11 TV Hill: Examining the mayor’s 10-year plan for Baltimore’s financial future
CITY THIS MORNING. MAYOR BRANDON SCOTT ROLLING OUT A TEN YEAR FINANCIAL PLAN. IT INCLUDES AN OVERHAUL OF CITY TAX RATES. THE PLAN CALLS FOR AN OUTLINES WAYS TO MODERNIZE CITY OPERATIONS, IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICES, AND ELIMINATE WASTE. OUR DAVID COLLINS BREAKS IT ALL DOWN. THIS IS THE BLUEPRINT THE CITY WILL FOLLOW FOR THE NEXT DECADE. THE FINANCIAL ROADMAP IS EXPECTED TO GENERATE 2.5 BILLION IN SAVINGS AND PROVIDE 1.5 BILLION FOR REINVESTMENT. THIS IS ABOUT FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND NOT JUST ABOUT TODAY OR TOMORROW, BUT FOR THE FUTURE OF BALTIMORE. THE PLAN CALLS FOR A TAX RATE OVERHAUL. PROPERTY OWNERS MAY SEE PROPERTY TAXES DECLINE BY $0.11 A YEAR, SAVING $1,000 IN TEN YEARS. WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT OUR HOMESTEAD CAP IS ACTUALLY REALLY LOW COMPARED TO ALMOST ALL OTHER MARYLAND COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES. SO THAT’S ONE OF THE ITEMS IN THE PLAN THAT BROADENS OUR TAX BASE A LITTLE BIT. AND THEN AGAIN, WE’RE REDIRECTING THAT BACK INTO A LOWER TAX RATE. THE TEN YEAR FINANCIAL PLAN CALLS FOR A PROGRESSIVE INCOME TAX INCREASE FOR THOSE MAKING MORE THAN $500,000 A YEAR. THIS IS ABOUT EXPANDING OUR TAX BASE. SO WE’RE ALSO WHILE WE’RE GOING TO BE REDUCING TAXES, WE’RE ALSO GOING TO BE RIGHTSIZING OUR GOVERNMENT. THE TEN YEAR PLAN CALLS ON THE CITY TO MODERNIZE OPERATIONS, IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND TO ELIMINATE WASTE. THE CITY WILL REBALANCE COMPENSATION PACKAGES, REFORM HEALTH CARE PLANS, ESTABLISH A LEAVE BUYBACK. THIS IS ABOUT US IN BALTIMORE. GETTING BACK TO BASICS, MAKING SURE THAT OUR CHECKBOOK STAYS BALANCED, AND FIXING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE CITY’S FINANCES. THIS IS ABOUT MAKING TOUGH BUT SMART DECISIONS PROACTIVELY. SOME OF THE REVENUE GENERATING OPTIONS ON THE TABLE INCLUDE BUYING LICENSE PLATE READERS FOR PARKING ENFORCEMENT. TRAFFIC OFFICERS COULD THEN PATROL BY CAR RATHER THAN FOOT. THERE ARE BANKING ON CITY COUNCIL PASSING LEGISLATION TAXING VACANT PROPERTIES AT A HIGHER RATE. THE PLAN CALLS FOR SELLING SURPLUS PROPERTIES IN THE CITY, AND THE CITY WILL EXPLORE USING CAMERAS ON STOP SIGNS AND STREET SWEEPERS TO ENFORCE BUS LANES. WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT US BEING SO OUT OF WHACK. THIS IS A BOLD THING TO DO. IT’S NOT AN EASY THING TO DO, BUT WE HAVE TO DO IT. AND WE’RE JOINED NOW BY WBAL TV 11 NEWS INVESTIGATES. DAVID COLLINS, GOOD TO SEE YOU, MAN. YOU SPOKE TO JUST ABOUT EVERYBODY IN THIS ONE. SO YOU GOT TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS. WHY IS THIS PLAN, WHY IS THIS SO NECESSARY FROM WHAT YOU’VE HEARD? WELL, THIS PLAN IS A FISCAL OR FINANCIAL COMPASS. YEAH, OKAY. IT’S A BLUEPRINT, A MANUAL TO MODERNIZE OPERATIONS BY USING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, REMAIN SOLVENT. THE CITY, LIKE THE STATE, HAS WHAT’S CALLED A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT. IT’S SPENDING MORE MONEY THAN THE AMOUNT OF REVENUES IT’S TAKING IN IN THE CITY. BUDGET IS BALANCED THIS YEAR, HOWEVER, THERE IS A PROJECTED $46.9 MILLION DEFICIT IN 2027. AND IN TEN YEARS, 2035, IT EXPECTED TO GROW TO $1 BILLION. THAT IS, IF NO ACTION CORRECTIVE ACTIONS ARE TAKEN. SO THIS BLUEPRINT IS DESIGNED TO HELP THE CITY MODERNIZE ITS CUSTOMER SERVICE, ELIMINATE WASTE. AND CITY LEADERS SAY IF THEY STAY THE COURSE, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO SAVE SOME $2.5 BILLION AND ALLOW FOR 1.5 BILLION IN INVESTMENTS. YOU’RE SAYING A LOT OF WORDS. I THINK RESIDENTS LIKE TO HEAR SAVING MONEY. CUSTOMER SERVICE GETS BETTER IF THIS GOES THROUGH OVER A TEN YEAR PLAN. BUT THE THING IS, WE’VE TRIED THIS BEFORE. I FEEL LIKE THE CITY HAS GONE THROUGH A TEN YEAR PLAN IN THE PAST. CORRECT? WELL, THE CITY HAD A TEN YEAR PLAN BACK IN 2013. I DID A COMPARISON AND GUESS WHAT? THE ISSUES ARE SIMILAR, ALMOST THE SAME. SO IT MAKES YOU WONDER HOW SERIOUS THESE SUGGESTIONS WILL BE TAKEN. TO BE FAIR, THE MAYOR POINTED OUT IN HIS WORDS, THE WORLD HAPPENED, RIGHT? OKAY. HE HE EXPLAINED COVID AND OTHER EXTERNAL FORCES. THAT KIND OF CHANGED COURSE A LITTLE BIT. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, THE 2013 PLAN, JUST LIKE THIS ONE, HIGHLIGHTED A DESIRE TO REFORM THE TAX RATE, CALLING FOR MORE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT, SUGGESTING A HEALTH BENEFIT OVERHAUL AND IMPROVING EFFICIENCY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY. DOES THAT SOUND SIMILAR? RIGHT, EXACTLY. AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT YOU’LL HEAR FROM PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS WHAT THEY THINK OF THIS. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO LEADERS, CAN THEY CHECK THE BOXES ON EACH OF THESE THINGS THEIR OWN? YOU KNOW THEMSELVES. WELL, THE CITY CAN DO A LOT, ACTUALLY, BUT NOT EVERYTHING. CITY COUNCIL CAN PASS LEGISLATION TAXING VACANT PROPERTIES AT A HIGHER RATE. THE CITY CAN PURCHASE A HIGHER GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND. GEO BONDS ARE USED TO FUND LARGE SCALE PROJECTS, LIKE SCHOOLS OR INFRASTRUCTURE THAT DON’T GENERATE A DIRECT REVENUE STREAM ON THEIR OWN. THE CITY CAN RAISE REVENUE BY REPURPOSING SURPLUS PROPERTIES. THEY COULD EXPAND A NONPROFIT PILOT PROGRAM THAT STARTED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. ACTUALLY, IT’S A $48 MILLION PAYMENT IN LIEU OF TAXES, DEAL WITH 14 MAJOR NONPROFITS. NOW, THE PLAN HAS 85 INITIATIVES, 13 OF THEM NEED STATE APPROVAL. AND THIS INCLUDES CAPTURING MORE HIGHWAY USER FUNDS. THE CITY WANTS TO JOIN THE STATE’S FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE INSURANCE PROGRAM AND EXPAND ITS TRAFFIC CAMERA USE. AND GET THIS, IT’S KIND OF INTERESTING. THE TRAFFIC CAMERA USE, THEY MAY EVEN PUT SOME TRAFFIC CAMERAS ON STOP SIGNS, REALLY, TO KIND OF POLICE THE BUS LANES. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE MESS WITH THE BUS LANES ALL THE TIME. DAVID. SO THE MAYOR IS VERY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THIS. HE SAYS IT PUTS TAXPAYERS FIRST. IT ADVANCES, NEEDED INVESTMENTS WITHOUT COMPROMISING FISCAL HEALTH. AND SCOTT SAYS THE MAYOR, GOT TO SAY IS THIS IS ABOUT GETTING BACK TO BASICS. IT’S ABOUT MAKING TOUGH, SMART DECISIONS. HE CALLS IT BOLD, NOT AN EASY THING TO DO, BUT IT MUST HAPPEN. AND OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO PITCH THIS. YOU CAN READ THE ENTIRE THING ON THE WBAL-TV APP. IT’S A TOUGH READ, BUT IT’S A READ AND THERE’S A LOT OF DETAILS IN THERE. THERE’S ONE DETAIL I DID WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT. THERE’S A LITTLE BIT IN THERE FOR THEM AS WELL. YOU MENTIONED LAST WEEK. YES, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THEY WANT TO EXPLORE THE USE OF DRONES AND FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. YEAH. AND FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THEY WANT TO HIRE MORE CIVILIANS THAT WAY. THERE ARE MORE FIREFIGHTERS AND PARAMEDICS, AND E
11 TV Hill: Examining the mayor’s 10-year plan for Baltimore’s financial future
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott rolls out a 10-year financial plan that includes an overhaul of city tax rates. modernizing city operations, improving customer services and eliminating waste.WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates reporter David Collins explains who the plan does not call for layoffs, expands hiring more civilians at the fire department, supports using artificial intelligence to improve services and streamline processes and evaluates opportunities for the police department to use drones.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott rolls out a 10-year financial plan that includes an overhaul of city tax rates. modernizing city operations, improving customer services and eliminating waste.
WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates reporter David Collins explains who the plan does not call for layoffs, expands hiring more civilians at the fire department, supports using artificial intelligence to improve services and streamline processes and evaluates opportunities for the police department to use drones.