Coming out of our August recess, the Council resumes Monday with a regular Council meeting. There are two pieces of legislation up for a public hearing, one is my Ordinance that would prohibit new drive-thrus, which emulates other jurisdictions and seeks to make our community safer for pedestrians and cyclists. This will also be the first meeting for our newest Council-member, Harry Huntley, who was appointed by the Annapolis Democratic Central Committee as Ward 1 Alderman, replacing Alderwoman Elly Tierney, who has moved out of the area.

September Town hall meeting

Alderman Arnett and I are holding a joint Ward7/8 town hall meeting on Thursday, September 12^th, 7pm at the Eastport volunteer fire company, at 914 Bay Ridge Ave. I’ll send more on this later, but please mark your calendars.

Stay healthy and stay safe,

 Rob

Next Council meeting – 9/9/24 (agenda)

This meeting starts at 7pm and will be televised on local cable, YouTube, Facebook, and the City website.  You can submit public testimony at http://www.annapolis.gov/testimony. This will be an in-person meeting.

Public Hearings

• O-6-24 - City-wide Prohibition on New Drive-through Windows - For the purpose of prohibiting new drive-through window facilities that allow people to remain in vehicles while receiving products or services; eliminating City Code references to drive-through windows and facilities; and generally related to drive-through facilities in Annapolis. This is legislation I’ve introduced with Mayor Buckley and Alderman Schandelmeier that would prohibit the construction of new drive-thrus in the City. Our rationale is that we just adopted our new Annapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan, and in that plan, it outlines a vision of the City we want to live in that has moved away from auto-centric development. Drive-thrus simply are not safe for surrounding pedestrians and cyclists as they don’t fit into pedestrian-friendly mixed-use development. They lead to increased air pollution from idling vehicles that is bad for the environment, bad for our health, and not conducive to creating areas for people to gather. They contribute to development patterns that are not friendly to seniors, given that drive-thrus exacerbate mobility issues (i.e. seniors become dependent on cars, then when they can’t drive anymore become mobility-limited and isolated. If we have pedestrian friendly development with multimodal transportation access it creates a better situation for seniors). Additionally, they compound vehicular traffic issues on nearby roadways. We have also learned that land uses with drive-thrus end up being a drain on City resources as they generate less taxes than they cost in services. Such a prohibition is something that has been done all over the country. The Planning Commission has reviewed this legislation and issued their recommendation for us to pass it. I hope you will consider offering your support.
• O-12-24 - Maritime Industry Economic Development Fund - For the purpose of establishing a Maritime Industry Economic Development Fund is to promote, stabilize, and protect the maritime industry in the City of Annapolis; and generally dealing with maritime development in the City.

Legislation being introduced on first reader

• O-16-24 - Special Residential Parking Districts - Permit Renewals - For the purpose of changing when Special Residential Parking District permits need to be renewed; and generally related to parking district fee criteria.
• O-17-24 - Elections - Definitions - For the purpose of updating the definitions in Title 4, Elections. Technical clarifications, some of which coming out of State legislation.
• O-18-24 - Elections - Mail-in Voting - For the purpose of replacing the entire Annapolis City Code chapter on absentee voting with state-required mail-in voting standards set in the Election Law Article of the Maryland Code; and generally related to mail-in voting. This is coming from Election Board as well as from recently passed State legislation that we have to adhere to.
• O-19-24 - Elections - Ballot Questions - For the purpose of updating the procedures for ballot questions that may be requested for the 2025 election and beyond. This also comes from our Election Board, and clarifies our process for how to get questions for the electorate on our ballot. Note that these questions are not binding, if I’m reading this legislation correctly.
• O-20-24 - Elections - Surplus Funds and Reporting Deadlines - For the purpose of updating candidate reporting deadline requirements and penalties for municipal elections; moving fees from the City Code to the annual Fees Schedule; and generally related to failure to file required campaign and election reports. This comes from our Election Board. No major changes.
• O-21-24 - Taxicab Driver License Criteria - For the purpose of updating the criteria for a City taxicab driver license; requiring a Class C driver's license from the State instead of a Class D license; requiring a driver-for-hire tag from the State; limiting the size of a taxicab vehicle; and generally dealing with taxicab driver qualifications.
• O-25-24 - Special Residential Parking Districts - Technical Corrections - For the purpose of making technical corrections to parking rules on King George Street and St. John Street, Special Residential Parking District Numbers 2, 3, and 4; removing Calvert Street and St. John's Street from parking District 4; removing North Acton Place and South Acton Place from District 3 and placing those streets in District 2; placing a portion of Shaw Street in District 2; and generally related to City of Annapolis parking. . Minor changes to what streets are in which District downtown. Does not impact Ward 7 directly.
• O-26-24 - City of Annapolis Purchasing and Procurement - For the purpose of updating the procurement chapter of the City Code; increasing micro purchase and small procurement limits; clarifying language; copyediting and format changes; and generally dealing with Title 6 purchasing and procurement rules. This bumps up our procurement limits slightly, to help reduce staff work load so they can focus on the increasing number of larger procurement projects.
• R-42-24 - Establishment of Salaries Review Commission - For the purpose of establishing a Salaries Review Commission to make recommendations to the City Council on the pay and compensation for the Mayor, City Council, and City Manager to be effective for the four years beginning December 1, 2025; and matters generally relating to said pay and compensation. This is required per our Charter to setup and pass/decline their recommendations prior to the upcoming election, with the recommendations not taking effect until the next Council is seated.
• R-43-24 - Fees Schedule Updated for Title 4 - Elections - For the purpose of establishing fees required by the adoption of ordinances updating Title 4 - Elections. This just updates the late fees associated with some campaign finance filings.
• R-44-24 – Fund Authorization for Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis (HACA) - For the purpose of rehabilitation funding for the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis by repurposing $500,000 in the Fiscal Year 2025 City budget. This officially turns $500k worth of funds allocated during the budget for housing improvements, into a grant program, with an emphasis on helping to improve HACA, but not only HACA, properties, if I’m reading this correctly.
• R-45-24 - Procurement Fees Related to ? 6.08.330 - For the purpose of adding fees related to purchasing and procurement chapter of Title 6 into the annual Fees Schedule.

Legislation on second reader (i.e. final vote)

• R-14-24 - City of Annapolis Plastic Bag Reduction Act Fines - For the purpose of establishing fines required by the adoption of Ordinance 5-24, Health and Safety - City of Annapolis Plastic Bag Reduction Act. We have already adopted the Ordinance authorizing the plastic bag reduction act; however, this fine legislation was delayed a bit in our Finance Committee. The proposed fines are the same used by the County.

Community & Political updates

City Dock redevelopment update & fact sheet

This is an email that provides a good update on the project.

Annapolis Wastewater Treatment Plant Odor fact sheet

This is a fact sheet from the County Department of Public Works. And here is the website on this issue.

Nationally Recognized Firms Selected for Elktonia-Carr's Beach Heritage Park

SOFO Summer drive-in movies under the stars

City of Annapolis Launches September 2024 BioBlitz to Promote Pollinator Awareness