City Agencies

Citing numerous examples of waste and mismanagement, a citizens group appointed to analyze city services recommended that Baltimore study privatizing trash collection, create a program to quickly dispose of vacant houses and consider extracting property taxes from nonprofits such as hospitals and schools. The 150-member transition committee, selected by Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake to advise her as she took the reins of city government, blasts the Department of Housing and Community Development in particular, saying it "appears to lack a clear and coherent vision for revitalizing ... neighborhoods."

Let's be honest and place Baltimore City's budgeting and spending problems into proper context. The lavish spending of public funds to fix up the offices of Jerome Oberlton, chief information officer for Baltimore City schools, is really nothing new. Neither is the recently announced closing of four Baltimore recreation centers. Frankly, the underprivileged children and families of Baltimore City are only too used to such things. Schools CEO Andrés Alonso called the spending by Mr. Oberlton a "bad judgment call," but the fact is, we have a governmental culture in this city that has a recurring history of similarly bad calls.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake plans to merge several city agencies, abolishing as many as 15 positions and saving up to $1.5 million, The Baltimore Sun has learned. Under the plan, the Commission on Aging would be folded into the Health Department, while the community relations, wage and disabilities commissions would be consolidated under a new Office of Civil Rights, according to a senior official who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the changes.

It is the clearest sign of the direction historic preservation may be going: Even a building called Government House, a 19th-century mansion in Baltimore's Midtown neighborhood, is now in private hands. While some history buffs were horrified to learn last week that cash-strapped Baltimore is considering the sale or lease of 15 other historic properties — prompting fears that "For Sale By Owner" signs would sprout on such icons as the Shot Tower and the War Memorial Building — preservationists say that, increasingly, this is what cities and states must do to save them.

The leaders of some city agencies are pushing to significantly restrict legislation that would require developers to include affordable units in all Baltimore residential projects, but the City Council sponsors of the bill are sticking by their original plan. Members of a politically connected coalition of religious groups, urban advocacy organizations and unions who have been pushing for affordable housing reform had strong words - and blunt threats - yesterday for those who might want to weaken the initiative.

Mayor Martin O'Malley has asked most city agencies to cut their expenses by 2.5 percent to help prevent a budget shortfall that could range between $4 million and $10 million by June 30. The size of the budget gap this fiscal year will depend upon how tax revenues hold up in the wilting economy and whether the city will be hit by cuts in state and federal funding, city officials said. Most city agencies are still calculating what the cutbacks will mean. The police and fire departments as well as the state's attorney's office are exempt from the cuts.

Let's be honest and place Baltimore City's budgeting and spending problems into proper context. The lavish spending of public funds to fix up the offices of Jerome Oberlton, chief information officer for Baltimore City schools, is really nothing new. Neither is the recently announced closing of four Baltimore recreation centers. Frankly, the underprivileged children and families of Baltimore City are only too used to such things. Schools CEO Andrés Alonso called the spending by Mr. Oberlton a "bad judgment call," but the fact is, we have a governmental culture in this city that has a recurring history of similarly bad calls.

The city's Board of Estimates approved $4,500 Wednesday for costs associated with sending two police officers to accompany the mayor on a summer vacation in Miami. "This is a system that has been instituted by prior mayors that my administration also carries out," said Mayor Sheila Dixon when asked about incurring the expense at a time when many city agencies, including the Police Department, are facing cuts. "I think that we are very aware of the many constraints that we face," Dixon said.

The city will host its annual Back to School Rally Tuesday from 3 to 8 p.m., at the public school system's headquarters, 200 E. North Ave.. An estimated 4,000 students and their parents are expected to attend. Students can receive free immunizations, health screenings and school supplies, meet with city representatives, get information about family services and listen to live music. There will also be free haircuts for boys, treats for girls and giveaways for families. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is scheduled to attend from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., along with other elected officials and R&B singer Mario, to motivate students.

I read in The Sun that city agencies are preparing for another round of budget cuts to be submitted in next year's budget ("City agencies preparing for another round of cuts," Oct. 14). Have they ever thought of taking away the vehicles that city employees use every day on the job? Every city, state, and federal government agency gives its employees automobiles to drive to work (and I am sure for their personal use, as well). Private industry does not give vehicles to their employees.

With the newest addition to Open Baltimore, the city's online information portal, residents will finally be able to easily find out how much the Baltimore Fire Department spent on Gatorade in fiscal 2011. Answer: More than $2,000 was paid to Vend Central, a local foodstuffs wholesaler, to keep the city's firefighters hydrated. What about helicopters, you ask? Since September, the police have spent $2.2 million flying "Foxtrot" overhead and shining its floodlights. And just so you know, with only six months remaining in a two-year contract, Charm City's health department has spent less than half of the $20,000 it has allocated to buy the contraceptive Plan B from Teva Pharmaceuticals.

When asked 16 years ago to head Baltimore's economic development agency, M.J. "Jay" Brodie really didn't want the job. The 75-year-old Brodie, who will retire from the Baltimore Development Corp. after serving as president under four mayors, is credited with helping to usher in major waterfront redevelopment, strengthen neighborhood commercial districts and attract and retain employers. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Brodie will leave a legacy as a major contributor to the city's continuing renaissance.

I read in The Sun that city agencies are preparing for another round of budget cuts to be submitted in next year's budget ("City agencies preparing for another round of cuts," Oct. 14). Have they ever thought of taking away the vehicles that city employees use every day on the job? Every city, state, and federal government agency gives its employees automobiles to drive to work (and I am sure for their personal use, as well). Private industry does not give vehicles to their employees.

Baltimore officials are bracing for the potential of another round of deep budget cuts as they draw up early spending plans with an eye toward addressing a "significant" shortfall next year. City agency heads said they were instructed to pare 5 percent of their spending as they craft preliminary budget proposals for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The mayor's spokesman stressed that the administration was in the "very early stages of the budget process," and said that agency heads would be asked to draft proposals for other financial scenarios as well.

In a city that's perpetually looking to cut costs rather than add them, Baltimore Inspector General David McClintock is making a strong case for himself. The independent city watchdog reports that his office detected $1.6 million in waste, fraud and abuse during the 12 months that ended Aug. 20. That's a savings of three times his office's annual budget. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who hired Mr. McClintock, already authorized two new employees for the office this year, and given its track record, she should add more.

Investigations into charges of fraud, waste and unethical behavior saved Baltimore nearly $1.6 million over the last year, the city's inspector general said in a report issued Monday. That's nearly three times the $538,615 annual budget of the six-employee office, which was created in 2005 to root out corruption in government and help city agencies cut costs, Inspector General David McClintock said in the annual report. It is also a record in savings since the office was established, McClintock said, and more than eight times the figure of $187,000 the office reported saving taxpayers in 2009-2010.

A month ago, Roosevelt Grandy had trouble getting to his home as police officers blocked off his West Baltimore neighborhood seeking clues to the afternoon killing of a 21-year-old man gunned down in the street. Yesterday afternoon, Grandy, 77, watched with appreciation from his steps as police returned to the community - one of Baltimore's most violent this year - to set up a different kind of operation, called the Community Safe Zone Project. Using metal barricades and traffic cones, police shut down a five-square-block area in Mondawmin to traffic and flooded the neighborhood with officers.

In a city that's perpetually looking to cut costs rather than add them, Baltimore Inspector General David McClintock is making a strong case for himself. The independent city watchdog reports that his office detected $1.6 million in waste, fraud and abuse during the 12 months that ended Aug. 20. That's a savings of three times his office's annual budget. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who hired Mr. McClintock, already authorized two new employees for the office this year, and given its track record, she should add more.

The Grand Prix is in our rear view mirror, and fans from New York to Georgia seem to have had a good time. The downtown hotels and a few Inner Harbor restaurants got a two-day bump. The city's mayor declared that she gave "Baltimore the opportunity to shine" ("A jubilant finish line for the Grand Prix," Sept. 5). But before declaring victory, lets ask a few questions about the real impact of this event. What opportunities were lost as City Hall became a headquarters for race promotion?