Calling it a “new era” in Baltimore City finances, Mayor Martin O?Malley, along with members of the City Council, on Tuesday laid out plans to spend the city?s $60.6 million general fund surplus.
“This is one of those happy occasions,” O?Malley said.
According to a plan that will be introduced at today?s Board of Estimates meeting, 56 percent of the $60.6 General Fund surplus will be spent on improving “the quality of life for the children of Baltimore City.” The spending includes $25 million for capital improvements to the city?s public school system, $5 million for after-school programs, and $1.19 million for a summer jobs program.
City Council President Sheila Dixon, who attended Tuesday?s press conference along with City Council Members Robert Curran, D-District 3, and Rochelle “Rikki” Spector, D-District 5, and Bonnie Copeland, CEO of the city schools, hinted there may be some conflicts over spending priorities, particularly about the proposed $6 million for the Park Heights redevelopment.
“It?s been a good partnership with disagreements,” Dixon said.
Additional priorities outlined by the mayor included $800,00 funding for improvement of the city?s public markets; $1.25 million for library books and library facility improvement; and $750,00 for grants to the city?s cultural institutions.
Still, it was education that O?Malley emphasized. “We will continue to responsibly invest in the future of our kids,” O?Malley said, alluding to the controversy about the attempted state takeover of 11 city schools.
This marks the second consecutive year that the city has experienced a budget surplus under the O?Malley administration. O?Malley said the surplus it is a reversal of a decline in fortunes for a city that had recently experienced population loss.
“A lot of smart people said the city would shrink to a few hundred thousand,” the mayor said. “We are on an upward climb from a downward spiral.”
