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WARD 7 NEWSLETTER
Alderman Rob Savidge · City of Annapolis · June 7, 2026
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| MARK YOUR CALENDAR |
| Mon, Jun 8 |
City Council — FINAL BUDGET VOTE + CA-2-26 hearing — City Hall, 7 PM
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| Fri, Jun 12 |
Community Health Fair — Heritage Baptist Church, 10 AM–2 PM
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| Sat, Jun 13 |
Arts Annapolis Festival — Downtown, Noon–10 PM
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| Tue, Jun 16 |
“Let’s Talk Permitting” Workshop — Pip Moyer Rec Center, 7–8:15 PM
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| Wed, Jun 18 |
Buckley Sunset Fundraiser — Annapolis Sailing School, 6:00 PM
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FY27 Budget — The Wins
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One test ran through my budget work: fund documented needs, and be disciplined about wants. Here’s where that landed.
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Environment & the tree canopy
Stronger enforcement of tree-conservation, grading, floodplain, and Forest Conservation Act protections — penalties up to $5,000, 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 & 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.
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Monday, June 8 — What’s on the Agenda
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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. |
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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:
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O-8-26 — FY27 Annual Budget, Appropriation & Property Tax Levy |
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R-10-26 — FY27 Annual Fees Schedule |
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R-11-26 — FY27 Fines Schedule |
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R-12-26 — FY27 Position Classifications & 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).
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What it does. Expands the Board of Supervisors of Elections from three members to five. The Board administers our municipal elections — Annapolis’s local election commission for Mayor and Council races. It also modernizes how members are nominated and adds clear vacancy procedures. |
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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. |
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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 & supplementals
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R-18-26 — HR Director, Charles A. Hall, Jr. (second reader). I covered his background last time and remain inclined to support. |
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SA-21-26 — ~$21,400 Fire grant match for defibrillator replacement. |
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SA-22-26 — $683,200 federal Safe Streets & Roads grant + $159,700 from Capital Reserve for the City’s Safe Streets project. |
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Coming Up — New on First Reader
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These are being introduced Monday and referred to committee — early in the process, no vote yet.
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O-14-26 — Art in Public Places (Mayor Littmann). Updates definitions, revises the Commission’s duties, reduces its size, and changes membership/appointment/term rules and 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. |
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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. |
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Community & Political Updates
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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 — 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–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–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, 7–8:15 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 & 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 14–18 who live or study in Annapolis, deadline Aug 17, 2026, at annapolis.gov/1965/Youth-Poetry. Be the cover artist: Latin artists ages 15–20 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].
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Thank you, as always, for your engagement.
— Rob
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