Two hundred and forty five recommendations? That?s the number of issues Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon?s Transition Team decided need immediate attention.
We commend the team members for being so thorough. But how is she supposed to accomplish 245 things in nine months?
Setting 10 structural reform priorities will give Dixon a clearer set of goals and make it easierfor We the People to hold her accountable at the end of her designated term. She must and should make them for herself and publish them for all residents to see.
The other problem is the recommendations themselves. With property taxes doubling those in surrounding counties and debt twice as high as any other jurisdiction, as the Jan. 27 report noted, cutting waste and finding ways to fan the first flicker of city population revival in decades should be all of the top 10 action goal priorities.
They are not. Only three of the top 245 recommendations would discontinue ineffective programs. Surely there are more? Thankfully, reigning in police overtime ? a chronic and expensive problem ? did make the cut.
But missing entirely from the recommendations was any mention of restructuring city employees? pension benefits. That must be Priority No. 1. Reports show unfunded benefits for public employees nationally could be as high as $1 trillion.
We know the city?s Employees? Retirement Systems and Fire and Police Fund are less than fully funded.
Baltimore County is circulating reforms that would move to check spending by cutting benefits for future employees and raising the retirement age for everyone. The suggestions are a good start.
The team members did make solid recommendations for taking a regional approach to economic development and transportation, and extending CitiStat-type accountability procedures to those departments without them. CitiStat is the program started by then Mayor O?Malley to monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of city agencies, and is credited with saving millions of dollars.
But effective leaders cannot be all things to all people. They must choose their battles and focus their energy. Setting 245 priorities is the same as setting no priorities at all. Narrow it down.
Here are three to start: Revamping city employee pension benefits; ending police overtime abuse, and lowering city property taxes ? which Dixon already said is a priority ? would make her a champion for city residents.
