Sept. 21, 2014
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Alderman, Ward 5, Annapolis
912 Forest Drive
(office at K&B True Value)
410-268-3939 (office)
443-926-2399 (cell)
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The City Council will meet Monday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers. My
News Since the Last Meeting Email
Your ViewsI welcome Annapolis City residents, particularly those from Ward 5, and other concerned individuals to offer me their views on issues or to discuss other concerns in person. Please contact me via email with your views or to set up a time to chat in my office at K&B True Value ( 912 Forest Drive).
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I welcome your feedback and questions, and appreciate your help in reaching other Annapolis residents by to them. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Jared Littmann
Alderman, Ward 5, Annapolis
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Regular Meeting of the City Council
The Annapolis City Council will meet on Monday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m., in the Council Chambers. All Council meetings are available online through live streaming and broadcast on Comcast channel 99 and on Verizon channel 34. Below is a synopsis of the agenda. You can access the unabridged version here.
BUSINESS & MISCELLANEOUS
Executive Committee Citizen Advisory Transition Team
Comment: I expect the Mayor's Transition Team to present their recommendations.
Appointments
Comment: Department Heads and members of the City's Boards and Commissions are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The agenda includes the requested confirmation or appointment for several positions. The resumes of all of the candidates are available as links from the website version of the agenda. The nominees for City Manager, City Attorney, HACA, and the Planning Commission are all first time appointments.
ID-305-14 - Confirmation of Thomas C. Andrews as City Manager
Comment: The mayor introduced Mr. Andrews to the Council on Thursday, Sept. 18. The mayor used a selection committee, whose members I respect, to sort through the applicants and make recommendations. The mayor selected their top recommendation. My initial impression from his resume, his answers to questions, and outside references is positive.
Mr. Andrews most recently has been a lead recruiter for a firm specializing in recruiting city and county managers - experience which would be handy in filling the remaining department vacancies and managing future reorganizations. Mr. Andrews was the County Manager for Fulton County, Georgia for 9 years where he was responsible for 7000 employees and an annual budget of over $1.3 B. He has familiarity with our community from work he did in Anne Arundel County for over 10 years, including a stint as the CAO of the County. He has education and experience with environmental issues and worked for the Maryland Department of the Environment for 5 years.
I'm open to learning more about him and therefore welcome your opinions about this candidate. There is no such thing as a perfect candidate, but Mr. Andrews seems like a fine choice, possibly a very good one. Barring persuasive arguments from you or my colleagues to the contrary, I plan to vote to confirm Mr. Andrews as City manager.
ID-304-14 - Confirmation of Michael G. Leahy as City Attorney
Comment: The mayor provided the Council with Mr. Leahy's resume on Thursday, but as a Council we have not yet met Mr. Leahy. Mr. Leahy describes his practice as "Transactional and regulatory legal practice focused on land use and environmental regulation, development finance and permitting, economic development, venture funding, commercial transactions . . ., enterprise development and management . . . ." As of this writing, I do not have enough information to make a judgment about his selection, but I have asked for and received sample work product from Mr. Leahy and will meet with him prior to Monday's Council session. I welcome your opinions about this candidate.
AP-07-14 - Appointment of Sandra Chapman to the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis Board of Commissioners
Comment: The Housing and Human Welfare Committee, of which I am a member, reviewed Ms. Chapman's resume, interviewed her, and voted favorably for her appointment based on her lengthy record of advocacy of public housing issues. Barring persuasive arguments from you or my colleagues to the contrary, I plan to vote to confirm Ms. Chapman to HACA.
AP-18-14 - Appointment of Benjamin N. Sale to the
Planning Commission
Comment: The selection of someone to the Planning Commission is, arguably, as important as any other appointment considered by the Mayor and Council. The volunteer members of the Planning Commission have significant authority and responsibility for the consideration of residential and commercial developments in Annapolis, among other responsibilities, and they tend to stay on the commission for many years, crossing mayoral administrations. Mr. Sale is an engineer living in Ward 3 with 16 years of residential and corporate property management experience. The Rules Committee has endorsed his nomination. As of this writing, I do not have enough information to make a judgment about his selection. I welcome your opinions about this candidate.
Reappointments
of Carl Corse to the Building Board of Appeals
of John Jay Schwarz to the Building Board of Appeals
of Christopher F. Buchheister to the Maritime Advisory Board
of Scott Bierman to the Board of Port Wardens
of Sharon Kennedy to the Historic Preservation Commission
of Al Kirchner to the Public Safety Disability Retirement Board
of Michael J. Keller to the Human Relations Commission
Comment: I have learned of or heard only positive recommendations about the work performed by each of these individuals on behalf of the City and will be pleased to vote for their reappointments.
PETITIONS, REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
SECOND READER
Bills on Second Reader are up for discussion and vote.
R-27-14 Authorizing the Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade as an Official City of Annapolis Co-Sponsored Event - For the purpose of authorizing the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade as an official co-sponsored City of Annapolis event due to his importance and significance to our country and our community.
Comment: A private organization intends to organize and offer a new parade in the City in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The City would otherwise charge approximately $3000 in fees to compensate the City for expenses such as fire and police personnel. With this Resolution, the City is waiving those fees.
I remain concerned that our various City departments are financially limited and are asked to provide additional services without additional funds. This is an untenable situation and is made worse each time the Council approves these well-meaning and good-intentioned resolutions waiving fees for terrific organizations and causes. As has been my consistent practice when considering these fee waivers, barring persuasive arguments from you or my colleagues to the contrary, I plan to vote against this resolution.
R-29-14 Transit Routes and Services - For the purpose of making changes to the Annapolis Department of Transportation's transit services and routes in order to meet the goals and objectives of the fiscal year 2015 budget.
Comment: At the outset, this resolution requires a public hearing before the Council votes on its passage. Accordingly, I will request a postponement of the Council's vote on Monday until the Council holds a public hearing.
On the merits, I have a few concerns. First, the Circulator was created as part of a parking management solution, to encourage the use of the outer downtown garages. It has been successful in that regard, but although it was supposed to be funded by those garage revenues, it has not been administered that way. Instead, its expenses are presented as a transportation expense without any revenue, which makes it doomed for elimination. I am not in favor of that.
Second, the recommendation in this Resolution from the administration calls for a transportation budget that exceeds $5M, while the budget that the Council approved in June 2014 calls for a budget under $3.5M. That difference is not reconciled. I am not in favor of approving additional expenses without corresponding budget cuts or revenue growth. Without a public hearing and amendments that resolve these concerns, barring persuasive arguments from you or my colleagues to the contrary, I plan to vote against this resolution.
FIRST READER
First Reader is a bill's formal introduction to the Council for consideration. Generally, I will vote in favor of a bill on First Reader, even if I disagree with it, so that the bill may be heard and discussed by the Council and the public. The following bills are being introduced on First Reader:
O-25-14 Funding Purchase of Service Credits for Certain Employees in the Police and Fire Retirement Plan - For the purpose of authorizing the City of Annapolis to fund all or a portion of the cost of purchasing service credits or any actuarial or other fees and costs for certain employees in thePolice and Fire Retirement Plan; and specifying that the City of Annapolis shall have the authority to determine the respective percentages that a certain employee and the City of Annapolis shall contribute towards the cost of purchasing service credits or any actuarial or other fees and costs towards participation in the Police and Fire Retirement Plan.
O-29-14 Lease of City Property: Boat Shows in Spring 2015
- For the purpose of authorizing a lease of certain municipal property located in the areas of Susan Campbell Park, Annapolis City Donner Parking Lot, Ego Alley Water Space, and Old City Recreation Center and other property and water locations as described in the lease to CRUISERS UNIVERSITY, INC., t/a Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show, in April 2015, to conduct boat shows.
R-31-14 Freedom Park - For the purpose of declaring that the Newman Street Playground and Park shall be re-named "Freedom Park."
Comment: This is a tribute to the 150th Anniversary of the Maryland constitutional change abolishing slavery in the state and the establishment of a system of free public school education. In light of the quickly approaching week long celebration of this event from Oct. 25 - Nov. 1, I will support Alderman Budge's anticipated motion to adopt this Resolution on Monday evening, without committee assignment.
R-32-14 Considering the Acquisition of Land and Improvements Located at 110 Compromise Street - For the purpose of expressing the sense of the Annapolis City Council's consideration of acquiring the land and improvements located at 110 Compromise Street for a purchase price of $4.5M.
BUSINESS AND MISCELLANEOUS
Following First, Second, and Third Readers, the Council considers matters that require a vote but don't need formal legislation. Topics can include appointments, budget revisions, grant allocation, labor agreements, and other items.
ID-306-14 Memo from Assistant City Attorney Leonard Regarding Ad Hoc Election Committee
Comment: The Council created an Ad Hoc Election Committee to review perceived irregularities from the last municipal election. The Committee was created with 5 Democrats, 5 Republicans, and 3 individuals from other or no political party. Of those members, 2 Democrats and 1 Republican were required to be from the Board of Supervisors of Elections.
Now that they've met as a Committee, the 3 individuals on the Board make the argument that they should not have a vote on the Committee, because the Committee is reporting to the Board. That makes sense to me, but proposed solution creates a new problem. The composition of the committee was debated and created with the intent at making it balanced between Ds and Rs. If 2 Ds and 1 R no longer have a vote, the committee is unbalanced. To get it back in balance, I will suggest that the Ad Hoc Committee not be reduced in number as requested, but that the central parties for those 2 parties name 3 (2 Ds and 1 R) replacement members.
GT-04-15 Emergency Preparation and Risk Management
Comment: The administration seeks to move $74k from Office of Emergency Management (OEM)'s budget from the last fiscal year to OEM's current fiscal year budget. I need further information and explanation from the Director of Finance to understand how that is permissible before voting on this measure.
GT-05-15 CIP Funds for Bulkhead Replacement - Public Works
Comment: The administration is seeking the transfer of over $450k from closed Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) to the Bulkhead (city dock infrastructure) replacement CIP. Barring persuasive arguments from you or my colleagues to the contrary, I plan to vote in favor of this transfer.
GT-06-15 Water Tower Painting - Public Works
Comment: The administration seeks to transfer over $150k from last year's fiscal budget operating funds to this year's CIP budget. I need further information and explanation from the Director of Finance to understand how that is permissible before voting on this measure.
GT-07-15 Payment for monthly fee payment to IPS group - Transportation Department
Comment: The administration seeks to transfer money saved from the Transportation Department Director vacancy to pay for regular credit card payment expenses from the City parking system. I need further information and explanation from the Director of Finance why these predictable expenses weren't already provided for in the budget and how they will continue to be budgeted once (and presuming) a Director is appointed. Regardless of how that tangent issue is addressed, barring persuasive arguments from you or my colleagues to the contrary, I plan to vote in favor of this transfer.
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