The purpose of the Maryland Municipal League Geocache Trail is to promote awareness of and visits to Maryland's cities and towns. It taps into the rapidly growing high-tech tourist trade that is not limited to any particular age group. Discovering a geocache, is very much like going on a treasure hunt using a hand-held GPS (Global Positioning System) to plot map coordinates to locate the treasure or "cache." A geocaching trail is a series of geocaches tied together by a common theme. The theme of the Maryland Municipal League Geocache Trail is Celebrating Maryland's Cities and Towns. Seventy-six cities and towns have adopted resolutions to participate in the Maryland Municipal League Geocache Trail! Volunteers from the Maryland Geocaching Society have already started to make contacts with participants to set up a time to help you locate your caches, plot the map coordinates and help to write descriptions of your caches. However, Society Members have reported that in some cases, personnel at city/town hall didn't know anything about the project when they were attempting to make appointments. It is very important that you make sure staff at city or town hall is aware that you are participating and that you are prepared with the materials listed in the confirmation that was sent to you upon receiving a copy of your geocache resolution. In most cases, the name of the clerk or city/town manager (unless otherwise specified) were given to Geocaching Society volunteers as a first contact. In order to keep this project on track to debut the first week of January, the volunteers need your cooperation to establish your cache.

Also, you may purchase a smaller cache box (but probably no smaller than a 6 cup size) if space does not permit you to conceal something larger. If you have questions, please call Linda Burrell at MML.

This is the first year that MML will celebrate Municipal Government Works (MGW) Month in November. This is an ideal time to educate your citizens, especially students, about the government closest to the people, municipal government. Information about the 2009 "If I Were Mayor, I Would…" Essay Contest was sent to all cities and towns last week so that officials can promote the contest when visiting 4th grade classrooms to talk about municipal government as part of your MGW celebration activities. If you are not visiting a school this month, please hold on to these materials until you do. MML will NOT be mailing these materials to you again later. All schools will receive this information in December. If you have questions, please call Linda Burrell at MML.

The following are the scheduled dinner meetings where local MML Chapters will meet with their General Assembly delegations to discuss League and local legislative priorities:

• Allegany/Garrett Chapter
  Wednesday, November 19
  Cumberland Country Club, 10200 Country Club Road, S.E.
  Cumberland
• Washington County Chapter
  Monday, November 24
  American Legion, 158 Martin Street
  Clear Spring
• Frederick County Chapter
  Wednesday, December 3
  Cozy Restaurant, 103 Frederick Road
  Thurmont
• Montgomery Chapter
  Wednesday, December 3
  Rockville Hilton
  Rockville
• Carroll County Chapter
  Thursday, December 4
  Taneytown
• Southern Maryland Chapter
  Wednesday, December 10
  Rod and Reel Restaurant, 4165 Mears Avenue
  Chesapeake Beach
• Cecil-Harford Chapter
  Thursday, December 11
  Vandiver Inn
  Havre de Grace
• Eastern Shore Association of Municipalities
  Thursday, January 22
  Fisherman's Inn
  Grasonville

For additional details, please contact your Chapter directly. As the League receives more information regarding times and locations, it will be added to the schedule, which will be on the MML website.

The Maryland Municipal League is looking into a new compensation survey that will replace the Institute for Governmental Service & Research (IGSR) salary survey that was last completed in January 2007. The new survey, if implemented, will be web-based, searchable, and include both salary and benefit information. However, the value of this new human resources tool will be commensurate with the level of MML member participation. In other words, the greater the municipal participation - the better the product will be for everyone. Understand that there will be a nominal fee for participation in the program; however, the fee to access compensation information will be greater for non-participants.

If you think your municipality may have an interest in accessing and contributing to a new web-based compensation survey, please contact MML Research Manager Tom Reynolds at 800/492-7121 or TomR@mdmunicipal.org before November 25 for more information.

The MEDA Foundation, Inc., in partnership with SC&H Group LLC, will conduct a Maryland Business Tax Seminar on Wednesday, December 3. This seminar will highlight the Maryland business tax structure including what taxes businesses are required to pay, the ways in which the taxes are collected, and how the taxes are distributed. Representatives in the accounting, legal, and tax fields will share their specialized expertise and provide attendees with an in-depth look at how businesses taxes work in Maryland.

The seminar will be held at Frederick Community College's Conference Center from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Cost to MEDA members is $35 and $50 to non-members. Cost includes continental breakfast and lunch.

SEATING IS LIMITED! To register, obtain a draft agenda, or get information about hotel accommodations visit www.medamd.com today. This seminar is recognized by the International Economic Development Council for one level 3 (C) point for re-certification if you have the CEcD designation. For more information call: 410/575-6027!

Two Academy core sessions and one Academy elective will be offered at the Local Government Insurance Trust (LGIT) annual meeting on Thursday, November 20 at the Annapolis Sheraton. There is no charge to attend these classes if you register with LGIT by November 14. The schedule is:

• Public Information Act (Academy Core) 7:30 a.m.
• Conducting Effective Meetings (Academy Core), 1:30 p.m.
• Communities Going Green (Academy Elective), 1:30 p.m.

To register, please contact LGIT Training Coordinator Larry Bohlen, Lbohlen@lgit.org, 443/561-1700. To register online visit www.lgit.org.

The Academy for Excellence in Local Governance is a voluntary certificate training program designed to help local government officials, especially newly elected officials, meet the challenges of their roles. Municipal officials are required to successfully complete nine core and five elective classes to earn certification from the University of Maryland. The Maryland Municipal League is one of the founding partners of the Academy, in cooperation with the Institute for Governmental Service and Research at the University of Maryland (IGSR), the Maryland Association of Counties, and the Local Government Insurance Trust. If you need additional information or a copy of your transcript, please contact Bao Nguyen, Academy Registrar, by phone, 301/405-3773 or by e-mail bhnguyen@umd.edu.