Feb. 18, 2015
Jared S. Littmann
Alderman, Ward 5, Annapolis

912 Forest Drive 
(office at K&B True Value)
410-268-3939
Upcoming Events 
  
Thursday, Feb. 18 
 -  Talk by Donald Boesch, PhD: Climate Change Science and Policy, 7 p.m., Annapolis Friends Meeting House, 351 Dubois Road. Dr. Boesch is a Professor of Marine Science and President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Cosponsored by Climate Stewards of Greater Annapolis and the Maryland Climate Coalition. Free and open to the public

Mon. - Sun., Feb. 22 - 28
- Annapolis Restaurant Week 
 
For details of City Council events click here.  
 
The City Council will meet on Monday, Feb. 22,  at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers. I have a work conflict and will miss this meeting.
 
My analysis of the agenda is below.
 
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, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m., in the Council Chambers. All Council meetings are available online through live streaming and broadcast on Comcast channels 99 or 100 and on Verizon channel 34. Below is a synopsis of the agenda. You can access the unabridged version here. 
  
CEREMONIAL ITEMS
 
City Council Citations
 
Eastport Volunteer Fire Company 
    State-of-the-Art Cardiac Monitor/Defibrillator in service aboard medic unit.

Solon K. Webb, District 30 
Anne Arundel County Board of Education  

Deborah T. Ritchie 
Anne Arundel County Board of Education

City of Annapolis Management and Information Technology Employees 
Blizzard of January 2016 

City of Annapolis Recreation & Parks Employees
Blizzard of January 2016 

City of Annapolis Transportation Department Employees
Blizzard of January 2016 

PRESENTATION
"Walk Parole: A Scavenger Hunt for History"
 
 
PETITIONS, REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
A. Reports by Committee
B. 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. 
  

BUSINESS AND MISCELLANEOUS

R-04-16         Transfer from Parking Operations Overtime Transfer to Parking Operations Credit Card Fees
- Transportation Department
Comment: Transfer seeks funds to pay for fees from credit card transactions. The materials provided in the agenda do not explain why these fees were not expected or provided for in the budget.


PUBLIC HEARINGS
      
R-04-16         Public Approval - For the purpose of providing public approval pursuant to Section 147(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, in connection with the issuance and sale by the by the Public Finance Authority (the "Authority"), a commission created pursuant to Sections 66.0301, 66.0303 and 66.0304 of the Wisconsin Statutes, of its Public Finance Authority Revenue Bonds (St. John's College Project) Series 2016 in one or more series (the "Series 2016 Bonds"), in a principal amount not to exceed $30,000,000 with respect to St. John's College Annapolis Facilities.
Sponsor: Pantelides
 
O-11-16         Transportation Network Services - For the purpose of imposing an assessment on Transportation Network Services for trips that originate in the City of Annapolis in accordance with the ANN. CODE OF MD., PUBLIC UTILITIES ARTICLE, Section 10-406.
Sponsor: Pantelides    
 
 
LEGISLATIVE ACTION

SECOND READERS
 
O-01-16         Amendment No. 1 to Annapolis Maritime Museum, Inc. Lease Agreement - For the purpose of approving an Amendment No. 1 to the Lease for certain City-owned property to the Annapolis Maritime Museum, Inc.; and matters generally relating to said lease.
Sponsors: Pantelides, Finlayson, Arnett  
Comment: The amendment is to an existing lease of City property at 723 Second Street for the purpose of eliminating the payment of rent in exchange for the tenant assuming responsibility for all maintenance of this property. Prior to this amendment, the Museum had received grant funds from the City which it had used to pay the rent. This amendment removes that circular process and allows the Museum to budget without the risk of the grant falling through.

R-03-16         AMENDED AGREEMENT Street Rights-of-Way in the Thomas Woods Planned Development - For the purpose of amending the Agreement for the privatization of street rights-of-way in the Thomas Woods Planned Development. 
Sponsors: Kirby and Pfeiffer
Comment: The owner of this property previous requested and was granted permission to make the streets in this subdivision private, so that the streets could be built narrower than otherwise required. In granting that permission, the Council wanted to ensure that future purchasers of property in this subdivision made their purchase with the information that they could never ask the City to maintain their streets, because they are private, not public. To effectuate this effort, prior legislation required the developer to record the necessary plat with that information. The developer submitted the plat in error, without that information stated as required by legislation.
With this legislation, the developer wants the prior requirement removed, so that the plat does not need to be redone and recorded again, which would cause a delay. The developer points to other ways that prospective purchasers would be informed that the streets are private. The City's acquiescence to this request is concerning and reduces transparency. As we have seen recently with requests by other neighborhoods, when private streets are allowed to degrade, the City is often asked to step back in. The Council wanted to make crystal clear that the City does not intend to allow non-conforming streets, only to take them over again in the future. 

R-04-16         Public Approval - For the purpose of providing public approval
pursuant to Section 147(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, in connection with the issuance and sale by the Public Finance Authority (the "Authority"), a commission created pursuant to Sections 66.0301, 66.0303 and 66.0304 of the Wisconsin Statutes, of its Public Finance Authority Revenue Bonds (St. John's College Project) Series 2016 in one or more series (the "Series 2016 Bonds"), in a principal amount not to exceed $30,000,000 with respect to St. John's College Annapolis Facilities.
Sponsor: Pantelides
Comment: These are bonds sought by and for the benefit of St. John's College. The bonds would be issued by the "Public Finance Authority". Applicable law requires that bonds issued by this entity for a college in City limits must be approved by the City government. However, these Bonds will be payable solely from the Borrower to the Authority and are not an obligation or liability of the City of Annapolis.
 
FIRST READERS
 
CA-01-16      Charter Amendment for Department Reorganization - For the purpose of amending the Annapolis Charter concerning: dissolving the Department of Human Resources and the Department of Neighborhood and Environmental Programs; and reassigning certain duties and granting certain authority to the Department of Finance, the Department of Planning and Zoning, the Department of Public Works and the City Manager.
Sponsor: Pantelides
O-12-16         City of Annapolis Departmental Reorganization - For the purpose of dissolving the Human Resources Department and the Department of Neighborhood and Environmental Services; creating the Office of Environmental Policy; reassigning certain duties and granting certain authority to the Department of Finance, Department of Planning and Zoning, the Department of Public Works and the City Manager, and all matters generally relating to such departmental reorganization.
Sponsor: Pantelides

Note From the City Manager's Office: The Mayor proposes to reorganize and realign several city agency programs and functions in the interest of efficiency and effectiveness and to improve the delivery of services to the citizens of Annapolis.
 
The proposal, which would be embodied in City Ordinance and Charter Amendment, includes the following:
 
1. Transfer MIT from Finance to the City Manager
The MIT function is currently housed within the Finance Department. The proposal is to transfer this function and existing staff to the City Manager's Office to better reflect the MIT mission as one encompassing the entire city government. There are public-private partnerships in the Information Technology sphere that are to be explored with a view toward updating capabilities and enhancing MIT services and products to user city agencies and citizens. 
 
2. Transfer Human Resources to Finance
HR is a small agency with a department head vacancy. The proposal is to consolidate the HR function and existing staff within the Finance Department to provide additional support and coordination in several areas including benefit administration, payroll and Workers' Compensation. The HR Director position would be abolished. The Finance Department would become the "Department of Finance and Administration" which is an organizational model employed by many small to mid-size city governments. 
 
3. Transfer DNEP Programs and Functions to Several Departments
The Department of Neighborhood and Environmental Programs comprises regulatory functions that can be more effectively carried out, coordinated and tasked in combination with programs of other existing departments. It is imperative to create a "one stop shop" for all city permitting, inspection and land 
development approvals and related activities. The proposal is to:

3a. Transfer to the Department of Planning and Zoning
All regulatory programs that are attendant to the development/subdivision process such as:  
  • Rental licensing and code enforcement
  • Residential and commercial building and trade permitting and inspection
  • Port Wardens
 
3b. Transfer to the Department of Public Works: The Forest Conservation Act and grading permits; stormwater management and erosion control plan review, approvals and inspections; wastewater pretreatment
 
3c. Transfer to Police: ABC inspections
 
3d. Transfer to an Office of Environmental Policy: Environmental policy/advocacy/coordination/education activities
 
4. Create an Office of Environmental Policy in the Office of the Mayor
This new office would be responsible for the following transferred from DNEP:
  • Urban Forestry
  • Sustainability
  • Land Trust
  • NPDES/MS4/TMDL Compliance Coordination
  • Environmental Grants
  • Environmental Policy Development/Initiatives

R-05-16         Shiley Park - For the purpose of designating certain City-owned land at the eastern end of Shiley Street in West Annapolis as a public park; and matters generally relating to said park.
Sponsor: Paone

R-06-16         Filing of Grant Application with the Maryland Transit Administration - For the purpose of authorizing the filing of an application with the Maryland Transit Administration of the Maryland Department of Transportation for a Sections 5303, 5304, 5307, 5309, 5310, 5311, 5316, and/or 5317 grants under the Federal Transit Act for a total amount of $2,276,668 ($1,700,880 for fixed route transit operations; $230,448 for ADA complementary paratransit services; $315,000 capital grant for transit vehicle maintenance; $7,840 capital grant for maintenance equipment, and $22,500 capital assistance for transit support vehicle replacement).
Sponsors: Pantelides and Budge 
 

FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER
ID-67-16         Combined Annual Reports from the Boards and Commissions 2015 
 
ADJOURNMENT
 
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