Guest column: Recent ratings show Annapolis is in a fiscally strong position

By ELLEN O. MOYER, For The Capital

Published 07/07/09

Three of the nation's top fiscal analyst firms recently judged Annapolis as a fiscally strong and stable city able to meet its capital investment demands in the future.

This information contradicts the rhetoric intended to discredit the city's management and the state of its finances. Alderman Ross Arnett has claimed that the next council will have to raise the property tax by 18 cents and merge its Fire and Recreation Departments with Anne Arundel County. This is a notion introduced occasionally over the past 25 years as a preliminary step to giving up the City Charter for a full merger with the county.

With the...

This story has expired!
You can purchase the full text in our news archives.

YOUR COMMENTS

RULES OF PARTICIPATION

If you encounter other problems, please email ewiffin@capitalgazette.com and include your name, username, and any errors or messages that are displayed. The more information you can provide, the better able we will be to assist you.

In order to post or vote on a comment, you must be signed in with a hometownannapolis account.

Take a look at a summary of Commenting Guidelines.

Report Abuse or Vote In order to allow the user community the ability to collectively rank the value of comments posted on the Capital Gazette websites we have implemented a thumbs-up/down system. All logged-in users may participate by voting up/down each comment. If others vote on your comment, your individual score will go up/down depending on the votes. Initially, everyone starts with a score of zero, and must earn credits to have significant voting weight. Individuals with higher scores will have more voting weight. +6

Comment removed by HometownAnnapolis staff. - 2009-07-08 07:55:46

Staff message: Why is this comment hidden?

unhide Comment hidden due to low ranking. Why is this comment hidden?

- Karma: Neutral

Comment removed by HometownAnnapolis staff. - 2009-07-07 16:01:00

Staff message: Why is this comment hidden?

unhide Comment hidden due to low ranking. Why is this comment hidden?

- Karma: Terrible

The County's bond rating - 2009-07-07 14:33:40

Is actually higher than the City's. They have a AAA rating, even with a tax cap. Of course, their leadership is more fiscally prudent and conservative, which explains why Josh Cohen wants out. Tax and spend Dems are in the minority there.

unhide Comment hidden due to low ranking. Why is this comment hidden?

B. Bolder - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral

Oh and by the way - 2009-07-07 12:49:11

Where were you at our City's Independence Day Parade? Rumor has it you were behind the blackened glass of a trolley. Why is that?
For someone who led this city to such successes, I would expect that you would be right up front carrying the baton, leading the parade and soaking in the adulation that you feel you likely woudl receive.

unhide Comment hidden due to low ranking. Why is this comment hidden?

John F. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral

Yes but... - 2009-07-07 12:44:38

It would be refreshing to see the Mayor address the criticism rather than lash out and call people names.
And yes, if we are so fiscally sound, how does one explain the parking lots and sidewalks.
And, when were these evaluations performed? Were they aware that the city's "fiscal genius" allowed them to pay nearly $3 million for a building they already owned?

unhide Comment hidden due to low ranking. Why is this comment hidden?

John F. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral

Really - 2009-07-07 12:28:22

This only makes the sidewalk tax and raising the garage fees more perplexing. I guess prioritizing your and you staff's salaries and subsidizing world travel over Police, public works and transportation, it's not real hard to do. The county has the same rating.

unhide Comment hidden due to low ranking. Why is this comment hidden?

Peter D. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral