Hybrid Ferry Pilot Grant
At a glance
Based on auto-generated captions; names and details may be misheard.
- What: A grant of about 3.1 million dollars (needing a city match of more than half a million) for a hybrid diesel-electric ferry pilot, listed in the capital plan and the electric mobility plan. The council accepted the grant earlier but has not appropriated money or decided to proceed.
- Where it stands: On 2026-10-12 Alderman Savidge, chair of Environmental Matters, said final action to appropriate the grant funds is needed and he aims to bring it by the end of October. City Manager Lewis said there is no immediate danger of losing the grant, nothing has been spent, and the grant is reimbursable. Alderman Thorp said the council has not committed to the ferry and wants the ten-year cost first.
- Next: A business case on options and long-term costs; a request for proposals after the request for information drew five responses; a possible fund transfer or other council action.
Main points
- Savidge: the ferry is already in the adopted budget, capital plan and electric mobility plan, so a decision point on appropriating the money is unavoidable.
- Thorp: acceptance of the grant was not a commitment to the ferry; the council needs routes, connections with county and state ferries and a ten-year cost estimate before committing.
- Transparency: a request that responses to the request for information be posted publicly; the city manager will check with the city attorney because they were received through a closed process.
- The city manager is pursuing other grant-related work (Hawkins Cove) that shows progress on the grant either way. A public comment speaker also questioned spending millions on a ferry before bike lanes.
Sources
- https://annapolismd.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1386125&GUID=459C057A-9932-491C-B93B-90FA80E0BE7F
- 2026-10-12 - City Council (Regular Meeting)
Discussion time
About 8 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-12 - City Council (Regular Meeting) | 8 |
Log
- 2026-10-12 - City Council (Regular Meeting) - Environmental Matters chair report and Q&A with the city manager (26:47-36:17): appropriation timing, whether the council has committed, and public posting of responses. No vote.
- 2026-10-26 - City Council (Special Meeting) Meeting - Hybrid-Electric Passenger Ferry Initiative presentation (ID-196-26).