Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Several organizations will push the City Council to increase funding for after school programs to $7.2 million.
(UPDATED 2:48 p.m.)—Education advocates, who just days ago gathered at Waverly Elementary School to celebrate $1.1 billion in new school construction funds, will begin pressing Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to keep what they say was a campaign promise to double funding for after school programs. Advocates from various organizations, including the Charles Village based Greater Homewood Community Corporation, will push city council members to pressure the mayor to increase after school funding to $7.2 million at the City Council’s Taxpayer’s Night, 5 p.m., Thursday at City Hall, 100 N. Holliday St., according to a news release from Child First Authority. "Mayor Rawlings-Blake publicly committed in August of 2011 to double funding for after …
Monday, April 29, 2013
Victims of minor crimes in Baltimore may now file reports through the department’s website.
Victims of minor crimes in Baltimore may now file a report online instead of waiting for an officer to arrive. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts and Councilman Brandon Scott announced the online crime reporting process through Coplogic Inc. on Monday morning at Baltimore Police Headquarters. "This is going to be a great tool for the citizens of Baltimore," Scott said. "But also if you know me, I like to save money. One of the great things about this system is that it calculates for us how much money the city saves." Anthony Guglielmi, a police spokesman, said its unknown how much money and manpower the new system will save the city, but that jurisdictions, such as Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties, are …
Friday, April 26, 2013
Mayor Edwin Lee will spend his Friday cleaning and tutoring.
San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee will be in Baltimore Friday fulfilling the bet he made with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake on the outcome of the Super Bowl. Since Lee’s hometown 49ers lost to the Ravens he will provide a day of service in Baltimore. Lee and Rawlings-Blake are scheduled to host the official start of the Mayor’s Service Bowl by helping to revitalize a vacant lot in the 200 block of N. Carey Street, they will then help with repairs at the Western District’s police station and help with a Third Grade Reads tutoring session at Cherry Hill Elementary School, according to a media advisory from Rawlings-Blake's office. The day won’t be all work. The pair is also set to learn how to make soft shell crab sandwiches and crab cakes at …
Monday, April 22, 2013
Patch asks readers to share their opinions on the news impacting North Baltimore.
Proposals for two new taxes and keeping another rate from being reduced are scheduled to go before the Baltimore City Council Monday. The proposals include charging a 25-cents a trip excise on cab fares, a tax on billboard ads and maintaining the parking tax at it’s current 20 percent rate. The proposals were all included in the city’s 10-year financial plan and in Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s proposed budget. What do you think of the proposals? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
For the first time since the 1950s Baltimore City showed population growth, according to Census data.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Baltimore City receives about $192 million in federal grants.
Dr. Oxiris Barbot, director of the Baltimore City Health Department, warns that Federal funding cuts associated with the sequester will have a dramatic impact on Baltimore HIV/AIDS and substance abuse programs. These cuts include $1.6 million to agencies providing direct care, 2,500 fewer admissions to substance abuse programs and the loss of mental health funding for 200 residents, according to a news release. "We are committed to minimizing the impact to direct services provided to the residents of Baltimore City and to maintaining our ability to protect the public’s health," Barbot said in a news release. "However, because much of the federal funding in question can only be used for direct services, this across-the-board cut will have a…
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Employ Baltimore—Ready to Work for You will connect qualified residents with local jobs.
The Mayor’s Office of Economic Development is looking to connect qualified city residents with job openings through the "Employ Baltimore—Ready to Work" program announced Tuesday. The program calls for employers to submit job openings to the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, which will connect qualified, pre-screened residents with jobs opportunities. "Creating a strong workforce system that connects qualified, job-seeking residents with local employers looking to hire is an essential element of our goal to grow Baltimore by 10,000 families," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said in a news release. "Employ Baltimore—Ready to Work for You is an easy way for businesses to save time and resources by finding pre-screened and qualified …
Friday, February 22, 2013
The mayor's plan to charge a trash fee and reduce property taxes doesn't add up.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Councilman Bill Henry previously proposed a billboard tax twice before.
If the proposal in Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s 10-year-financial plan to tax billboards seems familiar it should be, a North Baltimore lawmaker has previously proposed doing just that twice before. Councilman Bill Henry, who represents the York Road corridor, previously proposed placing a tax on billboards in 2010 and 2012 but the proposal failed both times despite the city finance department's tacit approval of the legislation. "It was the lobbying of Clear Channel [who owns most city billboards] of council members that killed it," Henry said. Henry said that he proposed the tax again last year because it was included as an option in the 2012 version of the online budget game that allows residents to balance the city’s budget by …
The mayor released some details of her administration’s financial plan, but no solid figures for proposed new fees.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s proposed 10-year fiscal plan aims to reduce property taxes nearly 50 cents by fiscal year 2022 primarily through new fees and revenue sources. Property tax relief would be welcome in North Baltimore, where many neighborhoods already pay the highest tax per residence in the city. Baltimore already has the highest property taxes in the state, $2.268 per $100 of assessed value, and the highest income tax rate, 3.20 percent, allowed by state law. Rawlings-Blake has repeatedly said high taxes are standing in the way of the goal of attracting 10,000 new families to the city. But the mayor's plan depends heavily on new fees, and so far there have been few details as to what it will cost residents. Read the mayor'…
Sanchez
3:23 pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2013
So many of those "parents" do not even WORK to need babysitters. more ›