This Year's Budget Balanced a Structural Deficit, Makes Numerous Transformational Investments in Communities Across Baltimore City

BALTIMORE, MD (Monday, June 24, 2024) - Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott, alongside Council President Nick Mosby and members of the City Council, held a signing ceremony for the FY2025 Baltimore City Budget. The budget was passed by the City Council last week on June 17th and will become effective July 1st.

“Through partnership with the City Council, we’ve put forward a budget that rises to meet the important moment our city faces, maintaining our investments in our priorities and services that impact our residents most,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “We’ve overcome a structural deficit, without cutting any city services or eliminating the jobs of any city workers, and while continuing to support our work to overcome the decades of disinvestment that so many of our neighborhoods have faced. This is a budget that reflects our values, strengthens our city services, continues our public-health informed approach to public safety, and benefits all Baltimoreans, no matter where they live.”

“We always want to ensure our citizens have ample resources, and every opportunity to thrive economically no matter their background or zip code. That is the mindset we took into this year’s budget process and after weeks of hearing from the city’s top agencies and community leaders, I’m confident this budget emphasizes that priority,” said Council President Nick Mosby. “I’m proud of how Chair Costello, our team, the Council, and the Administration collaborated to bring forth a budget we can all support. I’m also proud of the legacy this Council leaves on this process having secured - for the first time in over a century - the right to cut and redirect funds in the Mayor’s budget. That balance between the Executive and Legislative branches helped create a more collaborative budgetary experience throughout the year and led to a smoother end result as you saw in the last few weeks.”

The Fiscal Year 2025 Budget was developed using the Pillars reflected in Mayor Scott’s Action Plan: Prioritizing Our Youth, Building Public Safety, Clean and Healthy Communities, Equitable Neighborhood Development, and Responsible Stewardship of City Resources.

The final version of the $4.1 billion budget includes:

• $623 million in investments prioritizing youth, including:
  • $477.1 million for the City’s total operating support to Baltimore City Public Schools, marking another year with a record level of investments in Baltimore’s school system. This represents an increase of 47.7% in funding over the last three fiscal years.
  • Funding to expand offerings to improve engagement with middle school students, particularly at-risk youth, and to support operations to meet the increase in the number of visits to City operated recreational facilities, which is up 208% year-over year.  
     
• $1.12 billion in public safety investments, including:
  • Funding to expand the Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS) to the Eastern and Southern Districts by creating two new positions within MONSE. 
  • Funding for efforts around continued compliance with the Consent Decree and the civilianization plan that allows 66 positions within BPD to be filled by civilians. 
     
• $1 billion in investments for clean and healthy communities, including:
  • Ongoing funding to support 10 additional Solid Waste crews required to continue the restoration of weekly recycling. 
  • $982,000 to implement building-to-grid systems, allowing for better monitoring and control of energy use in City buildings.
  • $500,000 for the Health Department’s Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health service to expand mobile buprenorphine treatment and integrated clinical services.
  • $11.5 million to support operations at temporary homeless shelters, including 8 emergency shelters, throughout the City.
     
• $311.2 million in investments toward equitable neighborhood development, including:
  • An increase in funding from the State of Maryland toward Project CORE, which is critical to jump-starting the City’s vacant housing initiative.
  • $1.1 million in increased funding for new project management and permitting software to support the City’s efforts to digitize and modernize the citywide permitting system.
     
• $208.9 million in investments toward responsible stewardship of city resources, including: 
  • Increased investment to replace assets in the City’s fleet, adding an additional $1.4 million on top of the $9 million annual increase made in FY2024. Total investment will be $36.4 million in FY2025, representing a 40% increased investment within the last two years.
  • Continued funding level of $10 million for the CDL Incentive Program. Since implementing this program last fiscal year, vacancies in positions requiring a CDL have decreased by 30%.
     
• $198.8 million in other investments, which account for centralized fixed costs of City operations, including debt service, retiree health benefits, self-insurance costs, and contributions to the City’s retirement systems for grant- funded positions.