|
WARD 7 NEWSLETTER
Alderman Rob Savidge · City of Annapolis · June 7, 2026
|
| MARK YOUR CALENDAR |
Mon, Jun 8 · City Council: FINAL BUDGET VOTE and CA-2-26 hearing
City Hall, 7 PM.
|
Fri, Jun 12 · Community Health Fair
Heritage Baptist Church, 10 AM to 2 PM.
|
Sat, Jun 13 · Arts Annapolis Festival
Downtown, Noon to 10 PM.
|
Tue, Jun 16 · “Let’s Talk Permitting” Workshop
Pip Moyer Rec Center, 7 to 8:15 PM.
|
Thu, Jun 18 · Buckley Sunset Fundraiser
Annapolis Sailing School, 6:00 PM.
|
|
|
FY27 Budget: The Wins
|
|
One test ran through my budget work: fund documented needs, and be disciplined about wants. Here’s where that landed.
|
|
Environment and the tree canopy
Stronger enforcement of tree-conservation, grading, floodplain, and Forest Conservation Act protections, with penalties up to $5,000 and most fines doubled or more. Plus $75,000 for a citywide street-tree and parking-lot canopy gap analysis, a restructured Urban Forester’s office funded through the Watershed Restoration Fund, and a co-sponsored $100,000 citywide “Clean Team” to intercept trash before it reaches our creeks. A real step toward our 2050 canopy goal.
Our kids and Annapolis High School
A $100,000 pilot bus line serving the Riva Road corridor and Annapolis High School, the first city transit service to a school that has had none. It addresses documented chronic absenteeism and gives students and families without a car a real way to get there.
Mobility
Beyond the AHS pilot, a modern transit mobile-payment system to make riding easier, part of a broader push to better connect residents to schools, jobs, and services.
Some fiscal discipline
Eliminated the state lobbyist contract and a Central Services real estate consultant, and reduced two appropriations set above what the records justified. Those dollars went to documented needs: a Real Estate Manager over city properties and leases, restored Harbormaster seasonal staffing, a restored constituent services position, and converting seasonal parks maintenance workers to stable full-time roles.
|
|
|
Monday, June 8: What’s on the Agenda
|
|
7:00 PM at City Hall, in person. Televised on local cable, YouTube, Facebook, and the City website. Submit written testimony anytime at annapolis.gov/testimony. |
|
|
Final budget vote (third reader)
All substantive votes were taken June 1. The delay to third reader simply let staff prepare the final amendment to O-8-26 that reconciles our changes into a clean, balanced ordinance. I don’t expect controversy. Up for final action:
| • |
O-8-26, FY27 Annual Budget, Appropriation and Property Tax Levy |
| • |
R-10-26, FY27 Annual Fees Schedule |
| • |
R-11-26, FY27 Fines Schedule |
| • |
R-12-26, FY27 Position Classifications and Pay Plan |
Public hearing: CA-2-26 (my elections Charter amendment)
This is your chance to weigh in, in person Monday or in writing at annapolis.gov/testimony. I introduced CA-2-26 (co-sponsored by Alderman Huntley).
| • |
What it does. Expands the Board of Supervisors of Elections from three members to five. The Board administers our municipal elections, which is to say it is Annapolis’s local election commission for Mayor and Council races. It also modernizes how members are nominated and adds clear vacancy procedures. |
| • |
Where it comes from. It implements a 2020 Charter Review Commission recommendation (2021 report) to improve representation, distribute workload, and allow committee work. With only three members today, any two form a quorum, so even informal coordination triggers open-meeting rules and hampers the Board. |
| • |
Why I introduced it. One of the five seats is reserved for an unaffiliated voter. A growing share of residents register with no party and deserve a voice in how elections are administered. The Board doesn’t opine on candidates or issues, it administers elections, but who sits at that table is a fairness question worth getting right. |
Also up: second reader and supplementals
| • |
R-18-26, HR Director, Charles A. Hall, Jr. (second reader). I covered his background last time and remain inclined to support. |
| • |
SA-21-26, roughly $21,400 Fire grant match for defibrillator replacement. |
| • |
SA-22-26, $683,200 federal Safe Streets & Roads grant plus $159,700 from Capital Reserve for the City’s Safe Streets project. |
|
|
Coming Up: New on First Reader
|
|
These are being introduced Monday and referred to committee. Early in the process, no vote yet.
| • |
O-14-26, Art in Public Places (Mayor Littmann). Updates definitions, revises the Commission’s duties, reduces its size, and changes membership, appointment, and term rules along with the art fund’s uses. I’m reviewing it closely and expect to propose committee amendments, to restore governance mechanics (terms, Council confirmation, staggering, vacancy procedures) and to preserve geographic equity so every part of the city has a fair shot at public art. |
| • |
R-19-26, Finance Director, Karen Ajayi (Mayor’s nomination). Confirms our Finance Director under the Charter. I want residents to have their say through the normal first-reader, hearing, and second-reader steps, which is exactly why I’m not inclined to suspend the rules for a single-action vote. Those three steps exist so the public can weigh in before we decide. |
|
|
Community & Political Updates
|
|
An environmental evening for Gavin Buckley, Thu, June 18
Please join me for a sunset fundraiser for Gavin Buckley, running for District 6 County Council, on Thursday, June 18 at 6:00 PM at the Annapolis Sailing School, an environmentally themed evening on the water. I’m proud to co-sponsor alongside former State Senator Gerald Winegrad and former Governor Parris Glendening, two of Maryland’s most consequential voices for the Chesapeake. Email [email protected] for details.
Arts Annapolis Festival, Sat, June 13, Noon to 10 PM
The free, citywide festival transforms our historic streets into an open-air celebration of music, art, and community: local and regional visual artists, live performances across multiple stages, food from local vendors, and hands-on activities including a youth arts zone. Details at iwsannapolis.com.
Community Health Fair, Fri, June 12, 10 AM to 2 PM
Luminis Health, with Coaching Salud Holistica and Heritage Baptist Church, hosts a free health fair at Heritage Baptist Church, 1740 Forest Drive, for Community Health Improvement Week: free screenings, community resources, demonstrations, health education, giveaways, games, and face painting. Registration isn’t required but is encouraged.
“Let’s Talk Permitting” Workshop, Tue, June 16, 7 to 8:15 PM
Planning & Zoning, Public Works, and the Fire Marshal want to hear from homeowners, business owners, and contractors about a faster permitting process, at the Pip Moyer Recreation Center, 273 Hilltop Lane. Share experiences, see what’s working (next-day expedited permits, review times cut in half since 2023), and meet one-on-one with staff. Questions: Planning & Zoning, 410-260-2200.
Youth Poetry and Cover Art: “Around Each Corner” Vol. 6
Two opportunities for young people through the City’s Hispanic Liaison office. Submit a poem (original, not AI-generated): ages 14 to 18 who live or study in Annapolis, deadline Aug 17, 2026, at annapolis.gov/1965/Youth-Poetry. Be the cover artist: Latin artists ages 15 to 20 who live or study in Annapolis, deadline Aug 12, 2026. The selected artist is featured on the 2026 cover and in the City Hall Latin Art Gallery during Hispanic Heritage Month. Questions: 667-270-3025 or [email protected].
|
|
Thank you, as always, for your engagement.
— Rob
|
|
Showing 1 reaction