Rules and City Government Committee Meeting - March 5, 2026

The Rules and City Government Committee of the Annapolis City Council met on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at 6:33 PM in City Council Chambers. The meeting was called to order by Chair Alderman Smith-Brown and adjourned at 9:00 PM. Members present: Alderman Smith-Brown, Alderman Schandelmeier, and Alderman Thorp. The agenda was amended to add ID-54-26 (Employee Relations Discussion).

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Agenda: Moved by Alderman Thorp to adopt as amended to include ID-54-26 (Employee Relations Discussion). Seconded. Carried on voice vote.
• Approval of Minutes: Moved by Alderman Schandelmeier to approve the February 5, 2026 regular meeting minutes (RCG 2.5.26). Seconded. Carried on voice vote.

Discussion Items

• O-1-26 Property Tax – Child Care Centers, Family Child Care Homes, and Large Family Child Care Homes: Acting City Manager Buckland and Assistant City Attorney Leonard answered questions. The ordinance would create a real property tax credit for child care providers who own their property, with a maximum of $10,000 (amended to $4,000 per Amendment 1 from Alderman Schandelmeier). Alderman Schandelmeier argued for immediate passage, citing state-level research and the need to address the child care crisis incrementally. Alderman Smith-Brown and Alderman Thorp preferred to wait for a presentation from state or county child care experts, as requested at the prior meeting. Alderman Thorp noted the lack of a comprehensive child care policy to compare this tax credit against. The committee voted to postpone the legislation to the next meeting (April 2, 2026) to allow for such a presentation. (Note: The agenda lists sponsors as Schandelmeier and O'Neill; the minutes add Smith-Brown as a sponsor.)
• ID-44-26 Future Election Discussion: Representatives from the State Board of Elections (Jared DeMarinis, State Administrator), Anne Arundel County Board of Elections (David Garreis, Director; Richard Siejack, Deputy Director) presented. Key points:
  • History: The city-county relationship evolved from informal agreements (2009) to complex contracts. The 2025 election cost the city approximately $220,000 ($76,000 for equipment lease; $150,000 for county staff and services).
  • Options for future elections: (1) Continue off-cycle elections (odd years) independently, renting equipment from the state and contracting services from the county. (2) Join the state ballot (even-year election), which would eliminate direct costs but require following state rules (no ranked-choice voting, no non-citizen voting, etc.) and cede control over polling locations and voter outreach. (3) Conduct an all-mail election (off-cycle) using a private vendor, piggybacking on the state's mail-ballot contract.
  • Ranked-choice voting: Feasible with state equipment for ballot scanning but requires separate procurement for tabulation and voter education; state and county cannot support this function.
  • Syncing permanent mail-in lists: Requires state legislative change to allow city to access the state's permanent mail-in voter list for off-year elections.
  • Staffing: The city's election staff (three people plus board of supervisors) is insufficient for the workload; the county provided 120 election judges and 10 canvassing teams in 2025.
• ID-54-26 Employee Relations Discussion: Claudia Barber, Employee Relations Administrator, presented concerns about the integrity of the city's employee relations and investigation process. She reported patterns of delayed/stalled investigations, use of outside law firms focused on employer defense, and lack of formal policy standards (e.g., performance improvement plans without clear authorization in city code). She emphasized that outdated personnel regulations (from the 1990s) contribute to inconsistent outcomes. Alderman Smith-Brown and Alderman Thorp discussed the need to update the personnel rules and regulations, but noted that individual personnel cases are an executive function, not a legislative one. Assistant City Attorney Leonard cautioned against investigating individual complaints in open session. The committee agreed to wait for the new HR Director to be hired before pursuing formal updates to the regulations, though staff indicated the new hires are already aware of the issue.

Key Outcomes

• O-1-26 (Child Care Tax Credit): Postponed to the April 2, 2026 meeting by a voice vote (motion by Alderman Thorp, seconded). The postponement is contingent on securing a presentation from state or county child care experts.
• Future Elections: No formal vote or decision was taken. The committee will continue discussions, with a focus on evaluating the cost–benefit of joining the state ballot versus maintaining independent elections. The city attorney will research the feasibility of legislative changes needed to sync voter records.
• Employee Relations: The committee will request that the incoming HR Director prioritize updating the personnel regulations. A motion to request an investigation into past six-to-twelve-month employee complaints was not pursued, as it falls outside legislative authority. No formal action was taken on a task force or consultant proposal.