Annapolis finance committee approves sidewalk snow‑removal fees, delays speed‑camera fine changes; garage renaming funding fails

The Annapolis Finance Standing Committee on the morning of the meeting approved new fees to allow the city to clear sidewalks after snow events, postponed proposed increases to automated speed‑camera fines for additional data, and rejected a supplemental appropriation to fund renaming a city parking garage.

The committee’s actions affect how the city will use program revenue, how it will pay for emergency sidewalk clearing, and the timetable for several major property leases and event authorizations. Committee members said they want clearer fiscal and operational data before changing speed‑camera fines or finalizing long-term leases.

Committee chair (identified in the meeting as Chair) opened the session and led votes. Alderman Finlayson and Alderman Hartley were present; Alderman O’Neil was absent. Several department directors and outside stakeholders spoke during the meeting, including the Annapolis Police Department, public works leadership, the boat‑show operator and representatives of businesses that rent Market Space parking spaces for outdoor dining.

On sidewalks, the committee gave a favorable recommendation to R3625, which establishes a tiered fee schedule the city will charge property owners when the city clears sidewalks after storms. Public works Director Bert Vogel and Betsy McKeown, bureau chief of engineering and construction, told the committee they used sidewalk length data from GIS and contract labor rates to group properties into billing tiers. McKeown said she used AI to help group property sidewalk lengths into four tiers: “AI took the data and then lumped it into 4 distinct groups with equal numbers of properties and equal distribution of properties in those 4 groups.” Vogel and the chair said the fee structure is meant to be administratively feasible, cost‑neutral where possible and to discourage property owners from relying on the city instead of following the code requirement to clear their own sidewalks.

Aldermen and staff also discussed coordination with Anne Arundel County on Forest Drive, a multi‑lane corridor where county snow removal frequently leaves snow on city sidewalks. Director Vogel and other staff said the county has responsibility for the roadway but has not prioritized clearing adjacent sidewalks and…