Dec. 21, 2014
Jared S. Littmann
Alderman, Ward 5, Annapolis

912 Forest Drive 
(office at K&B True Value)

410-268-3939 (office)
443-926-2399 (cell)


Upcoming Events 
 
Dec. 25 & 26
City offices closed.

Dec. 27
Military Bowl
Parade steps off at 9 a.m. at City Dock; Kickoff at 1 p.m. when Virginia Tech plays the University of Cincinnati at the Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium

Dec. 31

New Year's Eve Celebration
Family Friendly activities start at 2:45 p.m. and continue with fireworks at 7:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 10 p.m. and more fireworks at midnight.

  

 
The City Council will meet Monday, Dec. 22, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers. 

  

News Since the Last Meeting Email
  • The proposal for the City to purchase the property at 110 Compromise Street (former Fawcetts property) is still on hold. For his latest Q&A, I suggest reviewing Ald. Budge's post.
  • I am alarmed at the number of burglaries in the City. Many can be prevented by locking your doors and windows. The Annapolis Police Dept. (APD) offer these tips and info on a toy drive.
  • Get 2 hours of free parking downtown.

Your Views

I 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).

Stay in Touch  
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

  

  


Special Meeting of the City Council
AgendaAgenda
   
The Annapolis City Council will meet on Monday, Dec.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.

 

PETITIONS, REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS 

 

Ceremonial Items

  

ID-465-14       City Council Citation Honoring Sally Nash  

Comment:  Dr. Nash is receiving this citation in appreciation of her service as the Acting Planning and Zoning Director since last winter. Dr. Nash has continued to be the Chief of Comprehensive Planning during this time and will continue in that role once a new Director is appointed - see below.

  

ID-466-14       City Council Citation Honoring Cynthia Gudenius

Comment: Ms. Gudenius is receiving this citation in appreciation of her service as the Assistant to the Acting Director of Planning and Zoning since last winter. Ms. Gudenius has continued to be a City Planner during this time and will continue in that role once a new Director is appointed - see below.

  

ID-467-14       City Council Citation Honoring J.P. "Flip" Walters

Comment:  Mr. Walters is receiving this citation in appreciation of his service as the Acting Recreation and Parks Director. Mr. Walters' replacement was appointed at a recent Council session and will start shortly at which time Mr. Walters will return to his position of Harbormaster.

  

ID-468-14       City of Annapolis, Office of Emergency Management "Poster
Design Contest Winners"
- Christina Androus, Isabella Cerza, and Karly Jones

Comment: The City held a contest where students were encouraged to draw upon their personal experiences of how families prepare for emergencies and prepare artwork or a picture relating to it. These three students are receiving citations in recognition of their "superior" entries and they will be honored as Emergency Managers for the Day.

  

Petitions, Reports & Communications    

  

Report from Chief of Police
Reports by Committee    

Comments by the General Public - Early in each Council Meeting there is an opportunity for comments by the General Public. The public may comment on any subject that is not on the agenda for a Public Hearing. Comments during this time are limited to five minutes per person.

  

Appointments 

  

AP-31-14       Confirmation  of the Planning & Zoning Director  

Comment: The mayor has requested confirmation of Clement "Pete" Gutwald for Director of Planning and Zoning. Mr. Gutwald's resume is part of the City agenda (see link above). Mr. Gutwald has a B.S. degree in Urban Studies from the University of Maryland and a M.P.A. from the University of Md. He is AICP certified, has recent experience on the Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Bay Critical Area Commission and Baltimore Regional Transportation Board, and been the Harford County Director of Planning and Zoning since 2005. He appears to meet all objective criteria for the position.

Subjectively, although I have not yet met or interviewed Mr. Gutwald (to be accomplished on Monday), I have read a few articles pertaining to his work and have heard multiple referrals that are positive and supportive. The general body of work presented indicates that Mr. Gutwald is well suited to the position and a reasonable selection by the administration. Barring any surprising information or revelations from the interview or comments from you or my colleagues, I intend to vote favorably on this confirmation. 

AP-26-14       Appointment of James Praley III, Esq., to the Alcohol Beverage Control Board

Comment: Mr. Praley is a Ward 1 resident and an associate attorney for a law firm in Glen Burnie. 

 

AP-27-14       Appointment of Judy Gorski to the Annapolis Education
Commission

Comment: Ms. Gorski is a Ward 5 resident and will represent our Ward on the Annapolis Education Commission. I was pleased to request her appointment based on her experience as a parent of 2 children at Annapolis public schools, member of the PTA for the past 6 years, and chair of PTA committees, in addition to her professional experience working for the University of Maryland and education from the Johns Hopkins University. 

 

AP-27-14       Appointment of Amy Jones to the Transportation Board 
Comment: Ms. Jones will represent Ward 1 on the Board. Ms. Jones has an economics education from St. Mary's College and the University of Nevada.

 

PUBLIC HEARINGS


This is your opportunity to state your opinion on how we should vote or amend pending legislation. I generally do not comment on matters up for public hearing; I'd rather learn your thoughts.
 

O-34-14       Local Zoning Map Amendment - For the purpose of rezoning parcel 0056, Grid 0017, Tax Map 051C, known as 61 West Washington Street, Annapolis, Maryland, to be zoned in its entirety as BR, "Business Revitalization" Zoning District. 
Sponsor: Paone

Comment: According to the staff report accompanying this legislation, "Because of the thickness of the original zoning lines, this parcel was inadvertently split-zoned when the zoning maps were put in digital form in 2005. This local zoning map amendment seeks to correct this error. No other properties are affected. The property in question is located on the southwest side of the intersection of Clay Street and West Washington Street."

 

LEGISLATIVE ACTION

  

SECOND READERS

 

Comment: Typically, I offer an inclination of how I intend to vote on a matter and invite you to state whether you agree or disagree before the vote so that I may consider your point of view.  

 

O-7-14       City Budget: Referrals to the Financial Advisory Commission (FAC) and City Grants to Non-Profit Organizations - For the purpose of authorizing the referral of the annual operating budget and capital budget with the capital improvement program to the Financial Advisory Commission upon introduction of the ordinances before the City Council; revising City standards for making operating and/or capital grants to non-profit organizations; and the reporting process for recipients of operating and/or capital grants.
Sponsors: Littmann and Pantelides 

Comment: This legislation has 2 primary goals. The first is to codify the long-standing practice of sending the operating and capital budgets to the FAC for comment. I expect the Council to move forward with that part of the legislation. The second goal was to raise the standards used by the City when soliciting proposals from non-profits for grants. That part of the legislation has proved more complicated than expected. Therefore, I expect the Council to separate out that portion of the legislation and send it to a committee for further consideration and deliberation. 


O-10-14       Legal Counsel to Board of Supervisors of Elections - For the purpose of authorizing the Board of Supervisors of Elections to engage outside legal counsel during specified periods of time in the municipal election cycle.
Sponsors: Pantelides and Arnett 

Comment: The last time this legislation came to the Council, the sense was support of the concept, but disagreement on how and when it should be funded as outside counsel could be needed not only during the regular election cycles, but also during special elections held during a vacancy. I continue to support the concept of having outside counsel available to avoid the fact or appearance of a conflict of interest. 

  

O-31-14       Technical Corrections to the Zoning Code - For the purpose of amending sections of Title 2, Title 20, and Title 21 to be consistent with the Land Use Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
Sponsor: Budge 
Comment: The technical changes are proposed largely to ensure that Title 21 and other sections of the code are compliant with the Land Use Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. The state code requires that zoning actions be "consistent" with the comprehensive plan of the jurisdiction and defines both consistency and the comprehensive plan. Other changes in this ordinance are small corrections in our naming system. There are several miscellaneous code amendments that are correcting previous errors or references that have changed. Amendments are offered by the Planning Commission and the Rules Committee to correct certain omissions. Pending comments to the contrary from you or my colleagues, I intend to support the amended bill. 

  

O-33-14       Revisions to the City Code Designating the Risk Management Responsibility to the City of Annapolis Finance Department - For the purpose of amending the provisions of the City Code to reflect that Risk Management responsibility is designated to the City of Annapolis Finance Department. 
Sponsor: Pantelides 
Comment: Because of the personnel available at the time, the Risk Management position had been under the auspices of the Fire Department. This administration moved the position to the Finance Department, which makes sense to me. This ordinance codifies that change. 

O-37-14       The City Budget Process - For the purpose of transitioning to a new budget process for the development and preparation of the Fiscal Year 2016 City Budget. 
Sponsors: Arnett, Pfeiffer, Paone, Pantelides 
Comment: This Ordinance seeks a change from a "line item" operating budget to a "priority based program performance" budget. In other words, instead of a budget that lists the individual positions and supplies to be funded, the budget would list programs to be completed, and the resources needed for those programs. In theory, it allows policy makers (i.e., the Council) to determine which programs it wants to fund and which to curtail. 

I support this change, though I note that it is simple in concept and quite difficult to implement in practice. For instance, if an administrative support person will receive an unknown number of phone calls to support various programs, then how will his time be allottedIf the administration is truly to make this change, it must also provide a significant amount of education and guidance to the various City departments. Given the timing of the budget process, the significance of the changes, and the lack of information on an implementation plan, I am concerned about the chances for success during the current budgeting cycle.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS OF THE CITY COUNCIL

  

Next Meeting of the City Council - January 12, 2015 

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