Dayhoff Soundtrack: Reminiscing about the 2004 October MML Fall Conference

Monday, October 31, 2011

Reminiscing about the 2004 October MML Fall Conference - By Kevin Dayhoff October 30, 2011

Reminiscing about the2004 October MML Fall Conference

By Kevin Dayhoff October 30, 2011

On Sunday evening, October 30, 2011 and early Monday morning, October 31, 2011, elected officials from Maryland cities and towns throughout the state will converge on the Cambridge Hyatt Chesapeake Bay conference facilities for the Maryland Municipal League’s fall legislative conference.

I have not attended a fall Maryland Municipal League (MML) conference since 2004. In that year, I attended as the mayor of Westminster and an elected member of the Maryland Municipal League’s board of directors.

The contracted economy has caused a prolonged reduction of revenues from local governments from across the state in the face of increased demands on services.

However, as I learned first hand when I served on the MML board of directors for five consecutive years, from June 2000 to May 2005; in addition to education and networking, perhaps the MML has been most effective in advocating for municipalities with the Maryland General Assembly.

It may be easily argued that Maryland state budget cuts to municipalities in recent years could have easily caused much more damage to local governments if it had not been for the tireless efforts of the MML working the hallways and offices of Annapolis during the legislative session.

If I am not mistaken, the first fall MML legislative conference I attended was in 1999. On October 27, 2004, I wrote about the fall conference:

On October 21-23, 2004, I had the privilege to join Carroll County leaders such as Suzanne Albert, Laurell Taylor, John Medve, Haven Shoemaker, Jim McCarron, Bob Flickinger, Frank Johnson and Wendy Peters at the annual Maryland Municipal League’s (MML) Fall Legislative Conference at Rocky Gap near Cumberland.

Each year, the MML fall conference unites elected officials from municipalities across the state and experienced speakers to assist local governments with various issues.

While the MML’s legislative agenda for the upcoming Maryland General Assembly remains a priority, the conference has been expanded in recent years to make it more like a "mini convention.

This year, over 225 municipal officials from 70 of the state's 157 municipalities, joined statewide leaders such as Senator Rich Colburn, Harford County Executive Jim Harkins, Delegate Brian Moe, Congressman Bartlett and Lt. Governor Michael Steele in an intense interactive agenda that included nine workshops that touched upon issues that are affecting citizens today, including everything from environmental issues and growth and development to an explanation on First Amendment legal issues and the Main Street Maryland program.

The conference had a good mix of education and training through workshops, networking and meeting counterparts and other officials with information that could be helpful to all of us – now.

Local officials, John Medve and Steve Horn gave excellent presentations on planning issues. Other presentations included: Local Government Employment Issues; Administering the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund; Municipal Utilities – Growth Capacity Analysis; The “Main Street Maryland” Program; Maryland’s “Priority Places” Initiative; Growth is Coming – Are You Ready?; Parliamentary Procedure & Effective Council Meetings; First Amendment Legal Issues Explained; Basics of Risk Management for Public Officials; and Understanding Your Municipal Charter.

The main issues were growth and planning issues, and that five letter word: ‘water’. The issue just doesn’t seem to go away.

At the business meeting on October 22, the three MML priorities for this coming year were intensely debated.

Each year, the MML chooses several priority issues that directly affect the future well-being of Maryland’s cities and towns, and those who live in them.

The MML then has these issues introduced as legislation before the Maryland General Assembly, and works to usher these issues through the legislative process. This year's legislative platform addresses public safety, restoring municipal resources and electric aggregation.

All three issues greatly impact the lives of citizens, with the biggest priority being the issue of restoring funds that have been lost over the last three years because of problems in the state budget.

Cities have lost the most money in Highway User Revenues and Program Open Space funds.

Maryland’s incorporated cities and towns have few municipal revenue sources to rely on. More than other government forms in Maryland, cities and towns depend on the property tax as their primary general fund revenue source with which to support basic services for our communities.

For the FY 2005 budget, approximately 36% of Maryland’s municipalities increased instituted or increased cost recoveries or user fees, 14% reduced or eliminated existing services, 45% laid off employees or eliminated cost of living increases in salary, 46% delayed construction projects, delayed capital purchases or sold assets, 48% used money from their savings accounts to pay operating expenses, and 18% increased property taxes.

In terms of public safety, the idea is for police departments to receive better equipment so officers can communicate with each other quicker.

The most hotly debated issue was the matter of municipal electric aggregation.

The 1999 electric deregulation legislation specifically did not allow municipalities a reasonable opportunity to pool our citizens’ electric bills in an attempt to minimize the impact of electric deregulation and rising electric bills.

In subsequent attempts in the last several legislative sessions, the Maryland General Assembly has consistently said that it will not even entertain MML legislation to remedy this situation.

Reminding the municipalities at the business session, the MML leadership wanted to change the Electric Aggregation Legislative Priority to request a Taskforce, instead of remedial legislation.

After a floor fight conducted by about 60 mayors, who dusted the cobwebs off the deep arcane corners of Roberts Rules of Parliamentary Procedure and traded motion and counter motion for 45 minutes, ultimately deciding upon, attempting the legislation with a fall back position of a Taskforce. Can you say “aspirin”?

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MML – Maryland Municipal League Fall Conference October 31 - November 2, 2011

http://www.mdmunicipal.org/conferences/falloverview.cfm

http://www.chesapeakebay.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

Complete 2011 Fall Conference Information (.pdf)

Labels: Maryland Municipal League see MML, MD MML Muni League Disclosure, MD Municipal League qv MML, MML, MML Municipal League

For more information on the 2011 Fall Maryland Municipal League’s Fall Legislative Conference at the Cambridge Maryland Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay, including a “Complete 2011 Fall Conference Information (.pdf)” packet, visit the MML website at www.mdmunicipal.org.