Anne Arundel Council to Align County Code With Voter-Approved Procurement Threshold

The Anne Arundel County administration on Jan. 14 presented Bill 9824, an ordinance to align the county code with a charter amendment voters approved in November 2024 that raises the minimum purchase amount subject to the simplified competitive procurement process from greater than $5,000 to greater than $10,000.

The change matters because it brings the county code into conformity with the charter amendment approved by voters on the Nov. 5, 2024 general election ballot. “This bill simply aligns the code with that county charter change,” said Ethan Hunt, an administration representative, who presented the ordinance with staff from Central Services Purchasing and the Office of Law.

The council previously placed the charter amendment on the ballot through Resolution 15-24; the measure passed with 89.44 percent of the vote and took effect 30 days after the election, the presentation said. The administration said the ordinance is a technical housekeeping step to remove a conflict between the county code and the charter and that staff was available to answer questions.

No formal council vote on Bill 9824 was recorded in the Jan. 14 work session; the item was presented and discussed by council members and administration staff.

Clarifying details included the precise threshold change (from purchases greater than $5,000 to purchases greater than $10,000) and the effective timing tied to the charter amendment’s post-election effective date. The administration identified Central Services Purchasing and the Office of Law as the presenting departments.