Annapolis Affordable Housing Task Force Recommendations

Written & Researched by Richard DeShay Elliott

This legislation will:

• Mandate an annual study by the Annapolis City Council’s Housing Committee to investigate City fines and establish all fines in Annapolis on a progressive scale, with higher income individuals paying a higher fee, and eliminating all flat/regressive fines/taxes/fees, which disproportionately affect the poor and working families.
• Require that any new fines, fees, or taxes that are levied in Annapolis are established on a progressive scale, and banning the implementation of any flat/regressive fines/taxes/fees through Fiscal Year 3000.
• Establishing an Annapolis Transit & Housing fund, which will operate as a lockbox for the sole purpose of funding:

• Road and sidewalk improvements in low-income communities
• Fare reductions
• Improvements in mass transit accessibility/frequency in low-income communities
• Installing, maintaining, and updating bus stops in low-income communities
• Annual wage index to inflation plus 2% for all City transit operators
• Installation of clean energy projects for City-owned properties
• Operating expenses for the Community, Housing, & Road Upkeep Association, including the inventory, storage, maintenance, and replacement of items in the Community Toolkit.
• Further funding authority can only be granted by a City-level ballot question.

• The Annapolis Transit & Housing Fund will be funded by:

• Traffic and speeding fines;
• Housing fines;
• $10,000 automation tax, for businesses who lay off/downsize employees to replace them with automated technology;
• $1,000 registration tax for all City-registered vehicles with a value above $100,000;
• $1,000 annual tax on properties within Annapolis with a value in excess of $500,000;
• $10,000 annual tax on properties within Annapolis with a value in excess of $1,000,000
• $1,000 annual tax on every private business with over 50 employees, per additional employee UNLESS the CEO to average worker pay ratio is less than 10 to 1;
• $1,000 tax per employee, per month of the Maryland legislative session for Annapolis-based lobbyists;
• $10,000 tax, per month of the Maryland legislative session, for Annapolis-based lobbyists with revenue in excess of $1,000,000;
• Any revenues generated by City-level taxes and fines on marijuana dispensaries;
• $1,000 annual tax on businesses that specialize in luxury goods, such as jewelry stores;
• $10,000 annual millionaire’s tax;
• $1,000 annual fine from any liquor/wine/beer stores operating in the City of Annapolis, that have another liquor/wine/beer store within one mile of storefront location. Fine multiplies by 1.5x for each additional liquor store within one mile of storefront location.
• Any revenues generated from excess electricity Annapolis Public Energy Authority
• Additional state, federal, and non-profit sources of revenue.
• Any additional funding sources will require approval from the Annapolis City Council’s Housing Committee OR a City-level ballot initiative; and additional funding can add new roles/responsibilities to the Annapolis Transit & Housing Fund but cannot remove or defy the existing roles/responsibilities.

• Mandate an annual request to the Anne Arundel County Executive and County Council, Board of Public Works, Anne Arundel House & Senate Delegation, and Maryland congressional delegation to grant additional funding for the Annapolis Transit & Housing Fund & Annapolis Public Land Trust.
• Automatically grant majority-minority communities with homes that are 50 or more years old historic community status, and the privileges and benefits of historic community status.
• Create an Annapolis Public Land Trust, administered by the Annapolis City Council’s Housing Committee, that has the authority to incorporate housing, businesses, cemeteries, historical properties, vacant lots, and other properties within the City of Annapolis.

• This land trust will be operated with the express purpose of:
• reducing housing costs;
• reducing costs for small/co-operative businesses;
• preserving existing residents;
• reducing utility costs for residents & businesses;
• preventing the destruction or vacancy of existing properties;
• ensuring that development is not to the deterioration of existing communities;
• protecting and expanding the Annapolis property tax base
• All private property will have the ability to enter the Annapolis Public Land Trust excluding:

• Rental properties that increase rents prior to end of Fiscal Year 2025
• Private property owned by residents with 3 or more properties based in Annapolis
• Properties with over $10,000 in unpaid City taxes

• Create a Community, Housing, & Road Upkeep Association, under the direction and authority of the Annapolis Public Land Trust, for the purpose of maintaining upkeep on homes in neighborhoods with below average income, including:

• Lawn and garden maintenance;
• Snow and ice removal;
• Sidewalk improvements and maintenance;
• Road improvements and maintenance;
• Street sweeping;
• Bulk trash pickup;
• Installation and delivery of dumpsters/trash cans/recycling bins/compost bins;
• Tree and shrub removal;
• Tree and shrub planting;
• Grocery pickup and delivery for the handicapped, elderly, and single parents;
• Planting and maintenance of community gardens;
• Installation, maintenance, and upgrade of street lights;
• Installation, maintenance, and upgrade of public/private property upgrades such as:

• fences;
• ramps for improving accessibility for the handicapped, elderly, and individuals with low mobility;
• stairs;
• outdoor lights;
• outdoor/on-door mailboxes;
• doors;
• windows;
• roofs;

• Raking and bagging leaves, shrub, and lawn clippings to produce Annapolis Compost, to be provided for community gardens;
• Assistance and support for residents who are moving in or relocating within the City of Annapolis;
• Clearing debris from roads, sidewalks, and pedestrian walkways/paths;
• Providing roadside assistance for Annapolis City residents, such as towing services and providing jumpstarts;
• Maintaining, storing, and providing a community toolkit, with the ability of any Annapolis resident to borrow tools for up to one week without cost. Any tool(s) which is/are not returned, will subject said delinquent resident to a tax based upon the cost of replacing said tool(s).
• Individuals with more than 2 homes in the City of Annapolis are banned from participating in the Community, Housing, & Road Upkeep Association
• All employees of the Community, Housing, & Road Upkeep Association will have union protections, and be paid a prevailing wage. Preference in hiring will be granted to HACA residents and all employees of the Community, Housing, & Road Upkeep Association will be required to live in the City of Annapolis.

• Create a city municipal bond, backed by Anne Arundel County and the State of Maryland, to facilitate road and sidewalk improvements.
• Multiplying existing property taxes by 1.5x for every additional property that an individual owns in Annapolis City

• 2x multiplier for those with vacant second/etc. homes

• Require new development for homes that will have an estimated value in excess of $350,000 to require 100% clean energy
• Require new development for homes that will have an estimated value in excess of $500,000 to pay an additional $1,000 in taxes for each additional $15,000 in estimated home value OR to build an equal amount of rent-controlled housing. Any revenues generated from these fines will be earmarked for the Annapolis Transit & Housing Fund.
• Mandated rent control throughout the City of Annapolis through FY2025, with no increase in rental costs beyond inflation. Any properties that raise rents through this period, will face a city-levied fine that will be 1.5x the value of the rental increase, minus inflation. Any revenues generated from these fines will be earmarked for the Annapolis Transit & Housing Fund.
• Establishment of an Annapolis Public Energy Authority, for the purpose of retrofitting existing City-owned property, including HACA property, to 100% renewable energy for the use by the City government and HACA residents

• Excess electricity will be earmarked for, in order:

• Annapolis City Public Schools
• Childcare and other education and youth facilities
• Annapolis-based cooperative businesses
• Annapolis-based small businesses
• Any additional places where public energy will be provided can be added solely through a City-level ballot initiative.