Annapolis · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in City of Annapolis public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Outdoor Dining Regulations Update (O-29-26)
Two first-reader bills would cut red tape for shop owners — no more permits for sidewalk signs — and let food trucks serve historic district special events.
FY 2027 Position Classifications and Pay Plan
Money shuffled to cover cost-of-living raises under new union contracts was replaced from capital reserves, so sidewalk and City Dock projects keep their funding — 'it nets out to zero,' per the finance chair.
Rooming houses in private homes (O-11-26)
A hearing was held on allowing licensed rooming houses as long-term rentals in private residences — intended to add housing but criticized over parking. No vote yet.
O-17-26: Right to park in front of residential driveways
Residents can currently be fined $200+ for parking in front of their own driveways. This bill would let legal occupants and their guests park there, with a new appeal process and a temporary exemption for certain Ward 8 streets expiring December 31, 2027.
Expanding the Board of Supervisors of Elections
A plan to grow the elections board from three to five members stalled and went back to committee over an unfinished amendment, with timing pressure ahead of the 2029 election.
Tenant Eviction Notice Requirements
A $1,000-per-day fine backs up the compassionate eviction-process ordinance O-30-26. Because sheriffs are present at evictions, city staff expect enforcement to be more practical than typical proactive code enforcement.
Fire and Harbor Security Grants
Federal grants will add three cardiac monitor defibrillators, up to 15 AEDs, and a remote-operated underwater search-and-rescue vehicle deployed off the city's new fire boat — a capability not otherwise available in the immediate area.
Collective bargaining agreements for FY2027–2028
The council ratified one union deal and advanced three more, covering city workers, firefighters, and police — locking in labor peace for FY2027-2028.
Resilience Authority membership and director appointment changes
The bill updates membership rules and director appointments for the joint city-county Resilience Authority, which has secured over $80 million for local projects. The committee recommended it but flagged a legal question — whether the city can add council confirmation of appointments without matching county action — and asked the law office to resolve it before the council votes.
Fines for tenant eviction process violations
New first-reader legislation would set eviction notice requirements, regulate how tenants' belongings are handled, and attach a fines schedule. Both landlords and tenants have stakes in how this is written.
Affordable Housing Community Updates
A $12,000 state grant, with a $3,000 city match, would help pay for preconstruction of a resiliency hub serving the New Harbor House and Eastport Terrace communities.
Electric-Hybrid Ferry Proposal
Five operators responded to the ferry RFI, suggesting weekend-first service with possible deficits in year one. The committee discussed funding it partly through the sustainable mobility services fund and using the boat for events and charters; RFPs for the vessel and landing sites are ready to advertise.
Annapolis Main Street Program management transition
The city took the Main Street program in-house from the Downtown Annapolis Partnership and needs a governing body to satisfy state requirements. A 13-seat task force will guide the program — covering holiday lights, flower baskets, vacancy reduction, and eventually a downtown brand — until an independent organization takes over around fiscal 2028.
FY25 Urban Area Security Initiative grant projects
A late-arriving $900,000 federal grant funds bomb squad gear, a new robot, vehicle barriers, and emergency planning. Because federal litigation delayed it a year, the city had to fund three emergency management salaries from the general fund, and grant rules bar using the award to reimburse them.
Annapolis Police Department summer safety and crime plan
APD doubled its weekend-night presence over the summer by putting detectives and administrative staff in uniform. The result: crime down 6% overall, property crime down 10%, traffic accidents down 15–16%, and over 443 days without a gun homicide.
Citywide Strategic Planning Process
The city is hiring consultants to build a 'community plan' co-owned by government, nonprofits, businesses, and residents — not a traditional city strategic plan. Several aldermen feel the council was sidelined and want the process to go through the council formally.
Spa Creek Bridge maintenance
The 1946 Spa Creek Bridge broke down twice during July's heat wave, snarling traffic. State officials confirmed the failures were operator error, not heat damage, and the bridge is not slated for replacement — so expect continued vigilance and occasional disruptions on an 80-year-old drawbridge.
Parking reform work group — Phase 1 recommendations
The city's parking work group issued a dozen recommendations — including prepaid-to-postpaid conversion at Hillman Garage and moving to one payment app — and a community alliance with 3,000 petition signatures is pushing for more.
Short-Term Rental Moratorium
Planning & Zoning reported 65 unlicensed short-term rentals remain, with enforcement hampered by staffing, technology and the legal citation process. Preliminary ideas include a zoning-based framework, annual rental-day limits, higher fees to fund enforcement, and possibly capping the total number of rentals citywide. Final recommendations and community input sessions are still to come.
Denied posthumous citation for activist Phil Ateto
Mayor Littmann denied a ceremonial citation for the late activist Phil Ateto, saying Ateto's language toward him crossed into antisemitism. Dozens of residents demanded the decision be reversed, while a few Jewish residents defended it. Two aldermen called for a transparent, council-wide citation policy so the decision doesn't rest with one person.
APD has no ongoing relationship with ICE
Multiple speakers reported ICE vehicles at Pitt Moyer Rec Center and Truxton Pool — Pitt Moyer is a polling place and ballot drop box location. Speakers urged the council to bar ICE from city property, as Anne Arundel County's executive has done by executive order.
Short-term rental enforcement and fines
The city wants to raise short-term rental fines to up to $5,000 because current fines aren't deterring unlicensed rentals. A fight over how much discretion to give the enforcement director left the resolution without a committee recommendation.
Robinwood redevelopment — 236 units
The Robinwood redevelopment at 1305 Tyler Avenue goes to the Planning Commission October 15 with 236 total units, up from roughly 150 today. Aldermen pressed whether an adequate public facilities analysis was required and on forest conservation plans.
Snow equipment replacement funding
The city needs about $102,250 for snow plow blades but is pulling it from Public Works salary vacancy savings instead of the fleet budget, which was centralized and no longer covers it. Members questioned the budgeting logic and whether streets and traffic repairs lose out, but forwarded the transfer so blades can be bought before winter.