Council to hold in-person hearings

Socially distanced sessions to allow for public comment on county’s $1.87B budget

Want to tell the Anne Arundel County Council what you think about his County Executive Steuart Pittman’s proposed $1.87 billion budget?

Anyone can do that by signing up for the council meeting Monday and the first of two public hearings on the proposed fiscal 2022 budget. But after more than a year of virtual meetings, the public will get a chance to speak in person on March 20 during the second hearing at North County High School in Glen Burnie.

The meeting will be socially distanced, but the large space allows the council to fit more people when spacing them out about 6 feet apart, said Council Chair Sarah Lacey, D-Jessup. Lacey cautioned it could be changed back to virtual pending any COVID19 issues or other unforeseen changes.

And don’t expect the council to be back in its normal chambers anytime this month. The room is undergoing renovations that are expected to last until June at the earliest.

Council members want to return, but other factors are at play, including public access, recording minutes and meeting the county’s charter requirement that the council meets within the county seat in Annapolis, Lacey said. That last requirement is met by the council’s administrative officer Laura Corby overseeing the meeting from the city.

“Nobody knew how long we would not be in the chambers anyway,” Lacey said. “If we miss that by six weeks, I don’t think it is a big deal.”

Pittman has thrown his opinion into the

ring, saying he would like the council to return to in-person meetings and it could even influence how the council made decisions. He made the remarks when asked about the May in-person meeting and if it foretold a return to more normal business.

“The fact that people are not in person testifying at the council, and they’re not showing up in groups with their shirts and all of the advocacy that groups do before the council, I think has had an impact,” Pittman said at a Tuesday news conference. “I also believe that when people are face to face, among council members, that their humanity comes out, and that people might come to different conclusions.”

Monday’s hearing on the budget will look like many other council meetings over the last year. Anyone who wishes to comment on the budget can sign up through links in the budget meeting schedule. Participants may also provide written testimony.

The hearing will be open for the public to discuss whatever they wish about the budget. This includes the county executive’s small tax rate decrease from 93.4 cents per $100 assessed value down to 93.3 cents. This small rate decrease is unlikely to make anyone’s property tax bill smaller as it accounts for about a $4 decrease on a $400,000 home bill. Assessed values on homes typically increase, and an increase in value will also drive up tax bills.

Another item is the education budget, which makes up about half of the proposed budget at $847.5 million proposed funding. The Board of Education requested about $69.9 million in additional spending this year. County Executive Pittman funded $34.5 million, which includes a step increase and a 1% cost of living adjustment for all public school employees.

The in-person budget hearing will allow the same, discussion on any topic regarding the budget.

It isn’t clear when the council could return to its chambers. Corby said the renovations are still ongoing with the earliest completion set for June, though that timeline could shift. Not using the chambers for more than a year gave time to make upgrades that have been in discussions for years, Corby said.

This includes updates to some of the council’s oldest items, including the carpeted wall in the back of the room as well as a new dais the council would sit before.

But it also includes more minor upgrades like updated ports for electronics. The council is interested in maintaining the digital access granted during the pandemic after returning to its standard business, Corby said.

When asked if the council could meet in person elsewhere in Annapolis, Corby said it is a possibility but it would divert staff who are working on other items happening in the Arundel Center building.

“There is a balance that has to be struck,” Corby said. “We are always thinking outside the box. Getting the council back to the new normal is what we want to do.”