Anne Arundel County Council Legislative Session - November 18, 2025

The Anne Arundel County Council met on November 18, 2025, for a legislative session. The meeting began with an invocation, pledge of allegiance, and ethics statement. The council heard public testimony on multiple agenda items, debated amendments to several bills, and voted on key land use and transportation legislation. Notable actions included the defeat of a sidewalk snow removal bill amendment, passage of a town center master plan update, and major amendments to a comprehensive transportation adequacy bill.

Consent Calendar

• The minutes of the legislative session of November 3, 2025, were approved unanimously by voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Kyle Nemhard (Glen Burnie) criticized Bill 19-24, arguing it removes a requirement for developers to have direct access to roads with sufficient capacity in R5 and R10 zones, calling it an expedient solution that may benefit the Nixon property specifically. He noted the bill was read on April Fools' Day 2024.
• Stephen Wadi (President, Anne Arundel County NAACP) issued a formal clarification regarding the county executive's recent apology for slavery, stating the branch was not consulted. He demanded tangible reparations, including compensation for descendants, contract equity reforms, and creation of an Office of Black American Affairs, citing a 2019 national NAACP resolution.
• Matt Minahan (Growth Action Network) advocated for creating an independent planning commission, noting that 22 of 24 Maryland jurisdictions have one. He criticized the current process as lacking transparency and invited attendees to GAN's annual meeting.
• Michael Brown (Glen Burnie) requested council assistance with two bridges in Tanyard Springs that connect to a county park. He said the HOA pushed maintenance back to the county, and asked for inclusion in the budget process.
• Mr. Svensson (testifying on Bill 76-25) opposed the sidewalk snow removal bill, proposing priority snow routes, exemptions for senior households, and suggesting citizen resistance actions. He cited that 27.8% of county households are headed by seniors 65+.
• Amy Leahy (Vice President, Greater Severna Park Council, representing ~55 communities) opposed Bill 76-25, criticizing potential liens on property, complaint-driven enforcement, lack of commercial property requirements, and misuse of county resources.
• Paul Higgins (resident) opposed Bill 76-25, arguing that measuring snow depth is difficult and that a snow emergency plan should supersede the time requirement. He asked the council to defeat the bill and continue working on it.
• John Corin (Bicycle Advocates for Annapolis and Anne Arundel County) commented on Bill 81-25 amendments, expressing concern that Amendment 2 separates bike/ped/transit funding too much. He proposed using USDOT’s national highway construction cost index instead of CPI for inflation adjustments.
• Matt Minahan (Growth Action Network) supported Bill 81-25 overall but opposed Amendment 2, urging that all multimodal funds be pooled together. He stressed the need to balance development costs with transportation improvements.
• Mr. Svensson (on Bill 81-25) criticized the process, noting that major changes were introduced at the last minute, leaving insufficient time for review. He argued impact fees have been too low for years.

Discussion Items

• Bill 76-25 (Snow Removal on Sidewalks): The administration introduced Amendment 14 to clarify that the ordinance applies to private property. Following debate on enforcement (complaint-driven, anonymous complaints, potential MPIA disclosure), Amendment 14 was adopted (4-3). The bill as amended was scheduled for December 1, 2025.
• Bill 87-25 (Odenton Town Center Master Plan Amendments): The administration described the bill as easing the comprehensive rezoning process for the Odenton Town Center area. A council member confirmed no additional environmental exemptions are included. The bill passed unanimously (7-0) after a brief public hearing with no testimony.
• Bill 81-25 (Transportation APF, Mitigation Fees, Impact Credits): The administration presented a suite of amendments. Key debates centered on Amendment 2, which removes bike/ped/transit (BPT) from APF testing while strengthening existing BPT fees and allowing 125% impact fee credits for voluntary improvements. Council members expressed frustration over the late changes, lack of transparency, and impact on housing affordability and safety. The amendment passed (4-3). Amendment 6 (increasing BPT fee-in-lieu rates) failed (3-4). Amendment 8 (allowing preservation of existing frontage improvements), reintroduced by council member Volkey after the administration withdrew its version, failed (2-5). Other amendments (3 withdrawn; 4, 5, 7 adopted) were processed. The bill as amended was scheduled for December 1, 2025.
• Closed Session: The council voted unanimously (7-0) to hold a closed session to discuss personnel matters under Section 3-305(b)(1) of the General Provisions Article of the Maryland Code.

Key Outcomes

• Approved Minutes: November 3, 2025 legislative session minutes approved.
• Bill 76-25 (Snow Removal): Amendment 14 adopted (4-3). Bill continued to December 1, 2025.
• Bill 87-25 (Odenton Town Center): Passed (7-0).
• Bill 81-25 (Transportation APF): Amendments 2, 4, 5, 7 adopted; Amendment 3 withdrawn; Amendment 6 defeated (3-4); Amendment 8 defeated (2-5). Bill continued to December 1, 2025.
• Closed Session: Approved (7-0) to discuss personnel.
• Next Meeting: December 1, 2025, at 7:00 PM.