City Council lets budget slide
by Lori Barrett | June 11, 2008 at 7:23 am
Posted in baltimore politics, money
There was hope that Baltimore’s City Council would make some last-minute budget changes — namely, the reinstatement of the two-cent property tax reduction and some funding for youth organizations. That hope is no more.
Last night, the council’s budget committee approved Mayor Dixon’s $2.94 billion budget with very minor changes. The full council is scheduled to vote on the budget next week. (It will likely pass in its current form.)
Dixon’s budget is 10.4 percent larger than last year’s budget. Despite that, last night the council committee made no cuts. One-tenth of one percent of the funds were redirected to other services: $2 million allocated for a parking garage under Inner Harbor’s Rash Field will now be used for recreation centers, $500,000 will now go to the Healthy Neighborhoods program, and $2 million is being redirected toward youth programs (but not the hunger-striking Peer-to-Peer kids).
Although the council president pledged in May to find a way to reinstate the property tax reduction, she never mentioned it in public again since then. Last night, however, council members did agree to form a committee to examine future property-tax relief options.
The lack of cuts to the budget is in stark contrast to surrounding counties: PG County redirected $20 million from the budget into property tax cuts, Harford County cut $18 million from their capital budget, and Montgomery County cut $5.6 million from their spending.
Said Councilman Kraft: “At the end of the day, if you don’t have the mayor’s support for whatever cuts you’re going to make then it makes no sense to go forward.” Even if any changes were made to the budget by City Council, the mayor could redirect the money to her liking.
So what’s the problem here? Does the Mayor have too much power and influence over City Council? Did we elect too many yes-men and not enough watchdogs to the council? Is there any way to change things in Baltimore in our lifetimes?
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June 11th, 2008 at 12:17 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
The answer to all three of those questions is a resounding YES.
1) If the City Council can make changes only to have the mayor ignore them with impunity(as you note in the penultimate paragraph), then there's too much control on her part. We need more of a "checks-and-balances" approach to power in this town.
2) As long as I've lived in Baltimore I've heard complaints about how this has to change, how that has to change, how terrible things are with the crime and the roads and the blight and whatever else, and come election time, everybody lines up and puts the same people back in office.
3) There is a way to change things in this city, but it needs to be drastic and sweeping, and I think that scares a lot of people. But it starts with people making their voices heard. Complaining at the grass roots level does little; making yourself known at City Hall has a greater effect but that's still not enough. This needs to be a combination of making changes in the current government and a willingness to be part of the change.
June 11th, 2008 at 1:28 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
Though not surprised, I am saddened to see the Rash Field project postponed. Aside from a parking garage that is desperately needed, the plan called for a new public park on top of the garage. Baltimore still needs more green space and Rash Field's current condition is an embarrassing rash on an otherwise attractive and successful Inner Harbor.
I don't suppose the budget includes the major overhaul of the Pratt Street corridor. I guess that was just a pipe dream. Why does the BDC even commission the designs for these kinds of things? Just to tease us?
June 11th, 2008 at 1:54 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
This town has been run by crooks and hand-job artists for years...so it's not surprising that it's business as usual at city hall.
Claude your point is spot on - everyone complains year after year...and then come election time...it's the same cast of characters pissing on your leg. But then again, the options are usually pretty limited.
And you're right, "complaining" at a grass roots level changes almost nothing. However moblizing the people to express concern and have their voices heard almost always begins as a grassroots action...and can definitely make a difference.
!
June 12th, 2008 at 10:54 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
I think YCKTR and Claude makes good points. How does one mobilize the people though?