Council Committee Set to Review Auditing Practices

City Council committees will be holding hearings this week reviewing ordinances and resolutions aimed at addressing a variety of issues from city auditing practices to the Vacants to Value Initiative.

• The Taxation, Finance and Economic Development Committee will hold an informational hearing on a resolution regarding the city’s auditing practices at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Reeves Conference Room at City Hall. According to the resolution, "representatives from the Department of Audits [are] to appear before the council to discuss how the Department currently performs its charter mandated duties, the best practices in municipal and government auditing, and how audits of city agencies can be made more regular, frequent, and effective."

• The Housing and Community Development Committee will hold an informational hearing on Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s Vacants to Value Initiative at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the Clarence "Du" Burns Council Chamber at City Hall. The initiative aims to put vacant homes back on the city’s property tax roll. The Department of Housing and Community Development will address the committee on the initiative’s status, according to the resolution. 

• The Taxation, Finance and Economic Development Committee will review a proposed ordinance that would establish stepped rates for calculating the recordation tax at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Clarence "Du" Burns Council Chamber in City Hall.

• The Taxation, Finance and Economic Development Committee will hold a hearing on an ordinance that would require the Department of Finance to compile and post to its website certain tax credit information at 10:15 a.m. Thursday in the Clarence "Du" Burns Council Chamber. The ordinance would also establish a penalty for residents who sell their home and do not provide information on tax credits to the buyer, according to the bill.

• The Taxation Finance and Economic Development Committee will hold a hearing on a bill that would require some employers that receive city contracts to hire Baltimore residents at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in the Clarence "Du" Burns Council Chamber.

• The Housing and Community Development Committee will reconvene its hearing on a resolution calling on the General Assembly to pass legislation granting community associations in Baltimore the standing to legally challenge city zoning decisions at 1 p.m. on Thursday in the Clarence “Du” Burns Council Chamber.

• The Education and Youth Committee will hold a hearing on a bill that would require periodic reports on school vehicles issued speed and red-light camera violations at 4 p.m. Thursday in the Clarence "Du" Burns Council Chamber.

• The Education and Youth Committee will hold an informational hearing and round table discussion on developments affecting the education of older teens and young adults in Baltimore at 4:05 p.m. Thursday in the Clarence "Du" Burns Council Chamber.   

The times and dates for these events are reported on the City Council’s legislative calendar and are subject to change.