June 8

Hello Eastport!

1. 2027 Budget: The City Council’s review of the FY27 budget is complete - the only task remaining is the final vote. In the end, the following amendments were approved:

   • Traffic Safety - FY27 proposed budget removes $175,000 from this budget. This amendment put $150,000 back into traffic safety to fund upcoming traffic and parking improvements.

   • General Waterways - This amendment added $100,000 to improve water access points in Eastport. This will put Eastport on the path to having safer and appropriate water access.

   • General Sidewalks - This amendment adds $150,000 to fund our work with the Department of Public Works to fix the gaps in our sidewalks.

   • Hawkins Cove – This amendment provided the $80,000 The Department of Public Works identified is needed to fully fund the project.  

   • General Roadways – This amendment for $200,000 will move us closer to keeping pace with roadway maintenance but not get us fully up to needed funding.

   • Turner Park – This amendment funds the design work for the park, located at the corner of 3rd St and Chester. Our next step will be to put a small group together to advise on the future of the park.

   • Bus to Annapolis High School – This amendment funds a pilot project to provide much needed bus service from Annapolis to Annapolis High School.

   
   

   Fees & Fines

   • Increases the fee for a Short-Term Rental license from $400 to $650 for Annapolis residents and $750 for non-residents

   • Increases the fine for an unlicensed Short-Term-Rental to $1,000/day

   • Increases the fine for a tour bus parked in Annapolis from $100 to $300

   • Makes the penalty for parking in an area with “No Parking” signs or on a red-curb both $300/day. My amendment to decrease the fine to $200 failed.

   
   

   Of note in the budget, I am pleased to report that the final operating budget that will be voted on is $20,000+ less than the proposed budget, and the capital project budget will require approximately $440,000 less borrowing. Good news is that this budget cycle put “not spending” on the list of alternatives.

   
   

   Overall, I continue to be very impressed with the mayor’s budget proposal and his enthusiastic inclusion of inputs from the City Council. I believe we can continue to tighten the budget process next year and I am encouraged that the mayor and most members of the City Council agree with this sentiment.

   
   

   Finally, an Op-Ed by Mayor Jared Littmann in the Annapolis Capital provides useful information on the budget – I commend it to you.  

2. Diesel Electric Ferry: Many residents are asking me about the status of the diesel-electric ferry. Here is what we know: The original grant was for electric ferries, but the federal government amended the grant to be diesel-electric ferries. The mayor has directed the development of a business plan and a “request for information” to determine the viability of companies operating the ferry. At the budget meeting, Alderman Savidge withdrew his budget amendment to provide the required $525,000 city-funded match for the grant and a $50,000 study for the use of the ferry and stated that he would re-submit a proposal midyear. Mayor Littmann provided an update on the diesel-electric ferry to clarify his leadership actions and current situation of the program. Here is a transcript of the mayor’s update which can be watched here at 1:31:30:

   
   

   Mayor Littmann: So, this was a close to $3 million grant that the city had applied for prior to my time. When it came to me in early months, it was ‘the grants been approved, and it needs your signature to accept it.’ I still had a number of questions about it, such as, what's the business case for? Where are the various locations of the ferry going to be? What's the cost of putting them there? Who's going to operate it? Who's going to charge it? Who's responsible for maintenance? So, these can be free or not? In those questions have not all been answered yet, but in order to not lose the federal grant, I needed to, I was on the deadline to sign it. So I signed it but with clear instructions to the city manager's team not to spend any of the money on it because we can still return it as long as we don't spend money on it. So that's the status of the federal grant – it has been formally accepted but with the very big caveat - highlighting don't spend any of the money until we get answers from the city administration that this council could have some input on, that is if there are any pieces of that that come before the council. In the just the past week or so, what's been presented is that although the initial understanding was this the local match could be in kind essentially staff time and other projects that are already undergoing that there might be a need for that local match to be cash and that's where that $525,000 comes from. There's a lot of uncertainty about that, and a lot of back and forth. We're going through MTA and FTA, and so we're looking for clarification on what that means. There's a lot of permutations. If it gets to the point where it needs a city match of cash of the $525K, I don't sense that there is support for that, but it would be put to the council to see if that's accurate or not. If it's local, in-kind is sufficient, we have projects, so we don't need the $525K, then that goes back to the original questions of who's responsible for this? Is someone willing to do this for free or for not for free? And to pursue that, the Deputy City Manager Guild was prepared to issue a request for information to see if there was a private operator willing to take two free ferries and build a case for where they should be and how to operate them. So I think that's essentially hit the highlights of where we're at on this. I think we're on the same page. I don't think there's dispute, but it's a lot of details, so I didn't want any misunderstanding,

   
   

   Ald Thorp: I think the question is going to be asked, so as of right now, the diesel electric ferry has not been approved by the city of Annapolis? By the mayor?

   
   

   Mayor Littmann: Yes, it is not approved using those funds and moving forward.

3. Last City Council Meeting – 5/26/26: The agenda can be downloaded here and the meeting can be viewed here. Highlights include:

   
   

   COUNCIL DISCUSSION – Tremendous brief and discussion on Advisory Board and Commissions Governance Modernization presented by Laura Richards, the city’s Community Engagement Strategist. The presentation is available here.

   
   

   FIRST READERS (Ordinances and Resolutions being introduced) The following legislation was officially introduced:

   • Allowing Long-Term Room Rentals in Private Homes (O-11-26) - This ordinance reinstates rooming houses in Annapolis. It allows private homeowners to rent up to four individual bedrooms in their house. The owner must live in the house, and renters must have kitchen access to make their own meals. 

   • Stadium Accessory Structures (O-13-26) - Allows semi-permanent structures that are accessory to a stadium.

   • Rooming House Fees (R-17-26)

   • Confirmation of the new HR Director, Charles A. Hall, Jr. (R-18-26)

4. Next City Council Meeting – 6/8/26: The regular meeting will begin at 6:00pm with a closed session and the agenda can be downloaded here. You can view the meeting here. Highlights include:

   
   

   CLOSED SESSION

   • To discuss: 1) the appointment of the Finance Director and 2) an update on collective bargaining negotiations.

   
   

   CEREMONIAL ITEMS

   • Citation for Officer First Class John Murphy, Annapolis Police Department Recruitment Officer

   • Proclamation for Pride Month 2026

   
   

   COMMENTS FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC

   • All City Council meetings begin with an opportunity for public testimony on any topic you wish.  

   
   

   PUBLIC HEARINGS  

   • Expanding the Board of Supervisors of Elections Membership (CA-2-26) – This legislation expands the Board of Supervisors of Elections from three members to five members; states how nominees would be selected by political party nomination and self-nomination; changes when the City Council appoints members; adds steps for filling vacancies; and generally related to the nomination and appointment of members of the Board of Supervisors of Elections.

   
   

   FIRST READERS (Ordinances and Resolutions being introduced) Unless I hear otherwise, I intend to support introducing all the following legislation:

   • Art in Public Places – Amending Definitions, Duties, and Membership (O-14-26) – This legislation updates the definitions applicable to the Art in Public Places program; revising the duties and responsibilities of the Art in Public Places Commission; reducing the size of the Commission and revising the requirements for Commission membership, appointment, and terms; updating the allowable uses of the art fund and the procedures for distribution of art fund monies; establishing criteria and procedures for the selection of art in public places; updating the standards for the display and performance of works of art in publicly accessible spaces; and generally relating to the Art in Public Places Commission.

   • Finance Director – Karen Ajayi (R-19-26) – Confirming the appointment of Karen Ajayi as Finance Director.

   
   

   SECOND READERS (This leads to the final vote on the legislation)

   • Human Resources Director – Charles A Hall, Jr (R-18-26) – Confirming his appointment as HR Director. I am very impressed with the nominee and will vote to support unless I hear otherwise.

   • Budget relate Second Readers – I intend to vote to approve unless I hear otherwise:

     • FY 2027 Annual Fees Schedule (R-10-26) - This resolution sets the fee levels for the next budget year. The new budget year starts July 1.

     • FY 2027 Fines Schedule (R-11-26) - This resolution establishes the City's fines for the next budget year,

     • FY 2027 Position Classification and Pay Plan (R-12-26) - This resolution allocates the number of employees the City employs, the job titles, and the pay levels for each job.

     • Annual Budget and Appropriation and Property Tax Levy (O-8-26) - This is the City's annual Fiscal Year 2027 budget. It includes authorization for City departments and programs, allocates their spending levels, and sets property tax levels.

       
       

5. Spa Creek

   • A Clean Spa Creek: Kudos to the Spa Creek Conservancy for coordinating the swim across Spa Creek on Friday. Swimming from Truxtun Park to Amos Garrett Blvd reminded me of swimming in Spa Creek when I was a kid. It was great seeing so many people out there! Spa Creek Conservancy is doing great things.  To learn more, get involved or donate please go here. 

   • ”State of Spa Creek”: The City Council's Environment Affairs Committee meeting on Thursday, June 11, at 3pm in City Hall has an agenda item, “State of Spa Creek.” The meeting can also be watched on the city’s YouTube channel during the meeting.

     
     

6. 6th Street Water Access Park: In response to community requests for improved water access in Eastport, installation of a fixed pier with a floating dock at the end of Sixth Street on the Back Creek side will begin Monday, June 8. Construction activities will take place between the hours of 7:00 am and 7:00 pm and are expected to take approximately one month to complete.

   
   

7. Hurricane Season is upon us: The city’s Office of Emergency Management has released useful information about hurricane preparedness. Read all about in this Eye On Annapolis article.

   
   

8. Upcoming Events:

   • State of Spa Creek: The City Council's Environment Affairs Committee meeting on Thursday, June 11, at 3pm in City Hall has an agenda item, “State of Spa Creek.” The meeting can also be watched on the city’s YouTube channel during the meeting.

   • Juneteenth Parade and Festival: Please join your friends and neighbors as we celebrate Juneteenth and participate in the sixth annual Annapolis Juneteenth parade on Saturday June 20. We will walk/ride alongside the Mayor and City of Annapolis staff. The parade steps off at 12 noon at the corner of Calvert Street at Bladen Street. The Calvert St garage (19 St. John’s St) has free parking on weekends and is closest to the parade start. The City will have two electric vehicles available in the parade to assist participants with mobility needs. Please register using the Mayor’s Walk Form. For more info, visit  www.theAnnapolisJuneteenth.org. For any parade participation-related questions, please contact Friends of Frank Thorp Volunteer Coordinator Frieda K. Wildey at friedak@frank4ward8.com

   • ECA meeting: Thursday, June 18; 6:30 PM for refreshments and socializing, 7:00 PM for speaker; at Eastport Volunteer Firehall

   • Session to Modernize Permit Reviews: The City of Annapolis invites residents, local business owners, and contractors to a collaborative community work session to help shape a faster, more efficient building permit process. The interactive forum will take place from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at the Pip Moyer Recreation Center. More info is available here.

   • District 6 County Council Candidate Forum: ECA is co-sponsoring the District 6 County Council Candidate Forum on Tuesday, June 16, together with the Ward One Residents’ Association and Annapolitans for a Better Community. Tuesday, June 16, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm, at Maryland Hall, 801 Chase Street

   • City Council Work Session: Two items on the agenda: 5:00pm to 6:00pm is Anne Arundel County Public Schools Update, and 6:00pm to 7:00pm is City’s Climate Action Plan

   • Election Day: June 23, 2026, 7:00am to 8:00pm

   • Fourth of July: A lot of events on Fourth of July including Eastport Bike Parade at 10:30am, Annapolis Downtown Parade at 6:30pm and Annapolis Fireworks at 9:15pm

All the best,