December 8, 2024 Newsletter
Happy Sunday, Ward One!
“Let’s make it happen.” Whether in my career, at home, or on the city council, I strive to just plain get it done. Sometimes issues residents bring me can take months of coordination or legislation to resolve, but other times it just takes showing up and jumping in—together. That’s what the awesome folks from Save Our Trees realized in 2022, and since then, they’ve removed invasive vines strangling over 6000 trees around Annapolis. I was happy to join them this weekend and then later in the day do my own little clean-up at Amos Garrett Park.
This week and every week, I’m grateful for the honor of representing you and our whole community. Never hesitate to contact me at aldhuntley@annapolis.gov.
Updates from Harry
We made some big progress in the City Dock improvement this week. The Burtis House was lifted in preparation for restoration, and the Planning Commission approved the revised (now, smaller and cheaper) Waterfront Welcome Center.
To me, this comprehensive project—Annapolis’ largest EVER—must be about two things: unpaving paradise and preserving it for posterity. In our most iconic landscape, we deserve a park instead of a parking lot, and making our downtown resilient to increased flooding is of existential importance. The other details have been and will continue to be a long process of compromising, which I always welcome your input on.
But when it comes to the resilience aspects that we all agree on, the issue now is speed. Our businesses and residents cannot keep waiting as the flood waters rise. The funding is secured, but work can’t begin until FEMA completes its environmental review—a process that many environmentalists agree is broken for beneficial projects like this. Luckily, your alderman just so happens to have a day job of making environmentally-positive projects happen faster, so I am leveraging those connections—like an expert from the US Secretary of Transportation’s office—to help the city help FEMA complete this review as quickly as possible.
Our beloved City Dock can be so much more than it is right now. Its natural beauty doesn’t need a giant building or a government-owned oyster bar. But we definitely need to unpave paradise and preserve it for posterity. Over decades, Annapolitans have been coming together to describe and design what that looks like. Now, it’s our turn to responsibly make it happen.
Reminder that the coffee shop tour kicks off this week at Bitty and Beau’s. I hope to see you at 8 am at the following stops:
12/11-Bitty and Beau’s
12/18-Rise Up in Market House
1/8-Brown Mustache in Old Fox Books
1/22-The Red Bean
1/29-Cafe Olé (Due to size constraints, we’ll take a walk with our coffee. Bundle up well and meet by 8:05.)
2/12-49 West
2/19-Poindexter in the Graduate
2/26-Curate
City council agenda
Call To Order
Mayor Buckley
Invocation
Aldermen Schandelmeier
Pledge of Allegiance
Mayor Buckley
Roll Call
City Clerk Watkins-Eldridge
Approval of Agenda
Ceremonial Items
ID-174-24 Annapolis Boat Shows presentation
ID-177-24 Citation for Jerry Lincoln
Petitions, Reports & Communications
Update from Mayor
Mayor Buckley
Reports by Committees
Comments by the General Public
A person speaking before the City Council with a petition, report, or communication shall be limited to not more than three minutes. Remember, you can come to any city council meeting to tell us about what’s important to you and your neighborhood!
Consent Calendar
CCM 11.12.24 Special Meeting Minutes
CCM 11.25.24 Special Meeting Minutes
Public Hearings
CA-2-24 FY 2025 City of Annapolis Departmental Reorganization
This and other pieces of legislation will formalize Human Resources and Integrated Technology Solutions as independent departments, move several exempt positions onto a new executive scale, and update some pay rule language. The move to the executive scale will put the City in line with the practices of peer jurisdictions, including Anne Arundel County. The changes to the pay rules will open up changes to the rules and regulations of the personnel system, which will enable the City to more effectively address pay inequities and retention issues.
O-34-24 FY 2025 Changes in Exempt Service Job Classifications
This and three other pieces of legislation will formalize Human Resources and Integrated Technology Solutions as independent departments, move several exempt positions onto a new executive scale, and update some pay rule language. The move to the executive scale will put the City in line with the practices of peer jurisdictions, including Anne Arundel County. The changes to the pay rules will open up changes to the rules and regulations of the personnel system, which will enable the City to more effectively address pay inequities and retention issues.
O-35-24 Fair Cannabis Employment Practices
Many of you have described to me issues in the city–such as the need for traffic calming–that have funds allocated in the budget but that lack staff to actually implement the solutions. City government has too many open positions. While this is caused by a variety of reasons, I have been thinking about anything we can do to address the root problem here. This legislation will bring Annapolis in line with Governor Moore’s recent executive order by ending most pre-employment cannabis testing for potential city employees. Staff will still be prohibited from using cannabis (and other drugs) on the job but will now be evaluated for that in a more accurate way. Nothing in the legislation supercedes state or federal law.
Ordinance First Readers
O-33-24 Appeals Process for Property Development in Annapolis
In the case of a project appealing a decision of the Planning Commission, this will put the decision to "stay" (pause) a project in the hands of a neutral judge, rather than happening automatically when the appeal is filed. It also makes city Board of Appeals hearings more transparent and more expeditious. This aligns with my desire to make it easier for people who love Annapolis to be able to invest in Annapolis. Please send me your thoughts on this bill, especially if you have experience with appealing Planning decsions.
Resolution First Readers
R-57-24 Annual Meeting and Tourism Industry Reception Fee Waiver
This waives fees for the Annual Meeting and Tourism Industry Reception, as the council has done for previous years.
Ordinance Second Readers
O-6-24 City-wide Prohibition on New Drive-through Windows
I understand this is a bill that people feel strongly about, and I have heard a lot of opinions on it. My belief is that it will protect the wonderful, walkable community we currently have in Ward One. Any new drive-throughs that might open in the city would almost certainly be outside of Ward One and would likely cannibalize the business of the banks and pharmacies that we currently have within walking distance--potentially closing businesses that seniors who can no longer drive rely on being able to walk to. While drive-throughs can provide a helpful service, I don't think that driving a couple extra minutes over the city line is an undue burden for people already in their cars. In addition, our land value study shows that drive-throughs cost more to maintain in infrastructure than they generate in property taxes. While resident quality of life is my top priority, voting for this bill is the fiscally responsible position.
O-11-24 Tenant Displacement Fund
Creating a fund to help displaced tenants sounds good on the surface, but I am not satisfied that concerns about how it would actually be implemented have been resolved.
O-12-24 Maritime Industry Economic Development Fund
When the Maritime Zones were created, a portion of the slip tax was to be deposited into this fund, but the fund was never set up. This does not create a new tax; it just ensures an already-designated tax is spent on what it's required to be spent on.
Resolution Second Readers
R-51-24 2024 Go Bowling Military Bowl Parade and Football Game Major Special Event
Waives fees for the Go Bowling Military Bowl Parade. Go Navy!
R-55-24 Budget Process Timeline for Fiscal Year 2026
This resolution, which I largely authored, sets our timeline for developing the budget over the next 6 months. You might not think it would be complicated to develop, but it took some significant effort for everyone to get on the same page.
R-56-24 2025 Salary Review Commission Members Updated
Adds an additional member to the Salary Review Commission, ensuring more ward diversity. This commission is charter-mandated and already established; it will recommend salary changes (if necessary) for the mayor and city council.
R-58-24 Postponing Enforcement of the Ban on Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers
This bill would delay enforcement of our ban on gas-powered leaf blowers by 5 months. I oppose it for the simple reason that I get multiple emails a week from you in support of implementing this ban ASAP.
Adjournment
Other news you can use
The 25th Anniversary Rededication Ceremony of the Alex Haley Memorial is scheduled for Monday, December 9, 2024, at 1:00 PM, at City Dock. This will include a reception at the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman museum beginning at 3 o’clock.
Annapolis announced its new SnowPaths system for real-time tracking of road conditions in winter weather.
The EYC Lights Parade is December 14th from 6 to 8 pm. There are watch parties all around Spa Creek, or come see it at City Dock.
The Annapolis Holiday Market is Thursday December 12th through Sunday December 15th at Susan Campbell Park.
We’ve still got two more Midnight Madnesses before Christmas: December 12th from 4 pm until midnight and December 19th from 4 pm until 11 pm. Read all about it here, and if you see me, say “Hi!”
Please send me any events or other information you’d like advertised to your neighbors.
Have a great week, everyone!
Harry
Source: https://us17.campaign-archive.com/?u=92cd145597ae97327ab17fc38&id=c41ad7b2ed
