Read more about the article Book Club at #MACoCon Looks to “Own the Room”
Summer Conference
Book Club at #MACoCon Looks to “Own the Room”

MACo’s “good government” Book Club will renew in August – with a book called Own the Room: Discover Your Signature Voice to Master Your Leadership Presence. Join us for the conference and this discussion, with a free advance copy of the book. At the MACo Summer Conference, county officials and other guests can join a discussion on a book affecting public service and best practices as officials, employees, and colleagues. The selection for August 2023 is…

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May 26, 2023
Read more about the article MACo Welcomes Amanda Grosskrueger as Member Engagement Lead
County News
MACo Welcomes Amanda Grosskrueger as Member Engagement Lead

Amanda Grosskrueger has joined the MACo team as Member Services and Events Coordinator, and will lead member engagement and affiliate-focused events efforts. Amanda joins MACo after serving as a middle school teacher focusing on history for more than a decade. During her time as an educator, Amanda honed her skills in leadership, collaboration, information-sharing, and event-planning through various successful projects and initiatives serving her school communities. In looking for a career shift, she applied with…

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May 25, 2023
Read more about the article Glass: Time to Reform School Budgeting Process
County Budgets / Education
Glass: Time to Reform School Budgeting Process

Montgomery County Council President Evan Glass offers views, from a county government perspective, on the challenges of funding schools based on limited input and information. He says, "It’s a frustration shared by many elected leaders across the state. We all want more detailed information about how school budgets are being spent and the results being achieved." Council President Glass submitted the following item as a "Letter to the Editor" at the MoCo360 site, managed by…

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May 12, 2023
Read more about the article State Okays School Construction Funds for Leased Facilities
School Construction and Capital Budgets
State Okays School Construction Funds for Leased Facilities

The State's Interagency Commission on School Construction approved a change in state regulations to allow state school construction dollars to be used toward leased facilities, rather than just public school-owned buildings. The move was made based on requests from local school systems, and includes both charter schools and the need for pre-kindergarten space. The central entity guiding and overseeing public school construction, the Interagency Commission met on May 11 (via teleconference) to consider a range…

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May 11, 2023
Read more about the article Be Part of MACo’s “Good Government Book Club” – and Help Choose Our Next Book!
Summer Conference
Be Part of MACo’s “Good Government Book Club” – and Help Choose Our Next Book!

MACo's "Good Government Book Club" has explored books on public service, time management, problem solving, and much more - with a discussion session set up as a breakout at each #MACoCon event. Let us know know that you're interested in being part of this - we are selecting the reading for August 2023 right now! During each MACo conference - including the August 2023 Summer Conference and the December 2023 Winter Conference - MACo will…

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May 10, 2023
Read more about the article MACo Team Welcomes Shantelle Malcolm-Lym as Comms Lead
County News
MACo Team Welcomes Shantelle Malcolm-Lym as Comms Lead

Shantelle Malcolm-Lym has joined the MACo staff this week, as Communications Coordinator, and will lead MACo's effort with media and outreach efforts. Mrs. Malcolm-Lym joins MACo after serving in a lead community outreach role for the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, where she helped to develop the communications strategy for the Office of Community Engagement. With the Department, she led efforts to promote homeowner assistance programs and other housing-related offerings for Maryland residents.…

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May 4, 2023
Read more about the article EV Charging Infrastructure Grant Opportunity: MACo Webinar April 28, Applications Due May 30
Business Affairs / Corporate Partners / Environment / Finance and Procurement / School Construction and Capital Budgets
EV Charging Infrastructure Grant Opportunity: MACo Webinar April 28, Applications Due May 30

A $700 million federal grant program is open for applications for governments seeking to develop charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. MACo is hosting a free online meeting next week to discuss the grant, with a partner who can help advise local governments on how this infrastructure can serve both your government and residents. General Grant Program Information The Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program provides funding to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure and…

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April 21, 2023
Read more about the article ARPA Report Due from Each County April 30, New Post-Emergency Rules Announced
Coronavirus / Emergency Management / Employee Benefits and Relations / NACo and Federal Issues
ARPA Report Due from Each County April 30, New Post-Emergency Rules Announced

New ARPA Rules as Federal COVID Emergency Expires - New Limits on Payroll Use, April 30 Report Due Earlier this week Treasury released updated FAQs that outline how the termination of the COVID-19 National Emergency affects the ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds eligible uses. Generally, counties will be able to continue investing ARPA funds as they currently are, there is one key difference as it relates to premium pay for essential workers. Key…

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April 12, 2023
Read more about the article 2023 Session’s Final Days: What We’re Still Watching
Cannabis / Education / General Assembly News
2023 Session’s Final Days: What We’re Still Watching

With the 2023 General Assembly session slated to conclude Monday night, many issues are completed, many are pretty clearly on their way to a certain end... and some remain unresolved. Here's a quick look at several issues affecting county governments with an unknown final fate. Cannabis Reform - SB 516/HB 556 The "must-pass" adult-use cannabis implementation bill has passed, in different versions, in both the House and Senate. To finally pass, an identical version must…

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April 7, 2023
Read more about the article Cannabis Bills Moving – Local Revenue Share Remains Smallest in Nation
Cannabis / Planning and Zoning / State Budget and Fiscal Issues / Taxes and Revenues
Cannabis Bills Moving – Local Revenue Share Remains Smallest in Nation

Both the House and Senate have advanced a version of the broad Cannabis Reform legislation anticipated to pass this session - and while different, both bills would provide far less revenue to support local government implementation than any other State that has followed the path of state-level legalization for adult use cannabis. Two bills were cross-filed to effect Cannabis Reform - and both have advanced through their initial committees, representing two differing views on licensing,…

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March 30, 2023
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