At the March 24 meeting of the Annapolis City Council, Resolution R-08-25 proposed major increases in salaries for the Mayor, Council and “City Manager”. With that in mind, let’s look at what exists now and how that compares to other Maryland cities. The costs and staffing included in this analysis are from the FY2025 Approved Operating Budget on the City’s website. We used online budget reports for the cities in this comparison. Emails and phone calls helped confirm and clarify budget items.
Many have observed that, with a population of 40,000 and an area of 7.5 sq miles, Annapolis has far too many employees (workforce of 891, including 653 FT employees and 238 PT employees); the “excess” begins at the top. Divide 40,000 residents by a workforce of 891 employees and the “residents per employee” is 45. Far different that comparable cities, as you’ll see here.
City leadership is “top-heavy” with personnel. And these are well-paid positions, with most jobs paying well over $100,000+. Most jobs have no training or educational requirements. They include an elected Mayor (currently Gavin Buckley), who is paid $98,000 per year. The Mayor’s Office has a an operating budget of almost $1.89 million and full-time staff of 15, including: Chief of Staff (1), Public Information Officer (1), Assistant PIO (1), Administrative Assistant (1), African American Community Services Specialist (1), Hispanic Specialist (1), Special Projects Liaison (1), Community Engagement Administrator (1), Ombudsman (1), NAM Community Coordinator (1) and three part-timers. The staff total rises to 21 when eight members of the City Council are included. They are paid $18,500 plus $1000 each for “expenses”, with support costs, the budget for the Council is $196,900.
Why so many in the Mayor’s Office? Previous administrations had far fewer staff. It is astonishing that with our small population, and a campaign slogan of “OneAnnapolis”, the City needs three ethnic and lifestyle representatives and a handful of other “liaison” staff in the Mayor’s Office. Presumably to assure equitable treatment. Chalk it up to “political patronage”.
And then there is the “dual leadership” our tax dollars support: While the City has an elected Mayor, the day-to-day operations are handled by the “City Manager” and staff. (Although this position is titled “City Manager”, for which Alderwoman Sheila Finlayson (Ward 4) said was a highlight of her 16 years on the Council, she can also take credit for ensuring no change in control would happen). The position still does not follow the role of a (true) City Manager because, in Annapolis, the City Manager answers ONLY to the Mayor … not the full City Council, as is required under guidelines of the International City/County Managers Association (IC/CMA). Because of this lack of independence, the position is, really, that of a “City Administrator”. That may seem like an insignificant difference, but it is at the core of how well-managed cities function. A future Opinion Column will discuss why Annapolis should consider this change.
For FY2025, the costs and staffing for the “City Manager’s” office include: City Manager ($185,000 per year); Assistant City Manager ($150,000 per year); Deputy City Manager for Sustainability and Resiliency ($185,000 per year). There are six FT positions directly involved in staff responsibilities in the City Manager’s office, with a total budget of $3.17 million. This office also includes operations for Office of Community Service with job descriptions that seem to duplicate some in the Mayor’s office (5 FT and 3 part-timers) with a total budget of $808,000 The Harbormaster function, with 43 full and PT seasonal employees and a budget of $916,700, is under the City Manager’s responsibility.
That’s the current situation in Annapolis. The six-member, all volunteer “Salary Review Commission”, whose recent recommendations provide the basis for R-08-25, delivered their report , prepared in just a few weeks, by interviewing council members and leadership staff to support their recommendations. They should have looked at nearby cities to gain an objective insight. But that’s what was done.
And while we are already paying a combined $5.257 million to “manage the City”, R-08-25 would significantly change those costs by recommending increases for: the Mayor from $98,000 to $125,000 (+27%); Council members would increase from $18,500 to $39,000 (+110%). The “City Manager” would have an upper limit of $290,000 (+57%). Typical COLAs are in the 4-5% range.
So, to run the City of Annapolis with its 40,000+ residents, in our 7.5 sq miles of land, we have a “leadership team” of 42 people (9 elected + 33 paid, not including the Harbormaster staff) with a payroll budget of $5.257 million, without adding in the benefits packages. Staff benefits average + 34% or more over salary.
But how does that compare to other cities in Maryland? We looked at Rockville, Gaithersburg and Bowie. All are incorporated cities and, based on 2020 Census data, are ~ 75% larger than Annapolis and have land areas 50 to 250% greater. All use the Council-Manager form of government. What follows is a brief comparison of the FY2025 budgeted costs to manage these three Maryland cities:
City of Rockville (pop. Approx. 67,000; 14 sq mi): Mayor receives a “stipend” of $37,560 and 6 council member’s stipend is $30,483 each ($220,458 total). The Mayor’s office has a staff of four. The City Manager earns $290,000 per year and the Deputy City Manager receives $235,425 per year. The City has 556 FT employees and a total workforce of 653.5. With a population of 67,000, the “residents per employee factor” is 103 vs. 45 in Annapolis. That is, in Annapolis, every 45 residents would have “their own City employee”; In Rockville, it takes 103 residents to reach that goal.
City of Gaithersburg (pop. 69,000; 10 sq mi): Mayor receives a “stipend’ of: $36,993, and 5 council members earn a “stipend” of $29,595 each ($184,968 total). City Manager earns $222,178; Assistant City Manager earns $161,274 . The workforce is 438 serving a population of 69,000, so the “residents per employee” factor is 157.
City of Bowie (pop. 58,000; 19 sq mi). Mayor receives a “stipend” of $27,407, and six council members receive a stipend of $19,408 each ($116,442). City Manager is paid $221,471 and Assistant CM gets $205,471. With a workforce of 340 FTEs and a population of 58,000, the “residents per employee” factor is 132.
Given this comparison with nearby Maryland cities, the “$64 Question” is WHY does it cost so much to manage Annapolis? I have never received a reasonable answer to that question from anyone on the City Council, past or present. The obvious answer is payroll: more than 67% of Annapolis’ Operating Budget is payroll related. More employees equal higher Operating budget. But there are other factors, too: 1. Annapolis is over-staffed for a city of its size; 2. Our population size doesn’t support the structure and services we expect; 3. We don’t maximize economies-of-scale by pursuing opportunities for “shared services” with Anne Arundel County; 4. Our partisan politics encourages divisive decisions made for the wrong reasons. Each of these short-comings is solvable. A new mayor and a reform-oriented council can bring about the change the City needs. It won’t be easy, but it is essential. Keep that in mind as you evaluate candidates this year. To learn more about ABC’s initiatives to improve City governance, please visit ABCAnnapolis.org
Bill Kardash is a Ward 1 resident and
Chairman of Annapolitans for a Better Community.
He can be reached at [email protected]
