BALTIMORE — City leaders put pen to paper Monday relating to the FY 2025 Baltimore City budget.
Mayor Brandon Scott, along with City Council President Nick Mosby and members of the council, held a signing ceremony for the budget.
The budget was passed by the Baltimore City Council on June 17.
“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 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.”
The final version of the budget includes the following:
- $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.
The budget will be effective July 1.
