Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z
Maine Municipal Association
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Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Senior Property Tax Stabilization, What Happened? What is Next?
Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z
08/11/23 • 45 min
Last year, LD 290, An Act To Stabilize Property Taxes for Individuals 65 Years of Age or Older Who Own a Homestead for at Least 10 Years, was enacted with little discussion and a host of very expensive unintended consequences.
This year, the law was amended to address those consequences and bring property tax relief where it was most needed. However, it will now be up to municipal officials to address the fall out of public misunderstandings as one law sunsets and two more programs expand.
In this episode, we talk with leading municipal policy architect and boss extraordinaire, Kate Dufour, Director of Advocacy and Communications at MMA who explains: "How we got here, from there" on property tax relief programs.
The Advocacy team briefly chats about the woes of this past session and hope for the future and Lambo talks about where in Maine she is off to next.
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Episode 15 - Special Session Winding Up - Updates & Action Calls
Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z
06/05/23 • 35 min
Our necessary hiatus from our weekly podcast has been afforded a brief reprieve. Advocacy staff have been drinking from a firehouse of legislation and hearings on platform bills that have been waiting since cloture for printing and assignment to committee hearings.
For the first time, MMA has needed to hold a May LPC meeting as bills are still cranking out with significant municipal impact, assigned short turn around public hearing dates and even shorter work session dates. This is the time of year when good public policy dies because of lack of time to dig in and understand or worse....bad public policy not well thought through passes without review. In the coming weeks, we'll be calling on municipal officials to weigh in with their voices directly to members of the legislature to help inform them of impacts, request adequately funding measures, and make corrections. We really need you now!
This week we break down what has happened on a couple of MMA's platform bills and how you can help their fate. This week we break down:
LD 1857 - An Act to Create the Public Safety Health and Wellness Reimbursement Fund to Benefit Public Safety Workers and Volunteers, sponsored by Rep. Lynn Copeland of Saco, was unanimously supported out of committee but in a form that requires and appropriations battle instead of on going funding.
LD 1493 - An Act to Increase Affordable Housing by Expanding Tax Increment Financing, sponsored by Rep. Raegan LaRochelle of Augusta, was amended to avoid a fiscal note, but still provides an incredibly powerful tool for communities to advance their housing goals with local policy, but received a divided report out of Taxation.
LD 130 - An Act to Eliminate Senior Citizen Property Tax Stabilization and Expand the Homestead Property Tax Exemption, Sen. Richard Bennett of Oxford County, also received a divided report in Taxation. While both versions advance sensible policy changes to the hastily enacted senior property tax freeze legislation LD 280 passed last year, the majority report removes the significant hardship placed on municipal tax collectors, assessors and communities.
LD 1223 - An Act to Clarify Cost Allocations and Insurance in the Joint Use of Public Utility Equipment, sponsored by Sen. Nicole Grohoski from Hancock County, attempted to address a corporate imbalance for municipal pole attachment projects, to advance broadband connections via use of utility poles that exist in publicly owned way "rent" free. The final version was amended with agreement from the major players and afforded a sunset date setting the stage for a future legislative battle.
Finally, in the good news category, we announce the winners of the first annual Douglas M. Eugley Memorial Scholarship for Public Service!
Congratulation to Zachary White, of Skowhegan, Carolyne Sauda, of Bangor. Mary-Hollie Whitmore, of Milford, who we wish well in their college endeavors and hope to see in a future LPC Committee!
Episode 14 - Planning for ADU's, School Board Election Timing, Funding Jail Health Care
Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z
04/18/23 • 36 min
Episode 14 - Planning for ADU's, School Board Election Timing, Funding Jail Health Care
Much delayed episode in a midst of a crazy session!
This week we break down the public hearings on MMA Platform bills on:
LD 665 - An Act to Extend the Date by Which Compliance is Required for Affordable Housing Development, Increased Numbers of Dwelling Units and Accessory Dwelling Units, Sponsored by Rep. Allison Hepler of Woolwich;
LD 1022 - An Act to Allow School Budget Referenda on the Same Day as Primary Elections, Sponsored by Rep. Amy Arata of New Gloucester and a much needed edit on MMA's platform bill from the 129th Legislature;
LD 1204 -An Act to Improve the Health of Maine Residents by Closing Coverage Gaps in the MaineCare Program for Incarcerated Persons, sponsored by Speaker, Rachel Talbot Ross of Portland.
As we welcome spring weather and ache to spend less time outside the dome, we are digging in to the mountain of bills flowing through committees and hope you will stay tuned as things are getting heated in Augusta!
Advocacy on the road - Regional Meetings with Local Government
Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z
11/18/24 • 50 min
The Regional Meetings Podcast Episode:
At the taping of this podcast MMA's Advocacy Team had conducted 10 regional meetings with municipal and county officials around the state to discuss pressures on local government, possible solutions and meet with candidates for State office to understand better the needs of local government.
From Presque Isle to Alfred, some issues are the same with a significant difference in the ability for local government to address them. It is abundantly clear that not all communities have access to regional planning resources, grant writers, or even full time staff but are using what few tools they have to try to answer the biggest challenges facing local government.
What can legislators do better to understand capacity? Can they work more closely with local government to provide tools not rules and achieve their goals?
One thing is certain, all legislators need local government to deliver on their most desired policies and many legislators need to understand that efforts with a view from York County have more available resources than Franklin or Aroostook County but are no less important to those communities and the people they serve.
Hopefully, these local conversations will generate a lot more local voices providing comments on policy in Augusta!
The conversations and interactions between local and state government leaders are more important than ever and we appreciate the time you took to make these recent conversations meaningful. Whether it’s tax policy, education funding, mandates or public safety, local contributions only strengthen the discussions and help to inform the decisions being made in Augusta.
In the following months, MMA’s Legislative Policy Committee (LPC) and Advocacy Team will be shaping the association’s legislative platform. Your local LPC members are a valuable resource for both giving and receiving information. Count on them when you need information about a bill the LPC has up for debate, or if you have information about how a measure will impact your community.
Find the full list of LPC members HERE
Learn more about MMA’s 5-Member Advocacy Team HERE
Additional resources can be found at the Advocacy & Communications tab on MMA’s website. There you can access past editions of the Maine Town & City magazine, read the latest issues of the Legislative Bulletin, or stream the latest episode of the Potholes & Politics podcast. If you would like to receive an electronic version of the Legislative Bulletin, Maine Town & City magazine or subscribe to the monthly e-newsletter please contact MMA’s Personify database team at: [email protected] .
Bonus Episode - Policing Ethics Lessons from the Holocaust
Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z
03/27/23 • 32 min
As we prepare for Holocaust Remembrance Day, Maine Municipal Association, Maine Chiefs of Police Association, and several other stakeholders had the opportunity to receive an important history lesson in context from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C.. In this episode, Rebecca Graham sits down with Noel March who facilitated bringing a special law enforcement program out of D.C. to Maine through the Maine Community Policing Institute and the Maine Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine.
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was able to take part of The Museum's Law, Justice, and the Holocaust Program on the road to Maine, one of only two places outside Washington D.C. who have benefitted from the learning opportunity.
The signature program, Law Enforcement and Society: Lessons of the Holocaust (LEAS), is presented in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League. Established in 1999 at the request of DC Metropolitan Police Department, the program is suitable for recruit, in-service, and command professionals in law enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels. To date, this innovative program has reached more than 150,000 officers from the US and 80 countries worldwide.
The internationally recognized date for Holocaust Remembrance Day corresponds to the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar. It marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. In 2023, that day is Tuesday, April 18.
Episode 16- The End is Not Here....YET!
Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z
06/26/23 • 31 min
Well, the 1st Session was meant to end June 15, but we are in the 1st Special Session that won't end....at least amicably so it seems. Here is where we are this week...and soon we will be in your communities too!
LD 1857- Resolve, to Establish a Public Safety Health and Wellness Grant Pilot Program, sponsored by Rep. Lynn Copeland of Saco. Reconsidered, House amendment “A” provided the Department of Public Safety with 10% of the $2 million grant for the administration of the program. The amendment was adopted and engrossed by both House and Senate. This bill was advanced on behalf of MMA’s Legislative Policy Committee (LPC). (See “Silver Linings” in Legislative Bulletin 05-26-2023)
LD 1664 -An Act to Increase Reimbursement Under the General Assistance Program, Sen. Marianne Moore of Washington Co. The House amendment “A” removed the emergency preamble and fixing the appropriation accordingly was adopted and engrossed by both House and Senate. This bill was advanced on behalf of MMA’s LPC. (See “GA Funding & Study on The Horizon” in Legislative Bulletin 05-26-2023)
LD 1493 – An Act to Increase Affordable Housing by Expanding Tax Increment Financing, sponsored by Rep. Raegan LaRochelle, of Augusta, will come from Taxation Committee with a divided report. The majority report is “Ought to Pass as Amended.” This bill was advanced on behalf of MMA’s LPC. (See “Pine Trees, Chickadees, Workforce Affordable Housing” in Legislative Bulletin June 2, 2023)
LD 101 - An Act to Return to the Former Owner Any Excess Funds Remaining After the Sale of Foreclosed Property, sponsored by Rep. Chad Perkins of Dover-Foxcroft, will come from Taxation Committee “Ought to Pass as Amended.” (See “Tax Acquired Property Update” in Legislative Bulletin 6-09-2023)
LD 130 -An Act to Eliminate Senior Citizen Property Tax Stabilization and Expand the Homestead Property Tax Exemption, sponsored by Sen. Rick Bennett of Oxford Co., will come from Taxation Committee with two “Ought to Pass as Amended” reports. MMA supports the majority report. (See Clarification-Property Tax Stabilization Act in this Legislative Bulletin 6-09-2023 or 06-02-2023)
The Appropriations Committee will have made decisions on all funding issues including the supplemental/Part II budget (LD 258) and all items sitting on the “table” waiting for funding. Staff encourage you to engage with your legislators when opportunity allows and make phone calls
Episode 6 - Housing & Homelessness in Aroostook County
Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z
12/31/22 • 58 min
Housing and Homelessness in Maine is primarily discussed through the lens of Maine's largest cities. This episode Potholes and Politics features three local government leaders, Aroostook County Administrator, Ryan Pelletier, Madawaska Town Manager, Gary Picard and Presque Isle City Manager, Martin Puckett discussing the housing crisis, and growth in homelessness in Maine's largest county, and the collaborative way local government leaders are responding.
In this episode we also say goodbye to co-host Neal Goldberg, and hello to new co-host Rebecca (Becky) Lambert who will join Rebecca Graham for our future episodes. Additionally, we layout the way the podcast will increase in frequency as we pivot to pumping out important municipally impacting bills as they are proposed in the 131st Legislative Session.
Episode Break Down:
1:30 - Ryan Pelletier, Gary Picard & Martin Puckett discuss homelessness and workforce issue in the county.
17:00 - Martin Puckett discusses the collaborative way Presque Isle is engaging with Northern Maine Community College's unused college dorms to attract individuals who need housing, provide workforce development in the heart of the industrial center where employees are needed.
19:30 - Gary Picard talks about the future housing needs of Madawaska and the looming "Silver Tsunami" and how workforce housing is an issue for labor needs.
24:00 - Ryan Pelletier talks about how the County is using ARPA funds to address the looming crisis of a growing population of unhoused in a shelter system that is over capacity and in conjunction with all municipalities.
28:00 - Ryan, Martin and Gary talk about emergency heating needs, and how to manage keeping people warm in the oldest housing stock.
30:30 - Gary Picard talks about the changes in Madawaska before, after and during the pandemic.
35:30 - Martin Puckett discusses the problem with codes and address emergent issues.
40:00 - We start Neal Goldberg's long "goodbye" and talk about the changes to the podcast during the legislative session.
Don't forget to like us and subscribe to stay up to date on the latest municipally relevant legislation being proposed in Augusta! Email us at [email protected].
Episode 5 – Elections and Security
Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z
11/02/22 • 68 min
As Maine prepares for elections next week, Rebecca sits down with, current Deputy Director of the Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council and former 2020 Director of Elections for the State of Georgia, Chris Harvey, to discuss the increasingly hostile environment for those delivering democracy in our towns and cities.
Chris and Rebecca discuss the tendency for municipal officials to develop “thick skins” over years of fielding with public complaints, and how it might be time to set aside their hardiness to encourage reporting of threats. The discussion also touches on the ways law enforcement and clerks would benefit from understanding each other’s thankless tasks better.
At MMA’s annual convention, Neal grabs an interview from newly minted Deputy Town Clerk, Gillian Gaddis of Cutler, who talks about the gravity of her new role and the amount of training and diligence required to conduct an election. Neal also sits down with Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows to discuss Maine’s mechanisms for reporting election harassment and interference for officials.
LD 1821 -An Act To Protect Public Election Officials, became law on August 8, 2022.
Episode Guide:
1:40 - Gillian Gaddis, Election Clerk, Cutler- https://www.cutlermaine.net/
5:30 – Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows - https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/index.html
13:20 – Deputy Director, Chris Harvey, Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council, https://www.gapost.org/
Every town and city needs citizens like you to help administer the election. Visit the Maine Election Worker Recruitment webpage for more information about the qualifications, duties, and benefits of helping your town at the polls on Election Day.
Episode 4 - How We Get There From Here: Step 1
Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z
09/28/22 • 71 min
Episode 4 - How We Get There From Here: Step 1
Join us as we “drive” around the topic of Maine’s road. In the course of three interviews, Episode 4 travels from the Town of Jackman, through Augusta to chat with MDOT, all the way south to Town of Gray.
In Jackman we explore the local reality of maintaining a network of roads. The conversation covers state-local partnerships, the budget crunch for public works departments, and a local hero who came to the rescue to save drivers from a 163-mile detour.
In Augusta we meet with MDOT to hear about the Community Services Division, road inventories and classifications, local road assistance program (LRAP), local road plans and the fallacy of “worst first.”
Finally, we stop in Gray to dissect the pesky issue of private roads its intersection with the environmental responsibilities of local governments. This episode will be part of ongoing dives into road related issues so...stay tuned!
Episode Breakdown
03:50 – Town of Jackman, Public Works Director Doug Worster and Town Manager Cheryl Nadeau
21:00 – Peter Coughlan, Director of MDOT Community Services Division and Planning Board member in the Town of Randolph
47:25 – Nate Rudy, Town Manager of Gray
1:07:45 – Municipal Good News: “Celebrate” MMA’s upcoming convention
Corrections and Clarifications
49:55 - The budget for plowing private roads in Gray was originally estimated at $300K per year, however that cost is actually closer to $150K per year.
Stormwater 101 with Maine Stormwater Rangers
Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z
12/13/23 • 43 min
Why should you care about stormwater? What is a MS4 regulated community? Why do people pick up their dog poo and put it in a bag only to dump it on the trail or in the storm drain? What is a harbor trout?
In this episode, Rebecca Squared & Amanda the new kid talk with Stormwater Super Heros - Giants of municipal water protection activities; South Portland's Stormwater Coordinator Fred Dillon and Portland's Stormwater Coordinator Doug Roncarati and their state level partner Maine Department of Environmental Protection Stormwater Engineer Cody Obropta to tackle these questions and a whole lot more!
This episode is part 1 of a two part series. Fred, Doug and Cody share how they became stormwater rangers, what it's important and a small bit of the challenges communities in Maine face with old infrastructure and dense development.
"Urbanized and developed municipalities and other large public entities require Clean Water Act permits to send stormwater to nearby water bodies due to an increased likelihood of stormwater pollutants."
"Stormwater is precipitation that does not soak into the ground. Runoff accumulates in large quantities as it flows off of rooftops, driveways, roads and other impervious surfaces, picking up soil and polluting chemicals in its wake. It then flows into a storm drain, through an underground network of pipes, where it discharges into local rivers and streams, untreated."
Think Blue Maine
https://thinkbluemaine.org/
Map of urban impaired streams: https://maine.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=7f8f40a744ad49f3a6cccc7f1330872a
Non-Point Source Training Center - https://www.maine.gov/dep/training/npstrc-schedule.html
Rutgers Green Infrastructure Champions Program - https://rutgers.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nuaE-xe4T8e080uhQ-l6vg
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FAQ
How many episodes does Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z have?
Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z currently has 30 episodes available.
What topics does Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z cover?
The podcast is about Mma, Podcasts, Technology and Government.
What is the most popular episode on Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z?
The episode title 'Senior Property Tax Stabilization, What Happened? What is Next?' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z?
The average episode length on Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z is 44 minutes.
How often are episodes of Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z released?
Episodes of Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z are typically released every 27 days, 17 hours.
When was the first episode of Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z?
The first episode of Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z was released on Jul 6, 2022.
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