May 24

Hello Eastport!

1. Memorial Day Parade: I hope you are having a memorable Memorial Day Weekend. Having spent 28 years in the Navy, I – like many of you - served with or know veterans who died in service to our country. Please join us for the Annapolis Memorial Day Parade or take a moment in your own way to show appreciation for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in support of our way of life. The city is keeping an eye on the weather forecast and if the parade goes as planned, it will kick off at 10:00am on Monday from the intersection of Amos Garrett Blvd and West Street, head down West Street to Calvert Street and conclude at Calvert and St. Johns Streets.  At 11:30am on Monday, the Fleet Reserve Club in Annapolis will host a Memorial Day ceremony. For more information, see the City’s press release.

   
   

2. 2027 Budget: The City Council’s work on the budget continues. This Tuesday evening’s City Council meeting is your last chance to testify on the budget before City Council members review and vote on the amendments at our meeting on June 1 at 10:00am.

   
   

   I strongly encourage you to testify on Tuesday evening if you:

   • Support more funding for sidewalks, roads, parking/traffic improvements and water access parks (I do!);

   • If you support limiting spending and not spending every dime of available revenue (I do);

   • If you support the Mayor’s budget and the way he has organized the city government – which I do.

   • If you have a position on spending city money on the Hybrid Ferry (I do not think we are ready to spend one penny of taxpayer money, including on a study which I expect will be proposed, until the city staff outlines the draft business case for the ferry, a business case the mayor has tasked to be completed.

   
   

   As we dig deeper into the budget, I continue to be impressed by the efficiency, effectiveness and responsibility demonstrated in the mayor’s budget proposal. As a package, the budget supports Mayor Littmann’s vision “Annapolis Works.” While there are numerous ways to organize the city, I fully support the organization proposed and funded in the budget.

   
   

   You may have read in the press that the budget no longer contains “one-time-use” money that in past years the Council was able to allocate. The problem with that previous practice, in my opinion, was that determining the use of these funds was not competed with “not spending the money at all.” By the Mayor fully accounting for all revenue in his proposed budget, the Council is now in the position of competing any spending proposals with items already in the budget. I see this as “good government!”

   
   

   I have worked with the Mayor and senior staff and identified several additional expenses that align both with Ward 8 priorities and the Mayor’s priorities. These amendments include:

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

   • General Waterways - All 16 Water Access Points in Eastport need significant work. This amendment adds $100,000 to improve water access points in Eastport. We need ten times this amount to catch up, but this amount is affordable and executable and would put Eastport on the path to having safer and appropriate water access.

   • General Sidewalks - The gaps and needed repairs in sidewalks in Eastport is a major impediment to the walkability of Annapolis. This amendment adds $150,000 to fund our work with the Department of Public Works to fix the gaps in our sidewalks.

   • Hawkins Cove – While the final determination on Hawkins Cove improvements has not been decided, options will require an additional $80,000 to complete project. This project has been years in the preparation and should be fully funded so that work can begin as soon as permits are in hand.

   • General Roadways - Annapolis roadways are in unsatisfactory condition, especially for a tourist city and state capital.  An affordable addition of $200,000 would move closer to keeping pace with roadway maintenance but not get us up to needed funding.

   • Turner Park – The park, located at the corner of 3rd St and Chester, is in disrepair and needs to be renovated. There are several possible sources to fund future construction, but we must first obtain a design for a new park that will enhance family life in maritime Eastport. Design work is estimated at $50,000.

   
   

   We have identified savings to fund the above projects by extending the $2M in the budget for design of Annapolis’ three fire stations over several years. While we will still be able to obtain cost savings by contracting all three designs, good government means designing the first fire station in FY27, learning from this design, and then designing the second and third fire stations in the outyears. This will cause no delay in replacing the fire stations and will pay for the above additions

   
   

   Additionally, I will be introducing ten amendments, each to move $100,000 to the contingency fund. This will serve to compete every amendment with saving the money and not spending it all. At this point in the budget, we would move this money to contingency use. I believe this is another example of good government.

   
   

   I have also introduced amendments to the fees and fines that will:

   • Increase fee for short term rentals to cover the city’s entire cost of the program – the staff is working that number

   • Make the fine for parking in areas with “No Parking” signs the same as red curbs. This will enable us to rely on newly painted red curbs and remove signs that impede strollers and wheelchairs in our sidewalks.

   • Increase the fine for a tour bus parking in the city of Annapolis while waiting for passengers from $100 to $300 is designed to motivate them to leave Eastport and park in designated areas in and just outside of the city.

   • Reduce the fines for parking on a red curb from $300 to $200, still a significant fine and enough of a pain point to prevent it, but not as overly burdensome. Parking on a red curb in front of a fire hydrant or bus stop would remain $300.

   • Increase fine for an unlicensed short-term-rental from $200 to $500 per day-rented and add new fines for advertising unlicensed STRs of $500 per platform.

   
   

   All of the above information is designed to reflect what I have heard are most residents’ positions on these expenses, fees and fines. Please let me know any thoughts you may have on the above information.

   
   

3. Next City Council Meeting – 5/26/26: The regular meeting will begin at 7:00pm and the agenda can be downloaded here. You can view the meeting here. As Mayor Littmann is travelling, I will be the acting mayor for the meeting. Highlights include:

   
   
   
   

   CEREMONIAL ITEMS

   • Proclamation for National Gun Violence Awareness Day

   • 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.

     
     
     
     

   COUNCIL DISCUSSION

   • Advisory Board and Commissions Governance Modernization presented by Laura Richards, the city’s Community Engagement Strategist. The presentation is available here.

   
   
   
   

   PUBLIC HEARINGS

   • Continued testimony on the budget – this is your opportunity to testify on what you think is important in the budget

     • 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.

     • 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.

   • Updating the Standing Committees Section of the City Code (O-9-26) - This expands the Environmental Matters Committee's oversight to include environmental issues handled by the Planning and Zoning Department; updates the Economic Matters Committee's duties to include the internet, video streaming, and similar issues; and adds an overview of the Rules and City Government Committee's functions. It was the only committee without such a paragraph.

   • Reducing the Human Relations Commission Membership (O-10-26) - Human Relations Commission membership would decrease from 15 members to nine members.

   
   
   
   

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

   • 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. Traffic During Blue Angels: A huge thank you to the Annapolis Police Department for planning and executing a plan that cleared the traffic so quickly from Eastport. I’m passing this on from APD Captain Guy Thacker: “I really want to thank the community members.  Especially the residents along Chesapeake and Severn who cooperated and moved their vehicles!  This was extra helpful for the public safety response.  I will thank them at a future meeting, but if you could please let them know that the APD appreciates the teamwork!  We will utilize this plan again for the 4th of July.”

   
   

5. Town Hall Meeting – Parking Enforcement in Eastport: As Eastport residents have requested, parking enforcement is being enhanced in Eastport as well as other areas of Annapolis. Earlier this week, we received an update on parking enforcement from City officials at the Ward 8 Town Hall. Here are highlights of the brief and at the bottom of this email are the major enforcement criteria for parking in Annapolis.  

   • To request 2 hours of free parking at the downtown Mills Hillman garages:

     • Go to AnnapolisParking.com

     • Select Parking Locations

     • Click Mills Hillman Garage

     • Scroll to the bottom of the page

     • Select Residents’ Hillman Validation to apply

   • If you need assistance with downtown parking, contact Premium Parking Customer Service at 410-216-5620 or their customer service rep Meghan at 667-408-0898 or jmuarray@premiumparking.com

   • If you have questions or concerns about parking in Eastport contact annapolisparking@spplus.com or 443-648-3087.

   • If you are interested in obtaining free two-hour parking in, or have any questions about, the other three parking garages, Gott’s Court, Knighton or Park Place Garages, also contact annapolisparking@spplus.com or 443-648-3087.

   • If you have requests for curb painting or signage installation or removal, please go to Submit a Problem Portal

   
   

6. Reference Guide and Where to Report Stuff: A big topic at the Town Hall was where residents can report issues and request city services. Mayor Littmann has been working hard to streamline this process and is making progress with more to come.

   • The City has published a Resource Guide that is available here. At the bottom of this email is also a list of ways to report a problem to ensure your request is handled efficiently by the correct department.

   • A page with significant resources to request assistance from the city, including the Anna311 portal, is the “Report an Issue” page.

   • The City’s Ombudsman who works in the Mayor’s office and is responsible for constituent services, Tiyana Parker, can be reached at ombudsman@annapolis.gov. Please contact this office if you need help navigating a city service or have questions/concerns about a service.

   
   

7. Three big openings coming up in Eastport!!!!

   • MRE Mercantile Men's Clothiers is opening its doors on Saturday, May 30th at the crack of noon! MRE Mercantile offers a personalized shopping experience with carefully curated noteworthy brands. It's designed to be the “go-to destination where guys shop, style & socialize."

   • La Sierra Food Truck is in the parking lot of the Shell gas station. You can order Mexican food on site or place your order at 443-597-1227.

   • Harbour House Pool - I am pleased and proud to report that the City will be funding the Harbour House pool to be open seven-days-a-week this summer! The pool will be open to all residents of Annapolis, and there will be no charge to swim there. I hope to see you there!

   
   
   
   

8. Refuse/Recyclable/Yard Waste Collection: As Memorial Day falls on a Monday , collection scheduled for Monday morning will be Tuesday, Tuesday morning will be Wednesday. For more info, go here.

   
   

All the best,