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 that coordination with county public works and the county board of education will be necessary where county snow removal affects city sidewalks.

On automated speed cameras, the committee postponed R3325, the aldermanic bill to raise the city’s automated speed‑camera fines to the state maximums and to make the fines more progressive by speed over the limit. Captain Amy Miguez of the Annapolis Police Department told the committee the proposal would “bring us in line with the state maximums allowed for those different speeds,” but members asked for a clearer breakdown of how many citations fall into each speed band and by location. Captain Miguez and staff said preliminary data indicated roughly 17–20% of existing camera citations last year would fall above the current $40 fine band; finance staff later pointed to more granular incident counts by speed band in the fiscal impact materials. The chair said, “We’re gonna postpone it,” and members voted to carry the item to the next meeting to reconcile disparities between datasets and request per‑location breakdowns.

The committee also considered a supplemental appropriation (SA 7‑26) to fund signs and other costs to rename a city garage from Hillman to Mills Hillman. The motion to give the supplemental appropriation a favorable recommendation failed in committee; committee minutes show one recorded vote for support and the motion did not carry.

Several leases and event waivers moved forward or were deferred. The committee gave a favorable recommendation to two ordinances authorizing long‑term CityDock boat‑show leases (O32 and O36) after city staff and the shows’ operator described provisions allowing exhibit area adjustments to accommodate CityDock construction. The committee approved R39 granting an itinerant‑merchant (flea market) request for Market Space in the historic district with two amendments requested by the committee: (1) written support from all five Market Space lessees and (2) adjusted hours (committee asked for earlier hours; the applicant’s permit will set final times).

On the Market House lease (O33), the committee postponed action and asked staff to return with negotiated adjustments. Assistant City Attorney Ashley Leonard and central services director Matt Flinner described the proposed new lease as a single‑tenant model (the city leases the entire Market House to one operator who may sublease with city approval) and said the tenant is current on rent but the city and tenant are working through reporting and audit‑type requirements. Committee members raised three areas for further negotiation: whether renewal terms should be mutual rather than unilateral, whether the balance between base rent and performance rent should shift, and whether the escalator (5% every five years in the draft) should instead be tied to a standard inflation index.

The committee also discussed R3425, a resolution to waive interest charges on some past unpaid or late rent for Market Space lessees. Finance Director Moran explained that two of five lessees had late payments or payment‑application issues; one instance involved a year with no payments and interest that the tenant did not accept, and another involved recurring late payments and interest. City staff said there had not been a systematic application of the late‑payment interest provision in prior years; the committee discussed waiving those interest charges as a way to reset relationships while continuing to require that tenants be current on future payments. No final action on R3425 was taken in committee; staff said they will continue negotiations with the concessionaire and expect to report back.

Votes at a glance

- Supplemental appropriation SA 7‑26 (garage renaming funding): motion for favorable recommendation failed; recorded as one vote in support; not carried.

- R3325 (speed‑camera fine schedule): postponed for further data and a per‑location breakdown; no final vote on merits.

- R3625 (sidewalk snow‑removal fees): committee gave a favorable recommendation (motion carried; no recorded oppositions in committee).

- O32 and O36 (CityDock boat‑show leases): committee gave favorable recommendations; staff described flexibility for CityDock construction and documentation of yearly rent escalation.

- R39 (itinerant‑merchant sales / Market Space flea market): committee approved a favorable recommendation with two amendments requested by the committee: written support from all five Market Space lessees and a revised hours window; special‑events permitting and tenant approvals remain required.

- O33 (Market House lease): postponed for additional negotiation; committee requested changes on renewal mechanics, escalator indexing and base vs. performance rent balance.

- R41.25 (Military Bowl/parade waiver): postponed; staff reported the city’s parade costs exceed the current $15,000 waiver and asked to return with a clearer breakdown and separate documents if the Athletic Association and the parade foundation seek separate waivers.

- R3425 (Market Space interest waiver): no action; staff recommended continued negotiations and, in principle, suggested waiving some legacy interest charges to restore a clean slate while requiring future compliance.

Why it matters

The committee’s sidewalk fee structure gives the city an explicit tool to clear sidewalks when property owners do not comply after major snow events and to recoup costs — a change the committee said balances enforcement with operational reality. Postponing the speed‑camera fine changes keeps the current fine schedule in place until staff reconcile citation counts by speed band and location and clarify how additional revenue would be used; committee members repeatedly stressed that state law requires camera revenues be applied to traffic and pedestrian safety and asked staff to ensure city code aligns with state requirements.

Several long‑running property and event arrangements — the Market House lease, Market Space concession arrangements and the CityDock boat‑show leases — remain under active negotiation. Committee members said they want clearer, standardized escalators tied to inflation and transparent, enforceable reporting rules for revenue‑sharing arrangements before approving multi‑decade commitments.

What’s next

Committee members asked staff to return with clarified datasets on speed‑camera citations (including counts by speed band and camera location), a precise fiscal note for the Military Bowl/parade costs and copies of any proposed concession‑agreement amendments from Medco that would permit Market Space configurations going forward. Deferred lease items and the speed‑camera ordinance are scheduled for the committee’s next meetings for further consideration.

Quotes in this article come from the meeting transcript and from statements attributed during the committee discussion.