Word Count to Agenda: 926 words. Estimated Time: 4 minutes

Total Word Count: 1,747 words. Estimated Total Time: 7 minutes.

Hey folks! Alderman Brooks here. Our first meeting after the August break is this Monday, August 14th at 7:00 PM. It will be a busy one, but before I get to the agenda, here are the 🚨5 Alerts for Ward 5.

1) 🚧 Update: Spa Road Construction, Road Closures, & Detours

The Spa Road Project announced last week is still awaiting permits from the Highway Administration. The new estimated start time is early next week. This project will result in a closure along the below portion of Spa Road for water and sewer work along with repaving. Traffic will be rerouted through Hunt Meadow Drive. 

• Once begun, construction is estimated to take a month to complete. 
• Construction will begin each day at 9:00 AM and finish at 3:00 PM.
• The road will be open when construction is not taking place.
• After completion of this portion temporary repaving will occur. 
• More permanent repaving along the entirety of Spa Road and Harness Creek Road will occur upon conclusion of this project.
• This project is under the approval and supervision of the State Highway Administration. Announcements can be found here. 

2) 🏘️Zoning Unlocked: Comprehensive Plan, Making Homes Affordable & Helping Small Businesses

Monday our chief of Comprehensive Planning will present an update of our Comprehensive Plan “Zoning Unlocked.” The Comp Plan’s goal is to finally fulfill  the promises we keep making; bringing housing costs down, help our local entrepreneurs, and make Annapolis a place where a family can thrive at all stages of life.

• The city has 32 zonings districts despite being 8 square miles. 
• This adds SEVERE costs to building a home or opening a business.
• When homes are actually built they are larger and more expensive.
• When a business is able to open it is likely a larger corporate chain and not a local entrepreneur bringing money to the community. 
• The Comp Plan will consolidate zoning codes where appropriate and add flexibility so we bring costs down. 
• Studies and input for the Comp Plan have been happening since 2019; this is not rushed.

Why do we need this?

• Annapolis has a shortage of retail space and a glut of office space. This makes opening the retail we need more expensive while offices sit vacant. 
• Annapolis has a severe shortage of homes that meet the needs and budgets of our working families. 
• That scarcity creates competition for available homes, driving up costs and pushing out the families that make Annapolis special.

• Nearly 1 in 3 Annapolis families are cost burdened by housing. 
• Annapolis has a higher home price to income ratio than Boston, Charlotte, and Washington, DC 
• This past winter a woman froze to death because she could not get housing.
• The majority of Annapolis’ land only allows the most expensive and environmentally unsustainable type of housing. 
• Legalizing duplexes, rowhomes, and family apartments can address our shortage and bring costs down for working families.

Some may  ask “I own a home, why should I care?”

• Our land use is financially unsustainable leading to higher taxes and worse services for current residents. 
• High housing costs are driving out the workers we need to make Annapolis function. 
• High housing costs are driving out the children who grew up here.
• Housing and energy are the leading drivers of inflation. The more workers are paying for housing, the more you are paying to live too.
• That means because housing costs are skyrocketing you are paying more for groceries, childcare, food, healthcare, and EVERYTHING ELSE!

This will NOT put towers in your backyard. This will gradually lead to types of homes that were historically allowed in Annapolis, currently still exist in Annapolis, but can not longer be built here. I PROUDLY support this.

3) 🛥️City Dock & Waterfront Preparing for Fall Boat Show! 🚢

The City Dock construction site will be rearranged to bring in the necessary infrastructure for the Fall Boat Show! Here is the schedule.

• Now: Construction footprint is adjusted in partnership with Annapolis Boat Shows 
• Early October: Boat Show takes over site and installs platforms, docks, and tents.
• October 8 - 11: Annapolis Powerboat Show
• October 15 - 18: Annapolis Sailboat Show
• End of October: Site is stricken and construction resumes.

Updated Boatshow footprint is below. 

4)💲Ward 5 (& 7) Budget Town Hall 

Annapolis is hosting a series of town halls on the city budget. A budget shows a government’s values and these town halls are an opportunity for residents to learn the budget process, see how decisions are made, and share their priorities for next fiscal year.

• The Ward 5 and 7 town hall will be on Wednesday September 16 from 6:30 - 8:00 PM
• Location is the Pip Moyer Rec Center, 273 Hilltop Lane, Annapolis, MD 21403
• Registration is not required but if you register we can better prepare for your questions and needs. You can RSVP here!

5) 🚙Parking Reform Workgroup Report

Annapolis put together a parking reform workgroup to simplify the experience parking downtown. I joined as a representative for the Transportation Committee. We recently released our phase 1 findings and solutions. They consist of:

• Transitioning Mills Hillman Garage to Post-Paid Parking, meaning you drive in and drive out, no more prepaid. We expect this to happen by the end of the year.
• Consolidating to a single parking vendor by 2027 when contracts expire.
• Streamlining apps for payment.
• Restructures citations and fines.
• Allowing the transportation director to waive parking tickets in certain circumstances. I am introducing legislation to allow this and it should be ready by the 2nd meeting in September.
• You can view the full report here. 

Now onto the agenda!

Moment of Silence, Pledge of Allegiance & Roll Call

Approval of Agenda

Ceremonial Items 

ID-161-26 Citations: Dedication & Leadership in Our Community

ID-163-26 Citations: Annapolis Police Department Employees, Officer First Class Amanda

Benson and Milgia “Millie” Rodas Guerra.

ID-165-26 Proclamation & Citations: National Preparedness Month in the City of Annapolis

ID-171-26 Citation: Owners of Bitty and Beau's Coffee at 124 Dock Street and 11 of their

former employees

ID-175-26 Proclamation: Hispanic Heritage Month

Update from Mayor 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-170-26 Department of Planning and Zoning Presentation: Zoning Unlocked, Phase 2 Report This is the presentation I explained in 🚨alert #2 

PUBLIC HEARINGS

CA-3-26 - Expanding the Preamble of The Charter of the City of Annapolis -- Updates the preamble to include modern goals for the City. This was a Charter Commission recommendation. 

O-11-26 - Allowing Long-Term Room Rentals in Private Homes -- Makes room rentals legal in the City. It’s illegal to rent a bedroom in your home long term; it is LEGAL to short term rent a bedroom. This is absurd. I introduced this legislation to legalize this common practice. I am introducing an amendment to further simplify the process as well.

O-21-26 - Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County - Membership and Director Appointment -- Changes oversight of the resilience authority director. Anne Arundel County made the changes, and now Annapolis is being asked to agree to them by changing our Code. 

O-22-26 - Extension of the Temporary Dissolution and Restructuring of the City of Arts in Public Commission -- This extends the current dissolution until the Council approves legislation to reconstitute the commission. The bill to reconstitute AiPPC with new standards is up for Second Reader at this meeting.

 LEGISLATIVE ACTION 

FIRST READERS

CA-4-26 - Designating the City Attorney as the Resident Agent for the City of Annapolis -- The resident agent is responsible for receiving the City's legal documents.

O-23-26 - Eliminating the Permit Requirement for Sidewalk Signs -- The City would no longer require Main Street and other businesses to get permits for their sidewalk signs, but regulations on size and placement remain. 

O-25-26 - Mobile Food Service Vendors - Historic District Special Events -- Allows business associations sponsoring events to have food trucks at their events located in the Historic District. This is legislation I introduced along with Alderman Huntley. 

R-24-26 - Collective Bargaining Agreement: AFSCME 3406 (trades, maintenance and labor force union members) 

R-24-26 - Collective Bargaining Agreement: IAFF (firefighters)

R-24-26 - Collective Bargaining Agreement: UFCW (police)

R-28-26 - Fee Waivers 2026 Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl Parade -- Waives the City's fees for street closures, trash cleanup, etc., for the annual military bowl (college football game) parade. "Freedom Mortgage" is this year's event sponsor. 

R-32-26 - Fines Related to O-25-26, Mobile Food Service Vendors - Historic District Events

R-33-26 - Fines Related to City Code § 17.44.090, Short-Term Rental Violations - This raises the fines for violating the City's short-term rental (STR) regulations from $1,000 (the same fee as other rentals) to $5,000 per violation explicitly for STRs. The goal is to target repeat violaters with these higher fines. There may be amendments through the process to clarify that. 

SECOND READERS 

CA-2-26 - Expanding the Board of Supervisors of Elections Membership -- Expands the elections board from three members to five, and specifies how they'll be selected (based on party affiliation, but includes non-affiliated). This legislation expands the Supervisors of Elections from 3 members to five members and allows unaffiliated voters to serve on the committee. I am supporting.

O-9-26 - Updating the Standing Committees Section of the City Code -- Changes some of the duties and functions of certain Council committees. Periodically we need to update the code surrounding committee assignments to keep flexible and up to date on issues. For example, by code Economic Matters handles cable television issues, but there is no mention of the internet. This updates those assignments. This also includes language to streamline the committee assignment process. I am supporting.

O-14-26 - Art in Public Places - Amending Definitions, Duties, and Membership -- This recreates the Art in Public Places Commission and updates its duties. This reforms the Art in Public Places Commission and clarifies its goals and parameters. After a lot of back and forth with the arts community we have this at a decent compromise point. I intend to support. 

R-23-26 - Collective Bargaining Agreement: AFSCME Local 3162 (technical and clerical union members) AFSCME Local 3162 represents a branch of our public employees. The union has negotiated in good faith with our City Manager to ensure they are fairly compensated for their essential work.I am supporting.

R-27-26 - Fiscal Year 2027 Position Classifications and Pay Plan Update -- This updates and legalizes our pay rates for our public employees. I am supporting. 

ADJOURNMENT