Hey folks! Alderman Brooks here. First I want to wish you all a peaceful Memorial Day. 

We are still smack dab in the middle of budget season, and the agenda Tuesday (special session due to Memorial Day) reflects that. We will have more opportunity for folks to offer comments on the budget.

We are currently going over amendments proposed by the council for what was introduced. I am reviewing them to ensure what is proposed can benefit our city in the best way possible and that we can get the best “bang for our buck.”

I have shown over the past two newsletters how land use can impact our city finances, but I also want to highlight that how our local economy functions is important as well. Rick Hutzell recently highlighted how “In Annapolis, you can’t eat a hot dog standing up” and other absurd regulations that we implement in Annapolis that hurt our small businesses. Alderman Huntley, Alderman Savidge, and I are looking for various inessential regulations that do nothing buck check boxes on a bureaucrats desk and do not improve our quality of life but do hurt our small businesses. 

I want to harp on this because these regulations, even if well intentioned, just end up favoring the larger guys who can afford to navigate the process. When the average time for a permit is several months to over a year, that scares off a local entrepreneur, but a big company that can wait out the long times and higher layers to move through the labyrinth of red tape? They can still set up shop.

I also think we need to discuss the recent HACA settlement. This has been in the works in one form or another since 2019 before my time on Council and I am grateful to have it behind us. The settlement will be for $15 million. While that is a large sum of money the potential for losing the case was as high as $100 million and would also have included attorney’s fees. $5 million of the settlement is coming out of the city’s insurance. The remaining $10 million will be paid out over the next four years. I now want to focus on the future of getting these properties redeveloped with the Eastport Community Neighborhood Initiative (CNI) so that we can build quality mixed use and mixed income housing that is safe for families and provides needed services to them as well.

Now onto the agenda!

CALL TO ORDER

Moment of Silence, Pledge of Allegiance & Roll Call

Approval of Agenda

Ceremonial Items 

ID-129-26 - Proclamation: National Gun Violence Awareness Day

ID-130-26 - Proclamation: Pride Month 2026

PETITIONS, REPORTS & COMMUNICATIONS

Update from Mayor (acting Mayor Thorpe) and Reports by Committees

Comments be the General Public

A person speaking before the City Council with a petition, report, or communication shall be limited to no more than three minutes. Comments must be limited to things not up for Public Hearing on the agenda.

Council Discussion 

ID-123-26 Advisory Boards and Commissions Governance Modernization

FY27 BUDGET PUBLIC HEARINGS CONTINUED 

O-8-26 Annual Budget and Appropriation and Property Tax Levy - This ordinance includes the Annual Operating Budget for the new fiscal year starting July 1, the Capital Budget, the Capital Improvement program, appropriates money for all City spending over the next fiscal year, and levies the City's property taxes for FY 2027.

-Operating Budget: The list of all the regular day-to-day city expenses. 

-Capital Budget: Expected long-term spending (e.g., building construction, machinery replacement). 

-Capital Improvement Program: Expected future capital projects. 

-Appropriations: Council approval to spend the money allocated in the budget.

-Property Tax Levy: The City's income source.

R-10-26 - Annual Fees Schedule - The list of all the City's fees and the corresponding sections of the Code requiring each fee.

R-11-26 - Annual Fines Schedule - The list of the City's fines and the corresponding sections of the Code.

R-12-26 - Position Classification and Play Plan - The list of all the City's jobs, their pay rank, and the actual salary for each position.

NEW PUBLIC HEARINGS

O-9-26 Updating the Standing Committees Section of the City Code - Updating the Standing Committees Section of the City Code -- 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. - This modernizes and cleans up some elements of how we assign legislation to our various committees. For example, the code does not mention where legislation pertaining to internet issues would go. Keeping this updated periodically helps our government keep with the times and stay as nimble as possible.

O-10-26 - Reducing the Human Relations Commission Membership - Human Relations Commission membership would decrease from 15 members to nine members. - The current size of the Human Relations Commission, 15, is making it difficult for their commission to have a quorum. If they do not have a quorum they cannot do their important business. This shrinks the size of the Commission’s membership requirement so they can perform their duties.

LEGISLATIVE ACTION 

FIRST READERS 

O-11-26 Allowing Long-Term Room Rentals in Private Homes - For the purpose of legalizing and regulating long term single room rentals (defined as over 90 days) in owner occupied private residents. - Did you know that if you own and live in your home, and want to rent out some empty bedrooms for a little extra income that’s illegal in Annapolis? Because that is happening to a retiring constituent of mine! This is absolutely absurd to me. Single room rentals are the easiest way to provide a shelter for someone without having to provide direct government subsidy. This type of living situation already happens off the books all over our city. This past winter we lost two individuals to the cold because they could not afford our high housing costs. Annapolis needs to take the housing crisis seriously and that means legalizing living opportunities like this. An analogy that I like to use is this; removing the bottom rungs on a ladder does not mean more people start higher up, it just means more people stay on the ground.

O-13-26 Permitting and Zoning - Stadium Accessory Structures - Allows semi-permanent structures that are accessory to a stadium. - Our current code is so restrictive that Navy Stadium cannot install TENTS as an accessory structure. Thank you Alderwoman O’Neil for introducing this common sense change! 

Resolutions

R-17-26 Fees Related to O-11-26, Allowing Long-Term Room Rentals in Private Homes - Establishing fees related to long term room rental licenses.

R-18-26 Human Resources Director - Charles A. Hall, Jr. - Confirmation of Charles Hall Jr as our new Human Resources Director. - We haven’t had an HR director in MONTHS. I’m excited to support Mr. Hall as we go through the process to confirm him. 

ADJOURNMENT