Quick correction + my June 23 endorsements

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.

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FY27 budget wins | June 18 Buckley fundraiser

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

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Budget hearing closes Tuesday | May 28 Town Hall | Council update

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 1st  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 hereYou 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

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A Guide to the FY27 Budget Amendments from entire Council

The Annapolis City Council is currently working through more than 130 proposed amendments to Mayor Littmann's FY27 budget. Most of my own amendments have been covered in earlier posts. This post is a look at what my colleagues are proposing.

I'm sharing this because the budget amendment process can be hard to follow from the outside — amendments get assigned letter codes, posted in spreadsheets, and discussed in work sessions that move quickly. Residents deserve to know what's being proposed in their name. Below is a guide to what each Alderperson and the Finance Committee have put forward.

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Savidge budget analysis and amendments

(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

Category

Additions

Reductions

Net

One-Time Use (OTU)

~$360,000

~$603,450

~$243,450 savings

Operating

~$1,373,000

~$1,378,000

~$5,000 savings

Bond / CIP

Cost-neutral corrections

Structural (TBD)

Exempt / Cost-Neutral

Multiple

$0

TOTAL

~$1,733,000

~$1,981,450

~$248,000 net savings

*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.

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Don't Take My Word for It: The Mayor's Own Words on the Scholarship Fund

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.

 

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FY27 budget hearing closing soon, my amendments posted, Market Space outdoor dining update, two of my ordinances introduced Monday

This meeting's agenda is lighter than our last, but two things make it consequential: the FY27 budget public hearing remains open — Monday is likely one of the last opportunities to testify before the full Council votes on the final package at the June 1 all-day session — and I am introducing two ordinances I've been working on. I've also now finalized and shared my budget amendments with my colleagues, and I'm posting the full document publicly so constituents can see where I stand before that vote.

Before I get to the budget, I want to share a quick update on the Market Space outdoor dining situation, because it's been in the paper this week and I've received a lot of messages about it from constituents. Here is where I stand.

Market Space outdoor dining: what I know, and what I don't

I'll be direct with you: I don't fully know what's happening. Neither does the Council — we weren't adequately briefed before the administration moved to terminate the existing outdoor dining leases at Market Space.

Here's what I understand. The five restaurants operating on Market Space have COVID-era leases the City has chosen not to renew. Part of the reason is due to the fall boat show, which has contractual rights to use Market Space and, with City Dock under construction, needs more of it than usual this October. The administration opted to terminate the existing leases rather than renew them with a boat show carve-out.

But I believe there are other motivations as well — changes to the dining footprint, the traffic configuration, or both — that the Council has not been fully briefed on. I can't fully explain what the administration is planning, because they haven't fully explained it to us. We are discussing this in the Economic Matters Committee, but we won't have things completely ironed out until our next meeting.

What I can tell you clearly is where I stand:

  • I am firmly against allowing cars back into Market Space. That would be a safety hazard and would destroy the calm, pedestrian-friendly environment that makes that space work. Any reconfiguration that opens the door to vehicle access is something I will oppose.
  • I am concerned about potential footprint changes — whether the new individual lease structure results in less overall outdoor dining space. I do not yet have a clear answer to that question, and I've asked for one.
  • The businesses operating there need certainty, not aspiration. The administration's public statement said they 'hope' outdoor dining can continue through the summer. Hope is not enough. These restaurants need to know now whether they can count on being open this summer, because they have to hire staff and place supply orders. I have pushed the administration to make firm commitments rather than issue aspirational statements — and I will continue doing so.

I will keep you updated as this develops. In the meantime, if you have views on the future of outdoor dining at Market Space, the administration should hear directly from you.

Now, on to the budget — which is the most important policy work happening at City Hall right now.

My final FY27 budget analysis and proposed amendments

The Finance Committee has now completed its department-by-department review of Mayor Littmann's proposed FY27 budget. I've finalized my analysis and proposed amendments, shared them with my colleagues, and am posting both publicly below. Here is what I think residents most need to understand.

The budget is fiscally constrained — and every Council addition requires an offset. The General Fund sits exactly at its 15% reserve floor. To be clear: the City does maintain various reserve mechanisms — a Budget Stabilization Fund, a Capital Reserve Fund, and other contingency accounts. But those funds exist for specific purposes and emergencies. The General Fund's operating position is thin, and because the one-time fund has been fully appropriated for the first time in recent memory, any priority the Council adds must come from a reduction elsewhere in the Mayor's budget. There is no discretionary pool to draw from. That is the central constraint shaping all of the amendments below. This was a deliberate choice by this administration. They could have left some of the unallocated monies available for us to deliberate over how to use, without needing to cut any corresponding appropriation by the Mayor. Unfortunately this risks causing a very contentious budget meeting as we fight over what to fund and not fund.

Federal funding cuts are hitting our operating budget. The Office of Emergency Management has flagged that federal grants previously covering its Hazard Mitigation Plan, training, and emergency exercises are no longer reliable — roughly $400,000 now absorbed into the operating budget. This is a direct consequence of federal instability, and likely not the last place we see it. Positions and programs that previously relied on federal support are increasingly becoming City obligations — increasing our budget burden even when nothing else changes.

The Harbormaster's seasonal staffing was cut — not at the department's request. The proposed budget drops the seasonal salary line from $199,000 to $68,000. The deputy harbormaster testified that this level of funding is insufficient to maintain seven-days-a-week operations at City Dock and our creeks. The department's own written response confirmed a minimum of $180,000 is needed. My amendments restore $112,000 to bring total seasonal funding to that minimum.

The Mayor's Office is proposed at its highest level in recent memory — and I'm redirecting a significant portion toward documented service gaps. The FY27 Mayor's Office budget has grown 40% since FY24, to $2.26 million, while simultaneously eliminating the Constituent Services position. My amendments reduce four consulting contracts — the strategic consultants ($72,500), the state lobbyist ($50,000, which the administration itself indicated it intends to eliminate), the philanthropist consultant ($75,000), and the communications consultant ($97,500) — and redirect those resources toward the Harbormaster, a third OCS Social Worker Care Coordinator, restored constituent services staffing, and a transit marketing position in the Department of Transportation.

I am not funding the proposed AFD peak medic unit without operational data. The FY27 budget proposes six new firefighter positions at $588,000 to staff a peak-time medic unit. The department has not produced the standard operational metrics — Unit Hour Utilization rates, call-stacking data, or documented coverage gaps — that would justify this staffing decision. The Fire Department's own Strategic Plan calls for a 16-month analytical process before implementation. AFD is currently meeting its response time standards. I've redirected these resources toward departments with documented, measurable need.

I'm proposing to unlock stalled capital by adding a Real Estate Administrator to the Department of Central Services. At least $11.6 million in active capital investment is sitting idle because no single person in city government manages real estate workflows — easements, acquisitions, disposals, lease negotiations. My amendments fund that position at $157,000, offset in part by redirecting a $100,000 real estate consulting line the department head himself said was insufficient to solve the problem.

On sidewalks and sustainable mobility: Seven of eight Council members identified pedestrian infrastructure as a shared priority. My amendments transfer $500,000 from road resurfacing to non-brick sidewalk repair, with funding prioritized toward ADA accessibility gap closures. I've also proposed interim peak-hour bus service along the Riva Road corridor serving Annapolis High School and County offices, and a transit mobile payment system to modernize fare collection.

The complete package nets approximately $477,000 in savings while redirecting spending toward verified service gaps and documented operational needs.

📄 Read my complete FY27 budget analysis and amendment list here

You can submit written testimony here or testify in person Monday at 7 PM.

Ward 7 capital projects update

Here is where things stand on capital improvement projects relevant to Ward 7:

  • Edgewood Road sidewalk extension — Annapolis Maritime Museum / Ellen Moyer Park campus (CIP #40045): In the design phase. Replaces existing oyster shell paths with smooth-surface sidewalk, solar-powered lighting, and ADA-compliant access along the Edgewood Road/Bembe Beach Road frontage of the park. Design to be completed in FY2027; construction anticipated FY2028.
  • Edgewood Road redesign: Safety redesign. I believe this project is in the design phase but am awaiting a confirmation from Public Works.
  • Tyler Avenue traffic calming: Tyler Avenue traffic calming is included in the City's Traffic Safety Improvements CIP (40060), which has been expanded to cover multiple corridors. [Awaiting updated timeline from DPW.]
  • Bay Ridge Road road diet: [Checking in with DPW for an update — timeline to follow.]
  • Mini traffic circle conceptual studies: Staff is working on this in-house, evaluating feasibility at several intersections, some in Ward 7. [Staff update forthcoming.]
  • Bay Ridge Avenue sidewalk expansion — between Forest Hills Avenue and Forest Drive (CIP #40040): In the design phase; additional right-of-way acquisition needed. Design to complete in FY2027; construction FY2028.
  • Downtown–Eastport–Ward 7 circulator (CIP #40088): Scope of work being refined. I expect a study within approximately six months. This would provide a more direct connection between Ward 7 and City Dock via the e-shuttle, without a lengthy bus transfer.
  • Forest Drive Transit Study: Authorized last year. Will examine transit improvements, traffic, and safety on Forest Drive — modeled on the 2009 West Street transit study. Working with Anne Arundel County and the State to develop a scope of work.
  • Baywoods crosswalk improvements (CIP #40078 — Pedestrian Activated Crosswalk at Bembe Beach Road): Fully funded from prior appropriations with no new FY27 request, indicating this project is in its final stages. [Awaiting completion update from staff.]

Ward 7 Town Hall — save the date!

A reminder that our next Ward 7 Town Hall is Thursday, May 28th from 6–8 PM at the Eastport-Annapolis Neck Library. More details to follow.

Closed session at 6 PM — City Dock litigation

The Council will go into closed session at 6 PM to discuss City Dock litigation, pursuant to Md. General Provisions §§ 3-305(b)(7) and (8). I don't yet know the substance of that discussion and will share what I can after the session. The open portion of the meeting begins at 7 PM — anyone arriving shortly before 7 will not miss anything on the public agenda.

Resilience Authority update

The Council will receive a presentation from the Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County on its FY27 budget needs (ID-109-26). The RA — created jointly by the City and County in 2021, and the nation's first multi-jurisdictional authority of its kind — has delivered over $50 million in resilience infrastructure with zero tax burden, leveraging federal and state grants. Worth tuning in for.

Action taken at the April 27, 2026 meeting

I was absent from the April 27 meeting, as I was in Kansas City, Missouri for the Community Streetcar Coalition Conference — networking with other cities exploring fixed-rail transit and highlighting Annapolis's Request for Proposals for a West Street streetcar feasibility study. I hope to find time to update you on this at a later date; at the moment the budget has taken up all of my spare time (haven’t had a day or evening off in a few weeks…) The following items were acted upon in my absence:

  • R-16-26 — Resolution: Fees Related to Street Cafés (passed on suspension of rules, second reader)
  • R-8-26 — Resolution: Fee Waivers for City-Supported Special Events FY2027 (passed on second reader, as amended to add Eastport a Rockin')
  • Consent calendar: appointment of Marcia Ormsby to the Human Relations Commission (AP-19-26); $3,000 Recreation & Parks grant from the USTA/Mid-Atlantic Foundation (SA-20-26); fleet fund transfer (FT-9-26).

As always, full agenda details are laid out below. The meeting begins with a closed session at 6 PM, followed by the regular meeting at 7 PM. Submit public testimony at annapolis.gov/testimony.

Ok, now that this and my budget analysis are done, just in time for Mother’s Day, please don’t expect a response tomorrow. 😁 See you on the flipside next week.

Stay healthy and safe,

Rob

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Budget Hearings Begin, Streetcar Feasibility RFP, Town Hall Save the Date & More

It’s a busy time at City Hall during budget season, and this meeting comes with a full agenda and several important highlights; so this is a long one today.

Ward 7 town hall – save the date!

First, a Save the Date for our next Ward 7 Town Hall: join me on Thursday, May 28th from 6–8 PM at the Eastport-Annapolis Neck Library. More details to follow, but mark your calendars now!

Joining virtually Monday

I want to flag that I will be joining Monday’s meeting virtually rather than in person. I will be in Kansas City, Missouri for the Community Streetcar Coalition Conference, where I am networking with other Cities that have streetcars, as well as with the companies that serve them, highlighting our Request for Proposals (RFP) for a feasibility study on reinstalling a streetcar system along West Street — an exciting sustainable mobility transit project pursued in partnership with Anne Arundel County and the State of Maryland. As a reminder, this feasibility study came out of our delegation trips to Sweden and Netherlands where we learned about sustainable mobility, and builds off of our 2009 West Street study (also with the State and County) that called for such a long-term assessment of fixed rail options.

Budget hearing open

This is also the start of FY2027 Budget Season. The public hearing on the budget is open and I encourage you to share your input — testimony can be submitted online. I’m pleased to note that the Mayor’s proposed budget includes no property tax rate increase — the rate remains at $0.7380 per $100 of assessed value. While the Council's review is ongoing and I have not yet reached conclusions, I believe residents deserve a timely window into the questions being asked on their behalf — and an opportunity to weigh in before that window closes. To that end, see my comments in the next section.

Budget analysis

The City Council's Finance Committee is midway through its review of Mayor Littmann’s proposed FY27 budget. I want to share some preliminary observations — and some open questions — as residents consider whether to testify.

I want to be transparent: my review is not complete. Several departments have yet to present to the Council, and I have outstanding questions from those that have. I am not yet prepared to draw final conclusions. But the window to testify is limited, and I think residents deserve a frank early look at what I'm seeing.

The budget is structurally tight. The administration has acknowledged this directly. The General Fund sits exactly at the city's 15% reserve policy floor, with no margin for unexpected costs or emergencies. The administration itself described the budget as being "at policy minimums — no buffer for surprises." In a year of significant federal funding uncertainty, that is a meaningful vulnerability.

The Capital Reserve Fund is being drawn down without a clear replenishment path. In recent years, the city was able to make healthy transfers into the Capital Reserve thanks to strong fund balance growth. This year, with the General Fund at the floor, that mechanism is constrained. I have questions about the long-term sustainability of our capital funding approach that I intend to explore when the CIP is presented.

The Harbormaster's seasonal salary was cut by roughly 65% — not at the department's request. The proposed budget drops this line from approximately $199,000 to $68,000. The deputy harbormaster testified before the Finance Committee that this level of funding is insufficient to maintain current operations, including seven-days-a-week service from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The cut originated with the Mayor's office, not the department. If you use the harbor, care about on-water enforcement, or value waterfront access, this is worth knowing.

Public waterfront access investment in the capital budget appears to be reduced significantly. The Citywide Public Water Access Improvements project (40051) shows a reduction of $413,500 in Capital Reserve funding for FY27 compared to prior appropriations. I need to hear the CIP presentation before drawing conclusions, but the numbers in the capital budget warrant questions.

The Mayor's Office is proposed at its highest budget level in recent memory — $2.26 million — including $635,500 in contractual services. This includes a state lobbyist ($50,000), a communications consultant ($97,500), strategic consultants ($72,500), and a philanthropist consultant ($75,000) to pursue private gifts and donations to the city. I intend to ask hard questions about the value and necessity of this spending, particularly given the tight budget and competing unmet needs elsewhere.

The Mayor is proposing to add six new firefighter positions for a new peak-time medical unit — at a cost I have not yet confirmed but expect to be over $1 million annually. The Fire Department's performance metrics are genuinely excellent by national standards, and I will hear their presentation before forming a final view. But in a tight budget with competing unmet staffing needs across departments, I believe the Council must evaluate all new positions in that context.

Several departments that have already presented have identified unfilled or underfunded staffing needs. In ITS, a Cybersecurity Specialist position remains vacant and two analyst positions were requested but not funded. In the Harbormaster's Office, the seasonal staff cut described above threatens service levels. We have not yet heard from many departments, including Planning & Zoning, Police, Public Works, and others — and I expect additional staffing concerns will surface. The question of how we allocate limited resources across all of these needs is one the Council must answer holistically.

The budget for the Office of Community Services — which funds grants, rental assistance, and direct services to lower-income residents — is proposed at roughly $525,000, down from $705,000 in FY26. That's a reduction of about 25% on paper. Some of this reflects line items moving between categories rather than actual programmatic cuts, but OCS has not yet presented to the Council. I intend to ask pointed questions when they do.

Federal funding uncertainty is already showing up in the budget. The Office of Emergency Management explicitly flagged that federal grants that previously funded its Hazard Mitigation Plan, training, and emergency exercises are no longer reliable. The City is now absorbing those costs (around $400k) into the operating budget. This is a direct consequence of federal budget and program instability — and likely not the last place we will see it.

One-time use funds appropriated; Every Dollar Now Requires a Choice. In recent years, the administration's introduced budget has left a portion of one-time funds unallocated, giving the Council flexibility during the amendment process to address Ward-specific priorities that may not have been included in the Mayor's proposal. This year, for the first time in recent memory, the proposed budget appropriates the full $1.9 million available in one-time funds. That means that if the Council wishes to fund any priority not already in the Mayor's budget — whether restoring the Harbormaster's seasonal staffing, paying for studies, creating grant programs, or anything else — we will need to identify offsetting reductions elsewhere. That is a harder conversation, and more contentious than I'd hope for, but it is the one we are now required to have.

I have not made up my mind on the overall budget. I am committed to completing the review rigorously before doing so. But these are the questions I am carrying into the remaining work sessions, and I think residents who care about any of these issues — harbor access, emergency services, community programs, capital investment in waterfront infrastructure, or how the Mayor's office is staffed and resourced — should consider making their voices heard before the comment period closes.

Legislation that passed at the last meeting

  • O-1-26 - Property Tax - Child Care Centers, Family Child Care Homes, and Large Family Child Care Homes
  • O-3-26 - Annapolis Harbor Lines at Hawkins Cove

I vote “Aye” on both of these.

As always, the full agenda details and my current thinking are laid out below. The meeting begins with a closed session at 6 PM, followed by the regular meeting at 7 PM. Public testimony can be submitted at annapolis.gov/testimony.

Stay healthy and safe,

Rob

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State of the City, Budget Season Begins, and Key Appointments

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

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Renters town hall, board vacancies, film festival

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

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