Baltimore City Council members have little power to alter the $2.6 billion 2008 spending plan up for Council review today. Still, they plan to push for change.
“We can only cut; we can?t transfer between agencies or add money,” said Council Vice President Robert Curran, noting that, by law, only the mayor can set spending levels.
“In the past, I?ve held back money and asked for further explanation from an agency, but that?s the extent of what we can do other than approve it,” he said.
But Curran, D-District 3, has a wish list, including increased funding for several agencies that he feels are underbudgeted.
“I want an additional $290,000 for [animal control]. There are 350,000 owned dogs and cats, and roughly 175,000 strays, so we need to have more inspectors to manage the population effectively,” he said.
Additional funds for legislative services, the city agency that aids the council in writing legislation and archiving, are also on Curran?s agenda, which he hopes to achieve by pressuring Mayor Sheila Dixon.
“I?ve introduced a resolution calling for the increases,” he said.
Reining in police overtime is one of the priorities of Councilman Kenneth Harris, who said he has been frustrated by chronic underbudgeting.
“We go through this every year ? trying to budget correctly for police overtime, and in the end we always go way over,” said Harris, D-District 4. “They?re always finding ways of hiding it.”
Some council members are working to change the budget itself.
“I want the department of education to design its budget around a school base method,” said Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke, D-District 14. “Budgeting based on individual schools, instead of systemwide.”
By breaking down the numbers for each school ? including money for teachers, guidance counselors and other expenses Clarke said the budget would be a more effective tool for tracking educational expenses.
