Big Thursday: Debate on raising debt ceiling, modifying bus service
Two important events will be held Thursday at City Hall:
1) The City Council will hold a special meeting, beginning at 4:30 p.m., to hear public testimony on a charter amendment to double the City’s debt limit to $20 million. A vote is expected to be held.
2) The City Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing, beginning at 6 p.m., on several transit proposals, including fare increases, elimination of the C-40 line and other reductions in service.
The mayor encourages your participation at both events. For more information on both, I’ve pulled out a portion of the City’s weekly column in The Capital that ran today. Even more details, including links the specific transit proposals and legislation, are online at www.annapolis.gov.
If you cannot attend Thursday’s events, both events will be aired live on City TV (Verizon Channel 34 and Comcast Channel 99/100).
As always, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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City Hall: Key meeting on borrowing capacity set for tomorrow
Tomorrow will mark an important day of meetings at City Hall.
Mayor Josh Cohen has called a special meeting of the City Council for 4:30 p.m. to hear public testimony and vote on a proposed charter amendment that would raise the city’s borrowing capacity to $20 million.
The administration seeks to double the borrowing capacity as a precaution amid its “cash-flow crisis,” according to the mayor. The administration plans to present the City Council an update on the city’s cash reserves and cash-flow projections into next year.
In presenting the charter amendment, the mayor made clear that the cash-flow crisis is caused by lack of cash on hand in the cash reserves.
Despite this temporary cash flow problem, the city’s annual fiscal 2011 operating budget remains balanced.
The city projects to end the fiscal year in June with a $2 million surplus, which it will use to begin replenishing the cash reserves.
The meeting is scheduled until 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 160 Duke of Gloucester St.
With recent financial projections indicating a dramatic drop in available cash going into the fall, the mayor is acting now – through the introduction of the charter amendment – to give the city another option to get through this period. (A charter amendment becomes law after 50 days.) If the City Council were to pass the charter amendment, the administration could then introduce a resolution to authorize borrowing funds up to the new limit. The meeting will be televised live on City TV (Verizon Channel 34 and Comcast Channel 99/100).
Another public meeting set for tomorrow is the city Transportation Department’s public hearing on proposed transit cuts, fare increases and other service changes, including the elimination of the C-40 line that connects Edgewater and Arnold.
The public hearing will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. The public is also invited to attend a joint meeting of the City Council Transportation Committee, chaired by Alderman Ian Pfeiffer, and the citizen-run Transportation Board, chaired by former mayor Dean Johnson, from 8 to 9 p.m.
It will further weigh the proposed transit cuts, fare increases and other service changes. For city residents who cannot attend, the public hearing and the joint meeting will air live on City TV.
The purpose of this public hearing is to receive feedback on the following city proposals:
- Elimination of C-40 route between Edgewater and Anne Arundel County Community College
- Changing the start time of the bus service from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.
- Elimination of transit services on all holidays that city administrative offices are closed
- Increasing the base transit fare from $1 to $2
- Charging $1 for the Navy Blue Shuttle service and eliminating the free fare zone
- Consolidating or modifying the citywide route structure
Deficit puts renewed focus on services, need for citizen input
The financial picture of Annapolis looked so different just a few years ago.
As Chief Administrative Officer Doug Smith laid out yesterday during a quarterly budget presentation at a City Council work session, the city was flush in tax revenue as year-over-year property values increased.
A few years ago, Smith noted, the city had several financial options at its disposal:
1) Hold down spending and put surpluses in a reserve fund
2) Direct new tax revenue toward one-time infrastructure projects
3) Reduce the tax rate
4) Reduce the city’s debt load – pay down a portion of our bond obligations
5) Direct spending toward increasing salaries and benefits, hire more personnel and create new programs.
By and large, the previous administration and City Council chose the last option. Alderwoman Sheila Finlayson said yesterday that improving salaries and benefits has helped maintain a competitive work force. But in the aftermath of those spending increases, coupled with a steeply declining economy, the financial picture is bleak today.
Mr. Smith and Finance Director Tim Elliott yesterday presented projected figures that show a $2.6 million structural budget deficit for the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, and a $6.4 million structural deficit for fiscal year 2011.
Simply put: The city is spending much more money than it’s taking in – and significant changes must be made immediately. To put the situation in context, Mr. Elliott said Annapolis’ financial circumstances are the worst in his 26 years working for the city.
Now, Mr. Smith noted, the city has fewer financial options: raise taxes, cut spending or do both. In the face of this challenge, Mr. Smith made clear yesterday that raising taxes is not an option for the Cohen administration.
The answer is to cut spending. What is the administration doing about that? First, the mayor has asked department heads to submit budgets that are 5 percent below their base budgets for the current fiscal year. Likely, Mr. Smith and Mr. Elliott said, those reductions won’t be enough alone to bring the budget back into balance.
The administration will also rely on the Blue Ribbon Commission report and is eagerly awaiting the formal presentations next month from the mayor’s transition team, the Idea Team, which will recommend efficiencies in government. Also next month, a mayor-appointed committee on contractual employees will also produce recommendations.
The question is not if the city should make cuts – the question is what gets cut. To that point, Mr. Smith, Alderman Ross Arnett and others said the city must determine what the government services that the city cannot live without.
That’s where we need you, the residents, who best know what city services are essential and what services that, in less prosperous times, should be reduced or eliminated. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below, send the mayor an e-mail at mayor@annapolis.gov or reach out to your alderman.
Much must be accomplished before the mayor presents his budget to the City Council on March 8 and the council adopts the budget in late May. We need your help as the city leaders attempt to forge the best path during this difficult time.
A message to City employees
December 23, 2009
As employees of the City of Annapolis, we are all blessed to be public servants. Our decisions and actions impact the lives of thousands of our fellow citizens. Our work is both a great privilege and a responsibility.
I appreciate the wide-ranging contributions of our employees, whether busing passengers, keeping our streets safe, inspecting our buildings, supporting businesses, responding to emergencies, keeping our neighborhoods clear of trash and snow, supplying water, caring for the elderly, reviewing development plans, offering recreational opportunities, assisting boaters, and serving the public in so many other ways. Each of us is in the people business, and our contributions are vital to making Annapolis the best run city in Maryland.
A transition from one administration to another offers all of us – employees, the City Council and the citizens whom we serve – the opportunity to re-evaluate our priorities, to re-examine what is working well and what isn’t, and to improve. We each have a responsibility to the taxpayers to make our government as effective, efficient and transparent as possible, even in the best of fiscal times. Our responsibility is even greater now as we wrestle with the most severe budget crisis in a generation.
To assist us I have been reaching out to seek new ideas and perspectives. I have given my Idea Team much latitude to explore our government’s operations. Other committees and task forces, such as the Blue Ribbon Commission on City Finances and the Task Force on Contractual Employment, also are offering recommendations. In the New Year, the City Council and I will be seeking even more public input to help us tackle the fiscal challenges before us.
Your ideas and suggestions are vital. I encourage you to present them to your unions, employee groups, and managers. I also encourage you to submit your own recommendations to the Idea Team by sending an email to: IdeaTeam@annapolis.gov.
I recognize that all of this talk about change may be unsettling. I want to assure you that while we need to embrace new opportunities, I want to promote change in a responsible way. Our employees are our greatest asset. I value the need for continuity. Now more than ever my administration needs to rely upon the talents and expertise of our dedicated employees.
On a final note, I want to extend my gratitude to all of you who have worked tirelessly over these past few days, and continue still, to clear our recent, historic snowfall. Even relatively small measures such as freeing up parking spaces in the Hillman Garage are important to bolstering our efforts.
So, during this holiday season, I wish you and your family peace, joy and happiness. I will be closing the city’s offices at 12:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Enjoy your holiday!
Announcing Core Administration Team
Today in City Council chambers I announced the first appointments of my administration. The six individuals who will comprise the Core Administration Team share my goal of making Annapolis the best run city in Maryland. This group of individuals is made up of professionals who are passionate about Annapolis, possess a solid work ethic and a strong background in both public and private sectors. I am confident that they will do an outstanding job for the citizens of Annapolis.
The following individuals will comprise the Core Admin Team:
Doug Smith, Chief Administrative Officer
Karen Hardwick, City Attorney
Tim Elliott, Director of Finance
Kimla Milburn, Director of Human Resources
Gail Smith, Director of Services
Phill McGowan, Public Information Officer
You can watch a video of the announcement HERE.
Announcing Transition Team
This afternoon, in my first press conference as Mayor-Elect, I was very pleased to announce the appointment of my transition team (Click HERE to watch the video.) This “Idea Team” will serve a critical role for the incoming council and administration. We will look to it to help identify issues and recommend actions to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of city government.
The clear theme of the team is bipartisanship. It does not matter to me if an idea is “Democratic” or “Republican.” What matters is if the idea makes sense. We are facing very challenging times, but I am confident that we can rise to meet those challenges if we pull together as one community.
I am thrilled that Zina Pierre and Greg Stiverson have volunteered to co-chair the team. Zina and Greg were fellow candidates for office during the recent election (Zina was a Democratic candidate for Mayor and Greg was a Republican candidate for Ward Six Alderman.)
I am also thrilled that my two fellow General Election candidates for mayor, Dave Cordle and Chris Fox, both enthusiastically offered to serve. I hope that their example sends a clear message that while we need to honor and respect our differences, we also need to set our differences aside in order seek common ground.
The Idea Team has eight committees. Each of the eight incoming alderpersons will serve in an honorary capacity on one of the committees. The committees are: Budget & Finance, Economic Development, Environment, Government Structure & Permitting, Housing & Community Services, Market House & City Dock, Public Safety, and Transportation & Parking.
The Idea Team is charged with presenting its report and recommendations to the new Mayor and City Council by January 11, 2010.
Idea Team Roster
The Co-Chairs and the chairs and members of each committee listed below:
Co-Chair Greg Stiverson is the former president of Envisioning Annapolis Foundation, president and CEO of Historic Annapolis Foundation, and current president of the Kunta-Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation.
Co-Chair Zina Pierre is the founding President and CEO of the Washington Linkage Group, Inc., a full service governmental relations and strategic consulting firm specializing in lobbying, advocacy, public relations, grant writing and international trade.
Budget & Finance
Chair: Maurice Tose founded TeleCommunication Systems (TCS) in 1987 and has served as Chairman of the Board, President and CEO since then. Prior to founding TCS, Mr. Tosé was the Director of Department of Defense Programs for Techmatics, Inc.
Committee Members:
Alderwoman Classie Hoyle
Tom Brandt
Debbie Gosselin
Shelly Lamar
Jennifer Monteith
Reza Jafari
Chris Ledoux
Carl Snowden
Kathie Sulick
Economic Development
Chair: Chuck Walsh is a principal in Consensus Partners, which owns commercial real estate within the city. He also established Artwalk, a non-profit charitable corporation, which promotes and implements large scale public art throughout the Annapolis area.
Committee Members:
Alderman Fred Paone
Carole Alexander
Sarian Bouma
Gloria Brown
Bob Burdon
Jan Cort
Connie DelSignore
Dick Franyo
Jenelle Murph
J. Jeremy Parks
Jessica Jordan Paret
John Sherwood
Sarah Wilkerson
Environment
Chair: Chris Trumbauer has been the West/Rhode Riverkeeper since July 2008. For nine years, he was a biologist for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, where he coordinated a state-wide water quality monitoring program.
Committee Members:
Alderwoman Sheila Finlayson
Joel Dunn
Ted Gattino
Corinne Irwin
Karen Jennings
Zora Lathan
Suzanne Pogell
Kincey Potter
David Prosten
Kurt Riegel
Rob Schnabel
Government Structure & Permitting
Chair: Doug Smith is the President of the Ward One Resident’s Association and Treasurer of the Downtown Annapolis Partnership. He has served as co-chair of Annapolitans for a Better Community and helped lead the recent petition drives for a Council-Manager form of government and for a Tax Cap.
Committee Members:
Alderman Ross Arnett
Marcellous Butler
Rhonda Pindell Charles, Esq.
Cliff Dean
Michael Fox
Mark Garrity
Vicki Lathom
Vince Leggett
Bob Libson
Michael Pachler
Molly Smith
Dinny White
Housing & Community Services
Chair: Sharon Brown has worked in the affordable housing field for 20 years in a variety of positions including as property manager, housing choice voucher specialist and counselor. She has worked for both the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis as well as the Housing Commission of Anne Arundel County (HCAAC).
Committee Members:
Alderman Kenny Kirby
Cynthia Carter
Maria Casasco
Rev. Jerry Colbert
Deneice Fisher
Armando Gonzalez
Melinda Hamilton
Devin Heritage
Kate Rollason
Rock Toews
Market House & City Dock
Chair: Judd Legum resides in Ward One and is an attorney in private practice in the city. Previously, Judd was the Research Director for the Center for American Progress, a leading public policy think tank in Washington, DC. He also served as Research Director for Hillary Clinton during her presidential campaign.
Committee Members:
Alderman Dick Israel
Sandy Cohen
Chris Fox
Allan James
Michael Jackson
John “Bumper” Moyer
Jim Nolan
Pearse O’Doherty
Craig Purcell
Cathy Schultz
Craig Sewell
Public Safety
Chair: Alderman Dave Cordle has chaired the City Council’s standing committee on Public Safety for the past eight years. Dave is the Chief Investigator of the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office, where he began work in 1980. Dave is also the coordinator of the Witness Security Program which he created in 1995.
Committee Members:
Alderman Mat Silverman
Jennifer Adams
Antonio Brown
Bill Donoho
Lee Finney
Rev. Henry Green
Debbie Johnson
Jay Martin
Vic Pascoe
George Phelps, Jr.
David Stokes
Transportation & Parking
Chair: Barbara Rasin Price was a founder and deputy director of the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), a national non-profit Washington-based organization that advocates for improved public transportation services and provides technical assistance and training to transportation providers, states and local communities.
Committee Members:
Alderman Ian Pfeiffer
Paul Foer
Bill Herald
Dave Humphreys
John Giannetti
Carl Larkin
Martha Mitchell
Shelley Row
Jerry South
Chance Walgran
Jim Wildey
[Roster updated Nov. 12, 2009]