Annapolis staff seek funding for electric ferry, greenhouse-gas inventory and resilience measures in FY‑26 budget

Victoria Buckland, Deputy City Manager for Administration, and Jackie Guile, Deputy City Manager for Resilience and Sustainability, presented the city manager’s office budget and resilience priorities to the Finance Committee on April 21, 2025.

Guile said the administration plans a two‑phase update of the city’s greenhouse‑gas inventory and the development of a climate action plan in FY‑26 that will use the inventory’s findings to identify priority projects and funding needs.

The inventory update is already under way: "A contractor, Caramita, is starting work this month," Guile said. She framed the analysis as a tool to target staff effort and scarce grant opportunities given anticipated reductions in federal funding.

Why it matters: Guile said buildings and transportation are the city’s largest emission sources and that the inventory will guide which projects will best reduce greenhouse gases and attract state or local funding. The city is also pursuing measures the state is prioritizing for grants, including building efficiency, tree canopy, shoreline protection, and waste reduction.

Key projects and requests

- Electric ferry: Staff developed a request for proposals for naval‑architect design firms to produce an electric ferry and related docking designs, but the project is on hold pending a federal transit administration review. "That project right now is on hold until we get further direction from the Federal Transit Administration," Guile said.

- Fleet electrification and chargers: Guile said city and transit vehicles are being inventoried as a first step toward an electrification strategy; the visitor center now has the city’s first rapid charger, and state and grant funds are being used for additional EV infrastructure including on‑street charging. The budget request includes funding to support continued EV planning and installations.

- Resilient building code: The city was selected for a grant to develop a model resilient building code for smaller buildings (under 20,000 square feet) and will work with the resilience authority and other coastal jurisdictions to draft a code for potential council adoption.

- Lighting‑efficiency feasibility study: The budget proposes contracting Tango Lighting to analyze city utility poles, ownership options and LED conversion costs. Guile said converting and owning poles could save approximately $319,000 in year‑one energy costs and more than $6.5 million over 20 years, assuming acquisition and maintenance by the city.

- Leaf‑blower voucher program: The resilience authority and city staff designed a voucher program to help residents and businesses replace gas‑powered leaf blowers. Guile described a $105,000 appropriation this year and a request for another $105,000 for FY‑26; she called the FY‑26 amount a conservative placeholder until the pilot is implemented and participation levels become clear. "Conservatively, dollars $105,000 is going to be needed for the second year," she said.

Grants and staffing

Guile said staff helped secure roughly $450,000 in grants and $50,000 in technical assistance for model code work and supported the resilience authority and other departments to obtain nearly $3 million in grants this year. She said constrained federal funding will increase pressure on state and local budgets and staff capacity.

The presentation also noted the addition in the city manager’s staffing summary of a second environmental programs coordinator funded for FY‑25 and FY‑26 (one position vacant for FY‑25), and Guile said staff capacity is stretched as resilience work competes for local funds.

Ending

Guile asked the committee to consider those budget requests as the city prepares for incoming council members and the next administration. She said the inventory, building code work, and electrification planning will inform near‑term capital and grant strategies.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified in the meeting transcript and were present at the Finance Committee session on April 21, 2025.