We have a full City Council meeting this Monday, July 13, at 7 PM, and a Council work session Thursday afternoon. A few things I want on your radar before then.

Three ordinances are up for public hearing Monday, and I hope you will weigh in. One is mine: O-16-26 updates our Forest Conservation code to conform with the new state law while keeping the stronger standards Annapolis already had. I wrote up where things stand, including my amendments and what changed in committee, on my blog. The other two are O-14-26, the Mayor's restructuring of the Art in Public Places Commission, where I expect to offer amendments, and O-17-26, which would end the practice of ticketing people for parking in front of their own driveways. That one came straight from constituent complaints, including from Ward 7, and I am signing on as a co-sponsor.

We also open Monday by awarding the first Arnett-Finlayson scholarships. The outgoing Council authorized these, and I am glad to see them finally come to fruition for these students.

Two more updates many of you have been waiting for: we finally have target dates for the speed cameras in the Edgewood Road corridor, and the search for our next Police Chief is underway, with a community survey and two sessions this week where you can help shape what we look for. Details on both below, along with good news on the Spa Road cleanup and the County's plan to fix the Water Reclamation Facility odors, at the end.

Stay healthy and safe,

Rob

When I last wrote about the ordinance I introduced to update Annapolis's forest conservation code, I flagged a gap I was worried about and told you I was working on a companion measure to close it. We have since gotten an answer on that gap, and the ordinance has moved through two committees. Here is where things stand.

For more than 25 years, I have worked with Annapolis's forest conservation law, first as an environmental professional and now as your Ward 7 Alderman. So when Maryland recently overhauled its statewide Forest Conservation Act, I knew this was a moment that called for care, not a rubber stamp. This month I introduced legislation to update our City's forest conservation code, and I want to tell you what it does and why it matters.

We have a City Council special meeting this Monday, June 22, at 7 PM. A few things I want to put on your radar before then. First, I’m glad to welcome an annual report from Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating (CRAB), whose Adaptive Boating Center sits right here in Ward 7 — their numbers are worth celebrating, and I’ve summarized them below. Second, I’ve included highlights from our June 11 Environmental Matters Committee meeting, which I chair, from a decade of Spa Creek water-quality data to the forest and energy work moving forward. And third, there’s a public hearing on O-14-26 (Art in Public Places) — your chance to weigh in.

On the legislative side, three items I especially want to flag. R-19-26 confirms Karen Ajayi as our Finance Director, and I am inclined to support it, pending any input from you. O-16-26 is my ordinance updating the City’s Forest Conservation law to conform with new State rules while keeping our stronger local standards — more on that below and on my blog. And O-17-26 responds directly to constituent complaints about being ticketed for parking on the street in front of their own driveway. I think the goal is right, but this one will need more dialogue in committee as we work through amendments — both to get everyone on board and to make sure we land on something staff can actually implement.

Stay healthy and safe,

Rob

Two quick items: first, a correction on the Gavin Buckley fundraiser I mentioned in my last newsletter — the event is this Thursday and the start time I listed was wrong. Second, my endorsements for the June 23 primary.

Stay healthy and safe,

Rob S.

The FY27 budget is almost across the finish line. We adopted it on second reader after a long June 1 session and postponed final action to this Monday, June 8. Below you’ll find the wins I’m proudest of, a candid word about one process concern, what’s still ahead, and a full slate of community events. I'm also co-hosting a fundraiser for Gavin Buckley on June 18 — an evening on the water at the Annapolis Sailing School, with an environmental theme that reflects why his race for District 6 County Council matters.

A correction and apology. In my earlier comments on the Arnett/Finlayson scholarship issue, I characterized the Mayor as having opposed using the Education Commission’s expertise. After checking with both the Mayor and Alderwoman O’Neill, my recollection was mistaken — he did not oppose drawing on the Commission’s expertise. I want to set the record straight and apologize for the error.

A word on process — and the size of the Mayor’s Office. A procedural move late in our budget session ended up limiting debate on the size and cost of the Mayor's Office — something Alderwoman O'Neill and I objected to, though our colleagues saw it differently. I would have preferred to have had an open dialog about how this is the largest mayor's office in our history, but after the vote it is what it is. Over the next year I'll be watching how those positions perform and whether they deliver real value for residents, with an eye toward next year's budget conversation.

Stay healthy and safe,

Rob

A few items at the top of this newsletter. First, I am pleased to share that the scholarship program we approved last term — honoring former Alderpersons Ross Arnett and Sheila Finlayson — is now on a path forward. As some of you may have seen in the Capital Gazette, this took longer than it should have to resolve, but the important thing is that the eight students who were told they would receive these awards will not be left in limbo, the funds will be distributed before the fiscal year closes on June 30, and our Charter-crisis has been averted. I am grateful to Alderman Smith-Brown for stepping forward to develop draft protocols and to the Mayor for ultimately agreeing to move it forward.

Second, this Tuesday's council meeting is your LAST opportunity to testify in person on the FY27 City Budget. The public hearing closes at the end of this meeting and the Council moves into amendments at our June 1^st  meeting. Written testimony is also welcome — submit it at annapolis.gov/testimony. I have published my complete FY27 budget amendment package (v1.4, post-Finance review). You can read the full document here. You can also view what my colleagues on the council are proposing here.

Third, our Ward 7 Town Hall is Thursday, May 28th, 6:00–7:30 PM at the Eastport-Annapolis Neck Library. We'll cover the FY27 budget, Ward 7 capital projects, and open Q&A. If you can help distribute flyers to your immediate neighbors, please reply and I’ll let you know how to get some fliers.

Finally, if you're able to stay out a bit later on the 28th, I'd love to see you at the fundraiser for James Kitchin, who is running for Anne Arundel County Executive and has my full endorsement. James helped create Anne Arundel County's public campaign finance system — and then chose to use it himself, putting his principles into practice where many politicians would not. He has also earned the endorsement of the teachers union, and I look forward to working with him as a strong partner for our community. I'm going to do my best to wrap up the town hall early so anyone who wants to head to the Sailing School can make it. Details at jameskitchin.com/events.

Stay healthy and safe,

Rob

(PDF version - properly formatted - available for download)

Introduction

The City's finances are in good shape — our reserves are at full strength. The issue is what the Mayor is doing with the flexible funds that sit above those reserves. He is treating that pool as almost spent, when in fact his budget uses only about 29 percent of it — roughly $1.9 million out of a pool of about $6.5 million. For comparison, last year the previous Mayor proposed using 42 percent of a similar pool, and Council ultimately approved 62 percent. The effect this year is that any Council priority not already in the Mayor's budget has to be funded by cutting something else the Mayor proposed — rather than from the millions still available within that pool. Meanwhile, our debt costs are projected to exceed our own 10 percent policy target for five years running, with little cushion left before the 12 percent ceiling the City treats as the hard limit. The Mayor's Office is proposed at its largest size ever ($2.26 million, up 40 percent since FY24, with staffing growing from 14 to 15 positions). The budget also includes about $245,000 in new consulting contracts — a communications consultant, strategic consultants, and a philanthropy consultant.

My amendments redirect those dollars to real service gaps: a third Community Services Coordinator at the Office of Community Services, a second Constituent Services position, a Real Estate Administrator at Central Services to unlock roughly $11.6 million in stalled capital projects, restoration of the Harbormaster's seasonal staffing — a cut the Harbormaster told the Finance Committee her office did not propose — and a phased increase in sworn officers toward the staffing level City Code requires. I am also asking Council to hold back two items pending the data the City says it will produce: the proposed 6-position Fire peak medic unit ($588,000 a year, ongoing) until the Fire Department's own strategic-plan workload analysis is done, and the proposed Police drone program ($247,750) until there is a documented workload case for it.

Several of my amendments are directly important to Ward 7. I am proposing a $50,000 feasibility study for the Annapolis Diesel-Electric Hybrid Passenger Ferry pilot, intended to land at the future Carrs-Elktonia Beach and connect us to downtown without the long bus transfer riders face today. I am proposing $80,000 from the Sewer Enterprise Fund (no cost to the General Fund) for an odor-control retrofit at the Belmont Pump Station serving the King James Landing Road area, where residents have lived with chronic sewer odors. I am proposing interim peak-hour bus service along the Riva Road corridor serving Annapolis High School and Parole, and the elimination of fares on our five fixed bus routes — consistent with the Transportation Board's 2021 recommendation and the basic equity point that the Downtown Shuttle is already free for visitors while residents who depend on the bus pay to ride.

Headline Figures

*Several amendments carry TBD or pending amounts. Net fiscal impact is approximately $248,000 in operating and one-time use savings. The ADOT marketing position is offset 1:1 by the Mayor's Office communications consultant reduction. Position cost figures reflect Finance-confirmed loaded costs.

Yesterday the administration posted a "Myth vs. Fact" response to my recent op-ed. If the students who were promised this money receive it by June 30, that outcome matters, and I will be glad for them. But how we get there matters too, and several claims in the administration's response don't match the documentary record.