Tonight I'm kicking off the new City Council term by introducing four bills, all efforts that I began last year that I'm
21-0003 - Baltimore City Workgroup on Nuisance Parking and Auto Businesses - This is the one bill that is not a reintroduction from last term. It requires a workgroup consisting of representatives from various agencies and the City Council to better understand and seek solutions, including strategic, operational, and legislative changes, to address the widespread and ongoing problem of cars parked unlawfully on City streets, often in significant disrepair or missing license plates, and particularly by auto-related businesses. I have observed this in my own district and practically every other district in the City, and have received complaints not only from my own constituents, but also from colleagues and their constituents.
21-0004 Office to End Homelessness - Establishment, Administration, and Permanent Housing Voucher Program – This is a reintroduction of a bill that was unanimously passed in the last term but not signed by the outgoing Mayor. It is re-drafted to include all amendments that were passed in the previous term, addressing all concerns raised by various agencies. It also includes a few small changes to address minor concerns raised by MOHS. The bill establishes a new Office to End Homelessness intended to replace MOHS, and establishes the framework of the City’s first locally-funded housing voucher program as part of a “move on” strategy. A move on strategy allows for a family or individual who was once homeless, who is currently in permanent supportive housing (PSH), and who still requires housing assistance, but who no longer requires wrap-around services and case management, to continue to have housing assistance but no longer occupy a place in a PSH program. This then opens a space in a PSH program for another currently homeless person to have that opportunity available to them. Establishment of move on capacity is a national best practice and has been a part of the MOHS and Continuum of Care strategy/plan for Baltimore for a number of years.
21-0017 Study and Report - City Employee Parking Benefits – This is a reintroduction of a bill that was unanimously passed in the last term but not signed by the outgoing Mayor. It is re-drafted to include all amendments that were passed in the previous term, addressing all concerns raised by various agencies. It requires various agencies to collectively study and report on parking and transportation benefits afforded to certain City employees, policy that determines who those beneficiaries are, and feasibility and possible benefits of changes.
21-0018 Study and Report - Towing Dispatch Systems - This is a reintroduction just one small section of a much larger bill on towing that was passed in the last term but vetoed by the outgoing Mayor. The rest of the bill would have made many substantive changes to the City Code, but this one small section was only to require a study and report. The City contracts a handful of towing companies to tow vehicles from City streets for a variety of reasons. For the most part, dispatch to these towers is done on the basis of a radius around the company’s office. This is simply how it has always been done. This bill requires various agencies to collectively study and report on possible alternative methods of dispatch, cost, feasibility and possible benefits of changes.
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