Anne Arundel County Council OKs New 30% Pay Increase

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Following a 4-3 vote, the Anne Arundel County Council waved in a new 30% pay bump for council members.

The Tuesday vote, which comes into play as new council members are sworn in, means salary increases will occur every Dec. 1 between 2026 and 2029.

As outlined by the County Council, pay raises will be as follows:

• The chair will see a starting salary this year of $58,400, which will increase to $67,400 by 2029.
• The vice chair will see a starting salary this year of $54,400, which will increase to $60,400 by 2029.
• Councilmembers will see a starting salary this year of $53,400, which will increase to $59,400 by 2029.

Salary increases are weighed in the county every four years for positions not officially considered full-time listings, although lawmakers do tend to spend closer to, if not more than, 40 hours a week on council-related work.

A 2025 commission report had determined that Anne Arundel County councilmembers were paid "well behind" other Maryland jurisdictions of similar sizes.

The three dissenting votes were from Republican Councilmembers Nathan Volke, Amanda Fiedler and Shannon Leadbetter.

In a statement, Fiedler described the pay increase as "unnecessary" and as a vote that "should not be done when the county is facing a huge impact next year from the state fiscal cliff that is coming."

The trio echoed sentiments made in the 2025 dissenting report for the commission's findings, which laid out that the pay increase was financially irresponsible.

Tuesday's session also saw councilmembers vote 7-0 to condemn Patriot Front as a white nationalist group, as well as tackle the county's zoning code, a first in more than 20 years. Officials are scheduled to return to session on Sept. 21.