It's a packed agenda this Monday.

Mayor Littmann will open with the State of the City Address — always a worthwhile window into where City leadership sees things heading. From there, we move into the formal introduction of the FY2027 Budget. The budget documents aren't yet publicly available in the Legistar system at the time I'm sending this, but I'll be watching closely as they come in — budget season is the most consequential time of year for how your tax dollars get spent, and I'll keep you updated as we dig in over the coming weeks.

The Council is also expected to vote on the confirmation of a new City Manager and City Attorney. Yolanda L. Lewis is the Mayor's pick for City Manager — she brings over 20 years of government executive experience, most recently at the Meadows Institute, and previously as Chief Administrative Officer for Fulton County, Georgia. Anthony Kupersmith is nominated as City Attorney, an Annapolis-based attorney with a background in municipal, land use, and environmental law. I'm currently inclined to support both confirmations, but as always, I'd welcome your input before I vote.

There's also a fund transfer for the Mayor's Deputy Chief of Staff position on the consent calendar — FT-10-26 — that I intend to pull out for a separate, transparent vote. This is the mechanism that would fund the position the Council approved a few weeks ago. I voted no at the time and have reservations about burying this in a consent calendar without discussion. The Finance Committee is meeting at 6pm before the full Council meeting, so expect some floor discussion on this one.

A couple of community items worth highlighting as well: Anne Arundel County has released Safe Routes to School Accessibility Studies — I've included the details below, and I encourage you to take a look if you have kids or live near a school route. And with Earth Day right around the corner, there are local celebrations and volunteer opportunities coming up that I hope you'll consider joining.

As always, I've laid out the full agenda below with my current thinking on each item. Public testimony can be submitted at annapolis.gov/testimony, and the meeting begins at 7pm.

Stay healthy and safe,

Rob

I hope you had a great St. Patrick’s Day—and, if you made it downtown, enjoyed the parade and time with neighbors.

This Monday (3/23) the City Council meets again. Below is a preview of what’s on the agenda, along with a few community updates I think you’ll find useful.

A quick update from our last meeting: Ordinance O-40-25 (a moratorium on non-owner-occupied short-term rentals) passed. I voted no. My concern is that we adopted comprehensive legislation on this topic about six months ago, and I did not see a clear justification for pausing the current rules so soon. I’d prefer we evaluate how the new regulations are working, using data and enforcement experience, before taking a step as sweeping as a year-long moratorium.

Thank you for staying engaged and for taking the time to read these updates.

Stay healthy and safe,

Rob