On October 3, 2024, Governor Janet Mills announced her appointment of Samantha Horn, an expert in land use and natural resource policy and planning, to lead the Maine Office of Community Affairs, a new standalone office created by the Governor and Legislature earlier this year that will partner with Maine communities to strengthen planning and implementation at the local level.

The Office will serve as a one-stop shop within State government to provide coordinated and efficient planning, technical assistance, and financial support to towns, cities, Tribal governments and regional entities, which will help them better plan for common challenges, pursue solutions, and create stronger, more resilient communities.

Horn will establish and lead the operation of the office, which will reorganize existing state programs and resources and retain current state staff. Horn has three decades of experience in policy, planning and science and currently consults on public stakeholder engagement, policy work, and planning and siting for development projects. Prior to starting her consulting business, she was the director of science for The Nature Conservancy in Maine and worked in state natural resource agencies for nearly 20 years, including more than a decade in leadership roles at the Maine Land Use Planning Commission. She begins as Director of the Maine Office of Community Affairs in late October.

Communities across Maine are contending with increasingly complex challenges, such as housing shortages, population growth, and the impacts of climate effects like extreme storms, flooding, and rising sea levels.

At the same time, unprecedented Federal support from the Biden-Harris Administration is available to help communities address these long-term challenges. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act alone, Maine stands to compete for and benefit from millions in federal funds to invest in communities, build and repair infrastructure, improve resilience to climate effects, improve the quality of life for residents, and grow local economies and the workforce.

The Maine Office of Community Affairs will help to unlock these and future opportunities, especially for the smallest and most under-resourced communities, by supporting the delivery of robust planning and technical assistance, coordinating resources across agencies, and ensuring that State interactions with communities are consistent.

The former State Planning Office, eliminated under the previous administration, oversaw similar work, serving as a central entity for administering financial and technical assistance programs to help support planning for Maine's communities. When it was eliminated in 2012, some of its programs ended or were significantly reduced, while others were moved to several different state agencies.

In June 2023, the Legislature directed the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF) to review opportunities and structural changes in state government and recommend ways to improve coordination and implementation of planning grants and technical assistance programs for communities and regional planning and development organizations. GOPIF collaborated with state agency leaders and staff to conduct dozens of focus groups and interviews with a diverse range of stakeholders, including representatives of municipalities and regional planning and development organizations, to provide input about their needs. This culminated in a report to the Legislature in 2023 that recommended the creation of the Maine Office of Community Affairs. Its establishment, consisting primarily of the Director's position, was funded in the 2024-25 supplemental budget passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Mills in April.

Programs involving land use, housing and flood plain planning, as well as building codes, coastal management, and some climate resilience funding and programs, will be reorganized into the new Office starting next July. This includes the following programs:

• -Community Resilience Partnership (currently part of GOPIF)
• -Maine Coastal Program (Department of Marine Resources)
• -Maine Floodplain Program (Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry)
• -Municipal Planning Assistance Program (Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry)
• -Housing Opportunity Program (Department of Economic and Community Development)
• -Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code/Code Enforcement (Office of State Fire Marshal)
• -Volunteer Maine, an independent state office connected to the Department of Education that supports a stronger Maine through volunteerism.

Other state programs that provide relevant services to communities will remain in other agencies, with the Office ensuring increased coordination across agencies and program staff.

The Office's work also will be informed by a working group established by LD 1673 and convened by GOPIF to coordinate collaboration among state agencies to promote smart growth, walkable neighborhoods, mixed-use development and mixed-income housing in high-use corridors.

The relevant state programs and staff will be transferred to the Maine Office of Community Affairs through proposals that will be included in the Governor's forthcoming biennial budget, to take effect by July 1, 2025. The Office will additionally include a newly established State Resiliency Office and staff, supported by the historic $69 million climate resilience grant awarded to Maine in July by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. By early 2025, that team will begin leading cross-agency efforts to enhance climate resilience across the state, especially in communities with significant climate vulnerabilities impacting residents, infrastructure, and the environment.

"Communities across Maine are on the frontlines of some of our biggest and most complex challenges -- from the lack of housing to the impacts of climate change -- and I want them to know they are not alone. I strongly believe these challenges can be addressed through collaboration and coordination between state government and local governments, which is why this new office will enhance state and local partnerships and offer a one-stop shop for municipal leaders to access valuable state programs and planning assistance," said Governor Janet Mills. "I thank the Legislature for its bipartisan support of this new office, and I am grateful to Samantha Horn for her willingness to lead it and build upon the strong partnerships my Administration has created with cities and towns across the state."

"I'm pleased to be able to further the Governor's impressive achievements in partnering with communities statewide," said Samantha Horn. "As the Maine Office of Community Affairs takes shape, we will focus on coordinating the delivery of technical assistance and grants so communities can spend more time on local projects, and less time navigating state programs."

"Community leaders are doing incredible work at the local level," said Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. "But the demands of climate change, housing, and other challenges are unprecedented. Thankfully, so are the resources to address them. This new office, under the leadership of Samantha Horn, will be a key partner for Maine's municipal, regional and Tribal leaders in meeting those challenges on behalf of Maine people."

"MMA is pleased that Governor Mills promptly appointed the director of the newly created Maine Office of Community Affairs," said Catherine Conlow, Maine Municipal Association's Executive Director. "The office will act as a liaison between state lawmakers and the town and city officials relied upon to implement state policy goals, and more importantly provide the catalyst for strengthening the state-municipal relationship. Governor Mills understands that local leaders are valued partners in the delivery of services to Maine residents, and the creation of the office and the appointment of its director is a much-needed step in that direction."

"We are very excited about the creation of Maine Office of Community Affairs," said Amy Landry, Executive Director of the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments. "The office will greatly enhance coordination and support for Maine communities and will be a resource to strengthen our ability to further regional planning efforts."