Victoria J. Buckland

The Rules and City Government Committee meeting agenda included a motion to add an item regarding employee relations discussion involving Claudia Barber. The committee discussed legislation pertaining to property tax childcare centers, family childcare homes, and large family child care homes. A significant portion of the discussion revolved around whether to postpone the vote on this legislation to allow time for public testimony, particularly from county-level experts, as agreed upon in the previous meeting. Concerns were raised about the urgency of the matter versus the need for comprehensive review and input, especially regarding the fiscal impact and policy implications for childcare in Annapolis. The committee also addressed the jurisdiction over state-level childcare licensing versus the city's authority over the proposed tax credit.

The meeting commenced with the unanimous approval to amend the agenda to remove the approval of minutes from the January 27th meeting due to unavailability of those minutes. The board proceeded to review and unanimously approve several Findings of Fact related to projects from previous meetings in November and December 2025, including dock repairs and replacements at The Point Condominiums and Spa Creek Marina Incorporated. A decision regarding the election of the Chair and Vice Chair positions was postponed until the next meeting after a discussion acknowledging that both the incumbent Chair and Vice Chair had expressed interest in retaining or taking on the roles. The board then addressed New Business, specifically considering the construction of a break wall and living shoreline restoration for Port 2026-00001 at 7040 BMI Beach Road, which involved swearing in an applicant and preliminary acceptance of related documentation and public comments.

The special virtual meeting convened to finalize matters related to the previous election cycle. A significant portion of the discussion involved clarifying and approving minutes from prior meetings, specifically the December 18, 2025, meeting, where a detailed motion was made to include specific approval records that were initially omitted or conflicting. The board also addressed the minutes for the January 15, 2026, meeting regarding action taken on letters concerning duplicate voters. Key old business centered on the 2025 election report, with the chair requesting an extension to finalize the draft for review by the incoming board. Furthermore, the board discussed campaign fund reports, including issuing a letter drafted by the Office of Law to a filer regarding missing and late reports and associated fees, and reviewed the submission status of various candidates' required reports, noting required amendments for certain filings.

The meeting commenced with roll call and a confirmation that no public comment was submitted. Key discussions centered on the approval of minutes; the December 2025 minutes were deferred pending review and more detailed inclusion of motions and relevant verbiage from the video recording. The board also discussed the January 2026 minutes, noting similar issues with sparsity. A significant portion of the meeting involved referrals to the Office of Law concerning duplicate voters, leading to a motion to notify the State's Attorney's office regarding the residents who had not responded after receiving two notices. New business focused on developing an election report, with members discussing inclusion of historical issues such as nonpartisan elections/unaffiliated voter participation in primaries, rank choice voting, and changes to the petition form for candidates to get on the ballot. The issue of poll worker compensation rates relative to county/state elections was also noted for future consideration.

The meeting primarily addressed a show cause hearing initiated due to two observed violations by the county liquor board inspector concerning Capital Liquors located on West Street. The violations, observed on December 3rd, 2025, and December 10th, 2025, involved the possession of alcoholic beverages not sourced from a lawful wholesaler, leading to the seizure of liquor, wine, and beer valued at nearly $4,880 for the first incident and further seizure of liquor, wine, and beer valued at approximately $1,110 for the second incident at an associated Edgewater location. The board also heard a request and granted approval for a special class C 1-day liquor license for the Celtic Star, Inc. for the Annapolis Running Festival, scheduled for March 21st, 2026. Additionally, an extension of license premises, including consumption of alcoholic beverages and live music, was approved for Stan and Joe's Saloon for their St. Patrick's Day parade weekend event scheduled for March 7th and 8th, 2026.