PETITIONS, REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
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.
APPOINTMENTS
The Reappointment of Joseph Semo to the Police and Fire Retirement Commission
Comment: The Consent Calendar is used to quickly get through items that have unanimous support from Council in order to reduce unnecessary time on procedure. Any council member can request that an item be removed from the Consent Calendar for any reason. Any item remaining on the consent calendar has the unanimous support of Council for the limited action described below.
BEGINNING OF CONSENT CALENDAR
FIRST READERS
O-24-16 Snow Emergency Routes - For the purpose of establishing that any person who fails to remove a vehicle from a snow emergency route when Phase II or Phase III of the snow emergency plan is in effect shall be in violation of the City Code and subject to the imposition of a fine.
Sponsor: Pantelides
Comment: The City Code currently allows the police to remove a parked vehicle from snow emergency routes in a state of emergency, but it does not currently provide for a fine for violations. The companion resolution to this legislation is R-13-16 to which there is a proposed amendment to add a $250 fine for a violation of this provision.
O-25-16 City Code Maximum Penalty Provision - For the purpose of amending the City Code to be consistent with the Charter concerning the Maximum Penalty applicable to misdemeanors, infractions and violations proscribed by State Law.
Sponsor: Budge
Comment: This Ordinance intends to amend the City Code to be consistent with the Charter concerning maximum penalties for civil infractions.
O-18-16 Amendment No. 1 to Eisenhower Golf Course Lease Agreement - For the purpose of approving an Amendment No. 1 to the Lease for certain City-owned property to Anne Arundel County; and matters generally relating to said lease.
Sponsor: Pantelides
Comment: The City owns the land upon which the Eisenhower Golf Course is located. Currently, the County operates (through a third party) this public golf course pursuant to a 50-year lease with the City. While the existing lease is coming to an end in less than 30 days, the City has not yet resolved whether to renew the lease, sell the land, operate the golf course without the County, or use the property otherwise.
This Ordinance gives the City another year to determine what course to pursue (pun-ny?). The current lease agreement provides to the City 50% of the annual net income of the golf course, which was $162k last year. If the golf course is to be kept operational, significant improvements are looming.
O-20-16 Title 17 Updates and Amendments - For the purpose of updating and amending Chapters 17.04 and 17.08 of the Annapolis City Code to prohibit the use and sale of coal tar pavement products; and matters generally relating to prohibiting the use and sale of coal tar pavement products.
Sponsors: Littmann, Pfeiffer, Pantelides
Comment: This legislation follows the example set by the County in prohibiting the sale or use of coal tar products that are used for driveway sealants. The only (best) hardware store in town already sells latex based driveway sealants that are just as effective, so the main effect of the legislation is to prohibit the use of coal tar sealants. There is no economical, functional, or availability reason to use coal tar sealants.
END OF CONSENT CALENDAR
BUSINESS AND MISCELLANEOUS
GT-21-16 Transfer from: Contingency Transfer to: Police Overtime & Police Equipment - APD
Comment: Due to the increased crime in Eastport, the APD is requesting funds from the general contingency fund, which would have a balance of $285k after the transfer (remember that the fiscal year ends in June). $95k would go towards police overtime, and $30k would go to additional building cameras. This is separate from the policy body cameras that are also being tested.
I support this transfer.
PUBLIC HEARINGS (CONTINUED)
O-13-16 Annual Operating Budget: Fiscal Year 2017
O-14-16 Capital Budget Fiscal Year 2017
R-10-16 Position Classifications and Pay Plan
R-11-16 Capital Improvement Program Fiscal Years 2017 - 2022
R-12-16 FY 2017 Fees Schedule Effective July 1, 2016
R-13-16 FY 2017 Fines Schedule Effective July 1, 2016
PUBLIC HEARINGS
ID-90-16 City of Annapolis Proposed Real Property Tax Increase
Comment:
There are 2 ways that you are impacted by the City's real property taxes. The first is the tax rate. The current rate is $0.649 per $100 of assessment (approx. $2k for the average home, based on County data). Neither the mayor nor the Council is currently proposing a rate increase, though that can change. The second is the tax yield. In other words, regardless of changes to the tax rate, if the assessment on your property increases, then your taxes will go up. Collectively, the assessed values on homes in Annapolis have gone up this year, so that is the issue for this public hearing.
1. For the tax year beginning July 1, 2016, the estimated real property assessable base will increase by 3.2% from $6.035 billion to $6.230 billion.
2. If the City of Annapolis maintains the current tax rate of $0.649 per $100 of assessment, real property tax revenues will increase by 3.2%, resulting in $1.267 million of new real property tax revenues.
3. If the Council wished to fully offset the effect of increasing assessments, then it would reduce the real property tax rate to $0.628, the constant yield tax rate.
4. The mayor's budget does not reduce the real property tax rate, and instead proposes to adopt again a real property tax rate of $0.649 per $100 of assessment.
5. This tax rate is 3.2% higher than the constant yield tax rate and will generate $1,267,866 in additional property tax revenues.
O-21-16 Title 4 - Elections - For the purpose of amending and updating Chapters 4.28 and 4.44 of the Code of the City of Annapolis concerning absentee voting and fair election practices; and matters generally relating to absentee voting and fair election practices.
Sponsors: Littmann, Pindell Charles
Comment: This legislation would implement the proposals from the bipartisan Ad Hoc Committee that studied the 2013 City elections for the purpose of offering their recommendations on how to address the problems and complaints from that election. Changes include allowing a voter to use an absentee ballot for any reason and presuming the validity of all ballots cast.
O-23-16 Grading Permits for Tree Removal - For the purpose of requiring a Grading Permit when trees having a combined diameter of 60 inches are to be removed from lots 40,000 square feet or greater.
Sponsors: Littmann, Finlayson, Budge, Arnett
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
SECOND READERS
O-10-16 Water Service Billing Adjustments - For the purpose of clarifying the procedures for requesting an adjustment to water or sewer service billing, and matters generally relating to water or sewer service billing adjustments.
Sponsor: Pantelides
Comment: The City's Finance Department previously had an informal and little known policy for making adjustments when a rate payer complained that their water bill was unusually large. This policy came to light in 2015 when the mayor requested and received a $400 adjustment to his water bill. This legislation formalizes the policy going forward.
The amendment from the Environmental Matters Committee seeks to separate the 3 types of requests for adjustments as follows:
1. When there is a problem due to a City error, an adjustment will be made to the user's normal usage. There is no limit on these requests.
2. When the high bill is due to the fault of the user's equipment, and the user can demonstrate that the equipment was fixed, then an adjustment will be made to 3 times the user's normal usage. This adjustment can be made only once every 3 years.
3. When the high bill is due to some other reason (i.e., leaving a faucet running), then an adjustment will be made to 5 times the user's normal usage.This adjustment can be made only once every 3 years.
The Committee made these recommended changes as a balance between providing some relief to the rate payer that is shocked by an abnormally large bill, and the fairness to all the other rate payers that are being asked to subsidize their fellow citizen's inattentiveness or faulty equipment. The Committee chose to provide greater relief to the rate payer that also has a surprise repair expense.
Pending consideration of issues raised by you or my colleagues, I intend to support this amended Ordinance.
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
Comment: At the last Council session, the Council adopted a Charter Amendment that largely reflects the department reorganization plan of the City Manager. This Ordinance is corollary legislation. There are a number of amendments from the various Council members and committees which don't ultimately change the big picture changes. Those changes include dismantling DNEP, creating an Office of Environmental Policy to handle the policy issues, while assigning other tasks to Planning and Zoning or to Public Works. Additionally, Human Resources will no longer be a stand-alone department, but rather an office that reports to the City Manager.
During Committee review, the current Directors of DNEP (Neighborhoods and Environmental Programs), DPZ (Planning and Zoning), and DPW (Public Works) all expressed the belief that these changes will support the current environmental initiatives without any diminishment. Time will tell whether that proves accurate, but I have a high degree of confidence in the City Manager and his Directors, so I am willing to support his initiative and find out.
Pending consideration of issues raised by you or my colleagues, I intend to support this amended Ordinance.
FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER
ID-249-16 Memorandum - Pursuant to City Code Section: 4.44.080 Election Reports Required
