Finance Committee Meeting – April 1, 2026
Finance Committee Meeting – April 1, 2026
The Annapolis Finance Committee met on April 1, 2026, at 10:30 AM in City Council Chambers. The committee approved a fund transfer for updating city construction standards, finalized the budget hearing schedule, and received an update from the Finance Department. All votes were unanimous via voice vote.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Agenda: Approved by voice vote.
- Approval of Minutes (March 18, 2026): Approved by voice vote.
Discussion Items
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Fund Transfer FT-7-26 – Enterprise Funds to Capital Projects (Public Works): The committee considered transferring $25,000 from each of the Stormwater, Sewer, and Water enterprise funds (total $75,000) to the Standard Specifications and Construction Detail project. Water/Sewer Project Manager Diane Doyen explained that the city’s standard specifications have not been updated since 1988 and that the transfer would not significantly affect other projects. Acting Finance Director Joel Pallikal clarified the accounting process, which involved multiple entries across funds. Committee members expressed understanding of the complexity and noted no major impacts.
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ID-69-26 Budget Schedule Discussion: The committee reviewed the proposed budget hearing schedule. An amendment was made to add the Transportation Department presentation on Monday, May 4, 2026, from 11:20 AM to 12:20 PM. The committee also discussed a joint session with the Financial Advisory Commission on April 30, 2026, at 5:00 PM to cover debt affordability and the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Alderwoman O'Neill requested that departmental presentations be sent at least 72 hours in advance.
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ID-7-26 Finance Department Update: Acting Finance Director Joel Pallikal reported that the budget process is on track for the April 13 deadline, the finance team is strengthening internal documentation and customer service, and the search for a permanent finance director is progressing (finalist interviews to be submitted to the mayor soon). Alderwoman O'Neill requested the release of quarterly budget vs. actuals for Q2 of FY2026; Pallikal committed to providing them later that day.
Key Outcomes
- FT-7-26: Recommended favorably by voice vote. The $75,000 transfer will fund updates to the city’s standard construction specifications and details.
- Budget Schedule: Approved with an amendment to include Transportation on May 4, 2026, from 11:20 AM to 12:20 PM. The schedule includes department presentations, a joint session with the Financial Advisory Commission on April 30, and time for community grants.
- Finance Update: Noted; no formal vote taken.
Meeting Transcript
April 1st, 2026. No, it is not a joke, folks. We are really here. I'll start off with our roll call, Alder Roman O'Neil. Present. Alderman Thorpe. Present. And I, Alderman Hutley, am also here. Is there a motion to approve the agenda as provided? Motion to approve agenda. Second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Motion carries. Next up is approval of the minutes from our March 18th meeting. Sarah motion to approve those minutes. So moved. Second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Beautiful motion carries. Okay. Our only um voting item of the day is uh fund transfer to capital work capital projects for public works. And I gotta tell you, this was a little bit more complicated than uh ones we typically see. So uh rather than me try and sum it up, Diane, could you just jump right in? Yes, sure. Um good morning, Diane Doyen, Water Sewer Program Manager for the Department of Public Works. This was just handed to me yesterday. So if there's any follow-up questions, I'm happy to look into them further. The project manager who's been handling this particular project is on maternity leave and is anticipated to return early this month. So the city is currently in the process of developing our standard specifications and details that would be used by engineers and contractors doing work in the city. Our specs and details were last updated in 1988. So they're pretty outdated. Uh and we are constantly getting requests uh for them. So we're trying to get up to speed on this. Uh we've done some work on them so far, and we were waiting for Antill County to finish their update. So that would make it a little easier. We wouldn't have to be starting from the beginning. We could kind of pattern off of what they've done. We do a lot of things similar to them, but not everything. So looking at the uh budget revision requests that I got a hold of yesterday. It seems it's written the way it's written is a little confusing to me as well. What we're asking for is transferring 25,000 from each of the enterprise funds of water, sewer, and stormwater for a total of 75,000. And the explanation, I see it says stormwater twice. So I don't know if that's something that was confusing to all of you. Well, one of those is just wastewater, right? Correct. Correct. So I mean, that's that's basically it in a nutshell.
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