City Council Work Session May 21 2026

The City of Annapolis City Council held a work session on May 21, 2026, focused primarily on reviewing and discussing budget amendments submitted by council members and the finance department. The session involved detailed examination of proposed spending items, including operating recurring expenses, one-time capital projects, and exempt budget items. Council members and finance staff addressed duplicative amendments, clarified funding amounts, and discussed the categorization of expenses such as AI program costs, snow removal technology, harbor master salaries, and fire station design and construction. The council also deliberated on the process for prioritizing amendments through a straw poll scoring system to inform the order of voting at the June 1 meeting. Discussions included the need to balance new spending with pay-fors (budget offsets), the possibility of limiting debate on new amendments without supermajority approval, and the importance of transparency and public access to budget documents. Several amendments were consolidated or withdrawn based on clarifications, and the finance team provided preliminary estimates indicating a need to find approximately $851,000 in additional operating funds and about $1 million in capital funds to balance the proposed amendments. The meeting concluded with instructions for council members to finalize amendment details promptly to prepare for the upcoming straw poll and formal votes.