Anne Arundel County Council adopts rules change, passes school budget supplement and approves several zoning amendments; multiple bills continued to March 17

The Anne Arundel County Council on March 3 adopted a resolution to align its rules of procedure with the Maryland Open Meetings Act, approved an $18,421,900 supplementary appropriation for the Anne Arundel County Board of Education and approved several zoning amendments while deferring full votes on multiple region plans and other bills to March 17.

The council voted 7–0 to adopt Resolution No. 5‑25, which amends portions of Titles 3 and 5 of the council’s rules of procedure to incorporate Open Meetings Act language. Chair Hummer introduced the resolution and the roll call showed “7 in the affirmative, none in the negative.”

The council also passed Bill 8‑25, a second‑quarter FY2025 supplementary appropriation for Anne Arundel County Public Schools totaling $18,421,900. Administration presenter Ethan Hunt and Anne Arundel County Public Schools CFO Matt Stanski told the council the majority of the increase is federal funding and that the fiscal note (Exhibit 2) breaks down the grant sources and transfers. The bill passed on a 7–0 roll call.

Other council actions included adoption of Bill 15‑25, which clarifies how signage area is calculated, and adoption of technical amendments to zoning bills across several region plans. The council adopted Amendment No. 12 to Bill 2‑25, requiring the Office of Planning and Zoning to issue a yearly redevelopment report, and adopted multiple map and zoning amendments across bills for Regions 1, 3 and 9. Several bills, including Bill 2‑25 (redevelopment ordinance), Bills 3‑25/4‑25 (Region 9 plan/zoning), Bills 9‑25/10‑25 (Region 1 plan/zoning), Bills 11‑25/12‑25 (Region 3 plan/zoning), Bill 13‑25 (animal hospitals/veterinary clinics, as amended), Bill 14‑25 (archaeological resources), and Bill 16‑25 (special exception uses/assisted living) were scheduled to be heard or held for final votes on March 17, 2025.

The council also voted 7–0 to go into a closed session under Maryland law (Md. Code, General Provisions) §3‑305(b)(15) to receive updates on an ongoing cyber security incident affecting county systems.

Votes at a glance - Resolution 5‑25 (Amendments to Council Rules to add Open Meetings Act language): Adopted, roll call 7–0. - Bill 8‑25 (FY2025 Board of Education supplementary appropriation and transfers; $18,421,900; no new county funds): Passed, roll call 7–0. Fiscal note details sources (federal/state grants) in Exhibit 2. - Bill 15‑25 (Signage area measurement): Passed, roll call 7–0. - Bill 2‑25 (Redevelopment ordinance): Amendment No. 12 (yearly OPZ redevelopment report) adopted; bill scheduled for March 17, 2025. - Bills 3‑25/4‑25 (Region 9 plan and zoning): Amendment 3 to 4‑25 adopted; vote on Bill 3‑25 held to March 17. - Bills 9‑25/10‑25 (Region 1 plan and zoning): Amendment 1 to 10‑25 adopted; vote on Bill 9‑25 held to March 17. - Bills 11‑25/12‑25 (Region 3 plan and zoning): Multiple amendments adopted; bills held to March 17. - Bill 13‑25 (Animal hospitals/veterinary clinics): Amendment 1 adopted; bill scheduled for March 17. - Bill 14‑25 (Archaeological resources): Motion to hold vote until March 17 adopted 7–0 after substantive public testimony and discussion. - Bill 16‑25 (Special exceptions; assisted living/community piers): Amendment 1 adopted; bill scheduled for March 17. - Motion to go into closed session for update on county cyber attack: Adopted, roll call 7–0.

Why this matters: The session produced several near‑term budget and code changes while setting public hearings and final votes for March 17 on major land‑use and preservation bills. The council’s action to incorporate the Open Meetings Act language into its rules is intended to clarify meeting and closed‑session procedures. The hold on Bill 14‑25 followed extensive public and professional concern about proposed changes to archaeological resource review and signals the council will seek further work and amendments before a final vote.

The council adjourned the public session and moved to a closed session to receive an update on the cyber incident. The next public legislative hearing date for many held items is March 17, 2025.