County Council Meeting | October 5th, 2026

Anne Arundel County Council annual fall Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Consolidated Transportation Plan (CTP) tour and legislative session, October 5, 2026. MDOT presented its draft FY 2027–2032 six-year capital program totaling $21.9 billion, noting constrained revenues and rising construction and operating costs. Procurement and project updates included State Highway Administration pedestrian-safety projects advertised for bids or entering contract procurement, with construction expected to begin this winter; Bay Bridge pier-protection proposals due later in October; and a planned Key Bridge main-span award next summer following a qualifications process. Major projects cited included the $1.4 billion light rail modernization program, I-97 safety and mobility work, and state highway projects estimated at nearly $40 million for MD 3, $17.7 million for MD 2, and $21.4 million for MD 214. MDOT also reported $4.7 million in grants for county transit operations, nearly $200,000 for a 5th Avenue transportation study, and an $80,000 bikeways grant. No transportation contract award was voted on at the meeting.

During the legislative session, the Council passed Bill 63-26 unanimously, establishing a 15-month moratorium on new data-storage-center applications while a council work group studies safeguards; the proposal also removes county tax incentives for such centers. An amendment creating an exception for certain U.S. intelligence-agency contractors failed. Bill 59-26, codifying existing council conflict-of-interest guidance, passed 6-0 with one recusal. The Council adopted amendments to an ethics-enforcement bill allowing civil penalties of up to $5,000, but scheduled the bill for a later hearing. It also adopted amendments affecting food-truck operating rules and a development concept-plan option; the broad zoning update was not completed before the session ended. These zoning and data-center decisions may affect future business and development opportunities, but no vendor or procurement award was approved in the legislative session.