FOLLOW THE BALTIMORE CITY COUNCIL'S AGENDA AND VOTES:www.baltimorecitycouncil.com/legislative _record.htm

I highlight a few priority issues on this page 

Thursday, May 30: BUDGET HEARINGS
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.           
Planning Department
Department of Transportation
Department of Human Resources
Labor Commission
Employees’ Retirement System

Friday, May 31: BUDGET HEARINGS
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.           
Health Department
Commission on Aging
Mayor’s Office of Human Services
Visit Baltimore
Convention Center

Wednesday, June 5: BUDGET HEARINGS       
4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.             
Fire Department
Police Department
Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice

Thursday, June 6: BUDGET HEARINGS
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.             
Baltimore City Public School System
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.            
Recall agencies for follow-up

Friday, June 7: BUDGET HEARINGS
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.           
Recall agencies for follow-up

Wednesday, June 12: BUDGET HEARINGS
4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.             
Recall agencies for follow-up

Thursday, June 13     TELEVISED          
5:00 p.m.                                
Taxpayers’ Night follow up – Council Chambers *

Friday, June 14
10:00 a.m.                            
Budget voting session *Asterisks denote hearings televised on Cable Channel 25.






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City of Baltimore City Council City Hall, Room 408 100 North Holliday Street Baltimore, Maryland  21202 City Hall City Council

Bills Signed by the Mayor                                                     October 19, 2012 Rezoning - Properties in the Coldstream Homestead Montebello Urban  Renewal Area FOR the purpose of changing the zoning for certain properties in the Coldstream  Homestead Montebello Urban Renewal Area: as outlined in red on the  accompanying plats, from the B-1-2 Zoning District to the R-6 Zoning District; as  outlined in pink on the accompanying plats, from the B-2-2 Zoning District to the  R-6 Zoning District; as outlined in lavender on the accompanying plats, from the  R-7 Zoning District to the R-6 Zoning District; as outlined in turquoise on the  accompanying plats, from the R-7-P Zoning District to the R-6 Zoning District; and  as outlined in blue on the accompanying plats, from the R-8 Zoning District to the  R-6 Zoning District.
12-0097 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration)


Executive Nominations F.T.Burden Member - Inclusionary Housing Board - 14th District EA12-0097 EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE Maureen Daly Member - Inclusionary Housing Board - 14th District EA12-0098 EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE Ruth Louie Member - Inclusionary Housing Board - 14th District EA12-0099 EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE Glenard Middleton Member - Inclusionary Housing Board - 6th District EA12-0100 EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE Magda C. Westerhout Mobley Member - Inclusionary Housing Board - 6th District EA12-0101 EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE Addison Palmer Member - Inclusionary Housing Board - 6th District EA12-0102 EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE Donnell Scott Member - Inclusionary Housing Board - 7th District EA12-0103 EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE Mark Sissman Member - Inclusionary Housing Board - 14th District EA12-0104 EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE Frank E. Dittenhafer Member - Public Art Commission EA12-0105 EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE Jeremy Rountree Member - Public Art Commission - 7th District EA12-0106 EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE

Bills Introduced TransForm Baltimore - Zoning FOR the purpose of establishing a new Zoning Code for Baltimore City; modifying  the laws governing the agencies and officials who administer the City's zoning  processes, including the Zoning Administrator, the Board of Municipal and Zoning  Appeals, the Planning Commission, the Planning Director, and the Commissioner  of Housing and Community Development; providing for the respective powers and  duties of these agencies and officials; establishing new zoning districts for the City,  including Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Open Space, Environmental, Special  Purpose, and Overlay Districts; adopting maps and profiles for the various districts;  establishing the requirements and procedures for obtaining zoning amendments,  use permits, and other approvals; establishing use regulations for various districts,  including permitted uses, conditional uses, and prohibited uses; establishing bulk  and yard regulations for various districts, including height, lot coverage, lot areas,  floor area ratio, and yard size standards; establishing design standards for  development in various districts; establishing off-street-parking requirements, sign  regulations, and other regulations for various districts; requiring special reviews for  certain proposed developments, including site plan review, environmentally  sensitive areas review, design review, and landscape review; providing for the  establishment and regulation of planned unit developments; establishing certain  transition rules and authorizing the continuation of certain nonconforming uses and  structures, subject to certain conditions; providing for conditional uses (special  exceptions), variances, and other modifications or approvals; defining certain  terms; establishing certain rules of construction; prohibiting certain conduct;  establishing enforcement procedures, including civil and criminal penalties;  conforming cross-references in other articles; correcting, clarifying, and  conforming related provisions; providing for a special effective date; and generally  relating to zoning and development laws of the City of Baltimore.
12-0152 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration)
ORDINANCE At the request of:  Department of Planning LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

Soil Erosion and Sediment Control FOR the purpose of establishing minimum requirements and procedures to control  the adverse impacts associated with land disturbances; minimizing soil erosion and  preventing off-site sedimentation by using soil erosion and sediment control  practices; reducing the negative impacts of land development on water resources,  maintaining the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of streams, and  minimizing damage to public and private property; correcting.  clarifying, and  conforming related provisions; providing for a special effective date; and generally  relating to soil erosion and sediment control.
12-0153 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration)
ORDINANCE At the request of:  Department of Public Works

JUDICIARY AND LEGISLATIVE INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE Code Enforcement Officers FOR the purpose of redefining the persons authorized to issue environmental  citations; correcting, clarifying, and conforming related provisions; and generally  relating to the designation of environmental control officers.
12-0154 Sponsors: Sharon Green Middleton, Bill Henry, Edward L. Reisinger, Carl Stokes,  President Young, Helen L. Holton, Brandon M. Scott, William "Pete"  Welch and Mary Pat Clarke
ORDINANCE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE/JUDICIARY AND  LEGISLATIVE INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE Resolutions Introduced

National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week - November 10th  to 18th FOR the purpose of  proclaiming November 10-18, 2012 as National Hunger and  Homeless Awareness Week and encouraging all citizens to recognize that many  people do not have housing and need support from citizens, and private or public  nonprofit service entities. 12-0071R Sponsors: Helen L. Holton, Bill Henry, Sharon Green Middleton, Carl Stokes,  President Young, Brandon M. Scott, Nick Mosby and William "Pete"  Welch
RESOLUTION HEALTH COMMITTEE

Informational Hearing - Baltimore City Public Charter Schools FOR the purpose of calling on representatives of the Baltimore City Public School  System, public charter school operators, and other stakeholders to report to the City  Council on the current status of the City’s public charter schools, and to discuss  their accomplishments and their challenges, particularly in regards to the per-pupil  funding formula and addressing the on-going capital needs of those public charter  schools housed in privately-owned buildings.
12-0072R Sponsors: Bill Henry, Carl Stokes, Nick Mosby, President Young, Helen L. Holton,  Brandon M. Scott, Sharon Green Middleton, William "Pete" Welch and  Mary Pat Clarke
RESOLUTION EDUCATION AND YOUTH COMMITTEE

Request for State Action - Calling for a Moratorium on the Construction of  New Juvenile Detention Facilities FOR the purpose of requesting that State leaders take every effort to prohibit the  Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services from planning or  constructing a certain detention facility in Baltimore City; that they prohibit the  planning or construction of any detention facility for  juveniles in Baltimore City  until a task force has conducted a study on implementing certain recommendations;  calling upon the General Assembly to redirect all State funding that would have  been used to construct or operate a certain facility to recreational and educational  programs which have been shown to actually reduce juvenile involvement with  crime; and generally relating to detention facilities in Baltimore City.
12-0073R Sponsors: President Young, Bill Henry, Carl Stokes, Nick Mosby, Brandon M. Scott,  Sharon Green Middleton, Helen L. Holton and Mary Pat Clarke
RESOLUTION EDUCATION AND YOUTH COMMITTEE

Consent Calendar   (See Section A at back of Agenda) 2R Second Reader Executive Appointments Anthony W. Batts Police Commissioner of Baltimore City EA12-0089 RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION Land Use and Transportation Zoning - Advertising Signs on Bike-Sharing Stations FOR the purpose of allowing advertising signs on bike-sharing stations; defining  and redefining certain terms; allowing bike-sharing stations in required yards; and  generally relating to bike-sharing stations.
12-0008 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) REPORTED FAVORABLE WITH AMENDMENT

Zoning - Conditional Use Parking, Open Off-Street Area - 3718-3720 Gwynn  Oak Avenue FOR the purpose of permitting, subject to certain conditions, the establishment,  maintenance, and operation of a parking, open off-street area on the property  known as 3718-3720 Gwynn Oak Avenue, as outlined in red on the accompanying  plat.
12-0103 Sponsors: Rochelle 'Rikki' Spector REPORTED FAVORABLE

Taxation, Finance and Economic Development North Locust Point Development District - Amending Ordinance 03-642, as  Amended by Ordinance 11-553 FOR the purpose of adding and modifying certain definitions; enlarging the  boundaries of the development district; adding new 2012 Exhibit A and revising  Exhibit 1 to include  additional properties; providing for a special effective date;  and making the provisions of this Ordinance severable.
12-0085 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) REPORTED FAVORABLE WITH AMENDMENT

Tide Point Special Obligation Bonds FOR the purpose of providing for the issuance of special obligation bonds or notes  in an amount not exceeding $35,000,000 for the purpose of financing public and  other infrastructure improvements; providing for the method and sources of  payment for these special obligation bonds or notes; authorizing the Board of  Finance to specify, prescribe, determine, provide for and approve the details, forms,  documents or procedures in connection with the special obligation bonds or notes  and any other matters necessary or desirable in connection with the authorization,  issuance, sale and payment of these special obligation bonds or notes; providing for  a special effective date; and generally relating to the issuance and payment of  special obligation bonds or notes.
12-0087 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) REPORTED FAVORABLE

3R Third Reader Third Reader (for final passage)

Mayor's Anti-Animal Abuse Advisory Commission - Modifications FOR the purpose of reconstituting the membership of the Commission; requiring  that the reimbursement of expenses to members be timely; and authorizing the  removal of members under certain circumstances.
12-0063 Sponsors: Robert W. Curran, Bill Henry, Carl Stokes, Warren Branch, Rochelle  'Rikki' Spector, Sharon Green Middleton, Brandon M. Scott, Mary Pat  Clarke, Edward L. Reisinger, William "Pete" Welch, Helen L. Holton and  William H. Cole, IV

Burglar Alarms - No Fees For User Registrations FOR the purpose of specifying that a burglar alarm user may not be charged a fee  for registering an alarm with the Police Commissioner, lowering the fines for  burglar alarm violations, and generally relating to the registration and regulation of  burglar alarms.
12-0064 Sponsors: Mary Pat Clarke, Bill Henry, Rochelle 'Rikki' Spector, William "Pete"  Welch, Sharon Green Middleton, Helen L. Holton and Edward L.  Reisinger

Franchise - Private Pedestrian Bridgeways Above and Across and Private  Tunnels Under and Across a Portion of Marion Street Right-of-way FOR the purpose of granting a franchise to CB Fayette Street Baltimore, LLC, to  use and maintain  two existing private pedestrian bridgeways above and across and  two existing private tunnels under and across a portion of Marion Street  right-of-way, subject to certain terms, conditions, and reservations; and providing  for a special effective date. 12-0109 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration)

Fire Suppression and Prevention - Closings FOR the purpose of requiring a public hearing to be held and certain other actions  to be taken before consolidating, relocating, or closing any fire suppression  company or unit, emergency medical care company or unit, or truck company or  unit; clarifying, conforming, and correcting certain language; conforming certain  statutory provisions to subsequent Charter amendments; providing for a special  effective date; and generally relating to the adoption and implementation of the  City Comprehensive Fire Protection Plan and to the procedures for the  consolidation, relocation, or closing of fire companies and units.
12-0115 Sponsors: President Young, Carl Stokes, James B. Kraft, William H. Cole, IV,  Warren Branch, Bill Henry, Brandon M. Scott, Edward L. Reisinger, Mary  Pat Clarke, William "Pete" Welch, Robert W. Curran and Nick Mosby

Gas- or Air-Pellet Guns - Redefining FOR the purpose of redefining "gas - or air - pellet gun", as used in certain  prohibitions against transferring these devices to minors or possessing, discharging,  or using these devices in the City.
12-0117 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration)

Waste Control - Disposal of Garbage and Other Waste in Litter Receptacles  FOR the purpose of prohibiting the disposal of garbage, waste, and other matter,  other than litter, into public trash receptacles located on or along any sidewalk,  street, open space, wharf, or other public place; imposing certain penalties;  correcting, clarifying, and conforming related provisions; and generally relating to  the duping or disposal of garbage, waste, or other matter on public property.
12-0119 Sponsors: James B. Kraft, Brandon M. Scott, Rochelle 'Rikki' Spector, Sharon  Green Middleton, Nick Mosby, Helen L. Holton, Edward L. Reisinger,  William H. Cole, IV, Carl Stokes, Warren Branch, Mary Pat Clarke, Bill  Henry, Robert W. Curran, President Young and William "Pete" Welch

Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation - Review of Plans  for City-Owned Property FOR the purpose of extending the period for the Commission's review and report  on the proposed reconstruction, alteration, or demolition of City-owned property;  correcting, clarifying, and conforming related provisions; and generally relating to  historical and architectural preservation.
12-0120 Sponsors: James B. Kraft, Brandon M. Scott, Rochelle 'Rikki' Spector, Sharon  Green Middleton, Nick Mosby, Edward L. Reisinger, Carl Stokes, Warren  Branch, Mary Pat Clarke, Bill Henry, Helen L. Holton, President Young  and William "Pete" Welch Bills Withdrawn Tax Lien Certificates - Verifications Required Before Issuance For Water  Bills

FOR the purpose of requiring that, before the Chief Clerk issues a tax lien  certificate including water or sewer charges, the Chief Clerk must obtain a  certification that the charges are based on certain verified information; correcting,  clarifying, and conforming related provisions; and generally relating to tax lien  certificates.
12-0065 Sponsors: Mary Pat Clarke, Bill Henry, Carl Stokes, Warren Branch, Robert W.  Curran, Nick Mosby, Rochelle 'Rikki' Spector, Sharon Green Middleton,  Edward L. Reisinger, William "Pete" Welch, Helen L. Holton and  President Young
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Monday, October 15, 2012 5:00 PM City of Baltimore City Council City Hall, Room 408 100 North Holliday Street Baltimore, Maryland  21202 City Hall City Council Bernard C. "Jack" Young, President of the Council District 1:  James Kraft  -  District 2:  Brandon M. Scott District 3:  Robert W. Curran  -  District 4:  Bill Henry District 5: Rochelle "Rikki" Spector - District 6: Sharon Green Middleton District 7: Nick Mosby -  District 8:  Helen L. Holton District 9:  William "Pete" Welch  -  District 10:  Edward L. Reisinger District 11:  William H. Cole, IV -  District 12:  Carl Stokes District 13:  Warren Branch -  District 14:  Mary Pat Clarke


Bills Signed by the Mayor                                                      September 28, 2012 Rezoning - A Portion of 1201-1207 Dundalk Avenue (to be Known as 1201  Dundalk Avenue) FOR the purpose of changing the zoning for a portion of the properties known as  1201-1207 Dundalk Avenue (to be known as 1201 Dundalk Avenue), as outlined in  red on the accompanying plat, from the R-3 Zoning District to the B-2-2 Zoning  District.
12-0024 Sponsors: James B. Kraft


Tide Point Special Taxing District FOR the purpose of designating a "special taxing district" to be known as the "Tide  Point Special Taxing District"; providing for and determining various matters in  connection with the establishment of the special taxing district; creating a special  fund for the special taxing district; providing for the levy of a special tax on all  taxable real and personal property located in the special taxing district; providing  for a special effective date; and generally providing for matters relating to the  designation and operation of the special taxing district, the establishment and use of  the special fund, the issuance and payment of bonds issued in connection with the  special taxing district, the replenishment of any reserve fund, and the payment of  certain expenses and administrative costs related to the operation of the special  taxing district.
12-0086 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration)


Bills Introduced General Fund Appropriation Transfer - $1,551,566 - from Various City  Agencies to the Fire Department (Program 602) - $657,566 and to M-R:  Educational Grants (Program 446) - $894,000 FOR the purpose of transferring General Fund Operating Appropriations in the  amount of $200,000 from the M-R: Civic Promotion (Program 590 - Civic  Promotion Grants), in the amount of $1,000,000 from the M-R: Office of  Information Technology (Program 805 - Enterprise IT Delivery Services), in the  amount of $175,000 from the M-R: Miscellaneous General Expenses (Program 122  - Miscellaneous General Expenses), and in the amount of $176,566 from the  Department of General Services (Program 731 - Facilities Management) to the Fire  Department (Program 602 - Fire Suppression and Emergency Rescue) in the  amount of $657,566 and to the M-R: Educational Grants (Program 446 -  Educational Grants) in the amount of $894,000; and providing for a special  effective date.
12-0150 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration)

City Audits Commission FOR the purpose of establishing a Baltimore City Audits Commission; defining  certain terms; providing for the composition of the Commission; specifying the  functions, powers, and duties of the Commission; and generally relating to  oversight of the City's external and internal audit activities.
12-0151 Sponsors: Nick Mosby, Helen L. Holton, Rochelle 'Rikki' Spector, William H. Cole,  IV, Carl Stokes, Sharon Green Middleton, Bill Henry and William "Pete"  Welch

Resolutions Introduced Strategic Planning for Recreation and Parks FOR the purpose of calling on representatives from the Department of Recreation  and Parks and the Planning Department to appear before the Council to discuss,  and begin, the necessary process of developing a comprehensive master plan that  Recreation and Parks can use to guide its short and long term efforts to meet the  recreational needs of all those who live, work, and play in Baltimore.
12-0070R Sponsors: Brandon M. Scott, William H. Cole, IV, Nick Mosby, Sharon Green  Middleton, Bill Henry, Mary Pat Clarke, James B. Kraft, Carl Stokes,  Helen L. Holton, Warren Branch, Rochelle 'Rikki' Spector and William  "Pete" Welch


 Consent Calendar   (See Section A at back of Agenda) 2R Second Reader Executive Appointments Valentina I. Ukwuoma Bureau Head - Bureau of Solid Waste EA12-0084 RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION Rudolph S. Chow Bureau Head, Bureau of Water & Wastewater EA12-0085 RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION Raymond J. Ehrlich Member - Commission on Sustainability EA12-0086 RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION Ali Shah Rasool Smith Member - Commission on Sustainability - 7th District EA12-0087 RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION Mary L. Washington Member - Commission on Sustainability - 14th District EA12-0088 RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION Howard Aylesworth Member - Board of Recreation and Parks - 3rd District EA12-0090 RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION Jabari Bush Member - Board of Recreation and Parks - 5th District EA12-0091 RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION Robert Clark Member - Board of Recreation and Parks - 3rd District EA12-0092 RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION Stephen J. Kearney Member - Board of Recreation and Parks - 4th District EA12-0093 RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION Vernon Reid Member - Board of Recreation and Parks - 6th District EA12-0094 RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION David Christopher Ryer Member - Board of Recreation and Parks - 3rd District EA12-0095 RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION Melba Saunders Member - Board of Recreation and Parks - 7th District EA12-0096 RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION Health Mayor's Anti-Animal Abuse Advisory Commission - Modifications FOR the purpose of reconstituting the membership of the Commission; requiring  that the reimbursement of expenses to members be timely; and authorizing the  removal of members under certain circumstances.
12-0063 Sponsors: Robert W. Curran, Bill Henry, Carl Stokes, Warren Branch, Rochelle  'Rikki' Spector, Sharon Green Middleton, Brandon M. Scott, Mary Pat  Clarke, Edward L. Reisinger, William "Pete" Welch, Helen L. Holton and  William H. Cole, IV


 Housing and Community Development Franchise - Private Pedestrian Bridgeways Above and Across and Private  Tunnels Under and Across a Portion of Marion Street Right-of-way FOR the purpose of granting a franchise to CB Fayette Street Baltimore, LLC, to  use and maintain  two existing private pedestrian bridgeways above and across and  two existing private tunnels under and across a portion of Marion Street  right-of-way, subject to certain terms, conditions, and reservations; and providing  for a special effective date.
12-0109 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration

  Informational Hearing - Lessons Learned from the June Derecho FOR the purpose of calling upon representatives of Baltimore Gas and Electric  Company (BGE) to meet in public discussion with the City Council, and our  constituents, to respond to observations and requests arising from the recent  derecho storm and its aftermath; and to begin a cooperative effort to help us all  minimize widespread outages in the future and to better communicate accurate and  timely information to the public during crisis situations.
12-0064R Sponsors: Mary Pat Clarke, James B. Kraft, Brandon M. Scott, Rochelle 'Rikki'  Spector, Sharon Green Middleton, Nick Mosby, Helen L. Holton, Edward  L. Reisinger, William H. Cole, IV, Carl Stokes, Warren Branch, Robert W.  Curran, Bill Henry and William "Pete" Welch
REPORTED FAVORABLE


 Judiciary and Legislative Investigations Burglar Alarms - No Fees For User Registrations FOR the purpose of specifying that a burglar alarm user may not be charged a fee  for registering an alarm with the Police Commissioner, lowering the fines for  burglar alarm violations, and generally relating to the registration and regulation of  burglar alarms.
12-0064 Sponsors: Mary Pat Clarke, Bill Henry, Rochelle 'Rikki' Spector, William "Pete"  Welch, Sharon Green Middleton, Helen L. Holton and Edward L.  Reisinger
REPORTED FAVORABLE


 Investigative Hearing - Fire Department - Company Closures and the  Comprehensive Fire Protection Plan  FOR the purpose of calling on the Fire Chief, the Director of Finance, and the City  Solicitor to report to the City Council on the effect of the proposed disbandment of  three fire companies and the effect of that policy on the delivery of fire suppression  and rescue services to City residents; the status of the positions identified for  demotion in the Fiscal Year 2013 budget in conjunction with the disbandment of  fire companies; the levels of compliance with national standards for training,  safety, and response to fire emergencies; and to furnish the  City Council with  copies of the current Comprehensive Fire Protection Plan and a detailed plan for  future development of the required Comprehensive Fire Protection Plan. 
12-0061R Sponsors: President Young, Carl Stokes, James B. Kraft, William H. Cole, IV,  Warren Branch, Bill Henry, Brandon M. Scott, William "Pete" Welch,  Edward L. Reisinger, Mary Pat Clarke, Nick Mosby and Robert W. Curran
REPORTED FAVORABLE

Fire Suppression and Prevention - Closings FOR the purpose of requiring a public hearing to be held and certain other actions  to be taken before consolidating, relocating, or closing any fire suppression  company or unit, emergency medical care company or unit, or truck company or  unit; clarifying, conforming, and correcting certain language; conforming certain  statutory provisions to subsequent Charter amendments; providing for a special  effective date; and generally relating to the adoption and implementation of the  City Comprehensive Fire Protection Plan and to the procedures for the  consolidation, relocation, or closing of fire companies and units.
12-0115 Sponsors: President Young, Carl Stokes, James B. Kraft, William H. Cole, IV,  Warren Branch, Bill Henry, Brandon M. Scott, Edward L. Reisinger, Mary  Pat Clarke, William "Pete" Welch, Robert W. Curran and Nick Mosby
REPORTED FAVORABLE

Waste Control - Disposal of Garbage and Other Waste in Litter Receptacles  FOR the purpose of prohibiting the disposal of garbage, waste, and other matter,  other than litter, into public trash receptacles located on or along any sidewalk,  street, open space, wharf, or other public place; imposing certain penalties;  correcting, clarifying, and conforming related provisions; and generally relating to  the duping or disposal of garbage, waste, or other matter on public property.
12-0119 Sponsors: James B. Kraft, Brandon M. Scott, Rochelle 'Rikki' Spector, Sharon  Green Middleton, Nick Mosby, Helen L. Holton, Edward L. Reisinger,  William H. Cole, IV, Carl Stokes, Warren Branch, Mary Pat Clarke, Bill  Henry, Robert W. Curran, President Young and William "Pete" Welch
REPORTED FAVORABLE

Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation - Review of Plans  for City-Owned Property FOR the purpose of extending the period for the Commission's review and report  on the proposed reconstruction, alteration, or demolition of City-owned property;  correcting, clarifying, and conforming related provisions; and generally relating to  historical and architectural preservation.
12-0120 Sponsors: James B. Kraft, Brandon M. Scott, Rochelle 'Rikki' Spector, Sharon  Green Middleton, Nick Mosby, Edward L. Reisinger, Carl Stokes, Warren  Branch, Mary Pat Clarke, Bill Henry, Helen L. Holton, President Young  and William "Pete" Welch REPORTED FAVORABLE

Public Safety Tracking Open 911 Calls FOR the purpose of requesting that the Baltimore Police Department implement a  system that shows active 911 calls on its website in order to provide a greater level  of service and transparency to the citizens of Baltimore.
12-0052R Sponsors: Brandon M. Scott, Carl Stokes, Bill Henry, Nick Mosby, Edward L.  Reisinger, Mary Pat Clarke, Sharon Green Middleton, William "Pete"  Welch and Warren Branch REPORTED FAVORABLE

Gas- or Air-Pellet Guns - Redefining FOR the purpose of redefining "gas - or air - pellet gun", as used in certain  prohibitions against transferring these devices to minors or possessing, discharging,  or using these devices in the City.
12-0117 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) REPORTED FAVORABLE

3R Third Reader Third Reader (for final passage) Rezoning - Properties in the Coldstream Homestead Montebello Urban  Renewal Area FOR the purpose of changing the zoning for certain properties in the Coldstream  Homestead Montebello Urban Renewal Area: as outlined in red on the  accompanying plats, from the B-1-2 Zoning District to the R-6 Zoning District; as  outlined in pink on the accompanying plats, from the B-2-2 Zoning District to the  R-6 Zoning District; as outlined in lavender on the accompanying plats, from the  R-7 Zoning District to the R-6 Zoning District; as outlined in turquoise on the  accompanying plats, from the R-7-P Zoning District to the R-6 Zoning District; and  as outlined in blue on the accompanying plats, from the R-8 Zoning District to the  R-6 Zoning District.
12-0097 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration)
__________________________________________________________________________________
The City approves $35 million in bonds for a billion dollar corporation's headquarters......then the billion dollar corporation donates money to rebuild Johns Hopkins Dunbar High School's football stadium at an amount we don't know but will be a tax write-off as a charitable contribution.  Don't forget all the Enterprise property tax breaks et al.

So, what if Under Armour just paid taxes rather than being a patron?  Then the people in the city would be able to decide what projects were done rather than be told the city's coffers are empty.



City panel OKs $35M in bonds for Under Armour campus Company expanding footprint in Tide Point
By Luke Broadwater, The Baltimore Sun 7:33 p.m. EDT, October 18, 2012

A Baltimore City Council committee on Thursday approved the sale of up to $35 million in bonds to help finance Under Armour's expansion of its Tide Point corporate headquarters.

The Budget and Taxation Committee unanimously approved the sale of the bonds. The measure is to move to the full City Council on Monday.

The council last month voted unanimously and without discussion to approve tax increment financing for the project. The deal allows the city to issue bonds to pay for infrastructure improvements on and around the waterfront campus.

The city would use the proceeds from Under Armour's property taxes to pay off the bonds.

Company officials say they hope to hire as many as 500 workers over the next 10 years.

Luke.broadwater@baltsun.com
__________________________________________________________________________
NOW, I TRUST RAHM EMANUEL AS MUCH AS A RACCOON IN A CORNER, BUT AT LEAST HE HAS MADE PUBLIC A PLAN TO AUDIT A CITY VENDOR, LOOKING AT COMPLIANCE TO HIRING AND BILLING IRREGULARITIES LIKE STREET CLOSURES.  THIS SHOULD BE A STANDARD ACROSS ALL AGENCIES AND ESPECIALLY VENDORS AND BENEFICIARIES OF TAX BREAKS.



Chicago Mayor Orders Audit of Parking Meter Lease By REUTERS Published: October 15, 2012 at 1:49 PM ET
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago will launch an operational and financial management audit of its controversial parking meter lease deal with a private company that is seeking more than $50 million in reimbursements from the city, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said on Monday.

The third-largest U.S. city received $1.157 billion in 2008 from the 75-year lease with Chicago Parking Meters LLC (CPM), an investor group that includes Morgan Stanley.

The deal, which resulted in parking meter rate hikes, was slammed in 2009 by a Chicago inspector general report that said it undervalued the system of 36,000 parking meters by $974 million.

Emanuel, who inherited the lease from former mayor Richard Daley, has balked at reimbursing the group for out-of-service meters due to street closures and other reasons.

"This administration will continue to fight any charges sent by CPM that we feel are not accurate or justified," Emanuel said in a statement. "As I have said before, the city does not cut a check simply because we receive a bill."

The audit, which will begin next month, is expected to include interviews with top CPM officials and representatives from Morgan Stanley. The city will look into CPM's compliance with hiring requirements for minorities and other groups and revenue reconciliation between transactions and collections records, according to the statement.

The mayor said similar audits will be conducted for the city's other leases for parking garages and the Skyway toll bridge.

"These comprehensive, regular audits will help ensure accountability and keep those behind the agreements honest and responsible," Emanuel said.

A spokeswoman for CPM did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chicago tapped parking meter deal proceeds to help close budget gaps under Daley.




______________________________________________________________________________
City wants to retarget road funds 
Posted: 6:04 pm Mon, September 24, 2012
By Melody Simmons
Daily Record Business Writer

A plan to build a $32.9 million bridge from the foot of Central Avenue near Fells Point across a small inlet to Harbor Point — the site of the new Exelon Corp. divisional headquarters — will receive money originally targeted for other Baltimore road projects already in the pipeline, if officials at the city’s Department of Transportation have their way.
_______________________________________________________________________________
There are two aspects: a) The cost of the leverage and b) The effect on the bonds. Effect b) is the greater effect.

As you point out the cost of the leverage will increase and this is a direct cost to the fund. An increase of 1% in interest rates should decrease the dividends from the fund by 1%*(leverage - 1)/leverage. Hence if leverage = 2x the funds dividends should decrease by 0.5%.

The bonds are highly affected by rising interest rates. If the duration of the bonds is 5 years on average, then an increase in interest rates of 1% lead to a 5% decrease in the value of the bonds. In a 2x fund, this is an immediate decrease in the fund value of 10%.

As you say, ".. in a rising interest rate environment, leveraged bond funds will lose principal and will generate less income."


Another point to make is that in its plethora of enterprise zone designation for luxury development, it looks as though UnderArmour was placed into that category.....which means it will not be paying any property tax for years (other than the undeveloped land tax).  So will they actually be using property tax paid by UnderArmour to pay down this debt that will explode as interest rates rise?

From your article on Harbor Point:

In another action, the council unanimously gave approval to an expanded tax zone benefiting Under Armour's complex in Locust Point.



Council approves benefit for Under Armour campus City to fund infrastructure improvements as company expands By Julie Scharper, The Baltimore Sun 10:26 p.m. EDT, September 24, 2012

The Baltimore City Council approved a deal Monday in which the city will sell up to $35 million in bonds to fund infrastructure projects around Under Armour's Tide Point corporate headquarters.

Company officials sought the city's support as they planned to double the size of the Locust Point campus. Activists, including members of Occupy Baltimore, protested the deal, saying the $1 billion international athletic wear brand does not need financial assistance from the cash-strapped city.

Council members voted unanimously and without discussion to approve the benefit, known as tax increment financing, for the project. The deal allows the city to issue bonds to pay for infrastructure improvements on and around the campus, a former Procter & Gamble factory. The city would use the proceeds from Under Armour's property taxes to pay off the bonds.

Company officials have said they hope to hire as many as 500 workers over the next 10 years as the firm expands.

In the first phase of the project, expected to be completed next year, the company plans to build an 80,000-square-foot office building and a retail outlet. By 2016, Under Armour intends to expand the three largest buildings on its campus and construct an 800-space parking garage.

The company eventually hopes to build a 255,000-square-foot office building.

Under the deal approved by the council, city-issued bonds could fund improvements to Under Armour's campus and the surrounding area, including upgrades of streets and the waterside promenade. The company also wants to construct athletic fields and a biking and walking trail that would connect to Key Highway.

Under Armour, founded by Marylander Kevin Plank, moved to Tide Point in 1999. The company has grown exponentially since then and last year purchased the complex on the southern shore of the Inner Harbor.

julie.scharper@baltsun.com

twitter.com/juliemore



___________________________________________________________________________
Monday, September 24, 2012 5:00 PM

City of Baltimore City Council City Hall, Room 408 100 North Holliday Street Baltimore, Maryland  21202 City Hall City Council

Bills Introduced

Supplementary General Fund Capital Appropriation - Department of  Transportation - $4,200,000 FOR the purpose of providing a Supplementary General Fund Capital  Appropriation in the amount of $4,200,000 to the Department of Transportation  (Account #9950-901069-5912), to provide funding for additional capital projects;  and providing for a special effective date.

12-0140 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request of:  Department of Finance BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE Supplementary General Fund Capital Appropriation - Department of  Transportation - $7,200,000 FOR the purpose of providing a Supplementary General Fund Capital  Appropriation in the amount of $7,200,000 to the Department of Transportation  (Account #9950-903550-9509), to provide funding for additional capital projects;  and providing for a special effective date.

12-0141 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request of:  Department of Finance BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE Public Ethics Law - Conflicts of Interest FOR the purpose of clarifying and expanding the provisions that prohibit certain  employment and financial interests to encompass employment by or interests in  persons having or negotiating certain "blanket" and other contracts with the City or  with any agency of the City; clarifying and expanding the provisions that prohibit  certain gifts to encompass gifts from persons that a public servant knows or has  reason to know have recently been lobbyists with respect to matters within the  jurisdiction of the public servant; consolidating certain exemptions for gifts related  to the payment of expenses for a speaking engagement or participation on a panel;  correcting, clarifying, and conforming related provisions; providing for a special  effective date; and generally relating to ethics in the public sector.

12-0142 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request of:  Office of the Inspector General and Board of Ethics JUDICIARY AND LEGISLATIVE INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE Zoning - Conditional Use Nonprofit Home for Homeless Women and Children  - 1114 North Mount Street FOR the purpose of permitting, subject to certain conditions, the establishment,  maintenance, and operation of a nonprofit home for homeless women and children  on the property known as 1114 North Mount Street, as outlined in red on the  accompanying plat.

12-0143 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request of:  Mayor's Office of Human Services LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Urban Renewal - Carroll Camden - Amendment _ FOR the purpose of amending the Urban Renewal Plan for Carroll Camden to  revise the specific disposition lot controls for those disposition lots identified on  Exhibit 2 of the Plan, to repeal a requirement that an easement be provided for the  Gwynns Falls Trail in Disposition Lots 1 and 2, and to amend Appendix A to  provide that the design and rehabilitation standards are applicable to all new  construction; waiving certain content and procedural requirements; making the  provisions of this Ordinance severable; providing for the application of this  Ordinance in conjunction with certain other ordinances; and providing for a special  effective date.

12-0144 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request of:  Department of Housing and Community Development URBAN AFFAIRS AND AGING COMMITTEE Zoning - Conditional Use Conversion of a 2-Family Dwelling Unit to a  3-Family Dwelling Unit in the R-8 Zoning District - 1427 McCulloh Street FOR the purpose of permitting, subject to certain conditions, the conversion of a  2-family dwelling unit to a 3-family dwelling unit in the R-8 Zoning District on the  property known as 1427 McCulloh Street, as outlined in red on the accompanying  plat.

12-0145 Sponsors: William H. Cole, IV ORDINANCE At the request of Oak Pointe Associates, LLC, c/o Kevin Sanders LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Planned Unit Development - The District at Canton Crossing - Amendment 2 FOR the purpose of approving certain amendments to the Development Plan of the  District of Canton Crossing Planned Unit Development.


12-0146 Sponsors: James B. Kraft ORDINANCE At the request of:  BCP Investors, LLC, c/o Stanley S. Fine, Esq. LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Urban Renewal - Caton/95 - Amendment _ FOR the purpose of amending the Urban Renewal Plan for Caton/95 to amend  certain exhibits to reflect the change of zoning, upon approval by separate  ordinance, for the property known as 3224-3226 Washington Boulevard; waiving  certain content and procedural requirements; making the provisions of this  Ordinance severable; providing for the application of this Ordinance in conjunction  with certain other ordinances; and providing for a special effective date.

12-0147 Sponsors: Edward L. Reisinger ORDINANCE At the request of:  7-Eleven, Inc., c/o David K. Gildea, Gildea, Smith & Schmidt, LLC

URBAN AFFAIRS AND AGING COMMITTEE Baltimore City Senior Commission - Establishment FOR the purpose of establishing the Baltimore City Senior Commission; defining  certain terms; providing for the composition of the Commission; establishing the  duties of the Commission; and generally relating to increasing the involvement of  seniors in the civic life of Baltimore.

12-0148 Sponsors: William "Pete" Welch ORDINANCE URBAN AFFAIRS AND AGING COMMITTEE Recordation Tax - Stepped Rates FOR the purpose of establishing stepped rates for calculating the recordation tax on  instruments conveying title to property; correcting, clarifying, and conforming  related provisions; providing for a special effective date; and generally relating to  recordation tax rates.

12-0149 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE TAXATION, FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Resolutions Introduced Histiocytosis Awareness Month FOR the purpose of observing Histiocytosis Awareness Month in October and  giving special recognition to the families and friends who have worked tirelessly to  enable the Histiocytosis Association to raise awareness about these diseases,  provide educational and support programs, and, importantly, fund peerreviewed  research leading to better treatments and a cure.

12-0069R Sponsors: James B. Kraft RESOLUTION IMMEDIATE ADOPTION Consent Calendar   (See Section A at back of Agenda) 2R Second Reader 3R Third Reader Third Reader (to be held one meeting) Rezoning - Properties in the Coldstream Homestead Montebello Urban  Renewal Area FOR the purpose of changing the zoning for certain properties in the Coldstream  Homestead Montebello Urban Renewal Area: as outlined in red on the  accompanying plats, from the B-1-2 Zoning District to the R-6 Zoning District; as  outlined in pink on the accompanying plats, from the B-2-2 Zoning District to the  R-6 Zoning District; as outlined in lavender on the accompanying plats, from the  R-7 Zoning District to the R-6 Zoning District; as outlined in turquoise on the  accompanying plats, from the R-7-P Zoning District to the R-6 Zoning District; and  as outlined in blue on the accompanying plats, from the R-8 Zoning District to the  R-6 Zoning District. 12-0097 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) Third Reader (for final passage) Rezoning - A Portion of 1201-1207 Dundalk Avenue (to be Known as 1201  Dundalk Avenue) FOR the purpose of changing the zoning for a portion of the properties known as  1201-1207 Dundalk Avenue (to be known as 1201 Dundalk Avenue), as outlined in  red on the accompanying plat, from the R-3 Zoning District to the B-2-2 Zoning  District.

12-0024 Sponsors: James B. Kraft Tide Point Special Taxing District FOR the purpose of designating a "special taxing district" to be known as the "Tide  Point Special Taxing District"; providing for and determining various matters in  connection with the establishment of the special taxing district; creating a special  fund for the special taxing district; providing for the levy of a special tax on all  taxable real and personal property located in the special taxing district; providing  for a special effective date; and generally providing for matters relating to the  designation and operation of the special taxing district, the establishment and use of  the special fund, the issuance and payment of bonds issued in connection with the  special taxing district, the replenishment of any reserve fund, and the payment of  certain expenses and administrative costs related to the operation of the special  taxing district.

12-0086 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) Bills Withdrawn Urban Renewal - Inner Harbor West - Amendment _ FOR the purpose of amending the Urban Renewal Plan for Inner Harbor West to  add a new general land use category to the Land Use Provisions in the Plan, to  change the general land use category for certain Development Areas in the  Renewal Plan, and to revise certain exhibits to the Plan to reflect these changes;  waiving certain content and procedural requirements; making the provisions of this  Ordinance severable; providing for the application of this Ordinance in conjunction  with certain other ordinances; and providing for a special effective date. 

12-0099 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) Committee Announcements Announcements                    

THE NEXT MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL        WILL BE HELD ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2012 , AT 5:00 P.M. Adjournment

Cable Hearing Schedule WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2012 AT 5:00 P.M. Health Committee, Councilmember Curran - Chair 12-0121 - Food Service Facilities - Public Notice of Inspection Grades WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2012 AT 5:00 P.M. Judiciary and Legislative Investigations Committee, Councilmember Kraft - Chair 12-0115 - Fire Suppression and Prevention - Closings 12-0061R -Investigative Hearing - Fire Department - Company Closures and the  Comprehensive Fire Protection Plan


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Monday, September 10, 2012 5:00 PM City of Baltimore City Council City Hall, Room 408 100 North Holliday Street Baltimore, Maryland  21202 City Hall City Council
Resolutions Introduced Informational Hearing and Roundtable Discussion on Developments
Affecting the Education of Older Teens and Young Adults in Baltimore City FOR the purpose of assessing the status and efficiency of Maryland’s GED  program in Baltimore City; determining the impact of Senate Bill 362’s increase to  18 of the age for mandatory education in Maryland and the local school system’s  “adult education” plans to attract, retain and successfully educate these older  students; and examining the State’s blueprint for adopting a GED Options Program  in response to the SB 362 mandate.

12-0066R Sponsors: Mary Pat Clarke, Bill Henry, William H. Cole, IV, James B. Kraft, Sharon  Green Middleton, Helen L. Holton, Warren Branch, Nick Mosby, Brandon  M. Scott, William "Pete" Welch and Edward L. Reisinger

RESOLUTION EDUCATION AND YOUTH COMMITTEE Informational Hearing - Intergenerational Recreation Centers FOR the purpose of calling on representatives from the agencies concerned with  recreational and enrichment programming for both seniors and children to appear  before the City Council to discuss the possibility of creating intergenerational  recreation centers in Baltimore and expanding intergenerational programming that  benefits Baltimoreans of all ages.

12-0067R Sponsors: William "Pete" Welch, Edward L. Reisinger, Warren Branch, Mary Pat  Clarke and Nick Mosby

RESOLUTION RECREATION AND PARKS COMMITTEE A Celebration of Art Modell’s Life FOR the purpose of celebrating the remarkable life of Arthur B. Modell,  recognizing the central role he played in restoring the presence of professional  football in Baltimore City, highlighting his extraordinary efforts in reinvigorating  the NFL and making the Baltimore Ravens a winning team - an achievement that  fills Baltimoreans with pride, and wishing the Ravens a triumphant season in honor  of Mr. Modell's legacy.

12-0068R Sponsors: President Young, William H. Cole, IV, James B. Kraft, Bill Henry, Sharon  Green Middleton, Helen L. Holton, Warren Branch, Nick Mosby, Brandon  M. Scott, Mary Pat Clarke, William "Pete" Welch and Edward L. Reisinger

RESOLUTION IMMEDIATE ADOPTION Consent Calendar   (See Section A at back of Agenda) 2R Second Reader Land Use and Transportation Rezoning - Properties in the Coldstream Homestead
Montebello Urban  Renewal Area FOR the purpose of changing the zoning for certain properties in the Coldstream  Homestead Montebello Urban Renewal Area: as outlined in red on the  accompanying plats, from the B-1-2 Zoning District to the R-6 Zoning District; as  outlined in pink on the accompanying plats, from the B-2-2 Zoning District to the  R-6 Zoning District; as outlined in lavender on the accompanying plats, from the  R-7 Zoning District to the R-6 Zoning District; as outlined in turquoise on the  accompanying plats, from the R-7-P Zoning District to the R-6 Zoning District; and  as outlined in blue on the accompanying plats, from the R-8 Zoning District to the  R-6 Zoning District.

12-0097 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) REPORTED FAVORABLE WITH AMENDMENT

Taxation, Finance and Economic Development

Tide Point Special Taxing District FOR the purpose of designating a "special taxing district" to be known as the "Tide  Point Special Taxing District"; providing for and determining various matters in  connection with the establishment of the special taxing district; creating a special  fund for the special taxing district; providing for the levy of a special tax on all  taxable real and personal property located in the special taxing district; providing  for a special effective date; and generally providing for matters relating to the  designation and operation of the special taxing district, the establishment and use of  the special fund, the issuance and payment of bonds issued in connection with the  special taxing district, the replenishment of any reserve fund, and the payment of  certain expenses and administrative costs related to the operation of the special  taxing district.

12-0086 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) REPORTED FAVORABLE

Approving the Submission of an Application to the State of Maryland
for the  Expansion of Baltimore City's Consolidated Enterprise Zone FOR the purpose of approving the submission of an application to the State of  Maryland for the expansion of Baltimore City's Consolidated Enterprise Zone.

12-0062R Sponsors: City Council President (Administration), James B. Kraft, Brandon M.  Scott, Rochelle 'Rikki' Spector, Sharon Green Middleton, Helen L. Holton,  Edward L. Reisinger, Warren Branch, Mary Pat Clarke and William "Pete"  Welch REPORTED FAVORABLE WITH AMENDMENT 3R Third Reader Third Reader (to be held one meeting)

                    THE NEXT MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL   WILL BE HELD ON MONDAY,  SEPTEMBER 24, 2012, AT 5:00 P.M. Adjournment Cable Hearing Schedule WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 AT 5:00 P.M.

Budget and Appropriations Committee, Councilmember Holton - Chair 12-0058R - City Agency Adoption of Recreation Centers WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2012 AT 5:00 P.M. Housing and Community Development Committee, Councilmember Henry - Chair 12-0064R - Informational Hearing - Lessons Learned from the June Derecho


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BELOW IS A COMMENT FROM A CITY ACTIVIST REGARDING THE CONTINUED OUTRAGEOUS DESIGNATION OF ULTR-LUXURY DEVELOPMENTS AS 'ENTERPRISE ZONES'.  WE WILL GET THIS MONEY BACK.......THE WAGONS ARE CIRCLING!

The Tax and Finance Committee meeting last week, where most of the members approved this SHAM, was recorded on audio. I'll be requesting a copy and sharing it for ALL who DO NOT believe the content of this article.  EVERY word written here is true and both the acting BDC President and Mr. Todd Dolbin, the BDC’s Enterprise Zone expert, testified in the open public session how they manipulated the census data to qualify the Paterakis deal ... TRUTH!!!
 
I was there and this deal STINKS beyond belief ... Another BDC is Possible Deputy Kaliope Parthemos!


City Council approves tax-break plans for two harborfront developments Net tax gain: more than $140 million for Harbor Point and Tide Point over 10 years. Mark Reutter September 11, 2012 at 8:57 am Baltimore Sun

Todd Dolbin and Marianne Navarro of the Baltimore Development Corp. watch as protesters give mock endorsement of tax breaks last month.

The City Council voted overwhelmingly last night to approve plans that would make Baltimore’s two biggest waterfront projects eligible for generous tax breaks and tax-financed infrastructure improvements.

The Council voted to restore Harbor Point to the city’s list of Enterprise Zones and to approve a special taxing district for Tide Point, which already has an “EZ” designation reducing its future property taxes.

The twin actions will pave the way for more than $140 million in tax benefits for the developers and the two major corporate tenants at the sites, Exelon and Under Armour. (While technically a preliminary vote, the Council action’s last night is guaranteed to be finalized at its next voting session.)

In both cases, the city has argued that the economic activity stemming from the developments will pay for the loss in property taxes many times over.

Chicago-based Exelon, which purchased Constellation Energy earlier this year, has agreed to be the anchor tenant at the high-rise complex at Harbor Point under development by Michael Beatty and bakery mogul John Paterakis.

Harbor Point is located at the southwest tip of Fells Point. Across the harbor in South Baltimore is Tide Point, headquarters of sports-apparel-maker Under Armour, which will be the main beneficiary of a special taxing district ratified by the Council last night.

The approvals came as no surprise. The Stephanie Rawlings-Blake administration has vigorously pushed for new development to add 10,000 families to Baltimore’s population by 2020 .

The administration engineered the $35 million in tax increment financing, known as TIF, for the expansion of Under Armour at Tide Point.

The project was approved by the Council’s taxation committee even though the share of public funding is more than 20% above the city’s own guideline for financing such project, according to a Department of Finance memo disclosed by The Brew.

Most of the TIF financing will go for a waterfront park and “state-of-the-art” athletic fields adjoining Under Armour’s Tide Point campus rather than for street improvements, a more typical use of TIF financing.

The memo justified the higher ratio of public underwriting by saying the location of a “major corporate headquarters [makes] this project worthy of an exception.”

Last night, the full Council approved the Tide Point arrangement by a unanimous voice vote without discussion.

Restoring Harbor Point’s EZ Credit

The restoration of Harbor Point’s “EZ” tax credit has been more controversial.

Artist’s sketch of how the new Exelon building might look at Harbor Point. (Harbor East Development Corp.)

Just four months ago, on May 7, the Council removed Harbor Point from “EZ” eligibility because the 27-acre vacant site did not qualify as an economically distressed area, which requires a renew of its status every 10 years.

The removal came because of demographic and income shifts since 2002 that saw the rise of adjacent Harbor East and Fells Point as highly desirable locations, with new housing, restaurants, office towers and luxury hotels.

What’s more, Councilman James B. Kraft, whose district includes Harbor Point, argued that Exelon did not need tax breaks from the city to pay for its new $120 million office tower.

The removal of the EZ designation was met by a vigorous pushback by the Beatty-Paterakis group.

The group appealed to the Baltimore Development Corp. (BDC) to restore the tax break, saying it could not attract tenants to the $1.5 billion complex without the credits, which would translate into lower rents. Like Tide Point, the project also qualifies for TIF financing, but the exact amount of such financing has not yet been determined.

Last month, Kraft came out in favor of expanding the EZ to include Harbor Point, saying the high cost of constructing on the property, the former site of an Allied Chemical factory, necessitated the tax break.

That still left the sticky problem of how to qualify the parcel as an economically disadvantaged community, which requires high poverty and unemployment levels, population loss and “chronic abandonment or demolition of property.”

Finding a Public Housing Project

Todd Dolbin, the BDC’s Enterprise Zone expert, came up with the solution of adding Perkins Homes, a nearby public housing project, to the census tract used to justify the Harbor Point application.

This pushed the unemployment and poverty figures to the level that the BDC believes will make Harbor Point qualify for Enterprise Zone eiligibility under the criteria of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, which administers the EZ program.

The resolution passed the Council last night with the only “no” votes cast by Councilmen Carl Stokes and Nick Mosby, and abstentions from Robert Curran and Mary Pat Clarke.

After the meeting, Stokes called the EZ designation “a sham.”

“The BDC pulled it themselves before they buckled under the pressure. Nothing will accrue to the benefit of the residents of Perkins Homes. They won’t qualify [for tax credits] because Enterprise Zones are only available to commercial businesses and development. It makes a mockery of a program supposed to help impoverished communities,” Stokes said.

Under Armour’s Tide Point expansion will receive an unusually high ratio of public underwriting. (counterkicks.com)

“Tax Dodger” Protest

During a public hearing on the proposal last month, a group of Occupy protesters wore baseball uniforms emblazoned with the name “Tax Dodgers” in a mock endorsement of the tax break.

Other speakers were critical of the proposed EZ restoration, with activist John Duda saying that of all development projects before the city, Harbor Point needed the least public subsidy given its enviable location on prime harbor property.

According to the BDC, the EZ zone designation will reduce Harbor Point’s property tax bill by $106 million over the 10-year life of the tax credit. The city would directly lose $53 million in tax revenues, with the state reimbursing the city for the other 50% of the revenues.

The BDC estimates that Harbor Point would generate $143 million in revenues over the same period from personal income taxes, real estate taxes, and parking, energy and hotel taxes. The developer also envisions a gain of 5,000 permanent jobs from its proposed mix of new office buildings, high-end residences and at least one upscale hotel.

The Under Armour expansion in South Baltimore would create 615 new jobs when completed in 2021, according to the BDC.

Last night’s vote was on second reader. A third and final vote ratifying the two plans is assured passage at the Council’s next meeting.


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TAKE TIME TO GO TO THE LEGISLATIVE RECORD TO SEE THE MINUTES TO THESE MEETINGS.  I CAN ONLY COMMENT ON THAT I FIND INTERESTING....YOU MAY WANT TO KNOW MORE!

Monday, September 10, 2012

5:00 PM City of Baltimore City Council City Hall, Room 408 100 North Holliday Street Baltimore, Maryland  21202 City Hall City Council Bernard C. "Jack" Young, President of the Council District 1:  James Kraft  -  District 2:  Brandon M. Scott District 3:  Robert W. Curran  -  District 4:  Bill Henry District 5: Rochelle "Rikki" Spector - District 6: Sharon Green Middleton District 7: Nick Mosby -  District 8:  Helen L. Holton District 9:  William "Pete" Welch  -  District 10:  Edward L. Reisinger District 11:  William H. Cole, IV -  District 12:  Carl Stokes District 13:  Warren Branch - 
District 14:  Mary Pat Clarke

Meeting Agenda - Draft Call to Order Invocation Reverend Alvin C. Hathaway, Sr., Union Baptist Church Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call Showcase Baltimore

Dr. Yvette Rooks, Vice Chair and Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine,  Director of Family Medicine Residency at University of Maryland Approval of the Journal

August 13, 2012 Communications from the Mayor Bills Signed by the Mayor                            August 15, 2012 Comprehensive Rezonings - Amendments FOR the purpose of excepting amendments to comprehensive rezoning bills from  certain rules that govern amendments to multi-property rezoning bills; defining  certain terms; and generally relating to the processing of comprehensive rezoning  bills.

12-0019 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) Zoning - Conditional Use - Amending Ordinance 97-208 FOR the purpose of amending the maximum bed capacity for the nonprofit home  and transitional housing facility for the care and custody of homeless persons on  the property known as 3500-3502 Clifton Avenue; adding a certain condition, and  correcting and conforming certain references.

12-0030 Sponsors: Nick Mosby Biennial Agency Audits FOR the purpose of requiring all City agencies to have their operations audited  every second fiscal year; defining certain terms; specifying who may conduct the  audits; requiring certain reports; providing for a stagger in undergoing the audits;  and generally relating to the biennial audit of City agencies.

12-0053 Sponsors: Carl Stokes, Bill Henry, Warren Branch, Mary Pat Clarke, President  Young and William "Pete" Welch Real Estate Transactions - Disclosure of Heavy-Industrial and Railroad  Operations FOR the purpose of requiring the seller of real property to disclose to the buyer  certain information about the possibility of nearby heavy-industrial and railroad  operations; defining certain terms; conforming, correcting, and clarifying certain  related provisions; and providing for a special effective date.

12-0069 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) Zoning - Conditional Use Second-hand Store - 5702 Bellona Avenue FOR the purpose of permitting, subject to certain conditions, the establishment,  maintenance, and operation of a second-hand store on the property known as 5702  Bellona Avenue, as outlined in red on the accompanying plat.

12-0096 Sponsors: Bill Henry Executive Nominations - Withdrawn Raymond J. Ehrlich Member - Commission on Sustainability  EA12-0076 Ali Shah Rasool Smith Member - Commission on Sustainability - 7th District EA12-0080 Mary L. Washington Member - Commission on Sustainability - 14th District EA12-0082 Executive Nominations Raymond J. Ehrlich Member - Commission on Sustainability EA12-0086 EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE Ali Shah Rasool Smith Member - Commission on Sustainability - 7th District EA12-0087

EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE Mary L. Washington Member - Commission on Sustainability - 14th District EA

12-0088 EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS COMMITTEE Bills Introduced Building, Fire, and Related Codes - 2012 Edition FOR the purpose of adopting a revised Building, Fire, and Related Codes Article,  comprising the Maryland Building Performance Standards (effective January 1,  2012), the International Building Code (2012 Edition), the International Electrical  Code (2011 Edition), the International Fuel Gas Code (2012 Edition), the  International Mechanical Code (2012 Edition), the International Plumbing Code  (2012 Edition), the International Property Maintenance Code (2012 Edition), the  International Fire Code (2012 Edition), the International Energy Conservation  Code (2012 Edition), and the International Residential Code for One- and  Two-Family Dwellings (2012 Edition), all as supplemented, amended, or otherwise  modified by this Ordinance; providing for the effect, construction, and effective  date of these new standards and codes; conforming, correcting, and clarifying  certain language; and generally relating to the adoption of new building, fire,  property maintenance, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and related codes for  Baltimore City.

12-0123 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request of:  Department of Housing and Community Development) JUDICIARY AND LEGISLATIVE INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE Supplementary General Fund Appropriation - Baltimore City Public Schools -  $12,922,862 FOR the purpose of providing a Supplementary General Fund Appropriation in the  amount of $12,922,862 to M-R: Baltimore City Public Schools - Program 352  (Baltimore City Public Schools), to provide funding for teacher pensions; and  providing for a special effective date.

12-0124 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request: Department of Finance BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE Residential Permit Parking - Approving Extension of Area 43 FOR the purpose of approving and extending the Parking Management Plan for  Residential Permit Parking Area 43; and providing for a special effective date.

12-0125 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request of:  Parking Authority Board LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Baltimore City Landmark List - Abell Building FOR the purpose of designating the Abell Building, 329-335 West Baltimore  Street, as a historical landmark.

12-0126 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request of:  Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation URBAN AFFAIRS AND AGING COMMITTEE Baltimore City Landmark List - Appold-Faust Building FOR the purpose of designating the Appold-Faust Building, 307-309 West  Baltimore Street, as a historical landmark.

12-0127 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request of:  Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation URBAN AFFAIRS AND AGING COMMITTEE Baltimore City Landmark List - Baltimore Equitable Society Building FOR the purpose of designating the Baltimore Equitable Society Building, 21  North Eutaw Street, as a historical landmark.

12-0128 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request of:  Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation URBAN AFFAIRS AND AGING COMMITTEE Baltimore City Landmark List - Equitable Building FOR the purpose of designating the Equitable Building, 10-12 North Calvert Street,  as a historical landmark.

12-0129 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request of:  Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation URBAN AFFAIRS AND AGING COMMITTEE Baltimore City Landmark List - Old Town National Bank Building FOR the purpose of designating the Old Town National Bank Building, 221 North  Gay Street, as a historical landmark.

12-0130 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request of:  Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation URBAN AFFAIRS AND AGING COMMITTEE Baltimore City Landmark List - St. Alphonsus Hall FOR the purpose of designating St. Alphonsus Hall, 125 West Saratoga Street, as a  historical landmark.

12-0131 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request of:  Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation URBAN AFFAIRS AND AGING COMMITTEE Baltimore City Landmark List - Terminal Warehouse Building FOR the purpose of designating the Terminal Warehouse Building, 320 Guilford  Avenue, as a historical landmark.

12-0132 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request of:  Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation URBAN AFFAIRS AND AGING COMMITTEE Baltimore City Landmark List - Turnbull Building FOR the purpose of designating the Turnbull Building, 311-313 West Baltimore  Street, as a historical landmark.

12-0133 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) ORDINANCE At the request of:  Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation URBAN AFFAIRS AND AGING COMMITTEE Baltimore City Landmark List: Public Interiors - St. Mark’s Evangelical  Lutheran Church FOR the purpose of designating St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1920  Saint Paul Street, as a historical landmark: public interior.

12-0134 Sponsors: Carl Stokes ORDINANCE URBAN AFFAIRS AND AGING COMMITTEE Baltimore City Landmark List - Frederick Douglass High School FOR the purpose of designating Frederick Douglass High School, 2301 Gwynns  Falls Parkway, as a historical landmark.

12-0135 Sponsors: Nick Mosby ORDINANCE URBAN AFFAIRS AND AGING COMMITTEE Zoning - Conditional Use Parking, Open Off-Street Area - 3012 Clifton  Avenue FOR the purpose of permitting, subject to certain conditions, the establishment,  maintenance, and operation of a parking, open off-street area on the property  known as 3012 Clifton Avenue, as outlined in red on the accompanying plat.

12-0136 Sponsors: Nick Mosby ORDINANCE At the request of:  Gospel Tabernacle Baptist Church, c/o Danielle Zoller, Esq., Gordon  Feinblatt, LLC LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Fells Point Historic District FOR the purpose of modifying the area designated as the Fells Point Historic  District to exclude Block 1830, Lots 30, 31, and 32/33, and Block 1832, Lots 1/4,  5/12, and 13 through 24; and restating the boundaries of the District.

12-0137 Sponsors: James B. Kraft ORDINANCE URBAN AFFAIRS AND AGING COMMITTEE Transit and Traffic - Commercial Vehicles FOR the purpose of defining "passenger car", as used in an exception to vehicles  having commercial advertising; conforming that and certain other elements of the  definitions of "commercial vehicle"; correcting and clarifying related provisions;  and generally relating to the regulation of commercial vehicles.

12-0138 Sponsors: James B. Kraft ORDINANCE LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Waste Haulers - Short-Term License  FOR the purpose of authorizing waste haulers to apply for either an annual license  or a 90-day license from the Health Commissioner; correcting, clarifying, and  conforming related provisions; and generally relating to the licensing and  regulation of waste haulers.

12-0139 Sponsors: James B. Kraft ORDINANCE JUDICIARY AND LEGISLATIVE INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE Resolutions Introduced Informational Hearing and Roundtable Discussion on Developments Affecting  the Education of Older Teens and Young Adults in Baltimore City FOR the purpose of assessing the status and efficiency of Maryland’s GED  program in Baltimore City; determining the impact of Senate Bill 362’s increase to  18 of the age for mandatory education in Maryland and the local school system’s  “adult education” plans to attract, retain and successfully educate these older  students; and examining the State’s blueprint for adopting a GED Options Program  in response to the SB 362 mandate.

12-0066R Sponsors: Mary Pat Clarke RESOLUTION EDUCATION AND YOUTH COMMITTEE Informational Hearing - Intergenerational Recreation Centers FOR the purpose of calling on representatives from the agencies concerned with  recreational and enrichment programming for both seniors and children to appear  before the City Council to discuss the possibility of creating intergenerational  recreation centers in Baltimore and expanding intergenerational programming that  benefits Baltimoreans of all ages.

12-0067R Sponsors: William "Pete" Welch RESOLUTION RECREATION AND PARKS COMMITTEE A Celebration of Art Modell's Life FOR the purpose of celebrating the remarkable life of Arthur B. Modell, recognizing  the central role he played in restoring the presence of professional football in  Baltimore City, highlighting his extraordinary efforts in reinvigorating the NFL and  making the Baltimore Ravens a winning team - an achievement that fills Baltimoreans  with pride; and wishing the Ravens a triumphant season in honor of Mr. Modell's  legacy.

12-0068R Sponsors: President Young RESOLUTION IMMEDIATE ADOPTION Consent Calendar   (See Section A at back of Agenda) 2R Second Reader Land Use and Transportation Rezoning - Properties in the Coldstream Homestead Montebello Urban  Renewal Area FOR the purpose of changing the zoning for certain properties in the Coldstream  Homestead Montebello Urban Renewal Area: as outlined in red on the  accompanying plats, from the B-1-2 Zoning District to the R-6 Zoning District; as  outlined in pink on the accompanying plats, from the B-2-2 Zoning District to the  R-6 Zoning District; as outlined in lavender on the accompanying plats, from the  R-7 Zoning District to the R-6 Zoning District; as outlined in turquoise on the  accompanying plats, from the R-7-P Zoning District to the R-6 Zoning District; and  as outlined in blue on the accompanying plats, from the R-8 Zoning District to the  R-6 Zoning District.

12-0097 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) REPORTED FAVORABLE WITH AMENDMENT Taxation, Finance and Economic Development Tide Point Special Taxing District FOR the purpose of designating a "special taxing district" to be known as the "Tide  Point Special Taxing District"; providing for and determining various matters in  connection with the establishment of the special taxing district; creating a special  fund for the special taxing district; providing for the levy of a special tax on all  taxable real and personal property located in the special taxing district; providing  for a special effective date; and generally providing for matters relating to the  designation and operation of the special taxing district, the establishment and use of  the special fund, the issuance and payment of bonds issued in connection with the  special taxing district, the replenishment of any reserve fund, and the payment of  certain expenses and administrative costs related to the operation of the special  taxing district.

12-0086 Sponsors: City Council President (Administration) REPORTED FAVORABLE Approving the Submission of an Application to the State of Maryland for the  Expansion of Baltimore City's Consolidated Enterprise Zone FOR the purpose of approving the submission of an application to the State of  Maryland for the expansion of Baltimore City's Consolidated Enterprise Zone.

12-0062R Sponsors: City Council President (Administration), James B. Kraft, Brandon M.  Scott, Rochelle 'Rikki' Spector, Sharon Green Middleton, Helen L. Holton,  Edward L. Reisinger, Warren Branch, Mary Pat Clarke and William "Pete"  Welch REPORTED FAVORABLE WITH AMENDMENT 3R Third Reader Third Reader (to be held one meeting) Rezoning - A Portion of 1201-1207 Dundalk Avenue (to be Known as 1201  Dundalk Avenue) FOR the purpose of changing the zoning for a portion of the properties known as  1201-1207 Dundalk Avenue (to be known as 1201 Dundalk Avenue), as outlined in  red on the accompanying plat, from the R-3 Zoning District to the B-2-2 Zoning  District.

12-0024 Sponsors: James B. Kraft Third Reader (for final passage) Zoning - Conditional Use Parking, Open Off-Street Area - 1201-1207 Dundalk  Avenue (to be Known as 1201 Dundalk Avenue) FOR the purpose of permitting, subject to certain conditions, the establishment,  maintenance, and operation of a parking, open off-street area on the properties  known as 1201-1207 Dundalk Avenue (to be known as 1201 Dundalk Avenue), as  outlined in red on the accompanying plat. 12-0025 Sponsors: James B. Kraft Baltimore City Landmark List - Shelley House FOR the purpose of designating the Shelley House, 3849 Roland Avenue, as a  historical landmark.

12-0052 Sponsors: Mary Pat Clarke and Sharon Green Middleton Committee Announcements Announcements                   

REMEMBER TO SIGN UP TO SPEAK AT THESE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING BY GOING TO THEIR WEBSITE AND LETTING THEM KNOW ON WHAT YOU WILL SPEAK!!!

 THE NEXT MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL   WILL BE HELD ON MONDAY,  SEPTEMBER 24, 2012, AT 5:00 P.M. Adjournment Cable Hearing Schedule WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 AT 5:00 P.M. Budget and Appropriations Committee, Councilmember Holton - Chair

12-0058R - City Agency Adoption of Recreation Centers WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2012 AT 5:00 P.M. Housing and Community Development Committee,
Councilmember Henry - Chair

12-0064R - Informational Hearing - Lessons Learned from the
June Derecho


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BELOW YOU SEE JACK YOUNG CHAMPIONING HIGHER WAGES FOR ALL.  JACK YOUNG IS GROUND ZERO FOR ALL THE ENTERPRISE ZONES AND THEIR EXPLOITATION OF WORKERS AND THE CIRCUMVENTING OF LABOR LAWS ALLOWING CONTRACTORS TO AVOID BALTIMORE'S WAGE AND WORKPLACE LAWS.  HE IS DOING THAT.  HE WILL GIVE A GOOD SHOW ON FIGHTING FOR THE PEOPLE, BUT YOU DON'T GET TO BE COUNCIL PRESIDENT AT A TIME ENTERPRISE ZONES ARE GOING CRAZY IF YOU ARE NOT WORKING FOR THOSE DEVELOPERS.  WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT HOW THINGS ARE WORKING FOR US AND IF THEY AREN'T WORKING, IT IS THE LEADERSHIP THAT IS MAKING IT THAT WAY.  WE KNOW THAT RAWLINGS-BLAKE AND JACK YOUNG ARE AS COMPETITIVE AND DRIVEN AS DEVELOPERS WOULD WANT.

VOTE YOUR INCUMBENT OUT!!!! 

Fighting for Equal Wages

Dear Baltimoreans,

A majority of my colleagues on the City Council and I sent a clear message to federal officials on Monday about the need to increase the federal minimum wage, which has not been adjusted in more than 3 years.

Photo courtesy of The Center for American Progress Action Fund.

I was proud to have 13 of my colleagues stand with me in support of adopting my resolution calling on Congress to raise the federal minimum wage, which historically has not kept pace with inflation. Baltimoreans, and workers nationwide, deserve to be fairly compensated for their hard work.

The resolution was assigned to the Labor Committee, which will hold a hearing in the coming weeks.

Monday’s legislative action followed a recent push by the City Council, community and labor leaders who met at City Hall last month to demand that Congress pass the “Rebuild America Act,” which Democrats hope to soon bring to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation would raise the federal minimum wage for nearly 30 million American workers. Included in this figure are the nearly 1 million tipped workers – like waitresses, car wash attendants and nail salon workers – whose minimum wage of $2.13 per hour has remained unchanged for more than 20 years.

Here in Baltimore, the “Rebuild America Act” represents more money for Baltimore’s families to pay for everyday necessities, like groceries and prescription medications. Many of these families, unfortunately, are struggling to remain part of the middle class. For them, the “Rebuild America Act” represents an opportunity to receive a fair wage in exchange for their hard work and daily contributions to growing America’s economy.
Baltimore was one of just three major U.S. cities, along with Detroit and Cleveland, to experience a population decline in the last census. During the exodus of working families between 2000 and 2010, the city lost on average eight residents a day.

Baltimore’s dwindling population has paralleled the decline in good family-sustaining jobs in the once thriving regional shipping and manufacturing center. Currently, just 6 percent of all jobs in the city are in mid-wage manufacturing, while over 90 percent are in the low-paying service sector. 

Too many of our neighbors are struggling to make ends meet on wages that have not kept up with the cost of rent, food or transportation. Too many good jobs in Baltimore have been replaced by low-wage jobs. If we don’t raise wages soon for our lowest paid workers, it will mean more families leaving our city, more small businesses that depend on consumer spending shutting their doors for good and more vacant homes in our communities. Our city can’t afford inaction on this issue.

I am encouraging every Baltimore City resident to call, email, write, Tweet and Facebook your federal legislators and tell them that you support the “Rebuild America Act” and demand that they do too.

Click HERE or visit http://mdelect.net/ to find your local, state, and federal officials.



Bernard C. “Jack” Young
President, Baltimore City Council




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AS FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES ARE SLASHING AUDIT FUNDING AT THE TIME FRAUD IS ESCALATING, WE ARE STRUGGLING IN BALTIMORE FOR A SIMPLE SEMBLENCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY.  REMEMBER, AUDITS, ESPECIALLY AT THE START, BRING TONS OF REVENUE BACK TO GOVERNMENT COFFERS AND PAYS FOR ITSELF....THIS ISN'T A FUNDING ISSUE.  AS AUDITS CLEAN THE SYSTEM OF WASTE AND FRAUD, THEN AUDITS BECOME LESS FREQUENT.

Inside City Hall: Cutting through the audits bill static
Fern Shen July 18, 2012 at 5:05 pm  Baltimore Brew 

Categories Tuesday’s appearance on the Marc Steiner show by several City Council members offered some insight into the Rawlings-Blake administration’s talking points as it pushes back against audit reform and the legislation is gradually whittled down.

Two councilmen who voted to substantially weaken the bill Monday night sought to alternately portray the situation as either not so bad or quite terrible – and the fault of the city comptroller.

“There’s a couple of things that are important to note and important to reiterate. This city already does an annual audit,” said Councilman William H. Cole IV, a close ally of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. “It is untrue to continue to say publicly the city isn’t auditing its funds.”

What he was referring to was the city’s annual Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (or CAFR). Readers can see an example of one HERE and note that it is a general review of the city’s finances, dependent on city finance officials to supply accurate totals for broad categories of city government functions.

Councilman Bill Henry speaks against the amendments that weakened the audits bill at Monday’s meeting. Council members Mary Pat Clarke and Bill Cole sit at the opposite end of the chambers. (Photo by Mark Reutter)

In the introduction to the 2009 Baltimore CAFR linked to above, auditors Ernst & Young note that the document is part of “a broader federally mandated ‘Single Audit’ designed to meet the special needs of federal grantor agencies.”

It is not the kind of agency-specific financial audit conducted frequently and routinely in other cities and sought by many citizens in Baltimore now as a way to root out possible waste or mismanagement and review agency books on a schedule comparable to those of such cities as Philadelphia or Dallas.

Also appearing on the WEAA 88.9FM radio show was Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke, who called Cole on this point.

“Bill, before we go forward, the finance director and you both affirmed yesterday [that] yes [this is an audit] of the city as a whole, not of individual agencies,” Clarke said.

Cole acknowledged that she was right by saying, “Correct. There are presently no agency-level audits being done except for those that are revenue-producing like the Parking Authority and the Baltimore Development Corporation.”

And yet he returned to the “we-do-annual-audits” argument several more times.

Coming About!

Switching gears, Cole then complained about the lack of audits and blasted Comptroller Joan M. Pratt’s office for not conducting them. (Pratt and Mayor Rawlings-Blake have not been getting along recently, with the former accusing the later of engaging in “fraud, waste and abuse” over a disputed VOIP phone system.)

“We have a comptroller’s office with a department of audits,” Cole said. “Brandon Scott stood up on the floor last night and. . .  said it accurately: ‘Why is it that these agencies haven’t been audited in his lifetime?’ And that’s what I’d like to know.”

So why did Cole oppose several versions of the audits bill up until the greatly-scaled back version approved by a preliminary Council vote on Monday? (It now specifies a charter amendment that would mean audits every four years for 13 city agencies, with the process not starting until 2014.)

Cost, Cole said.

“We’ve never seen a fiscal note for it, we’ve never been able to put a dollar figure on it,” he explained.

“If we hadn’t held up this bill so long in trying to come up with compromises to get it passed,” Clarke put in dryly, “maybe we would have had time – during the budget process, even – to figure out what it would cost.”

(Actually, city budget chief Andrew Kleine wrote in May that the annual cost of conducting financial audits under the legislation could be $1 million or more.)

Clarke questioned what Pratt’s audit department does with its 33 auditors, and Steiner noted that San Diego has 15 full-time auditors and a $2.7 million audit budget (much smaller than Baltimore’s) and yet in 2011 identified $37.8 million for the the city in potential recoveries.

Cole chided Clarke (“Councilwoman, they’ve said that they don’t have enough resources to do it right now.”), but added, “We need to get the Comptroller in here.”

Performance (Review) Anxiety

Another confusing part of the radio show conversation was the discussion of performance audits, which are a broader examination of government agencies’ ability to meet policy goals rather than financial audits, a hard-nosed accounting of specific expenditures.

In Monday’s wrangling over the legislation, the Mayor’s council allies had fought for a bill that would specify only performance audits. (Clarke succeeded in blocking them, and retaining financial audits.)

Councilman Nick Mosby, who voted Monday in favor of the amendments to weaken the audits bill, insisted that he was “all for audits.”

When asked by Steiner why then he had voted against requiring them of all agencies every two years, Mosby’s reply seemed to be that requiring audits annually would be hard and unusual (“It would make Baltimore unlike any other city in the world!”) and that performance audits would be especially hard (“Do you know how hard that is? Performance audits, Marc?!”).

Councilman Bill Henry, who tried on Monday to table the amendments sought by the mayor’s office, touched on a central question behind the debate.

Do citizens and top city leaders know how public money is being spent?

“My suspicion would be that in departments they have records of what they’re doing  that are not mirrored in the Finance Department,” Henry said, “and that what’s on the city’s books is not a 100 per cent picture of what financial activity each agency is doing.”

Later in the conversation Cole returned to that point and disputed it, saying firmly “Baltimore City has one set of books.”




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City Council reverses itself, passes Rawlings-Blake budget in full By a 9-to-5 vote, Council votes down Young's amended budget, then approves the mayor's original budget. Mark Reutter June 21, 2012 at 8:16 pm   Baltimore Brew 

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake speaking at a community event.


Categories Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake won a huge political victory tonight as the City Council voted against the very $6.1 million in savings it passed on Monday, paving the way for her original budget to go into effect without any changes.

The net effect of the Council’s action will be the elimination of three fire companies starting July 2 and a reduction in the number of municipal rec centers in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods later in the year.

Essentially, the Council members who wanted to amend the mayor’s budget – led by City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young – failed to get the eight votes needed to pass their proposal.

Two Councilmen who had supported a number of amendments on Monday – James B. Kraft and Nick Mosby – voted against the amended budget tonight.

Another supporter of some of Monday’s amendments, William “Pete” Welch, also voted against the package tonight.

Young’s ally, Carl Stokes, did not attend the meeting, which left only four Council members supporting the amended budget with the council president. They were Warren Branch, Mary Pat Clarke, Bill Henry and Helen Holton.

The six Council members who joined Kraft, Welch and Mosby in defeating the amended budget were Brandon Scott, Robert Curran, Rochelle “Rikki” Spector, Sharon Green Middleton, Edward Reisinger and William H. Cole IV.

Defeat for Young


Today’s votes by the Council’s “committee as a whole” – the Council is expected to ratify the mayor’s budget formally on Monday – were a bitter defeat for City Council Young and his “Better Baltimore” budget supported by the firefighters unions and a number of community groups.

Because the City Council cannot increase the city’s budget, Young had crafted a plan to cut items from the mayor’s budget in hopes that she would allocate those savings into increased expenditures for rec centers and keeping three fire companies (Trucks 10 and 15 and Squad 11) from closing.

However, through her budget officer, Andrew Kleine, the mayor signaled that she would not shift her budget priorities and, instead, would allot any money removed by the Council to a small decrease in the city’s property tax rate.

Mayor: Budget Designed to Grow Baltimore

Tonight, the mayor’s office thanked the City Council for their support in the showdown votes and emphasized that her budget “was built around our vision for growing Baltimore’s population by 10,000 families in the next 10 years.”

According to the mayor’s statement, her budget “closes a $48 million deficit while fully funding the city’s obligations to public schools, continuing an aggressive plan to hire hundreds of new police officers to keep crime going down and providing funding for street repair and blight elimination” – while cutting property taxes by 2 cents (0.08%) next year.

She said the budget would increase funding for the YouthWorks summer jobs program, keep neighborhood library branches open and improve after school programs.

In a battling media release tonight, Young said, “I am deeply disappointed that a majority of my colleagues on the City Council decided to vote against the priorities that the citizens of Baltimore repeatedly asked us to support.

He said the cuts proposed in the defeated amendments “would have allowed the city to keep all recreation centers open, increase the number of youth summer jobs, increase after school slots for our children . . .  and keep all city fire companies open.”

A number of activist groups, including the Safe and Sound Campaign, held news conferences and staged events this afternoon in support of Young’s amended budget.



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AS WE APPRECIATE THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT DO SUPPORT THESE ISSUES, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THESE EFFORTS MAY BE CALCULATED.  AS MANY OF THOSE WHO VOTED TO AUDIT HAPPEN TO BE IN JOHNS HOPKINS DISTRICTS, AND AS JOHNS HOPKINS IS THE POWER BEHIND MOST OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND BY EXTENSION, FRAUD IN THE CITY, WE WILL BE WATCHING!

City Council kills audit plan in surprise 8-7 vote Sponsor Carl Stokes says Mayor Rawlings-Blake tipped the scales against the bill. Mark Reutter June 25, 2012 at 9:35 pm Baltimore Brew

Carl Stokes accused three city councilmen of switching their votes to defeat the audit bill.

Photo by: Mark Reutter

Categories A bill that would have placed on the November ballot a plan to audit city agencies every two years was defeated today in the City Council.

Sponsor Carl Stokes said he was “stunned” by the 7-8 rejection, and charged three councilmen with switching their votes under pressure from the mayor’s office.

“I was completely thrown for a loop,” Stokes said, of the “nay” votes of Councilmen William H. Cole IV, Nick Mosby and William “Pete” Welch, all of whom Stokes said promised to support the bill. (Welch was one of the sponsors of the bill.)

The bill was believed to have had the lukewarm support of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, whose administration at first opposed the bill as too costly, until the mayor released a letter on June 12 suggesting that City Comptroller Joan Pratt should conduct audits of large city agencies “on a routine basis.”

Yesterday, however, the mayor’s representative on the City Council, Edward Reisinger, took the initiative in quickly moving the bill to a vote under the steady gaze of Kim Washington, deputy director of government and community affairs, and other members of the mayor’s inner circle.

“The mayor didn’t like this bill because of the person who sponsored it,” Stokes told The Brew. “I am bothered by the lack of civility of my colleagues and by the mayor’s office. This is not the way to do good legislation.”

Not Audited in Decades

Stokes’ bill had gained popular momentum in the last two months after it was revealed that most city agencies have not been audited since the reign of Mayor William Donald Schaefer in the 1980s, if not earlier.

“No one remembers when departments, such as Recreation and Parks, were audited last,” Stokes said, adding, “In truth, we don’t know if the numbers we are voting on in the budget are real. All this bill asked the City Council to do is to allow the voters to decide whether they want audits.”

Referring to Cole, Mosby and Welch, Stokes said in an interview, “They not only had told me they support this [bill], they said they were enthusiastic about it – that it makes good sense.”

The bill also had the support of community activists and several former city officials.

“Nay” Voters Say they Support Audits

Mosby and Welch said this evening that they fully support agency audits, but had reservations about the Stokes bill.

“I’m always a friend of auditing. My career started in auditing,” said Welch, who represents West Baltimore. But he said, “I’m not sure you need to bring the process and policy before the voters. If you do, each voter will spend an hour in the voter booth, micromanaging the system.”

Noting that the defeated audit bill was sent back to the Council’s Judiciary Committee for further review, Welch said, “I’ll have wonderful amendments for Carl’s bill. I’d like to support it in a different form.”

Mosby said that his “no” vote today should not be interpreted as being against audits. “I’m in favor, but it has to be effective,” he said after the vote.

He faulted the Stokes bill for calling for the audits of all city agencies every two years, rather than being more selective.

“[The bill] gives a pretense to voters that we’ll do [audit] 30 or 40 different agencies. The likelihood of that would be slim. I want something to be effective instead of currying to your emotions. That means a focus on agencies that have the size and budget that makes sense to audit.”

Mosby, who represents parts of northwest and north Baltimore, called for auditing rules that are “dynamic,” and faulted the Stokes approach to auditing as “static.”

Fellow councilman, Brandon Scott, who voted against the bill, said he, too, supported audits, but warned against “a cobra that has no venom.”

In order for audits to be effective in Baltimore, Scott said, the mayor, department heads and the City Council have to “all come together and make this happen. Then we’d have something that is good.”

Cole did not return a phone call seeking comment tonight.

Vote Breakdown

Cole, Mosby, Reisinger, Scott and Welch joined Robert Curran, Rochelle “Rikki” Spector and Sharon Green Middleton in opposing the bill.

The Councilmen voting in favor were in addition to Stokes: James B. Kraft, Bill Henry, Helen Holton, Warren Branch, Mary Pat Clarke and City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young

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WE NEED TO KNOW THAT JACK YOUNG AND CARL STOKES DID NOT JUST SUDDENLY DECIDE TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT.  THEY ARE FEELING A LOT OF PRESSURE FROM THEIR CONSTITUENTS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS TO DO THE RIGHT THING OR LOSE THEIR JOB.  WE KNOW THAT SIMPLY PUTTING A PLAN OR SHOUTING A TIME OR TWO WON'T MAKE THESE TWO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS COMMUNITY LEADERS RATHER THAN CORPORATE POLITICIANS, SO WE WILL BE WATCHING JUST HOW A MAJORITY COUNCIL MOVES THESE PEOPLE ACTIONS AROUND A CORPORATE MAYOR.  

City Council president to unveil spending plan
 By Julie Scharper 6:00 a.m. EDT, June 4, 2012  Baltimore Sun

Baltimore City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young plans to unveil a plan Monday that he says will prevent fire companies and recreation centers from closing, double funding for youth summer jobs and after-school programs and lessen the cost of planned cuts to health benefits for employees and retirees.

“My 'Plan for a Better Baltimore' builds on the mayor’s goal to grow Baltimore by 10,000 families over the next decade by investing in services that save lives and will help to attract and retain residents,” Young said in a statement. “Paying for these services through thoughtful reductions in city spending will help to improve the quality of life for countless citizens.”

Young says he can generate about $17 million by trimming nearly $4.8 million from city agencies, eliminating more than 50 vacant positions, tapping into a health care rainy day fund and other tweaks. He also believes that speed cameras will net about $3.5 million more than the current budget forecasts.

Young hopes to increase rec center funding by as much as $2.8 million, fund an additional $1.6 million in summer jobs for young people and boost funds for after-school programs by $4.6 million. He would also reverse planned cuts to the Experience Corps program, which brings retirees to help out in city school classrooms.

Young and the other council members have until the end of the month to pass a balanced city budget. They have heard weeks of testimony regarding the budget proposal MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blake’s administration rolled out in March.

That budget patches a $48 million shortfall in the city’s $3 billion operating budget through a number of trims and by increasing health care costs for employees and retirees. 

Rawlings-Blake proposed permanently closing three of the city’s 55 fire companies, eliminating a system of cost-cutting rolling company closures that has been in place for three years. Firefighter unions strongly oppose the closures and say they could slow response times to fires.

The mayor has also warned that as many as 14 of the city’s more than 50 rec centers could be shuttered in August if private operators cannot be found to run them. Rawlings-Blake plans to boost funding and programs at 30 of the centers, while turning the other centers to third-party groups or the school system.

In 2009, Rawlings-Blake, than council president, and Young, then the budget committee chair, teamed up to propose similar changes to Mayor Sheila Dixon's budget.

Copyright © 2012, The Baltimore Sun


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Harbor Point off new Enterprise Zone map 
Posted: 6:49 pm Thu, May 3, 2012
By Alexander Pyles
Daily Record Business Writer

Baltimore’s proposed new Enterprise Zone map excludes the waterfront Harbor Point parcel in Harbor East, complicating the developer’s plans to build a $120 million office tower for Exelon Corp. The map — which outlines areas eligible for large property tax credits — was approved Thursday in a 4-0 vote by the Baltimore City Council’s Taxation, Finance ... BELIEVE ME, THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF WE WERE NOT SHOUTING LOUDLY AND STRONGLY!
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Dogs to get their day in new Mt. Vernon park By: Melody Simmons
Maryland Daily Record

City officials and mid-town community activists are preparing to open a new dog park at Centre and Howard Streets.    Howard’s Park, a tiny sliver of green near the light rail station on Centre Street, will soon open as an off-leash island for four-footed friends of all sizes. The park will be fenced off this spring and separated into three sections, one for large dogs, one for smaller dogs and a place in between for dog owners to “gather and socialize,” according to a community newsletter from the Mt. Vernon-Belvedere Association.
Planners for the park are hoping to raise an additional $5,000 for the effort to complete construction, the newsletter said. Already, the city, the MVBA and the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy have contributed to the new park.

THIS IS HOW THE CITY AND POWER-BROKERS MAKE THESE TRANSITIONS OF PUBLIC TO PRIVATE....INCREMENTALLY.  THESE DOG OWNERS ARE A LARGE CONSTITUENT OF THE CHARLES STREET PARK.....THE CHARLES STREET PARK IS A VALUABLE PUBLIC ASSET.......GOING PRIVATE IF PEOPLE DO NOT SHOUT LOUDLY AND STRONGLY.  CHECK TO SEE IF MY COMMENTS MAKE 'MODERATION'.  WILL PEOPLE USE A DOG PARK SPACE IN AN AREA  THAT MANY FEEL TO BE VERY UNSAFE?

1. Cindy Walsh says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.
   April 29, 2012 at 7:51 pm The Conservancy is seeking a public/private partnership from the city for the Mt. Vernon Park at Charles and Cathedral. It will involve cash from the city and a sign-off of city rights regarding public use of this park. The dog park is the first step in moving the public out. This park has historically provided the city with a revenue source and a chance to give to all citizens a space for entertainment.
   
   Think of how many tax revenue sources in the form of tax credits this Mayor and the current Governor has given to the Johns Hopkins Development Corporation…….we could rebuild all our schools with the money over a few decades!
   
   

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April 23, 2012 Baltimore City Council Meeting

Bill 12-0066   Payments in Lieu of Taxes
Baltimore Development Corporation ---- Lexington Square Project

All City Council members vote for it.

This is a huge tax credit for a development that will be luxury/affluent

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Bill 12-0024R   Increased funding for After-School Programs

All City Council members voted for it....the Mayor has said she want to cut this.....we'll see.

You should thank BUILD organization for the pressure they are placing on politicians for this vote!  The question----does all this money go to the Enterprise Zone?  Think that all the tax credits given by these same council members would end the need to vote for increases?  YOU BETCHA!
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Bill 12-0040  Targeted Homeowner's Tax Credit  -  Tax credit Disclosures

All City Council members vote for it.

This is the program used to get professionals to move into Enterprise Zones.  It adds to the property tax imbalance in the city where high-value homes/income earners are getting these tax breaks, selecting out the wealthiest for property tax expenses.  Many in this group will be donating to the charter school in their community rather than the public education general fund, further damaging our public schools.

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I went to my Baltimore Board of Estimates meeting this week to see how my tax money was being spent.  If you have a corrupt governmental body....this is where it happens.  I glanced through this week's city funding agenda.....a substantial packet indeed, as I listened to an impassioned plea from a local minority-owned contractor protesting the city's granting of a contract to another bidder.  Both the funding packet and the protested bid gives insight as to how the city works against the needs of the people in its policies as well as its funding.

First let's look at the packet and the funding the city is approving this week.  My next blog will speak to the disputed bid I mention above. 

Civic Works at The Clifton Mansion
2701 Saint Lo Drive
Baltimore, Maryland 21213
410.366.8533

With a strong work ethic and a focus on education and skills training, Civic Works continues to kindle positive change in the lives of Baltimore's young adults and in our communities.

- Martin O'Malley

East Baltimore Development Corporation - Johns Hopkins University
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 Parks & People Foundation
Our Mission Statement
The Parks & People Foundation is dedicated to supporting a wide range of recreational and educational opportunities; creating and sustaining beautiful and lively parks; and promoting a healthy natural environment for Baltimore

Greater Homewood Development Corporation - Johns Hopkins University
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Westside Development Initiative

 The WestSide Initiative area is an aggressive public/private partnership for redevelopment to renew the west side of downtown Baltimore

Baltimore Development Corporation - Johns Hopkins University
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Johns Hopkins Hospital Medical Center
Infrastructure and community health programs
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Classic Coldspring North LLC
Affluent community  infrastructure development
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Maintenance of property donated to the city ----former residence of Johns Hopkins, property near Johns Hopkins or Westside Development
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East Baltimore Development Corporation - East Baltimore Community School Board  -- Johns Hopkins University
___________________________________________________________  Johns Hopkins would like to have you think they are altruistic.  The people who are stakeholders in the areas Hopkins is developing would beg to differ.  With a death-grip on city and state government, they work to defund these communities by blocking resources while the community crumbles.  They block any legislation that raises the minimum wage from double poverty $7.25 (I made that in high school 40 years ago....whoops, I showed my age).  Hopkins is like a great big vacuum that sucks all of Baltimore's revenue up (remember, they are getting trillions in federal funding for research and billions in state tax money for community services and development).

Mayor Rawlings-Blake and the city council members are devoted to Hopkins.  Since the Hopkins campuses are all over the city, there isn't a district that doesn't have Hopkins interests in mind.  THIS IS BALTIMORE'S CHALLENGE TO CRONYISM AND CORRUPTION...ELECTING POLITICIANS WHO WILL WORK FOR THE PEOPLE AND NOT CORPORATIONS.