Mayor Gavin Buckley previews budget, resilience and housing plans in final State of the City

Mayor Gavin Buckley delivered his final State of the City address Monday night, introducing the mayor's fiscal 2026 budget and outlining multi-year priorities including resilience at City Dock, housing planning for public housing sites, and investments in public safety and infrastructure.

Buckley opened by saying he will introduce “the mayor's budget for the 2026 financial year, the seventh year in a row we are delivering a balanced budget with no property tax increase.” He credited city staff and past financial reforms for the outcome and framed the budget within five policy priorities: financial transparency and accountability; resilience and sustainability; inclusion and community engagement; infrastructure and local economic investment; and a community-focused approach to health and safety.

Why it matters: the mayor framed the budget as the funding vehicle for large capital and resilience projects — most prominently the City Dock transformation — and for expanded housing planning and services. Several elements described in the address affect large parts of the city and will require partner approvals and external funding.

Key announcements and details

- City Dock resilience and park: Buckley described a redesign of City Dock that would replace an asphalt parking lot with a raised, two-acre park; deployable floodgates; a raised berm and earthworks; a new harbor master’s office and a cultural legacy walk. He said the project is “more than 90% funded” by the 2022 Hillman Garage concession payment (he cited a $25,000,000 concession payment) plus federal and state grants.

- Housing and Choice Neighborhoods planning: The mayor said the city secured a $400,000 Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) planning grant for a Choice Neighborhood Initiative to re-envision Harbour House and Eastport Terrace as mixed-use, mixed-income communities. He said the city is “in the running” for a potential $50,000,000 HUD implementation grant to support the next stage of that work.

- Infrastructure and public works numbers: Buckley said the administration has repaved 23 miles of roadways, filled 13,000 potholes, is on track to replace 24,000 feet of water main and to replace or reline 14 miles of sewer mains. He credited a sixfold increase in road maintenance funding from earlier years.

- Public safety and community programs: The mayor reviewed policing and community interventions, citing the Annapolis Police Department’s community programs and partnerships (chiefly Chief Edward Jackson and the Annapolis United public-safety plan) and named neighborhood violence prevention efforts and gun-buyback events. He noted APD’s work on investigations and a “ghost gun” factory recovery.

- Pandemic response and community services: Buckley recalled the city’s COVID-19 response, cited losses in the community, and described expanded outreach and services — including a city “bed finder” app for treatment availability and the expansion of the Office of Community Services.

Budget framing and revenue: Buckley reiterated that the FY26 proposal seeks to avoid a property tax increase and emphasized other revenue sources the city has used, including grants and the state payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) tied to state-owned property. He credited former and current finance staff and said improved accounting practices and online tax/hospitality revenue collection helped the city’s bond-rating upgrades.

What the address did not decide: Buckley mentioned several forward actions — for example, a request to name the proposed new Fifth Street Park for Alderman Arnette — but did not record formal council votes on those naming proposals during the address.

Context and next steps

Buckley said the administration will spend the next seven months before his term ends advancing the FY26 budget and the projects he described. Several of the capital items he discussed (City Dock, Choice Neighborhoods work) will require additional approvals, intergovernmental coordination and grant awards before construction or implementation can begin.

Ending

Buckley closed by thanking staff, council members and residents and emphasizing the administration’s focus on delivering a resilient, equitable and economically vibrant Annapolis.