Here is some information on our Monday Council meeting. I have a few pieces of legislation that are going through the process. One deals with the proposed Bay Village independent living facility that would be located on the Quantum Sails lot and the cleared lot to the west, right across from the Giant on Bay Ridge Rd. I go into a lot more detail about this below and have included some images of their current proposal. There is also legislation that introduces the new environmental re-organization that the Mayor and I have come together on. Lastly, read on for information on how to vote in this June’s primary election.

Take care everyone, and stay well.

Our third virtual Council meeting is coming up this Monday. The big issue up for public hearing is our City budget. In a nutshell, there are virtually no enhancements (i.e. additions) to the budget, except for one for the Fire Department to replace breathing apparatuses, and perhaps a few others (I haven’t finished analyzing the budget myself yet). There is no change in the tax rate in the proposed budget. City employees would have to go half a year without a cost of living increases, though this is still being negotiated with the Union. In all likelihood, next year is when we will really feel the pressure of a tight budget due to COVID-19. We may at that time need to consider furloughs, layoffs, and of course that means service reductions. Hopefully I’ll be wrong and we will have a quick recovery or we will receive some rescue funds from the federal government.

We will be withdrawing two pieces of legislation due to the economic impacts from COVID-19: the plastic bag ban I had introduced and an ordinance that would have dealt with adding fire suppression sprinklers in buildings on Main Street. 

Lastly, if you hadn’t noticed already, you’ll see in tomorrow’s Capital Gazette that I’m not too happy with how the appointment of our D30A delegate replacement went down. You can read my opinion piece here. 

After our trial run on doing a virtual Council meeting, we will be holding our second virtual meeting this Monday, with a packed agenda. I’d recommend tuning in as the Mayor will be giving his State of the City Address and introducing this year’s budget. 

Take care and stay well during this pandemic. If you should have any questions or concerns please let me know. 

I hope you and all your loved ones are staying well during this COVID-19 crisis. Our lives and economy have certainly been upended by the pandemic. This will likely make this upcoming City budget quite a difficult one to work through for us. If there is anything I, or the City, can do to help during this difficult time please do not hesitate to reach out to me.  I’ll include some resources below. If you’d like updates on the actual pandemic, I advise you to tune into the Mayor’s or County Executive’s virtual town halls and to listen to our County Health Officer, Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman. I would like to commend Mayor Buckley and Executive Pittman for their stellar leadership during this crisis. 

And please don’t forget to complete your Census survey online or through the mail. 

There aren't any major pieces of legislation on the agenda for this Monday’s Council meeting. I will be withdrawing my proposed legislation that would create a Department of the Environment. The Mayor and I have come together to create a new proposal that I believe will meet both of our goals and continue to make the City the leader in the environment. Below I also comment on legislation that would update our adequate public facilities review to ensure development can’t occur if our roads are inadequate (currently they can proceed).

Also, please hold April 8th for our next Town Hall meeting at the library (7-8:45 PM). 

This Monday brings another Council meeting, as well as an opportunity for you to testify on the plastic bag ban that I’m proposing for Annapolis. There are details on that below, along with other updates for the meeting and other happenings in the City. 

Also, please hold April 8th for our next Town Hall meeting at the library (7-8:45 PM). 

I have two pieces of important legislation being introduced on Monday. The first is a moratorium on the issuance of all new Short Term Rental (STR) licenses, which would be in place while we update our zoning code to regulate the number (in some cases excessive number) of such businesses. The second is a “plastic bag ban” that would prevent all retail stores from providing plastic bags at checkout (this would not include trash bags, pet bags, or other bags that are not provided at the point of sale). Furthermore, it would assess a fee on paper bags to cover the retailer’s costs, to help the City pay for cleanup of all the legacy plastic pollution, and to provide reusable bags to those of lower income (this fee would only apply to retailers over 20,000 square feet). I have more information on both pieces of legislation below. 

Also, please hold April 8th for our next Town Hall meeting at the library (7-8:45 PM). 

For this Monday’s Council meeting, the issues of note include legislation that would ban Tattoo parlors from the entire City (except for parts of West street) the appointment of a new Planning & Zoning Director, and the introduction of legislation dealing with sprinklers in the Historic District. 

Also, please hold April 8th for our next Town Hall meeting (7-8:45 PM).

Happy new year! I hope you had a pleasant holiday season. As we kick off the new year, I’ll be identifying legislative and other priorities for the coming year. If there’s anything you’d like me to focus on, please let me know.

We have our first meeting of the year coming up on Monday. Here are some details on that meeting.

I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving. We have another Council meeting coming up this Monday, and the big items are two appointments, legislation governing short term rentals (and limiting them, if my amendments succeed), and more legislation that would strengthen the Critical Area laws (even more so if my amendments pass). Here are some details: