Baltimore voters greenlight new baby fund and water changes

Baltimore residents voted Tuesday to establish a new fund for families with newborns, a move that secures dedicated resources for infant care in the city. The measure, known as Question B, passed as the majority of precincts reported their results. This outcome gives the city government the authority to collect additional revenue specifically earmarked for supporting new parents.

The fund will be financed through a small addition to existing property taxes. The levy is set at 0.03 dollars for every 100 dollars of taxable property value. The Maryland Child Alliance, which gathered signatures to place the question on the ballot, estimates the fund will generate approximately 17 million dollars in its first year of operation.

Mayor Brandon Scott has already outlined his plan for the money. He intends to provide one-time cash payments to parents of newborns enrolled in the program. Scott also suggested that recipients might receive additional cash assistance or contributions to a Maryland 529 college savings account. To distribute these funds, the mayor announced a partnership with the CASH Campaign of Maryland, a group that previously coordinated a guaranteed income pilot in the city.

The ballot language does not mandate direct cash payments. Instead, it creates a fund to enhance the economic stability of families with newborns. A key stipulation prevents the city from using the new money to replace existing budget allocations for newborn services. While Scott favors direct payments, he has not yet secured full agreement from the City Council on the specific distribution method.

Councilman Mark Parker, who is first in line to legislate on the issue, expressed a preference for using part of the fund for childcare assistance. Other council members share similar views, indicating that the final structure of the program may differ from the mayor's initial proposal.

Voters on Election Day expressed mixed feelings about the measure. Deonna Smiling, a 26-year-old resident and teacher, voted in favor. She cited her experience with students who lacked proper care as a primary motivation. Smiling noted that she had questions about how the city would select recipients and when distributions would begin, but she believed the fund was a necessary step.

Jessica Lemon, a 37-year-old lifelong Baltimorean, voted against the measure. She supported the concept in theory but had reservations about the execution. Lemon pointed to families she knew with large numbers of children, stating that she could not condone the situation without clear guidelines. She described the local environment as chaotic, a factor that influenced her decision to reject the proposal.

Voters also addressed several other questions on the ballot. Question G, which appeared to pass, bars the city from selling or renting its stormwater system as a franchise. This follows a 2018 measure that prohibited the sale or lease of water and sewer systems. Question H, also approved, creates a new city department to handle water and wastewater. This separates those utilities from the Department of Public Works, a move aimed at improving the city's bond rating and facilitating regional cooperation with Baltimore County.

Question E, which eliminates the requirement to award city contracts to the lowest bidder, also passed. Proponents argued that vendors often underbid to win work and then recoup costs through change orders. Question F, which passed with a smaller margin, overhauls the budget-making process. It requires the mayor to submit a budget to the City Council by April 30 and allows the council to hold hearings and adopt the budget eight days before the fiscal year begins on July 1.