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Environmental committee postpones mooring ordinance amid Williams Creek enforcement questions
Summary
The Annapolis Environmental Matters Committee postponed consideration of ordinance 0226 on mooring requirements after staff said Port/Maritime advisory findings and an updated enforcement agreement with the county are pending.
The Annapolis Environmental Matters Committee voted March 12 to postpone action on ordinance 0226, which would revise mooring requirements in city waters, after staff told the panel the Maritime Advisory Board and county legal counterparts have outstanding findings to resolve.
Staff said the draft language is being refined to clarify the distinction between transient and annual moorings and to make clear that GPS points used by the harbor master are city property leased annually rather than privately owned buoys. "We don't have a report from Port Wardens but it can go before Port Wardens and we can get their opinion on it," Deputy City Manager Jackie Gile said during the meeting.
Committee members raised enforcement concerns for Williams Creek, a waterway divided between city and county jurisdiction. Assistant City Attorney Ashley Leonard said the existing memorandum of understanding limits the city's enforcement powers on the county side and that the city has reached out to county counsel to discuss updating that agreement. "The original [agreement], which is about 10 years old at this point, gave very limited enforcement powers," Leonard said, adding staff have asked the county to consider delegating broader enforcement authority.
Maritime Advisory Board member Freda Wildy told the committee the board is scheduled to revote on the ordinance at its next meeting, and staff said a revised draft will be presented to the advisory board for recommendation. The committee formally moved, seconded and voted to postpone the ordinance until that advisory input and staff revisions are available.
The committee handled several procedural items at the start of the meeting, including adding a performance‑standards measure to the agenda; the body did not adopt substantive changes to the mooring bill at this session and left enforcement and boundary issues for follow‑up.
