Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Mayoral Updates topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Annapolis mayor cites sharp drop in overdoses, announces FEMA hazard-mitigation grant and permit improvements
Summary
Mayor Jared Lippman told the council the city saw a 30% drop in reported overdoses and a 55% decline in fatal overdoses over the past year, highlighted a signed $35.5 million FEMA hazard mitigation grant and reported reduced average permit times from 15 to 5.6 working days.
Mayor Jared Lippman opened the March 23 special meeting with a series of community and operational updates, citing a year-over-year decline in reported drug overdoses and several administrative accomplishments.
"Over the past year, we've seen a 30 percent drop overall with fatal overdoses declining 55 percent," Lippman said, thanking city and nonprofit teams, the Annapolis Fire Department and the Office of Emergency Management's overdose prevention team for their work.
Lippman also announced that FEMA had "officially signed off" on a $35,500,000 hazard mitigation grant that the administration says will help advance a flood-projection project. He described the grant as a key step toward flood resilience work that will be funded in part by the award.
On permitting and customer service, the mayor said the city reduced the average permit time from 15 working days to 5.6 working days since January 1, an operational improvement he presented as progress on his 100-day plan.
The mayor noted personnel and engagement items: he welcomed Tianna Parker as the city's new ombudsman and described recent ward walks and town halls intended to connect officials directly with residents. He also said the administration co-sponsored a 12-month moratorium on new short-term rental licenses to improve enforcement while policies are reviewed.
Why it matters: overdose reductions and a major FEMA grant both have direct implications for public health and city resilience planning; permit-time changes affect residents and businesses seeking building approvals. The mayor framed these items as early accomplishments ahead of FY27 budget planning.
Next steps: the mayor said the administration will continue town halls and preparatory work for the FY27 budget cycle and noted the finance committee will hold regular hearings ahead of a June 1 budget vote.
