9:30 AM - Check in and Coffee Networking

9:45 AM - Welcome Remarks
MML President, Mayor Takisha James, Bladensburg
MML Chief Executive Officer, Theresa Kuhns

10:00 AM - Decoding the Maryland Structural Deficit and Impact on Local Government
It is no secret that Maryland’s structural deficit made the recent legislative session incredibly tense, and municipal leaders are rightly anxious about what comes next. As multi-billion-dollar state mandates collide with flat revenue growth, local governments must prepare for the cascading fiscal fallout. Join leading fiscal experts as they pull back the curtain on how we reached this cliff, break down the structural realities of the state budget, and deliver a critical preview of what tightening state purse strings mean for your municipality's operational stability and infrastructure planning going forward.

11:00 AM - Bonding Strategies for Local Governments
Discover how to secure long-term capital for major infrastructure projects outside of traditional state appropriations. This session explores two distinct pathways to the bond market: experts from Moody’s Ratings will outline the mechanics of securing an independent credit rating to access the private market directly, while Charlie Day from DHCD will explain how the Local Government Infrastructure Financing (LGIF) program pools local demand to handle complex bond administration for municipalities that cannot issue on their own. Whether your town is ready to stand alone or needs the backing of a state-supported pool, you will leave with a practical blueprint for funding your next capital project.

11:45 AM - Lunch and Roundtable Discussion

12:45 PM - Capital Connections: Leveraging CRA, Tax Credits, and Federal Reserve Programs for Local Impact
Discover how to look beyond standard government grants and tap into powerful alternative capital networks to fund local projects. The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and the Rural Maryland Council will share how their joint community investment training helps towns build bankable project proposals. Moving from preparation to execution, the Maryland Community Investment Corporation (MCIC) will explain how to leverage New Markets Tax Credits to attract private equity, while the National League of Cities (NLC) will show you how to leverage the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) to direct local bank dollars straight into your municipality's hometown projects.

1:45 PM- Pitch Your Project
Do you have a passion project or community need that seems too big to tackle technically or financially? Take part in this collaborative brainstorming session to identify solutions.