Finance committee advances budget amendments: moves office of law under city manager, trims leaf-blower funds and adjusts council items

The Annapolis Finance Standing Committee on May 7 voted to change how the city’s Office of Law is shown in the fiscal 2026 budget and approved several other amendments affecting the mayor’s office, city council and environmental programming.

The committee voted to move the Office of Law (the city attorney and the law department) to report to the city manager in the FY2026 staffing summary. The committee also approved removing a currently vacant part‑time "Constituent Services — Equity" position in the mayor’s office, adopting the commission’s recommendations on council supplies, cell phones and salaries, striking a proposed $105,000 line item for the FY2026 leaf‑blower voucher program, and removing a proposed second city council associate position and placing that funding into contingency.

Why it matters: several of the committee’s votes change how accountability and administrative lines will be presented in the city’s budget book and signal the committee’s preference for moving selected functions away from direct mayoral control into the city manager’s purview. Some changes — notably the Office of Law reporting line — the committee described as the first step toward ordinance changes that would be needed to make the reporting shift permanent.

What the committee did and discussed

Office of Law reporting change: A committee member proposed updating the FY26 staffing summary to show the Office of Law reporting to the city manager rather than the mayor. Supporters said the change would put the law department under the neutral, professional chain of authority represented by the city manager; opponents warned the change touches items that are currently…