Office of Mayor Gavin Buckley
PRESS RELEASE

 City of Annapolis
160 Duke of Gloucester Street
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Mitchelle Stephenson, 410-972-7724 or mwstephenson@annapolis.gov

Mayor Buckley to Introduce Fiscal Year 2024 Spending Plan 
at Tonight’s (April 10) City Council Meeting

ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 10, 2023) – Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley will deliver the annual “State of the City” address to the City Council on Monday, April 10 at 7 p.m. The Mayor’s Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Budget will be introduced during the same meeting.

“The City of Annapolis will begin FY24 in a good financial position,” Mayor Buckley said. “In the past year, revenues are higher than we had projected by nearly $2 million, while expenditures are down more than $5 million. We’ve still got to tighten our belt in this economy because, as everyone knows, everything costs a little more. It is my hope that the City budget reflects our ability to deliver services and see our planned infrastructure projects through.”

The FY24 budget includes $109 million in operating expenses alongside $55.9 million in capital expenditures. The budget calls for using $2.8 million of the remaining $6.6 million carryover of 2022 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. There are no property tax rate increases included in the Mayor’s budget ordinance proposal. 

In the FY24 operating budget, the City will continue initiatives including the highly successful internship program, introduced in FY23 by Alderman DaJuan Gay; training funds for Annapolis Fire personnel, a $15K increase in the Economic Development budget; a $20K increase in the Recreation and Parks budget; $10K for emergency housing funds and critical services; $1,500 for translation services; and continued funding for Food Fridays. These expenditures are examples of the community-centered priorities of the Buckley administration.

Examples of new projects in the FY24 capital budget include $105K for improvements at Acton Cove Waterfront Park; $210K for a pollinator garden at the Annapolis Solar Park; $46K in public water access improvements; $394K to begin planning for the College Creek Connector Trail; $79K for sidewalk improvements in the Spa Road corridor; and $556K for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.  

The Budget Process:

On Monday, April 10, 2023, Mayor Gavin Buckley will introduce the 2024 Mayor’s Budget as a City ordinance.

Next, the Finance Committee, a standing committee of the City Council chaired by Alderwoman Eleanor Tierney (Democrat, Ward 1), with Alderwoman Karma O’Neill  (Democrat, Ward 2) and Alderwoman Sheila Finlayson (Democrat, Ward 4), will review and make recommendations to the Operating and Capital portions of the budget. This review takes place over several weeks and multiple Finance Committee meetings that will be broadcast on City TV channels, City of Annapolis YouTube and City of Annapolis Facebook.  

Two citizen commissions also conduct reviews and can recommend amendments or changes: the Planning Commission may review and make recommendations to the Capital Budget; the Financial Advisory Commission may review and make recommendations to both the Operating and Capital Budgets. Once the commissions’ recommendations are sent to the Finance Committee and amendments agreed to by the Committee, a recommended budget is sent to the City Council to be further amended and adopted.

Council members may adopt the Mayor’s Budget as-is. The Council will consider the recommendations of the Finance Committee. They may elect to move money within departments or between departments. They may come up with new spending. However, the Council must pass a balanced budget. If new appropriations are added, there needs to be a commensurate revenue increase (taxes or fines) to pay for the increases or a cut somewhere else in the budget.

The final date for passage of the final adopted City Budget is June 30.

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