BALTIMORE — Maryland's highest court on Thursday blocked a pair of charter amendments proposed by local groups from appearing on Baltimore City's 2024 Election Day ballot.
The Maryland Child Alliance pushed for a new City law known as the "Baby Bonus" that would hand new parents $1,000.
They claim it would've cost about $7 million a year, a quarter of a percent less than Baltimore's annual budget.
The Alliance estimates 7,000 babies are born or adopted each year in the City.
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"Due to a lot of research we found that providing a universal payment is much more cost effective then trying to determine who gets it and who doesn't based on income," the Alliance said during their initial roll-out.
Initially the City's Board of Elections approved the measure being placed on voter ballots after 14,000 signatures were gathered, but then Mayor Brandon Scott sued alleging the amendment would violate the Maryland constitution.
A Baltimore City Circuit court judge was first to put the "Baby Bonus" on ice. The Alliance appealed, taking their case all the way to the Maryland Supreme Court who all but guaranteed the measure would not appear on the 2024 ballot.
The Alliance reacted to the court's order by issuing this statement, "our hearts hurts for every kid born in this city who will struggle because of this ruling. The fight for kids is not over. But we will grieve this loss."
In a separate case, the State Supreme Court also rejected an attempt by a coalition called Renew Baltimore to reduce local property taxes over a period of seven years.
The group argues Baltimore City property taxes are double the cost of other counties in the state.
They blame property tax rates for the large number of residents moving out of the City.
Despite obtaining 23,000 signatures, the proposal was immediately met with resistance.
In declining to put the measure on ballots, Baltimore City Board of Elections Director Armstead Jones said only the Council could legislate local tax rates.
Scott agreed calling the proposal "short-sighted and naive," suggesting it would bankrupt the City and deprive its residents of essential services including fire, EMS, and trash collection.
MORE: Renew Baltimore files complaint to keep property tax charter on November ballot
Much like the "Baby Bonus," the Maryland Supreme Court had final say officially striking down the proposal.
The ruling was met with mixed reaction.
In a lengthy statement, Renew Baltimore said it was saddened by the court's decision
"We are deeply disappointed in today’s ruling by the members of the Maryland Supreme Court, which denies the will of 23,542 Baltimore City residents who signed a petition to at last bring about fair and equitable property taxes. It is unfortunate that the Court decided to ignore the demands of the tens of thousands of residents who have called for responsible property tax reform, denying them the opportunity to control their financial future and improve the prospects of the City they love. While opponents of the Renew Baltimore initiative surely applaud what we believe is a flawed decision, they are in no better position to justify why the average Baltimore homeowner pays $225 more per month in property taxes than homeowners in surrounding counties. Year after year, Baltimore City continues to lose jobs and population, while businesses choose to locate outside Baltimore City. Today’s decision is an affront to residents committed to revitalizing our City, and further undermines the case for current residents to remain, and for new ones to come."
Meanwhile a coalition calling themselves Baltimore City Not For Sale applauded the ruling with this response.
“Today’s decision from the Maryland Supreme Court affirms that the true intent of the so-called Renew Baltimore proposal was to subvert the democratic process in order to benefit the wealthy few at the expense of the rest of us. The law is clear – property tax rates are set by our democratically elected local and state officials, not by a misleading campaign supported by real estate developers, landlords, and the city’s richest property owners, many of whom don’t even live in Baltimore. Renew Baltimore can no longer resort to abusing the public ballot measure process in an attempt to subvert local elected leaders and enrich themselves."
