Municipal Matters

News and Opportunities for your community

Free Salt Marsh Outreach Resources Available

A University of Washington landscape architecture team has created a collection of maps, graphics, and visual resources about Maine’s salt marshes, including their ecology, benefits, and response to environmental change.

The materials are designed to help communities, landowners, and organizations better understand salt marshes and coastal resilience.

The resources are free to use for presentations, workshops, brochures, websites, signage, and other outreach. Maine organizations are already using the materials in technical assistance and public education.

Maine Working Waterfront Conference

Bar Harbor | November 12 - 13, 2026

Maine’s working waterfronts are essential to our economy, communities, identity, and heritage—but they face growing pressures from storms, sea level rise, development, maintenance costs, and other challenges.

The November 12–13, 2026 conference will focus on working waterfronts and the seafood economy, with discussions on:

• Strengthening coastal and working waterfront resilience
• Supporting the people and businesses that depend on these places
• Planning tools for municipalities and regions
• Funding, permitting, and infrastructure solutions
• New inventories and tools for assessing working waterfronts

Financial assistance is available for those who need help with the cost of attending.

Help Shape Maine’s Manufactured Housing Future

The Office of State Fire Marshal is convening a working group to examine safety and cost considerations related to elevator hoistways and residential sprinklers under LD 2224 (Public Law Chapter 657).

Municipal officials and others interested in these issues are encouraged to review the meeting notice for upcoming working group meetings.

For questions, contact the Office of State Fire Marshal.

New Resource Helps Municipalities

Visualize Housing Density

Webinar October 5 | 2:00 - 3:15pm

The Housing Opportunity Program, in partnership with Stantec, is hosting a webinar to introduce “Visualizing Density: Understanding Maine’s New Housing Laws,” a new resource designed to help municipal planners, planning boards, and community leaders better understand and visualize the state’s new density requirements.

Using images of Maine neighborhoods, the resource provides practical examples that can help municipalities put housing density into context and support informed community conversations.

Monday, October 5 | 2:00–3:15 p.m.

All are welcome to attend. Following the webinar, the resource and recording will be available on the Housing Opportunity Program webpage.

LOCAL PLANNING BOARD & BOARD OF APPEALS WORKSHOP

-in person only-

Tuesday, October 27 in Augusta

This workshop is a basic introduction to the rules and procedures governing municipal planning boards and appeals boards.

It is designed primarily for new and less experienced planning board and board of appeals members. However, it is also a great refresher for long-time board members.

Code Enforcement Officers and municipal officers may find this course helpful as an overview to the role of these boards in their municipalities. 

SCEC’s Community Development Team is ready to partner with your community on a wide range of projects and planning efforts. Take the next step—connect with us and move your community’s priorities forward.

The articles and links in this newsletter are provided as a convenience. The views and opinions expressed by these agencies and organizations do not necessarily reflect those of Sunrise County Economic Council.