At the Feb. 9 meeting of the Cambridge City Commission, officials outlined the next phase of the city’s flood resilience project, describing a multi-year construction effort dependent on federal funding, private property agreements, and an expanding budget.
Larry White, project manager for the Make Cambridge Resilient initiative, told commissioners the city remains on track to complete final design work for the flood mitigation project by August, even as permitting and funding timelines extend into 2026 and beyond.
White said the project team plans to request an extension from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, noting that FEMA originally set a completion deadline of August 2026 but has since indicated the city could have up to three additional years to complete construction.
“The sequence is correct,” White said, explaining that stormwater improvements must be built first, followed by the embankment and then the living shoreline components. He said the approach is necessary to protect the city from interior flooding before coastal defenses are constructed.
Anna Johnson, a project engineer with Bayland Consultants and Designers, said design review and permitting are proceeding in parallel. She said the Maryland Emergency Management Agency will review final design plans while the city continues permitting work for the stormwater pipeline, a process expected to take at least six months.
Ginny Smith, a planner with Smith Planning and Design, said the project team has also been coordinating with state and federal agencies and conducting public outreach, including informational sessions on living shorelines with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (UMCES).
White said the team recently met with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to discuss Rooster Island and navigation concerns in Hambrooks Bay. He said sediment issues linked to a failed Corps project in the area could inform Cambridge’s work and potentially provide material needed to construct the living shoreline while avoiding past mistakes.
Commissioners questioned whether the $16.1 million in Phase 2 FEMA funding could be jeopardized if any of the 19 co-applicant property owners refused to participate. White said participation by all property owners is essential to maintaining a closed flood protection system.
“It’s not even that it jeopardizes the funding,” White said. “It jeopardizes the project.”
White said one property owner has already withdrawn, necessitating a redesign that the team believes will work, but that it may not be possible to accommodate additional withdrawals. He said the city has met individually with 17 of the 19 co-applicants and expects to meet with the remaining two.
White also outlined additional funding efforts, including a recently submitted $2 million application to the Maryland Department of the Environment for stormwater improvements and a planned request to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for $3 million to $4 million in construction funding tied to habitat restoration, including work at Jerry Boyle Park.
He said FEMA funding decisions are based on benefit-cost analysis and expressed confidence that updated modeling, including work by the University of Maryland, will show the project’s benefits exceed its estimated $27 million cost.
During a discussion on public engagement, officials said the city is testing the ability to stream meetings from the public library, where seating capacity is greater than in the Feb. 9 meeting space.
Commission approves lobbyist after debate over process
Later in the meeting, the commission approved a contract for a state lobbyist, voting 3-1 with one abstention to hire Eric Green of Green and Associates under a $30,000, one-year agreement after debate over timing, process, and commission oversight.
The vote followed a delay in consideration of the appointment. A City Commission meeting scheduled for Jan. 26 was canceled due to inclement weather. When the commission reconvened Feb. 2, the appointment was on the agenda but removed at the request of City Manager Glenn Steckman. Commissioners voted unanimously to remove the item, and no discussion of the lobbyist occurred at that meeting.
By the time the matter returned to the agenda Feb. 9, the Maryland General Assembly’s legislative session had already begun, heightening concerns about whether the city would have effective representation in Annapolis. The session began Jan. 14 and runs through April 13.
Steckman said seven firms responded to the city’s request for proposals, which was circulated to commissioners by email Jan. 1. He said Mayor Lajan Cephas and he interviewed four of the firms and recommended Green and Associates based on cost, experience, and familiarity with the Moore administration.
Several commissioners said they were uncomfortable being asked to approve a contract without reviewing the written proposals or having the opportunity to interview candidates.
Commissioner Brian Roche (Ward 5) said he could not support the contract without seeing the submissions or meeting the lobbyist. Commissioner Brett Summers, Ward 1, also raised concerns about approving the agreement without additional documentation.
Supporters of the hire pointed to the legislative calendar. Ward 3 Commissioner Frank Stout said the city risked losing an entire 90-day session without a lobbyist in place. Council President Sputty Cephas (Ward 4) echoed that concern, citing the urgency of advocacy while legislation is moving.
Steckman said the contract exceeded his approval authority because it exceeded $25,000 and therefore required commission action. He also said the agreement includes a termination clause allowing the city to end the contract with 30 days’ written notice.
The contract was approved on a roll call vote, with Summers voting no, Roche abstaining, and commissioners Shay Lewis-Sisco (Ward 2), Stout, and Cephas voting in favor.