Annapolis council drops push for Department of Environment
The Annapolis City Council was set to vote on legislation Monday that would establish a new Department of Environment, but the alderman sponsoring it decided to pull the bill.
The council voted to withdraw the legislation because Alderman Rob Savidge, D-Ward 7, and Mayor Gavin Buckley are working on an alternative to creating a new department. They plan to propose a deputy city manager position that represents the environment in all departments, rather than create a new one.
“This would elevate the position to deputy that can directly impact the operations of the city and the various departments,” Savidge said.
Savidge was pushing the creation of a department to emphasize the city’s focus on environmental programs, he said.
Placing an environment position in the city manager’s office would allow the person holding the job to enact more change, he said. The position would, for example, review development projects that come to the city to ensure they meet resiliency and sustainability targets.
“That’s something that’s going to set us ahead because of resilience and sea-level rise. We have to make sure we’re preparing and making sure developments aren’t failures or set up in a way where the city has to deal with flooding or other impacts from sea-level rise,” Savidge said.
Under the measure, the current environmental policy director would be turned into a deputy city manager for sustainability and resiliency that has more authority. Savidge and Buckley plan to introduce the proposal in Buckley’s upcoming budget.
“The good thing is it should all be budget neutral because we’re not creating anything new, just shifting around responsibilities,”
Savidge said.
DaJuan Gay, D-Ward 6, expressed concern about sliding positions around in one of the city’s top and highest paid departments.
The council also approved a bill that would waive docking fees for the arrival of the Maiden, a British sailing vessel currently on a world tour with a rotating roster of all-female crew members to raise awareness and funds for girls education.
The Maiden will visit City Dock on April 8 through 12 and again on April 17. It was designed by Annapolis native Bruce Farr and built-in 1979 before being sold to a British skipper.
The council also voted to waive harbormaster fees for the Tug of War event hosted by the Maritime Republic of Eastport. The city-sponsored event already is waived of all parking fees.
Legislation to establish a task force charged with assessing current and projected future housing affordability in Annapolis was heard for a second time.
The 44-member task force would report to the mayor and city council, evaluate current programs and produce new affordable housing options.
The council voted to withdraw the legislation because Alderman Rob Savidge, D-Ward 7, and Mayor Gavin Buckley are working on an alternative to creating a new department. They plan to propose a deputy city manager position that represents the environment in all departments, rather than create a new one.
“This would elevate the position to deputy that can directly impact the operations of the city and the various departments,” Savidge said.
Savidge was pushing the creation of a department to emphasize the city’s focus on environmental programs, he said.
Placing an environment position in the city manager’s office would allow the person holding the job to enact more change, he said. The position would, for example, review development projects that come to the city to ensure they meet resiliency and sustainability targets.
“That’s something that’s going to set us ahead because of resilience and sea-level rise. We have to make sure we’re preparing and making sure developments aren’t failures or set up in a way where the city has to deal with flooding or other impacts from sea-level rise,” Savidge said.
Under the measure, the current environmental policy director would be turned into a deputy city manager for sustainability and resiliency that has more authority. Savidge and Buckley plan to introduce the proposal in Buckley’s upcoming budget.
“The good thing is it should all be budget neutral because we’re not creating anything new, just shifting around responsibilities,”
Savidge said.
DaJuan Gay, D-Ward 6, expressed concern about sliding positions around in one of the city’s top and highest paid departments.
The council also approved a bill that would waive docking fees for the arrival of the Maiden, a British sailing vessel currently on a world tour with a rotating roster of all-female crew members to raise awareness and funds for girls education.
The Maiden will visit City Dock on April 8 through 12 and again on April 17. It was designed by Annapolis native Bruce Farr and built-in 1979 before being sold to a British skipper.
The council also voted to waive harbormaster fees for the Tug of War event hosted by the Maritime Republic of Eastport. The city-sponsored event already is waived of all parking fees.
Legislation to establish a task force charged with assessing current and projected future housing affordability in Annapolis was heard for a second time.
The 44-member task force would report to the mayor and city council, evaluate current programs and produce new affordable housing options.
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