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Committee hears broad support for MOCA technical‑assistance hub; moves bill to work session
Summary
LD 1995 would direct the Maine Office of Community Affairs to create a centralized technical‑assistance materials hub for municipal planning, housing, transportation and climate resilience. Testimony emphasized code‑enforcement training, transit resources, and an estimated ongoing maintenance cost of about $75,000/year; the committee closed the public hearing and moved the bill into work session.
Senator Chip Curry introduced LD 1995, a bill that would require the Maine Office of Community Affairs (MOCA) to establish a centralized, searchable technical‑assistance materials hub to help communities find model ordinances, guidance, data and examples related to housing, land use, transportation, and climate resilience.
MOCA Director Samantha Horn described the hub as a searchable database that would curate existing resources from state agencies, regional planning organizations, nonprofits and academic institutions. Horn told the committee MOCA has begun background work, contracted with the Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission to inventory documents, and received a Maine Community Foundation grant to support a short‑term project manager. Horn estimated ongoing costs to maintain and curate the hub at roughly $75,000 per year but said she was discussing funding with the governor—s office and that some start‑up support had come from private grant funding.
Testimony in support came from municipal and sectoral groups. Tanya Emery (Maine Municipal Association) urged attention to code enforcement training as a critical resource for municipalities coping with CEO shortages. Megan Hannon, representing the Maine Transit Association, asked that the hub include transit and mobility materials (regional plans, provider contacts, routing information) so transportation is considered early in housing siting decisions. Nancy Smith (GrowSMART Maine) described past statewide efforts to maintain a resource hub and recommended state stewardship for durability.
Committee members asked about the need for statutory language given apparent broad agreement to create such a hub; Director Horn said the statute would help ensure durability, commit staff time, and incentivize partners to contribute resources. Members also discussed prioritization methods and whether the hub should host materials that cross silos (for example, housing and transportation) and how MOCA would solicit and curate resources.
Chair closed the public hearing and the committee agreed to move LD 1995 into work session for further drafting. No committee final vote on passage was recorded in the transcript; action recorded in the hearing was to take the bill up in work session.
