Council Urges Casino Money for Schools

It was a symbolic vote, but it showed where North Baltimore’s lawmakers stand on city spending priorities.

On Monday, the City Council narrowly approved 8-7 a resolution calling on Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to use all revenue from a planned city slots casino to fund school construction.

The City Council does not have the power to dictate how they mayor spends money in the budget, so the resolution doesn’t carry any weight other than putting council members on the record.

Councilman Bill Henry sponsored and voted in favor of the resolution, Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke and Councilman Carl Stokes also voted in favor.

But Councilman Nick Mosby, Councilwoman Sharon Greene Middleton and Councilwoman Rochelle "Rikki" Spector voted against the resolution.

Rawlings-Blake’s administration has argued the intended use for slots revenue has been property tax relief all along. The City Council this year that would reduce the property tax rate 20 cents in eight years. The city is depending on the lion’s share of slots revenue to fund the tax break.

Baltimore currently has the highest property tax rate in the state at $2.268 per $100 of assessed value, more than double neighboring Baltimore County.  The tax cut, which will be passed in during the next several years, will eventually result in a $400 tax cut on a home valued at $200,000.

By increasing of the bottle tax by 3 cents, Rawlings-Blake plans to leverage about $300 million for school construction. The mayor expects future revenues generated by the tax will partially cover the cost of the borrowed money.

Education advocates have argued the cost for rehabilitating city schools could cost as much as $2.8 billion.

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