 p.m.
• Basics of Risk Management, Tuesday, June 16, 10:15 - 12:00 p.m.
• Conducting Effective Meetings, Wednesday, June 17, 10:15 - 12:00 p.m.

Check out MML's website to see the latest summer conference preliminary schedule. For more information on the Academy for Excellence in Local Governance, contact MML Director of Leadership Development and Membership Experience Tom Reynolds at [email protected].

MMLCon26 registration launches in less than a week. You don't want to miss out on the exciting things we have in store for our 90th Anniversary celebration.

Grant Writing Training in Annapolis, MD - March 26-27, 2026

The Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy and Grant Writing USA will present a two-day grant writing workshop in Annapolis on March 26-27, 2026. This training is for grant seekers from all disciplines. Attend this class to learn how to write winning government grant proposals and find the available grant funding.

Preparing for MMLCon26 just got easier. Get an early look at the sessions we’re planning as part of our conference experience.

The preliminary schedule offers a preview of what’s ahead. Topics, speakers, and times are subject to change. To view the preliminary schedule, visit our website.