Annapolis officials review snow response after Jan. 6 storm; cite residential ice, sidewalk clearing and communications gaps

Kevin Simmons, emergency manager for the City of Annapolis, and city public works and public information officials told the Annapolis City Council on Feb. 27 that the city’s response to the Jan. 6 snowstorm successfully kept major routes clear but left residential streets and sidewalks with hard-packed snow and ice for days.

“We're talking snow today,” Simmons said, giving an overview of the event. “Annapolis received a total of 9.5 inches of snow, the most snowfall we saw in a 24 hour period since January 22.” He added that the storm was accompanied by extended extreme cold, with temperatures dropping to 25 degrees and wind chills near 17 degrees.

The presentation to the council reviewed the city’s preparedness, response and recovery timeline, and identified operational changes already implemented and others the city will pursue. The city activated its emergency operations center on Jan. 3, placed about 200 residents on a special-assistance roster and ran a 24/7 call center and warming-center operations during the event. Government offices were closed on Jan. 6 and delayed the following day.

City officials said the response cleared emergency routes and connectors to the city’s stated benchmarks but that residential streets packed down into ice and remained difficult to clear for seven to ten days in some neighborhoods. Per Vogel, director of public works, said the city’s usual practice of waiting to salt until near the end of a large storm reduced costs and environmental impact but hurt effectiveness in this incident. “Probably the number 1 thing we would do different is to use more salt early on in the snowfall,” Vogel said, noting that packed snow prevented salt and brine from penetrating once later-applied.

Operational changes already taken include broader use of brine: the city said it deployed brine tanks and trucks for emergency routes in this event and now pre-treats residential streets 24–36 hours in advance of storms. The city has also begun coordinating more closely with the Maryland Department of General Services (DGS) for the state complex and has rolled out a public-facing plow-status tool, Snow Pass, which staff said helped residents and provided internal tracking despite initial data gaps when trucks were turned off.

Towing and parking policy drew questions. A police lieutenant said officers attempted to contact owners before towing and that “out of 26 vehicles, we were able to locate 24 owners and only 2 were towed.” Mitchell Stephenson, the city’s public information officer, emphasized messaging challenges: “Towing is corrective. It's not punitive. We're not gonna go out and tow every vehicle,” and he urged clearer public information on why officials asked people to move vehicles — to let plows pass, not to protect vehicles from snow.

Sidewalk clearing and enforcement emerged as a major concern. City staff said inspectors issued citations until the department’s single citation book (40 citations per book) was exhausted, after which staff issued warning letters. The current city code makes property owners responsible for clearing sidewalks but does not give the city explicit authority to clear and bill properties; staff said legislation to address that is circulating. Council members pressed for pre-storm outreach to property owners and for a clearer priority map for sidewalk clearance — staff said they had prioritized safe routes to school ad hoc during the event and will formalize priorities.

Officials also discussed contractor availability and equipment. Public works noted that some private contractors declined to assist because they have reduced fleets after years of mild winters. Council members asked staff to provide cost and maintenance estimates for larger plow trucks and for more-effective de-icing agents such as magnesium or calcium chloride; staff said those materials and specialized equipment would be significantly more expensive and that the city had budgeted roughly $100,000 for road salt in a typical year.

Sheltering and social services were highlighted as a success. Simmons said the Stanton Center and partner organizations kept unhoused residents in 24-hour sheltering when needed and coordinated bus transports and free passes to secondary sheltering locations so people would not be exposed to prolonged subzero conditions.

Council members asked staff to document response policies, provide clearer public guidance in advance of storms, and pursue interjurisdictional coordination with the county and the Board of Education on shared sidewalks and county roads that affect city residents. Staff said they plan a policy review this summer and August work to update the snow-emergency phases and the city code language that currently ties a Phase 3 declaration to an automatic stay-home order and fixed timing for removal.

The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn, which passed by unanimous voice vote.