[0:08] Good evening. >> This 33rd regular meeting of the 74th

[0:13] term of the Baltimore City Council is now called to order. Tonight's

[0:17] invocation will be provided by the Reverend Dr. Alvin Wyn from Sharp Leen

[0:24] Hall Baptist Church, Pastor Gwyn. The floor is yours.

[0:33] To this distinguished body, let us all pray.

[0:38] Gracious and loving God, we thank you for the privilege of gathering here

[0:42] tonight to serve the people of the city of Baltimore.

[0:46] We ask for your guidance upon our mayor and this city council. Grant them

[0:52] clarity of mind, integrity in their deliberations, and the wisdom to act in

[0:58] ways that bring prosperity, peace, and unity to our city. Bless our first

[1:04] responders, our city staff, and all who work tirelessly to make this a wonderful

[1:09] place to call home. This is our prayer. Amen.

[1:14] » Amen. >> Amen.

[1:16] » Thank you, Pastor Wyn. Council member Blard will now lead us in the pledge of

[1:22] allegiance

[1:26] to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it

[1:31] stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice

[1:37] for all. >> Thank you all. You You may now be

[1:41] seated.

[1:52] Before we proceed, I'm pleased to recognize the Baltimore Maryland alumni

[1:58] chapter of Kappa Alphasai Fraternity Incorporated

[2:03] and welcome brothers visiting Baltimore as part of Kappa week. For more than a

[2:09] century, Kappa Aside has exemplified achievement, leadership, scholarship,

[2:16] mentorship, and service. The Baltimore Alumni Chapter continues this legacy

[2:21] through its commitment to our communities and the development of

[2:25] future leaders through the nationally recognized guild Brightite program. We

[2:33] are also proud to celebrate the road to the 88th grand chapter meeting which

[2:38] Baltimore Baltimore will host in 2017. Colleagues, our city last hosted this

[2:47] convening in 1968. This international gathering will bring

[2:53] thousands of visitors to our city and showcase Baltimore's rich history,

[2:59] culture, and hospitality. On behalf of the Baltimore City Council, thank you

[3:05] for your continued service and leadership. We look forward to welcoming

[3:09] you back for the 88th Grand Chapter meeting.

[3:15] At this time,

[3:22] Thank you. At this time, the chair recognizes Councilman Torrance in his um

[3:29] crimson jacket and white pants looking rather dapper.

[3:37] » Thank you, Madame President. Um I'm honored to stand up.

[3:41] » Okay. Request floor privileges. >> Yes, ma'am. I was going to say a few

[3:45] words before I request floor privileges. I'm honored to stand as a member of this

[3:48] council and the latest elected official to serve as a member of Capasai, but

[3:53] also a member of the Baltimore City Council. Um the predecessor before me on

[3:57] this council was Nathaniel McFaten. Um a gentleman who has led with career

[4:03] carriage for East Baltimore, but also Baltimore. Senator McFaten left the

[4:07] Senate at one of the most highest posters, the Senate prom. He also

[4:11] chaired the high and most powerful budget and tax committee but also he was

[4:15] a mentor of mine but also someone who signed the letter that allowed me to be

[4:19] a part of this noble body and clan called CAPI fraternity incorporated. Um

[4:24] I stand today as a member but one who stands on the shoulders of 116 years of

[4:31] brotherhood not only in Baltimore City but internationally. Um, as I shocked my

[4:37] wife a few weeks ago when I showed her videos of our Abu Dhabi alumni chapter.

[4:42] Um, but I know the rich history. Um, even going back to when our first black

[4:47] elect officials, which was Carl Stokes, the first African-American mayor elected

[4:51] in the in this in any city across this country right after the Civil Rights

[4:56] Act. Um, we are coming back to Baltimore after 1968. We know what happened in

[5:02] 1968 in Baltimore City with the riots after the assassination of Martin Luther

[5:06] King. But we come back with a legacy of leading with courage but also leading

[5:12] with achievement but also leaving something behind. Um this weekend we had

[5:16] a busy week with capital week. We built a playground in six hours um with

[5:21] brothers and volunteers. Then afterwards decided to do a little fundraising. Um,

[5:26] in addition to that, we have our guide right program, Gayla, this weekend that

[5:30] has been nationally recognized by our grand chapter as a leading example of

[5:34] how to mentor black men in urban urban environments. Um, I I I there's more I

[5:41] can say. Um, but one of our dearest brothers, George Russell, was the first

[5:46] African-American city solicitor. Um, so when I say we stand on shoulders of

[5:51] giants, we do. Um, one of our good brothers, Howard Tudman's father was one

[5:55] of our grand pole marks. So, we we have a rich history in Baltimore. Madame Vice

[6:01] President, I'd like to extend floor privileges so that we can honor this

[6:05] capital week, but also recognize that next year over 20,000 brothers and our

[6:09] families will be here to celebrate our organization, but move it forward. And

[6:13] we're looking at a collective impact of nearly $20 million in the Baltimore

[6:17] economy by us becoming here next year. Let me repeat that. nearly $20 million

[6:22] economic impact to the city of Baltimore coming back to our city.

[6:30] With that, Madam Chair, despite the alphas in the room, I would like to

[6:33] extend floor privileges for my brothers to be recognized.

[6:38] » Without objection, floor privileges will be extended and

[6:44] floor privileges are extended. >> Thank you, madam vice president. I also

[6:48] have a resolution. Um, the city council of Baltimore resolution here it be known

[6:53] to all that the Baltimore city council the the city council of Baltimore offers

[6:57] a sincerest congratulations to the Baltimore Maryland alumni chapter Kappa

[7:02] Fasai Fraternity Incorporation incorporated um in recognition of your

[7:07] 116 years of achievement leadership scholarship service and enduring

[7:11] commitment to uplift communities during the road to the 88th grand chapter

[7:14] meeting in Baltimore. The entire membership extends his best wishes on

[7:18] this memorable occasion and directs this resolution to be presented on this day

[7:22] the 13th of July 2026 signed by President Cohen and Council Member

[7:28] Torrance myself. >> Thank you. Uh you have floor privileges

[7:32] come to come on up.

[7:56] I'm not going to miss this opportunity.

[8:04] » Odette, get in the picture.

[8:08] You got the jacket. >> Well, I didn't mean to get

[9:15] The clerk will now call the role of the members.

[9:17] » Parker, >> here.

[9:19] » McCrae, >> Dorsy,

[9:21] » yes. >> Conway,

[9:23] » Schlifer, >> Middleton,

[9:26] » yes. Torrance >> here.

[9:29] » Gray >> present.

[9:30] » Bullock. >> Porter.

[9:32] » Blanchard. >> Jones.

[9:34] » Glover. Ramos >> here.

[9:36] » And uh President Cohen and uh Councilman Glover are excused absences. Madam

[9:41] Chair, >> thank you. We will now proceed with the

[9:45] adoption of the journals. >> Madam Vice President, the journals for

[9:48] the June 22nd regular meeting and June 24th special meeting are in members

[9:52] inboxes in the in the desk documents folder. Without objection, the journals

[9:57] will be adopted. Hearing none, the journals are adopted.

[10:02] Bill signed by the mayor can be found on the meeting agenda. We now move to the

[10:07] bills being introduced. City Council Bill 26-0212,

[10:12] Fair Election Fund Update. for the purpose of updating certain provisions

[10:16] regarding the fair election fund, amending the list of elections eligible

[10:20] for the fund, clarifying procedures for candidate withdrawal from an election,

[10:25] amending post-election procedures, and generally relating to the fair election

[10:29] fund. Lead sponsor Blanchard, co-sponsors Dorsy, Middleton, Gray,

[10:34] Bullock, Ramos. >> The chair recognizes council member

[10:38] Blanchard. >> Thank you, Madam Vice President. Public

[10:42] financing is an incredible opportunity to empower grassroots citizens across

[10:47] the city to make their dollars carry further in the campaign process where

[10:52] $10 can become $100 from a city resident, $25 become $250. It's it's a

[10:58] really wonderful way to to engage uh grassroots everyday Baltimoreans in a

[11:03] process that we aren't always able uh effectively to do so with the

[11:07] traditional process. the uh there are several things that need to be adjusted

[11:12] with the system. One, it is a generally a clunky system. 2024 was the first time

[11:17] we used it. So, we're looking at addressing multiple aspects of that. Uh

[11:21] two, I have a lot of concerns that there are aspects of the system as it's been

[11:25] written past that make it uh less than useful for incumbents to use. And I

[11:30] think that any system should be as friendly for an incumbent to use uh as

[11:34] as for someone challenging or competing for an open seat. Um and then lastly,

[11:40] there was a loophole exploited uh by a mayoral candidate in the 2024 elections

[11:46] uh in how money was uh spent and then the candidate ended up endorsing another

[11:52] candidate for mayor and we need to close that loophole so that cannot happen in

[11:55] the future. And so these are important things. There's also other details in

[11:58] the bill that I'm happy to speak with any members about going forward and I

[12:02] ask for my colleagues approval. Thank you.

[12:05] » Thank you. This bill has been assigned to the committee on legislative

[12:08] investigations and we have two three co-sponsors

[12:16] um Council Member Jones, Council Member Porter, and Councilman Conway.

[12:26] City Council Bill 26-0213 Parking Tax Special Fund for Fair

[12:31] Elections Search Charge for the purpose of imposing a search charge on the

[12:35] city's parking tax directing the proceeds of a search charge to the

[12:39] special fund for fair elections and repealing an obsolete moratorum. Lead

[12:43] sponsor Blanchard, co-sponsors Dorsy, Gay Ramos.

[12:47] » The chair recognizes council member Blanchard.

[12:51] » Thank you, Madam Vice President. Uh the other portion this second bill also tied

[12:55] the fair election fund is to ensure that the fund is adequately funded in 2024

[13:00] that had to come from the general fund. Uh there's challenges with

[13:02] predictability and also means we have to pull from the general fund for something

[13:07] that we know we're going to have to pay into every four years. So, the solution

[13:11] that I'm proposing with this bill, we currently on all of the parking lots and

[13:15] parking garages in the city have a 20% uh parking tax. That is in line with

[13:20] most cities on the east coast. DC, Philly, and New York City are right

[13:23] around that. Pittsburgh actually has a 37.5%

[13:27] uh parking tax. This would add a sir charge of 0.5% raising it to 20.5%, a

[13:34] less than 1% increase. uh that would raise over $3 million over four years

[13:40] span uh and ensure that the fund is adequately funded. And so that's for any

[13:45] candidate uh deciding whether or not uh they want to use the fund that is not

[13:48] something they'll have to worry about. Thank you.

[13:51] » Thank you. This bill has been assigned to the budget and appropriations

[13:54] committee. City Council Bill 26-0214 study and report licensing and

[13:59] registration status of nonocc non-owner occupied rental dwelling units for the

[14:04] purpose of requiring the department of housing and community development, the

[14:07] department of planning and the department of finance to submit a report

[14:11] to the mayor and city council that details the licensing and registration

[14:14] status of all known of all nonowner occupied dwelling units in the city. The

[14:21] number of non-owner occupied dwelling units in the city and east council

[14:24] district. The number of nonowner occupied dwelling units that meet

[14:28] certain requirements of the code. The number of nonowner occupied dwelling

[14:32] units that have been cited for failure to comply with certain requirements of

[14:36] the code. And the number of non-owner occupied dwelling units that are owned

[14:39] by city residents. Lead sponsor Glover. Co-sponsors Bullock Blanchard Ramos.

[14:46] This bill has been assigned to the Housing and Community Economic

[14:51] Development Committee, >> City Council Bill 26-0215,

[14:55] rental dwellings pricing algorithm use disclosure for the purpose of requiring

[15:00] a landlord to disclose certain information regarding rental fees to

[15:04] current and prospective tenants, defining certain terms, establishing

[15:08] certain penalties, and granting the Department of Housing and Community

[15:11] Development authority to promulgate certain rules and regulations. Lead

[15:15] sponsor Gray, co-sponsors Dorsy, Middleton, Bullock, Blanchard, Ramos.

[15:20] » The chair recognizes council member Gray.

[15:26] » Thank you, Madam President. Um, colleagues, I rise today to introduce

[15:30] legislation entitled Rental Dwellings pricing algorithmic use disclosure,

[15:35] which would add a new subtitle 8D to article 13 of the Baltimore City Code.

[15:40] Across the country and here in Baltimore, a growing number of landlords

[15:43] no longer set rent prices based on their own judgment on their own property.

[15:48] Instead, they subscribe to pricing algorithmic uh tools and revenue ma

[15:54] management software that pulls confidential non-public data from

[15:58] competing landlords like actual rents being charged, occupancy rates, lease

[16:03] dates, and they use this aggregated data to recommend what a tenant should pay

[16:08] and whether a unit should be left vacant altogether to keep prices high across

[16:12] the market. This is not a hypothetical concern. Federal and state enforcement

[16:16] actions have raised serious questions about whether this practice functions as

[16:20] a sophisticated form of coordinated price setting, allowing landlords to

[16:24] achieve outcomes that would be illegal if they simply picked up the phone and

[16:28] talked amongst themselves. The result for far too many Baltimore

[16:32] families is rent increases that don't reflect the true condition of the

[16:36] market, the property, or the landlord's cost, but instead reflect a blackbox

[16:41] recommendation shared with every other landlord using the same software. This

[16:46] legislation is deliberately narrow and targeted. It is not it is a disclosure

[16:50] bill. It does not ban pricing algorithms and it does not set it does not set rent

[16:55] caps or dictate what a landlord may charge. What it does is guarantee that

[16:59] tenants know that when a machine, not a human being, who knows their building

[17:04] and their history has determined the cost of their rent. Specifically, this

[17:08] bill will require prospective tenants to be told in an every rental listing if a

[17:13] pricing algorithm was used to set the advertised rent, including the name of

[17:17] the software and the company behind it. For current tenants, they would receive

[17:21] written in-person notice at least 90 days before a algorith algorithmic uh

[17:26] driven rent increase takes effect, giving them real time to plan,

[17:30] negotiate, or seek other housing. And for existing tenants, as of the

[17:34] effective date, receive a one-time written disclosure within 30 days, so no

[17:38] one is left in the dark during this transaction. Um civil pen penalties will

[17:42] be up to $1,000 per uh violation per unit per day to give the disclosure

[17:49] requirements and real teeth and enforce in enforcement. Transparency is the

[17:53] foundation of a fair rental market. Tenants cannot make informed decisions,

[17:57] negotiate in good faith, or hold their landlords accountable if they don't even

[18:01] know that a third-party algorithm built on private data from their landlord's

[18:05] competitors is driving up what they pay today. This bill puts that information

[18:09] back in attendance hands. Baltimore renters are facing an affordability

[18:14] crisis that deserves to know when technology, not a fair assessment of

[18:17] their home, is setting the price of or of staying in that home that they love.

[18:22] I respectfully ask my colleagues to support this legislation and I welcome a

[18:25] hearing where we can hear from tenants, housing advocates, and the industry

[18:28] alike. Thank you. >> Thank you. And uh we have Councilwoman

[18:34] Porter to sign on and Councilman Conway. And this bill has been and um Councilman

[18:42] Torrance. This bill has been assigned to housing and and uh economic development

[18:47] committee. >> City Council Bill 26-0216

[18:51] vehicle towing from private lots and parking facilities revisions for the

[18:55] purpose of establishing certain maximum charges for towing services. Specifying

[19:00] certain required information to be included on towing service receipts and

[19:03] daily logs maintained by each towing service. Specifying certain limitations

[19:08] on incomplete toes. Requiring that a towing service accept credit cards.

[19:13] Prohibiting certain instances of patrol towing. Baking certain stylistic

[19:18] changes. Conforming, clarifying, and correcting related provisions. And

[19:22] generally related to the regulation of vehicle towing from private lots and

[19:26] facilities in Baltimore City. Lead sponsor Dorsy, co-sponsors Parker, Gray,

[19:32] Bullock, Blanchard, Ramos. >> The chair recognizes Council Member

[19:37] Dorsy. >> Thank you, uh, Madam President. Um,

[19:45] it should raise a red flag if you hear a business practice described with the

[19:50] terms involuntary or nonconsentual,

[19:54] not just business practices, but other things as well.

[19:58] But that's what we're talking about is towing that is non-consensual. Towing

[20:02] that is involuntary. Towing where very often the tow truck driver is sitting

[20:07] waiting to pounce, waiting, watching for you to misstep

[20:13] and then jump at the first opportunity. Rather than setting saying to you, if

[20:19] you park your car where you just parked it and you walk off this lot like I see

[20:23] you about to do, I'm going to tow your vehicle. Do what you will. No warning.

[20:29] No, they wait for you to step out of line and then take that opportunity as

[20:34] quickly as they can. That is happening in Baltimore City somewhere today, right

[20:39] now. I'm sure of it. That is happening somewhere in Baltimore City tonight. I'm

[20:44] sure of it. It happens all the time. And very frequently, these towers then

[20:50] charge you money to get your car back in excess of what the state law sets as the

[20:59] legal maximum. And we have very little uh enforcement

[21:05] uh capability uh to do anything about that in a timely or uh meaningful manner

[21:12] that these towers feel on a day-to-day basis. And a lot of people don't know

[21:17] that they are having their rights violated. Um, and even when they do, you

[21:23] know, charging $320 when the legal maximum is $280, that's not enough for

[21:29] one person to say, "I'm so insensed. I'm going to pursue a class action lawsuit

[21:33] against these towers." It's too small an amount of injustice that's being done to

[21:38] so many people that it doesn't really rise to the the top for anybody to take

[21:44] serious independent uh private action over it. That's why it's important for

[21:48] us to regulate this and to regulate it stringently and in accordance with best

[21:53] practices. And that's what the bill that we have here today does. Another thing

[21:58] that happens very frequently, you may not know that if your car is being towed

[22:02] from a private lot and you come up to that car and they have not yet left the

[22:07] lot, even if they've fully put the car up onto the tow truck until they have

[22:13] left that property, you have the right to say stop. I want my car back and pay

[22:19] them half of what they would charge if you waited until they got it to their

[22:24] part, their facility, and you can get it right back then and there. Problem is,

[22:29] you might not have $140 cash on hand right then and there. And they don't

[22:35] have to wait for you to get go to an ATM and come back. And they do not take

[22:40] credit cards. This bill will also require that they take credit cards. Um,

[22:46] this bill will give the Department of Consumer Protections and Business

[22:50] Licensing better tools to take enforcement action. Just two weeks ago,

[22:55] one of our colleagues here brought to me an instance of a constituent who had

[23:00] been charged more than what they knew to be the legal maximum. And it was the

[23:07] same company that that same colleague here had brought me a same exact

[23:13] situation about 3 weeks earlier. The city had told that company, you cannot

[23:18] charge this much money and then 3 weeks later we were getting the same exact

[23:24] complaint about the same company. And we can't do anything to suspend that

[23:31] license right then and there. We have to wait until we hold a hearing with a

[23:35] board that has still not been stood up as a city. This bill will enable that

[23:42] department director to say, "Look, we clearly documented

[23:48] that you violated this provision just three

[23:52] weeks ago and we communicated with you about it and here you are doing it

[23:56] again. We are suspending your license. We don't have that kind of quick action

[24:00] power to react today. This bill gives that kind of power. This bill puts us in

[24:06] line with best practices in how to protect consumers and visitors here in

[24:12] Baltimore City. I thank everybody who has co-sponsored this bill already. I

[24:16] welcome other co-sponsors if you will. Thank you, Madam President.

[24:20] » Thank you. And we do have some more co-sponsors. Torrance, Porter,

[24:27] Conway, Middleton.

[24:31] » Thank you. >> This bill has been assigned to land use

[24:34] and transportation committee. City Council bill 26-0217

[24:40] data centers over 5 megawatts megator moratorum

[24:44] for the purpose of establishing a data center capable of using 5 megawatts or

[24:49] more of electricity as a prohibited use citywide and defining certain terms lead

[24:54] sponsor Parker co-sponsors Dorsy Ramos >> uh the chairperson recognizes council

[25:02] member Parker >> thank you madam vice president thank you

[25:05] colleagues I This is a really simple bill. It's taking the bill that we um

[25:10] just passed and just adjusting the size and the definition of what's qualifies

[25:14] for this moratorum which began here July 1st and runs through next July 1st um

[25:19] from 10 megawws to down to five just to make sure we're capturing in this case a

[25:24] particular um a particular uh proposal in my district that I wanted to make

[25:28] sure was included in the moratorum and so that it would be then part of and

[25:33] subject to the new legislation that we're going to be working on throughout

[25:36] the year and the study that we're going to do. I thought it was important that

[25:38] um that we just put a slight pause there so that it could be part of um the good

[25:43] work that we're doing. So um would have done this as an amendment to the bill

[25:46] while it was before us, but that was going to have to go back to planning

[25:48] commission and significantly delay um the passage of that bill. And it was

[25:52] really important to the council president, I think, to all of us to make

[25:54] sure we got that in and through and so came back after the fact. And uh

[25:58] depending on how long this takes, uh it'll be applicable to 9 months, 8

[26:03] months, 6 months of the moratorum period until next summer. and then uh by that

[26:06] point in time we'll have uh permanent legislation to to replace it and we'll

[26:10] be off and ready to go. So I appreciate the consideration of my colleagues

[26:15] » uh Conway as a added sponsor and this bill was

[26:22] also assigned to land use and transportation

[26:25] » city council bill 26-0218 transit oriented development downtown

[26:30] Baltimore for the purpose of supporting a state transit oriented development

[26:34] designation for the area surrounding and including the Lexington Market, Charles

[26:38] Center and Shot Tower metro stations. the Mount Vernon Lexington Market,

[26:43] Baltimore Arena, Convention Center, and Camden Station light rail stations, and

[26:48] the Camden Yards mark station, and providing for a special effective date.

[26:52] Lead sponsor, council president on behalf of the administration,

[26:55] co-sponsors, Gray Blanchard. >> This bill has been assigned to land use

[27:00] and transportation. And um could you add Councilman Parker?

[27:07] » Absolutely. Thank you, Madam VP. City Council Bill 26-0219,

[27:12] transit oriented development, Rogers Avenue, for the purpose of supporting a

[27:16] state transit oriented development designation for the area surrounding and

[27:20] including the Rogers Avenue Metro Station and providing for a special

[27:23] effective date. Lead sponsor, council president, on behalf of the

[27:26] administration, co-sponsor Gray and Parker.

[27:33] » Co-sponsor. Oh, >> and please add Parker as co-sponsor.

[27:39] » Okay. Uh, absolutely, Madam VP. Thank you.

[27:44] » Where are we at now? This bill has been assigned and also assigned to land use

[27:49] and transportation. >> Uh, we will now move to Oh, sorry.

[27:54] » We will now move We will now move the resolutions of the city council being

[27:58] introduced. City Council Resolution 26-000059Rformational

[28:04] Hearing Affordable Housing Trust Fund for the purpose of requiring the

[28:08] Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development, the Affordable

[28:11] Housing Trust Fund Commission, and inviting relevant stakeholders to appear

[28:15] before the city council and to provide annual reports on the accomplishments of

[28:19] the affordable housing trust fund, including units produced and residents

[28:22] helped, income level of residents served, the required items to be

[28:26] reported upon that are specified in both the charter amendment that establish

[28:29] lish the fund in the ordinance that created the funding source and any

[28:32] additional information that the council may request. Lead sponsor Ramos,

[28:36] co-sponsors Parker, Grey, Bulock, Blanchard.

[28:38] » The chair recognizes council member Ramos.

[28:42] » Uh thank you, Madame President, and thank you colleagues. Uh tonight I'm

[28:45] introducing a resolution for a hearing to get updates about the affordable

[28:49] housing trust fund. And uh this, as you all know, is one of the many things that

[28:55] I worked on prior to becoming a council person. We are celebrating 10 years

[29:00] since residents and advocates initiated a charter amendment to create the

[29:03] affordable housing trust fund non-lapsing fund and enabled the city

[29:07] council to create funding sources to put it into the fund. I'm so proud to have

[29:12] been one of the lead advocates uh while I was executive director of the

[29:16] community development network of Maryland uh working on this issue. Uh

[29:20] while it took two additional years to get the funding source, thank you to

[29:23] Councilman Bulock for that. Um the trust fund has a lot to show already and has

[29:29] accomplished a lot. Uh as a reminder, the affordable housing trust fund is

[29:33] flexible funding for affordable housing initiatives and the only restriction is

[29:37] that it has to be used to house or housing services for residents at 50% of

[29:43] AMI and half of the fund has to be used to serve residents at 30% of AMI. These

[29:50] are the residents in Baltimore City who the who are the most cost burden and

[29:53] unstable in their housing. The affordable housing trust fund is

[29:58] flexible enough where programs can be created to meet the varying needs of

[30:02] these group of the income levels that I just talked about. For instance, the

[30:07] trust fund has been used for capital for affordable housing projects, rental

[30:10] subsidies, home repair grants, and so much more. The annual spending plan is

[30:15] approved each year by the affordable housing trust fund commission and all of

[30:19] the commission meetings are public. Now, the legislation and the charter

[30:24] amendment mandates uh for annual hearings and annual reports. Uh DHCD is

[30:30] the staff for the affordable housing trust fund. The most recent report

[30:34] that's on the website is from 2022 and the last time we had a hearing was in

[30:38] 2021. So this resolution before us calls for that hearing to get the updates and

[30:44] uh and the accomplishments so far. The intent is to celebrate the successes uh

[30:49] from the last 10 years and to work together on the future of the fund for

[30:53] the next 10 years and beyond including adding more funding especially in light

[30:58] of the changes from the federal funding. I'm looking forward to the hearing and

[31:01] thank you madam president. Thank you colleagues.

[31:04] » Thank you added sponsors Porter

[31:10] and Torrance and Jones and Conway and Middleton.

[31:19] This bill has been assigned to Housing and Community Development Committee.

[31:24] City Council Resolution 26-000060Rformational

[31:29] Hearing Cannabis Licenses for the purpose of requiring representatives

[31:33] from the Baltimore City Health Department, the Department of Planning,

[31:36] and the Office of the Zing Administrator, and inviting

[31:38] representatives from the Maryland Cannabis Administration, Maryland Office

[31:42] of Social Equity, and any interested stakeholders to appear before the city

[31:46] council to discuss one, the approval process for cannabis businesses located

[31:50] in the city, two, the city's role in compliance

[31:53] with the requirements for cannabis businesses under state law. And three,

[31:58] the experience of cannabis businesses operating or seeking to operate in the

[32:01] city, including those that have been granted a social equity license by the

[32:05] Maryland Cannabis Administration. Lead sponsor Parker, co-sponsors, Gray,

[32:10] Bulock, Blanchard, Ramos. >> Chair recognizes council member Parker.

[32:15] » Thank you, Madam Vice President. Thank you, colleagues. Um

[32:19] this I thisformational hearing um comes about um because of

[32:25] work we were doing legislatively uh a really simple bill to incorporate um uh

[32:31] cannabis dispensaries as a category in our zoning code and to um and to

[32:36] essentially echo state law in our zoning code um so that it was in both places.

[32:41] The state of Maryland, as it has interpreted um state law around

[32:47] cannabis, has um has asked local jurisdictions um to do that and to play

[32:52] a certain role in the issuing of licenses specifically around

[32:57] um reviewing and approving uh locations for dispensaries

[33:05] uh on the basis of distance from sensitive locations uh churches,

[33:08] schools, playgrounds, parks, all the um this was something that we thought

[33:13] was being done at the state level, but it turns out um was was not happening

[33:17] there and the state attorney general offered an opinion that it was the

[33:20] responsibility of local jurisdictions to apply that part of state law through

[33:24] their peritting processes and through their zoning. Um whereas before it had

[33:28] been an invitation, now it's essentially a requirement. As we set about to do

[33:32] that, um, a number of lences came to us and, um, asking questions or raising

[33:39] concerns about the, uh, existing process, um, that they are in the middle

[33:43] of. And so, uh, rather than jumping straight into the legislation that we've

[33:47] prepared, we wanted to make sure we had this hearing first and to invite the

[33:51] interested parties from the city side and also our partners from the state to

[33:54] come and speak about the issue here before our committee. uh as well as to

[33:57] invite current and prospective lences or other interested community members to

[34:01] come to speak about to ask their questions to speak about their

[34:04] experience to identify the gaps that currently exist and and how the city is

[34:08] approaching this our role within the broader state system and allow that to

[34:12] inform the legislation that we've prepared. So um this is um a moment to

[34:16] speak about the issue to hear questions to hear experiences um and then let that

[34:21] to uh inform the the legislation prior to our submitting it to you all for your

[34:25] consideration. Thank you. This bill has been assigned

[34:29] to land use and transportation committee. City Council resolution

[34:34] 26-0061Rformational

[34:37] hearing impact of brownouts for the purpose of requiring the health

[34:41] department, the Department of Public Works, and the Office of Emergency

[34:44] Management, and inviting representatives from the Maryland Public Service

[34:48] Commission, the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, and any interested

[34:51] energy experts and stakeholders to appear before the city council to

[34:55] discuss the public health, safety, and economic impact of electrical brownouts

[34:59] in the city, including an assessment of the city's brownout. out response

[35:03] preparedness to protect communities burdened by environmental and

[35:06] infrastructural inequities lead sponsor Porter co-sponsors Gray Bullock

[35:12] Blanchard Ramos >> chair recognizes council member Porter

[35:16] thank you madam president colleagues I'm introducing a request for anformational

[35:19] hearing on the impacts of brownouts here in the city this is a factf finding

[35:23] hearing and its purpose is to bring the right agencies and stakeholders to the

[35:26] table so that we fully understand the scope of the problem before us brownouts

[35:31] are more than just an inconvenience. If you noticed in this most previous storm,

[35:35] there were thousands of individuals that were without power for a significant

[35:39] amount of time. They carry real consequences for public health, for

[35:43] public safety, and for the economic well-being of our residents and

[35:45] businesses. When power dips, it affects medical equipment, food storage, small

[35:50] businesses, traffic systems, and the daily lives of people across the city.

[35:54] As stated, this hearing calls on the health department, the department of

[35:57] public works, the office of emergency management to appear before us to share

[36:01] a plan of action on how we are to one understand our our energy grid and where

[36:08] we are as it relates to brownouts, but also provide us with an opportunity so

[36:12] that we can hold the proper agencies accountable for our energy grid here in

[36:17] the city. We want a cleareyed assessment of the city's brown art response and

[36:21] preparedness. if you had anything to do with again with the last storm, you

[36:24] understood uh people were people were scrging around for water, for food, for

[36:30] medication and thankful to colleagues like Councilman Jones who quickly

[36:35] assembled uh more than enough uh preparedness for individuals of his

[36:39] district. This is an opportunity for the city to have a response to examine

[36:43] something that we know is going to happen in the very near future. looking

[36:47] at our environmental infrastructure and our inequities that leave some

[36:50] communities burdened more than others. I'm asking my colleagues for support

[36:54] moving this bill to the committee on legislative investigations so that we

[36:58] can begin this important conversation. Thank you.

[37:02] » Thank you. Uh preparedness is so important. Please add Middleton

[37:09] » and Parker >> and Parker

[37:11] » and Jones >> and Torrance and Conway.

[37:17] » And this bill has been assigned to um legislative investigations.

[37:24] City Council resolution 26-0062Rformational

[37:29] hearing land value tax for the purpose of requiring the department of housing

[37:33] and community development, the department of finance, the mayor's

[37:36] office of small and minority business advocacy and development and the

[37:40] department of planning and inviting lift Baltimore, the Baltimore Development

[37:44] Corporation, the Maryland's Department of Assessments and Assessments and

[37:47] Taxation and other relevant stakeholders to a hearing to evaluate the benefits of

[37:52] implementing a split rate property tax system in Baltimore City, including its

[37:57] effect on absentee property ownership and speculation, vacant residential and

[38:01] commercial properties, and owner occupant homeowner property taxes and

[38:06] housing production. Lead sponsors Blanchard, co-sponsors, Gray Bullock.

[38:13] » The chair recognizes council member Blanchard.

[38:17] » Thank you, Madam Vice President. Colleagues, we have a very real

[38:22] challenge with absentee owners in too many of our neighborhoods. We have a

[38:26] very real challenge with speculators who own property that they hope that their

[38:32] neighbors in their neighborhood will make their neighborhoods better and then

[38:34] they can sell it without having done any work on their own at some point in the

[38:38] future. We have real challenges in all of our commercial corridors with retail

[38:42] vacancy. Our homeowners pay too much in property taxes. We can't get the

[38:46] investment needed to save downtown from its current spiral. And of course, we

[38:50] have the very, very well-known challenge with vacant building notices and vacant

[38:54] lots. What if we could meaningfully address all of these challenges

[39:02] without reducing the revenue that the city collects from this each year? Great

[39:08] news. Got a solution on that. Your property tax bill has two

[39:13] assessments on it. One is on the land, one is on the improvements. This is for

[39:17] every property tax bill in the state of Maryland.

[39:21] If we were allowed by the state of Maryland to decrease the property tax

[39:26] rates on improvements and increase the property tax rate on RA land, we would

[39:31] get all the types of benefits that I had mentioned earlier. This is something

[39:36] that is a growing amount of interest uh on the state level. Delegate Kalin Young

[39:40] has been a great champion of this. several other uh strong supporters

[39:44] throughout the uh general assembly. There is a state a funded state study

[39:50] being done to look at the feasibility of this in the state of Maryland.

[39:55] Uh and this hearing would delve into what exactly this would look like, what

[40:00] the impacts would be in Baltimore City. Um how it would actually play out, what

[40:06] we think would happen, how it would be funded, etc. So, been having some great

[40:11] conversations in the full time I've been in office uh with the mayor's

[40:14] administration. I think we've got some some interested parties over there. Um

[40:18] continuing to was good timing with Mako coming today. It definitely had me

[40:23] thinking about maybe I need to reach out and better connect myself with

[40:29] uh colleagues across the state on on this topic. Um because it is a the state

[40:33] needs to enable it. But I do think this is something that a couple years down

[40:37] the road could be a really uh big win for the city. So I encourage all my

[40:42] colleagues uh to support this informationational hearing and and to

[40:46] learn more about uh this concept. Thank you very much. On that note, add

[40:50] Middleton. Any other takers

[40:56] and Porter and this bill has been assigned to

[41:01] budget and appropriations committee. City Council Resolution

[41:05] 26-000063Rformational

[41:09] hearing law enforcement memoranda of understanding for the purpose of

[41:12] requiring the Baltimore Police Department to appear before the city

[41:15] council to provide one a summary and documentation of all currently active

[41:20] memoranda of understanding governing mutual aid concurrent jurisdiction

[41:24] related law enforcement coordination as well as any amendments, renewals or

[41:28] superseding agreements. Two, a summary and documentation of any supporting

[41:34] materials the department relies on in managing those agreements, including

[41:38] implementation schedules and related process updates. And three, a status

[41:43] update on the department's process for reviewing, revising, publishing, and

[41:47] implementing those agreements. Lead sponsor Torrance, co-sponsors Gray,

[41:51] Bullock, Blanchard, Ramos. >> The chair recognizes council member

[41:55] Torrance. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I rise because

[41:58] I'm a person who believes in efficiencies and accountability. Um, we

[42:03] have about 12 police organ 12 police law enforcement agencies outside of BPD in

[42:08] the city of Baltimore. They each have anou about mutual aid and coordination.

[42:12] Um, I have been hyperfocused on one agency, but I now have two on my mind

[42:17] right now. Um, one is the um, city schools police department. Um, we after

[42:24] the consent decree had to put things in place to do assessments for that agency.

[42:29] I think it became a best practice that every time that they update the MOU,

[42:33] they are doing an independent assessment where BPD and them look at how they

[42:38] currently do enforcement and revise it based off of that to make sure that it's

[42:42] the best practice. In addition to that, they ensure that they have body warn

[42:45] cameras, that they are in complian with our consent decree and the best

[42:49] practices that we have at BPD and they offer them the training as well to

[42:52] provide those best practices. I'm taken a back because um the Maryland General

[42:58] Assembly gave the Balma City School Board opportunity where they banned

[43:03] officers from wearing weapons in schools. Um, the irony is is that at

[43:08] City College, at University of Baltimore, they're housed in the

[43:10] building with our Baltimore City Police Department's Academy. Those officers who

[43:14] are instructors there actually have guns on them at all times. But the school

[43:19] police officers who are assigned to those buildings cannot wear those same

[43:22] weapons. Um, when I brought this to the boards here of city schools, he did not

[43:26] see the irony in that conversation, whether it was violated the spirit of

[43:29] the law or the spirit of the policy that city schools itself implemented. Um, in

[43:33] addition to that, there was coordination issues over a year ago with Copen State

[43:38] University's police force. And then on top of that, we c last year when I

[43:42] reviewed and had conversations with city schools about the cost of city college

[43:47] moving to University of Baltimore's campus in their lease agreement, they

[43:53] identified what the police responsibilities were for the council's

[43:57] adification. Um, UB no longer has its own police

[44:01] force. It was the police force from the University of Maryland Baltimore Police

[44:04] Department. They actually patrol University of Baltimore's campus. At

[44:08] that time, they had no formal agreement about how that coordination would be.

[44:13] They merely had three sentences where if a serious law enforcement issue happened

[44:17] on the campus and the University of Baltimore security or the University of

[44:21] Maryland, Baltimore's police department responded first that they would inform

[44:24] the principal. Um, Miss Harkham is retiring. She is not a law enforcement

[44:29] person. um that is not adequate enough. So now

[44:32] city schools is entering into a five agencyou

[44:38] regarding just city college being at um at the University of Baltimore. That is

[44:44] something that's important because our young people are not adults. Um we have

[44:47] the clear requirements in terms of sexual assault on campuses. We also have

[44:51] furer that protects the identity of things that happen to our young people.

[44:54] If anything happens on that campus, how do you coordinate across two

[44:58] communications offices? How do you communicate to not only the young people

[45:02] who visit that campus every day for high school, but the young people who are

[45:05] there and adults are being there, they're being educated, whether they're

[45:08] receiving a bachelor's, masters, or law degree at that university. Um, I also

[45:13] rise because there are friends who have questions about the process for all law

[45:17] enforcement. When this council had opportunity to comment on the JHSU, we

[45:22] were given 30 days. So, part of the things that I've put forth in a um

[45:27] coupled gen coupled legislation that's coming next is establishing anou

[45:32] process. Um just today in a casual conversation with my colleague from the

[45:37] third district, I found out that um anou between one of our law enforcement

[45:41] agencies that patrols our actual streets hasn't been updated in 15 years and it's

[45:45] a state agency. I think we need consistency. Uh law

[45:50] enforcement practices change every three years. So the legislation that will be

[45:54] coming after this will require that we have a process in place and requirements

[45:58] for it and discussing what mutual aid looks like, what does concurrent

[46:01] jurisdiction looks like, who leads in evidence collection, just those minor

[46:05] things so that we know that we have consistency across our agencies. So with

[46:09] that at you, Madam Chair. >> Thank you. Ed Middleton, this is another

[46:14] preparedness um initiative and uh Porter is another

[46:20] taker. Anyone else to add on?

[46:27] This bill has been assigned to public to the public safety committee.

[46:33] The consent calendar was sent to members in boxes in the desk documents folder.

[46:41] And I will now move it for approval. All those in favor of approving the consent

[46:45] calendar say I. I. >> Those opposed say nay. The motion

[46:51] carries and the consent calendar is approved. We will move

[46:56] to bills on second reader. The chair recognizes council member Dorsy.

[47:02] » Thank you, Madam President. I move that we read short titles for the remainder

[47:06] of this evening's meeting. >> Without objection, we will proceed with

[47:10] reading short titles. We will proceed with reading short

[47:15] titles.

[47:19] Tonight we exclusively we exclusively have bills from the land use and

[47:24] transportation committee. >> City Council bill 26-0150

[47:29] zoning conditional use retail goods establishment with alcohol with

[47:33] alcoholic beverage sales variances 600 West North Avenue.

[47:38] » The chair recognizes Chair Dorsy. >> Thank you.

[47:45] Um the committee heard this bill

[47:51] on April 20th. It was voted on July 9th. It was recommended favor as favorable

[47:57] with amendments. There are committee amendments on my colleagues desk. These

[48:02] amendments um and I'll note that I believe there's a floor amendment from

[48:07] the sponsor. Um, these amendments include updates in the

[48:13] language in the bill to refer to an updated site plan and the removal of an

[48:19] old plat in favor of an updated site plan. I move the amendments favorably.

[48:27] » So, um, I think we need to move the finding of facts first. Um, I have that

[48:32] later in my um in my script here, but I'm happy to move

[48:38] finding of facts. >> Okay.

[48:40] » Um, there

[48:44] are findings of facts that were included in the desk documents. Um, I'll move the

[48:52] finding of facts, but I have um comments I'd like to make about them.

[48:57] » Okay. All those in favor of adopting the finding of facts,

[49:00] » I'd like to make my comments first. Go ahead. Yeah.

[49:03] » Um, thank you. Um, >> to put it simply, I don't believe that

[49:09] the finding of facts um from the planning department, planning commission

[49:14] are an accurate reflection of what was actually presented by the applicant.

[49:19] um which is pretty much a textbook example of what cannot be used as the

[49:26] criteria for granting a variance. This bill has two different things in it.

[49:30] It's a conditional use which is presumed allowable unless there's something um

[49:36] unique about that property that would make that particular use particularly

[49:41] detrimental at that property. There's no reason to think that the conditional use

[49:44] for alcohol sales would be worse here than anywhere else. Fine. But then

[49:49] there's a variance and the standard is that there's got to be something unique

[49:53] about that property that makes it so that that property would otherwise be

[49:56] unusable if the variance weren't granted. And uh

[50:01] it's specifically the case that the standard cannot be that I just want to

[50:07] use it for this thing in this way and if I don't get this variance I can't use it

[50:12] for this thing in this way. um and particularly with respect to creating

[50:17] some like profitability from the property. Um that there has to be

[50:22] something more unique than that that makes the property essentially unusable

[50:26] if not for the variance because something about the standard uh just

[50:33] really impacts this particular property in a way that doesn't impact other

[50:39] properties in general. And I think that what we heard was the grocery store

[50:44] won't come here unless we get the variance. And that's as picture perfect

[50:49] an example of what cannot be used as the standard for granting a variance. And so

[50:56] to grant this variance, I think that we just really have to be turning a blind

[51:00] eye to what the law actually says and either say we don't care what variances

[51:07] are. We don't care that there are standards for whether or not we grant

[51:12] them or we just don't care and we're going to do whatever we want to do. And

[51:16] I think that that's what we have to do in order to be able to grant those

[51:20] variance and I'm not going to do that. So, uh, I move the findings of fact

[51:25] nonetheless. >> All those in favor of adopting the

[51:28] finding of fact say I. I. >> Those opposed say nay. Nay.

[51:35] Um, we'll take a roll call.

[51:41] » Just Dorsey and Conway. >> Um, Parker absent from chambers. McCrae,

[51:47] » yes. >> Dorsy,

[51:49] » no. >> Conway,

[51:51] » no. >> Schlifer,

[51:55] » yes. >> Middleton,

[51:57] » yes. >> Torrance,

[52:01] » Gray, >> yes. Bulock.

[52:03] » Hi, >> Porter.

[52:05] » Hi, >> Blanchard.

[52:07] » Hi, >> Jones.

[52:09] » Hi, >> Ramos.

[52:11] » Yes. >> Um,

[52:17] » Madame Vice President, we have 10 in the affirmative and two in the negative with

[52:22] three absences.

[52:29] » He's good. >> Yeah, we have 10 in the affirmative and

[52:31] two in the negative. uh with two absences.

[52:35] » So the um finding of facts um is approved.

[52:43] » I'm president. I move the amendments as discussed before.

[52:46] » Okay. There is a motion on the floor to move uh the committee amendments. My

[52:51] understanding is that council member Torrance has a floor amendment

[52:56] that um amends the committee amendments. and

[53:01] I will recognize him at this time. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Um I am just

[53:08] bringing a clarification as um I'll put it this way. Um the floor amendment on

[53:13] the is on my colleague's desk. This amendment is clarifying the retail and

[53:17] alcohol beverage sales can take place in the yellow portion of the plat. Um at

[53:22] this time, manager, I move that amendment as favorable.

[53:25] » Okay. Before we vote, there is a debate or um is there a debate or discussion on

[53:30] the floor amendment? >> Oh, even

[53:34] » all those in favor of adopting this floor amendment say I.

[53:38] » I. >> All those opposed say nay. The motion

[53:43] passes and the floor amendment is adopted. Now there is I mean uh now is

[53:49] there any debate or discussion on the amended committee

[53:53] amendments? Uh, I have a point of order. Um,

[53:58] » the chair recognizes um I think Torrance was first. Did you

[54:05] have something else? >> Yes, madam chair. Um, if we're moving

[54:09] into debate, I have some clarifying conversations to be said um about legal

[54:12] standards.

[54:17] » Okay, Dorsy, you have a point of order. >> Thank you. Um on the

[54:23] there are two committee amendments and we have three amendments to amend the

[54:28] committee amendments and then on the back side of this page is an amendment

[54:32] three that is not an amendment to the amendments but is yet another amendment

[54:38] to the bill. Do I understand this correctly?

[54:41] » Yep. They also been clarifying because they removed the plaque and replace the

[54:45] plaque and it's required by the legal standard to include the plaque to move

[54:49] it forward. Okay. And so is that >> a substitute to one of the committee

[54:55] amendments or is that >> it was just clarifying the language

[54:58] struck by the committee.

[55:03] » I'm sorry. Can you say that again? Clarifying the language that what?

[55:05] » Clarifying the amendment that the committee made and plus identifying the

[55:09] specifics of the plat where the yellow area was because we're required to do

[55:12] it.

[55:16] » I go back to approve the amendments. I can move amendment number three if you

[55:21] would like to. I can move amendment number three individually.

[55:24] » Okay. I just wanted to make sure it's not in um it's not actually meant to be

[55:28] a substitute for one of the committee amendments.

[55:30] » It doesn't read as an amendment to amendment.

[55:32] » That's fine. I'll move amendment number three. Madam chair.

[55:35] » Okay. >> Um this amendment clarifies on the

[55:38] plaque in the actual bill text the actual area

[55:41] » in yellow. So before we do that, we have to wait until until Chair Dorsy

[55:47] does a piece, right? >> We voted on the We've voted on three

[55:53] amendments to the committee amendments and now I move those committee

[55:59] amendments as amended. >> Yes.

[56:04] » Yes. >> So all those in favor of adopting the

[56:08] amendments say I. >> I. All those opposed say nay. The motion

[56:14] passes and the committee amendments and as amended by the floor amendment

[56:22] are adop are adopted. >> Great.

[56:25] » And then I recognize Councilman Torrren.

[56:30] » Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going to move another amendment which clarifies

[56:34] the conditional use but also identifies the specific area which were required to

[56:38] because the updated plat was added into the actual into the actual bill after it

[56:44] was strucken by the committee by mistake. So we now have an updated plat

[56:48] added back into it with the yellow portion saying that that where the

[56:50] alcohol beverage sales would be placed. >> So is there any additional discussion on

[56:56] that? All those in favor of approving this

[57:00] bill. the amendment to >> I'm approving the amendment to the bill

[57:03] say I. >> I.

[57:05] » All those opposed say nay. >> This bill

[57:10] um >> now the amendment is approved and we'll

[57:14] recognize Chair Dorsy again. >> Okay. So we have amendments. Um

[57:22] » and then I come >> I move the bill favorable

[57:26] as amended. Any additional discussion? Okay. All

[57:33] those in favor of approving. Oh, Councilman Torren.

[57:36] » Yes, ma'am. I just want to collect correct the statements of my pred my

[57:41] colleague. Um, there are only two bodies in this in this city that require for

[57:45] variances that have be individual factf finders. That is the B the board of

[57:49] municipal zoning appeals and that's the Baltimore city council. So, by voting

[57:52] yes, you did identify and agree to the facts of the actual place in there. So

[57:56] therefore, the standard is there and then the standard is no longer just

[58:00] financial implications. Um I and I invite my colleagues to take a walk down

[58:04] West North Avenue with me and see that there are very few locations where you

[58:07] can actually place a grocery store in West Avenue because of the racial

[58:11] discrimination and the way that we zone this city. So to say that in and I and I

[58:17] wholeheartedly say this realistically, we are blind to our in our un how can I

[58:23] say this unconscious bias related to how we feel in our own individual districts.

[58:29] I want to be transparent.

[58:34] Black people deserve grocery stores. We deserve to eat in our

[58:39] neighborhoods. We deserve amenities. And it was by the zoning code and those who

[58:44] led this council prior to us that got us in this situation.

[58:48] And I say that wholeheartedly. Um, and I'm shaking because I am disgusted

[58:55] because this conversation has led to saying something's illegal when one's

[59:01] own bill was returned by the circuit court of Baltimore City.

[59:05] when we are the individual factf finders and I want to say that to this council.

[59:10] We have land use authority and we are the individual factfinders in our own

[59:14] votes. So to vote yes on it and then change your vote today is not only

[59:18] hypocritical but lies within my own consciousness to say morally I won't

[59:23] call it out as it is. Your bias is leading you and it's not leading with

[59:28] the heart of the city or the black people who get access to food in a food

[59:32] desert. And I say this to my neighbors, save a lot is not the only thing that we

[59:36] should have. We should not have to enter into grocery

[59:40] stores because we only have one in the neighborhood that's charging $12 just

[59:44] for coffee creamer that I can go to a white neighborhood and get for $9.

[59:49] So if you want to have that conversation, let's have it. In addition

[59:53] to that, one of my colleagues is getting a Trader Joe's, right? The average

[59:57] income around that Trader Joe's was easy for them to move in.

[1:00:01] When we talk about the fact that we had to change and get more people employed

[1:00:06] in Pin North to increase the home values in those neighborhoods and black

[1:00:10] communities just to attract one grocery store to talk about the lengths we have

[1:00:15] to go to get something in a black neighborhood then to vote no because

[1:00:18] you're an individual backfiring being cowardice about actual cars and parking.

[1:00:25] Let's be transparent. This city is two different ones. There's

[1:00:29] a black butterfly. is a white L and the only way that we're changing it in West

[1:00:34] Baltimore is by black people leading and black people providing opportunities in

[1:00:37] black neighborhoods. And Madam Chair, I sit on that.

[1:00:42] Any other discussion, very valid points for to think about.

[1:00:49] And now I'll go back. Um all those in favor of approving this bill as amended

[1:00:55] say I. >> I.

[1:00:58] » Those opposed say nay. Abstain. >> This bill will be printed for third and

[1:01:03] one abstension. Uh Conway, make note of that. And this bill will be printed for

[1:01:10] third reader. >> Does he like to speak?

[1:01:14] » The chair recognizes um Chair Dorsy. >> No, Madam Vice President.

[1:01:19] » No. Oh, I'm sorry. Um >> Conway.

[1:01:25] » Thank you, Madam Vice President. I appreciate it. But just wanted to take a

[1:01:28] moment to explain my vote. Um I uh I share the uh the councilman, the sponsor

[1:01:34] of the bill's concern about making sure that we address food deserts. He alluded

[1:01:37] to um a labor of love, dare I call it, to get a grocery store, a second grocery

[1:01:43] store into my district, but unfortunately um it is not where we need

[1:01:47] it. Uh it's actually right is being placed,

[1:01:51] you know, a rocks throw from a giant, which is not all that helpful for us. Um

[1:01:56] the interesting piece is um I I I think unfortunately I I decided to abstain

[1:02:01] from this vote. One because of the the questions about uh whether or not we've

[1:02:05] met the findings or facts. Uh but then two the matter of process and a lot of

[1:02:09] the things that came up in the midst of the hearing. Um I think um we definitely

[1:02:14] need to address food deserts within our city. Uh it is a huge huge huge huge

[1:02:20] problem. Uh and one that far too many of our communities um strugg struggle with

[1:02:24] and huge swats of my district struggle with it as well. And I think we always

[1:02:28] find ourselves bending over over backwards to do so. Um the the the finer

[1:02:33] point I want to make here though is we have to make sure that we are continuing

[1:02:36] to listen to our communities as we do so and that we try to find nuance in how we

[1:02:40] meet their needs. Um, I had some some concerns that, you know, frankly, I am

[1:02:44] no expert on this project, so I didn't feel comfortable voting against it. Um,

[1:02:48] I I didn't also feel comfortable v voting for it. Um, you know, removing um

[1:02:53] a a bus lane, I think, is is a challenge that I wish we would have sorted out in

[1:02:58] advance. Um, so, you know, things like that I think, um, that came up in the

[1:03:04] hearing I think bring bring me pause and just make me want to pump my brakes a

[1:03:08] little bit before I throw my full weight of support behind the bill. Um, that

[1:03:13] said, I I appreciate uh the effort of of the councilman. I appreciate the effort

[1:03:17] of the chair to make sure that uh we do address the food deserts issue, but I I

[1:03:21] think we also want to make sure that we are continuing to listen our communities

[1:03:24] and make sure that we meet all of their needs and we don't find ourselves

[1:03:27] sacrificing um the um the process that hopefully um can lead us to to more

[1:03:33] consensus and and better solutions and not just the one that's uh presented to

[1:03:37] us. So, uh, with that, I I abstain and, you know, I appreciate, um, the

[1:03:42] continued efforts, I'm sure, by the councilman to address, um, anything that

[1:03:46] goes forward in in the district. And uh I just want to add re reaching

[1:03:53] staying um up to date and with what's going on in our individual communities,

[1:04:00] not just the communities that each one of us serve and represent in our

[1:04:07] boundaries of our district, but you know, pay attention of what's going on

[1:04:12] around the entire city and the revitalization and the changes that we

[1:04:17] continue h to have to make And also um as far as grocery stores, you know, the

[1:04:24] city needs to having a grocery store is um a very hard business and we need to

[1:04:34] find incentives to help um someone that's interested in owning a

[1:04:40] grocery store. trying to find incentives to help them start that store up and

[1:04:47] just figuring out ways to do, you know, to build those partnerships because

[1:04:51] again, at the end of the day, it's all about partnerships.

[1:04:55] And on that note, um I'll turn it >> I'll

[1:05:02] um I'll one more thing, Councilman Torrance, and then we'll move on move

[1:05:06] forward. >> Thank you, Madam Chair, because we're in

[1:05:08] a public sector. I just want to correct the record. We did not remove a bus

[1:05:11] lane. There were two lanes. One was a right turn lane and the other was the

[1:05:16] bus lane. MCA had to signal over and causing conflicts. There are two right

[1:05:21] turn lanes that people were turning at both times from both right turn lanes.

[1:05:26] We just got rid of one right turn lane so that we can end the conflict and

[1:05:29] we're doing bumpouts at all four corners to make it safe for young people to go

[1:05:33] to and from Mount Royal Terrace >> to Mount Royal Elementary Middle School.

[1:05:36] We actually met with the community after the hearing at the actual site so they

[1:05:40] can actually witness three buses have to signal back over to get into the rest of

[1:05:44] West North Avenue. And I just want to say for colleagues, there's a such thing

[1:05:48] as Google Maps. It has a layer that you can look at overlaying the city that you

[1:05:52] can see both lanes were there and that we are not removing a bus lane. It does

[1:05:56] not threaten North Avenue Rising. And I'm just going to say this again because

[1:06:00] I just want to be clear. It is the facts were there. the conversations were had.

[1:06:06] That's why there was no community opposition at the last hearing. We were

[1:06:09] very clear when we met community on site. We in addition to that we also

[1:06:14] there were a lot of things that we met with community. I just want to put out

[1:06:17] there on the record what where we came with community. We are planting new

[1:06:22] trees, preserving oak trees. We're providing 65 parking spots. In addition

[1:06:27] to that, we're providing a liquor license for future business to actually

[1:06:30] have a restaurant in the neighborhood. Right? It's just not just the wine and

[1:06:33] sales. is also retail that's going to be present there as well. In addition to

[1:06:37] that, that is coupling with the fact that we are building a new $16 million

[1:06:41] building AC down the street, which is going to be the mayor's office of

[1:06:44] employment development that I welcome you all to come visit in the fall when

[1:06:48] we open it and we actually start using that that actual facility for that

[1:06:52] project labor agreement with the Frederick Douglas tunnel. This has been

[1:06:55] strategic investment that has been led and had community conversations. to be

[1:07:00] to be transparent with you, these community conversations happen with West

[1:07:03] North Avenue Development Authority. And I just want to say that like these

[1:07:06] aren't things just happening in isolation. This isn't for a developer.

[1:07:10] This is what makes sense for the community and the neighborhoods. And

[1:07:13] » thank you, Councilman Torrance. I I we all feel your passion and thank you for

[1:07:19] having a very um professional discussion and debate. And now we'll end this

[1:07:26] discussion and move back to recognizing Chair Dorsy so we can move to the next

[1:07:33] piece.

[1:07:43] » Um I recognize Councilman uh Torrance to move to third reader.

[1:07:50] » Thank you Madam Chair. I would like to at this time, Madame President, vice

[1:07:54] vice president, I would like to move the suspend rules for same day advancement

[1:07:57] for the bill to move it to third reader. >> Is there any debate or discussion on the

[1:08:01] motion for same day advancement >> with the clerk?

[1:08:08] » Uh,

[1:08:16] okay. Yeah, we have to do that over. Um, basically you want to invoke the city

[1:08:22] council rule 121 the same day for advancement

[1:08:27] as you just said >> the third reader for city council bill

[1:08:31] 260150. Thank you parliamentarian for um

[1:08:35] catching that. And is there any discussion or to move

[1:08:43] um on the motion the same day advancement?

[1:08:49] Will the clerk please call the role?

[1:08:55] » Parker.

[1:08:58] » I >> Okay. Uh McCrae.

[1:09:03] » Oh, chambers. Dorsy. >> No. Conway.

[1:09:09] » Schlifer. >> Hi.

[1:09:11] » Middleton. >> Yes.

[1:09:13] » Torrance. >> Hi.

[1:09:15] » Gray. >> Hi.

[1:09:17] » Bullock. >> Hi.

[1:09:18] » Porter. >> Hi.

[1:09:20] » Blanchard. >> Hi.

[1:09:21] » Jones. >> Hi.

[1:09:23] » Ramos. >> Yes.

[1:09:26] » Madam vice president. >> 2 three four five six seven eight.

[1:09:30] » There are 10 votes in the affirmative. The motion does not have submission

[1:09:34] votes. >> Okay. We cannot move this to third

[1:09:38] reader.

[1:09:43] » City council bill 26-0153 measurement of building height gambo

[1:09:47] roofs.

[1:10:06] Sorry. Chair recognizes Chair Dorsy. >> I didn't read the next bill number.

[1:10:13] » Oh. >> Oh, let me read it again. City Council

[1:10:15] Bill 26-0153, measurement of building height gamble

[1:10:18] roofs. >> Thank you. This bill was heard on July

[1:10:21] 2nd. It was recommended as favorable with amendments. There are committee

[1:10:24] amendments on my colleagues desk from urgently proposed from Councilman Parker

[1:10:31] uh which u reflect recommendations from the planning commission to change the

[1:10:36] standards of measurements for roof from the eaves to the peak to the top of the

[1:10:41] highest wall plate to the highest point in the roof. Um I move the amendment as

[1:10:47] favorable.

[1:10:50] Before we vote, is there any debate or discussion on the committee amendment?

[1:10:55] All those in favor of adopting the amendment say I.

[1:10:59] » I. >> All those opposed say nay. The motion

[1:11:02] passes and the amendments are adopted.

[1:11:07] » Uh I move the bill favorable as amended. >> Is there any additional debate or

[1:11:13] discussion on this bill? All those in favor of approving this

[1:11:18] bill say I. >> I.

[1:11:21] » All those opposed say nay. This bill will be will be printed for

[1:11:25] third reader. >> City council bill 26-0165

[1:11:29] sale of property at 220 Guilford Avenue. >> The chair recognizes Chair Dorsy.

[1:11:34] » Thank you. This bill was heard on July 9th. It was recommended as favorable. I

[1:11:37] move as favorable. >> Is there any additional debate or

[1:11:41] discussion on this bill? All those in favor of approving this

[1:11:46] bill say I. >> I.

[1:11:49] » All those opposed say nay. This bill will be printed for third

[1:11:54] reader. The chair recognizes Chair Dorsy.

[1:11:57] » Thank you. I move to suspend the rules as necessary to allow for same day

[1:12:01] advancement of this bill to third reader.

[1:12:07] Um, you invoked the rule 121 >> for same day advancement.

[1:12:14] » Yes. >> Okay. Is there any debate or discussion

[1:12:17] on the motion of the same day advancement?

[1:12:21] Will the clerk please call the role? >> Parker,

[1:12:26] » yes. >> McCrae,

[1:12:28] » uh, Dorsy, >> yes.

[1:12:30] » Conway, >> hi. Schlifer.

[1:12:33] » Hi >> Middleton.

[1:12:34] » Hi >> Torrance.

[1:12:36] » Hi >> Gray.

[1:12:37] » Hi >> Bulock.

[1:12:38] » Hi >> Porter.

[1:12:39] » Hi >> Blanchard.

[1:12:40] » Hi >> Jones.

[1:12:42] » Hi >> Ramos.

[1:12:44] » Yes. >> We have three. That's 12.

[1:12:49] » This bill will move to third reader today.

[1:12:53] » City council bill 26-0175. Street names authority to change suffix.

[1:13:00] Thank you. This bill was heard on July. The

[1:13:02] » chair recognizes Chair Dorsy. >> Thank you. This bill was heard on July

[1:13:05] 2nd. It was recommended as favorable. I move the bill favorable.

[1:13:09] » Before we vote, is there any debate or discussion on this bill?

[1:13:15] All those in favor of approving this bill say I.

[1:13:18] » I. >> All those opposed say nay. This bill

[1:13:22] will be printed for third reading. City Council Bill 26-0176,

[1:13:28] zoning conditional use conversion of a single family dwelling unit to two

[1:13:32] dwelling units in an R8 zoning district variance 812 North Kerry Street.

[1:13:36] » The chair recognizes Chair Dorsy. >> Thank you. This bill was heard on July

[1:13:41] 9th. It was recommended as favorable. There are findings of fact adopted by

[1:13:46] the committee included with the materials in my colleagues desk

[1:13:49] documents. I move the findings and note that uh it was put on the record that

[1:13:53] the variance that was uh noted in the bill uh is obsolete and was not actually

[1:13:58] required. So there's no variance necessary with this bill. Uh I move the

[1:14:02] finding of facts. >> All those in favor of adopting the

[1:14:05] findings of facts say I. >> I.

[1:14:07] » Those opposed say nay. The finding of facts are adopted. The chair recognizes

[1:14:13] Chair Dorsy. >> Thank you. I move the bill um I move the

[1:14:16] bill favorable. Is there any additional debate or discussion on this bill?

[1:14:22] All those in favor of approving this bill say I.

[1:14:25] » I. >> All those opposed say nay.

[1:14:29] This bill will be printed for third reader. The chair recognizes chair

[1:14:33] Dorsy. >> Thank you. I move to suspend the rules

[1:14:36] for same day advancement of this bill to third reader.

[1:14:41] » Uh invoke city council rule 121 same day advancement. Is there any debate or

[1:14:47] discussion on the motion of um for the same day advancement?

[1:14:54] » Will the clerk please call the role? >> Parker,

[1:14:59] » yes. >> Dorsy,

[1:15:00] » yes. >> Conway,

[1:15:01] » hi. >> Schlifer,

[1:15:03] » Middleton, >> yes.

[1:15:04] » Torrance, >> hi.

[1:15:05] » Gray, >> hi.

[1:15:06] » Bulock, >> hi.

[1:15:07] » Porter, >> hi.

[1:15:08] » Blanchard, >> hi.

[1:15:10] » Jones, >> hi.

[1:15:11] » Ramos, >> yes.

[1:15:14] This bill moves to third reader today. >> City Council Bill 26-0178,

[1:15:19] Baltimore Harbor, Transfer of Authority to Department of Transportation.

[1:15:24] » Chair recognizes Chair Dorsy. >> Thank you. This bill was heard on July

[1:15:28] 2nd and voted on July 9th. It is recommended as favorable with

[1:15:32] amendments. There are committee amendments on my colleagues desk. These

[1:15:36] seven amendments are technical and include they they clarify that an

[1:15:40] environmental citation is issued by the environmental control board. Uh insert

[1:15:45] the word harbor on page 10. Insert the word piling on page 28. Correct the word

[1:15:51] authorizations to authorization.

[1:15:54] Change the phrase from warps for private enjoyment to warps. On page 14, change a

[1:16:02] drift to a drift allowed to deteriorate. On page 17 and number seven, strike

[1:16:10] company or on page 18. I move these amendments as favorable.

[1:16:18] » All those in favor of adopting the finding of facts say I.

[1:16:22] » Uh the amendments. >> The adopting the amendments say I. I.

[1:16:29] » All those opposed say nay. The amendments are adopted. The chair

[1:16:36] recognizes Chair Dorsy. >> Uh I move the bill favorable as amended.

[1:16:43] » Are there any uh additional debates or discussions in this bill?

[1:16:48] All those in favor of approving the bill as adopted say I.

[1:16:53] » I. >> All those opposed say nay.

[1:16:57] This bill will be printed for third reading. The chair recognizes Chair

[1:17:01] Dorsy.

[1:17:05] » Next bill. >> Oh,

[1:17:07] where are you? >> Here.

[1:17:09] » No. So, hey, I missed. No, I'm going to go back to it.

[1:17:14] » Okay. Chair recognizes Chair Dorsy. >> Oh. Oh, he's got to read the bill.

[1:17:21] Sorry.

[1:17:25] City Council Bill 26-0197 RPP Area 48 Riverside revisions.

[1:17:37] » Uh recognize Chair Dorsy. >> Thank you. This bill was heard on July

[1:17:41] 2nd as recommended favorable. I move the bill favorable.

[1:17:46] » Before we vote, are there any debates or discussions on this bill?

[1:17:52] All those in favor of approving this bill say I.

[1:17:55] » I. >> Those opposed say nay. This bill will

[1:17:59] will be printed for third reader. The the chair recognizes Chair Dorsy.

[1:18:04] » I move to suspend the rules to allow for same day advancement of this bill of

[1:18:08] third reader. >> Are there is there any debate or

[1:18:12] discussion on the motion for same day advancement?

[1:18:18] Will the clerk please call the role?

[1:18:22] Parker, >> yes.

[1:18:24] » McCrae, Dorsy,

[1:18:26] » yes. >> Conway, hi.

[1:18:28] » Schlifer, >> Middleton,

[1:18:30] » yes. >> Torrance,

[1:18:31] » hi >> Gray,

[1:18:32] » hi >> Bullock,

[1:18:33] » hi >> Porter,

[1:18:34] » hi >> Blanchard,

[1:18:35] » hi >> Jones,

[1:18:36] » hi >> Ramos,

[1:18:38] » yes. >> This bill moves to third reader

[1:18:43] » today. Circle back to the one that I missed.

[1:18:47] Sorry. I'm gonna do this one. I missed it. I'm

[1:18:52] sorry. Okay. >> City Council Bill 26-0177,

[1:18:57] which I previously missed. Reszoning 901 South Kaitton Avenue.

[1:19:02] » So, Chair Dorsy, recognizing you, one more we missed.

[1:19:09] » Sorry, this is not in my script here. >> 26. Yeah. 0177.

[1:19:14] The reszoning of 901 South. Did >> we miss it? Sorry.

[1:19:18] » South Kaitton Avenue. >> Oh, sorry.

[1:19:25] I see. Okay. Um, this bill was heard July 9th is

[1:19:31] recommended favorable. I move the bill. Oh, there. Oh, there

[1:19:36] finding a fact adopted by the committee included with the materials and desk

[1:19:40] documents. I move the finding. >> All those in favor of adopting the

[1:19:44] finding of facts say I. >> I. Those opposed say nay. The finding of

[1:19:50] facts are adopted. Chair recognizes Chair Dorsy.

[1:19:54] » Thank you. I move the bill favorable. >> Uh are there is there any additional

[1:19:59] debate or discussion on this bill? All those in favor of approving this bill

[1:20:04] say I. >> I.

[1:20:06] » Those opposed say nay. This bill will be printed for third reader.

[1:20:15] » Mhm. >> Do we?

[1:20:16] » Yeah. We recognize

[1:20:20] » to do this. >> Oh, we want to do it the same day. Chair

[1:20:24] recognizes chair Dorsy. >> Thank you. Move to suspend the rules to

[1:20:29] allow for same day advancement to third reader.

[1:20:32] » And uh any debate or discussion on the motion for same day advancement?

[1:20:39] Hearing none, will the clerk please call the role?

[1:20:42] » Parker, >> yes.

[1:20:43] » Dorsy, >> yes.

[1:20:44] » Conway, >> I. Schlifer.

[1:20:46] » Hi, >> Middleton.

[1:20:48] » Hi, >> Torrance.

[1:20:49] » Hi, >> Gray.

[1:20:50] » Hi, >> Bulock.

[1:20:51] » Hi, >> Porter.

[1:20:52] » Hi, >> Blanchard.

[1:20:53] » Hi, >> Jones.

[1:20:54] » Hi, >> Ramos.

[1:20:55] » Yes. >> This bill moves to third reader today.

[1:21:01] We now move to bills on third reader. Will the clerk please read the bills and

[1:21:06] call the role? >> City council bill 26-0165,

[1:21:10] sale of property 220 Guilford Avenue. Parker, Dorsey, Conway, Schlaer,

[1:21:15] Middleton, Torrance, Gay, Bulock, Blanchard, Jones, Glover, Ramos, Cohen.

[1:21:22] And um council members McCrae, Glover, and President Cohen are absent.

[1:21:28] » This bill is approved. >> City Council Bill 26-0176

[1:21:32] zoning conditional use conversion of a single family dwelling to two dwelling

[1:21:36] units in the R8 zoning district variance 812 North Kerry Street. Parker, Dorsy,

[1:21:42] Conway, Schlaer, Middleton, Torrance, Gay, Bulock, Blanchard, Jones, Glover,

[1:21:46] Ramos, Cohen. I'll note, um, McCrae, Ramos, sorry, McCrae, Glover, and Cohen

[1:21:53] as absences. >> This bill was approved.

[1:21:57] » City Council Bill 26-0177, resoning 901 South Kaitton Avenue.

[1:22:03] Parker, McCrae, Dorsy, Conway, Schlifer, Middleton, Torrance, Gray, Bullock,

[1:22:09] Blanchard, Jones, Glover, Ramos, Cohen, and I'll note McCrae, Glover, and Cohen

[1:22:14] as absence. >> This bill is approved.

[1:22:17] City Council Bill 26-0197 RP Area 48 Riverside revisions Parker

[1:22:24] McCrae Dorsy Conway Schlifer Middleton Torrren Gray Bullock Blanchard Jones

[1:22:29] Glover Ramos Cohen will note McCrae Glover and Cohen as absences. This bill

[1:22:34] is approved. We now move to um committee

[1:22:40] announcements. Chairs, when you hear your committee,

[1:22:44] please proceed with your committee announcements and

[1:22:48] uh budget and appropriations. We do not have any announcements. Um

[1:22:55] education, youth, and older adults. Chair Bullock, no announcements. Housing

[1:23:01] and community, housing and economic development. Chair Torrance.

[1:23:07] » Thank you, Madam Vice President. The Housing Economic Development Committee

[1:23:10] will hear Council Bill 260163, Community Health Food Access um act on

[1:23:16] August 18th, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. in the council chambers. And then we will have

[1:23:21] I will announce via the council president's office three other bills

[1:23:24] that will will have hearings of four in August as well. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[1:23:28] » Thank you. Labor and Workforce Chair Jones.

[1:23:35] » No announcements. to land use and transportation. Chair Dorsy.

[1:23:43] » Thank you, Madam President. On September 10th at 9:00 am in the council chambers,

[1:23:49] the committee will continue with its next DOT oversight hearing uh on

[1:23:56] operations um transportation department LO25004.

[1:24:05] On September 17th at 9:00 a.m.,

[1:24:11] the committee will hear Council Bill 260195,

[1:24:16] zoning accessory dwelling units. 9:00 a.m. in the council chambers.

[1:24:23] On September 17th, 9:00 a.m. committee will hear council bill 260218,

[1:24:31] transit oriented development, downtown Baltimore.

[1:24:37] On September 17th, the committee will hear Council Bill 260219,

[1:24:42] Transit Oriented Development, Rogers Avenue.

[1:24:48] On September 24th at 9:00 a.m. Committee will hear in the council chambers 250093

[1:24:57] zoning Harford Road Overlay District. On September 24th, 9:00 am in the

[1:25:04] council chambers, the committee will hear council bill 25128,

[1:25:09] zoning conditional use conversion of a single family dwelling unit to three

[1:25:13] dwelling units in the R8 zoning district, 1118 North Kerry Street.

[1:25:20] On September 24th at 9:00 am, committee will hear council bill 260148

[1:25:27] reszoning 205 to 209 East Cold Spring Lane.

[1:25:33] And on September 24th, the committee will hear council at 9:00 a.m. the

[1:25:39] committee will hear 260149 reasonzoning 2441 to 2449 West Baltimore

[1:25:47] Street. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, legislative

[1:25:52] investigations. Chair Schlifer. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. The, uh,

[1:25:57] committee on legislative investigations will hold a hearing on bill number

[1:26:00] 26-0193, public nuisance, illegal distribution of

[1:26:04] manufacturer of cannabis or control dangerous substances on September 10th,

[1:26:09] 2026 at 3 p.m. Thank you. >> Thank you. Public Health and Environment

[1:26:15] Chair Porter. >> Thank you. Thank you so much, Madam

[1:26:17] Chair. U the public health and environment committee will hold the

[1:26:20] following hearings Wednesday August 19th 2026 beginning at 10:01 resolution

[1:26:25] 26-0055Rformational

[1:26:29] hearing sewage backups expedited reimbursement and direct assistance

[1:26:32] program at the request of council member Gray on the second one will be on

[1:26:38] Wednesday September 16th beginning at 10 a.m. Bill number 26-0194,

[1:26:44] municipal identification cards, applications and personal information

[1:26:49] requested by council member Ramos on behalf of the Baltimore City Information

[1:26:52] and Technology Division and LO260049 briefing the Cis Street Task Force at

[1:26:59] the request of council member Ramos in the 14th district. All hearings will be

[1:27:03] held in C council chambers and open to the public. Thank you.

[1:27:07] » Thank you. Public safety chair Conway. No announcements. Uh, charter review

[1:27:13] special committee. No announcements. That was chair Dorsy also. We ma now

[1:27:20] move to regular announcements. Does anyone have any announcements to share?

[1:27:25] Um, >> Porter.

[1:27:29] » Thank you so much, Madam Chair. I just want to colleagues, I just want to

[1:27:31] recognize um Morgan State University Center for R research and excellence in

[1:27:36] wastewaterbased epidemiology. um they developed a really really

[1:27:40] innovative tool that predicts sewer spills um in the city and so they had an

[1:27:44] opportunity um to share with me before um about their uh innovative tool. But

[1:27:50] this is a great opportunity because Councilman Gray this is something that

[1:27:53] you were working on in relation to sewage backups throughout the city. And

[1:27:56] this is a innovative tool right here in the city of Baltimore that can help with

[1:28:01] that predictive um technology for future sewage backups. I just wanted to um

[1:28:06] share this citation with them and so they're here tonight. Just want to

[1:28:09] recognize them, Dr. Zang um and her colleague. And so just wanted to

[1:28:13] recognize them tonight. So

[1:28:21] So I'll read the resolution. The city council of Baltimore be it hereby known

[1:28:24] that all of the city council offices sincerest congratulations to Morgan

[1:28:28] State University center for research excellence in wastewater based tech

[1:28:32] epidemiology in recognition of your development of an innovative tool that

[1:28:36] predicts sewer spills advancing public health protection environmental

[1:28:40] stewardship and infrastructure resilience. The entire membership

[1:28:43] extends best wishes on this memorable occasion and the rest this resolution to

[1:28:47] be presented on the 13th day of July 2026. Signed, President Z Cohen and

[1:28:51] Councilwoman Felicia Ray Louise Porter. Thank you.

[1:28:54] » Thank you.

[1:29:00] Thank you. Any other announcements? Uh, Councilman Bullock.

[1:29:09] » Yes. Uh, thank you, Madam President. Um, also going to follow up from um, Council

[1:29:13] Member Porter because I want to give her some flowers today. Um, one of the

[1:29:17] things I'm I'm very proud of, we had a lot of conversations today around

[1:29:20] grocery stores. And so um, and Mount Clair Junction and the uh, the grand

[1:29:25] reopening of Super Fresh was very proud to stand along with my colleague. One of

[1:29:28] the things we talk about in this council is that um, our district boundaries are

[1:29:32] important, but it's more important about the neighborhoods and the communities

[1:29:35] that we serve. And so we look at a neighborhood like Mount Clair that has

[1:29:38] been challenged as it relates to food access and being able to work with uh uh

[1:29:42] neighborhoods and work with uh private entities to make sure that our our

[1:29:45] people are served is a beautiful thing. And so I think it's a good example of

[1:29:49] how we can be collaborative across district boundaries but also work

[1:29:53] together on these critical issues. So again, thank you council member Porter

[1:29:56] for being a good colleague. >> Another Councilman Councilwoman Porter

[1:30:01] » and I and thank you so much Councilman Bull. Again, I just want to clarify,

[1:30:05] this is the third grocery store that has been in this location. And so, when we

[1:30:09] talk about the incentives that grocery stores need to come in, this is the

[1:30:13] first national retailer that's coming into District 10. And so, grocery stores

[1:30:17] are extremely hard to come by. And so when you have communities that are

[1:30:21] begging for grocery stores, needing grocery stores, we have as a council, we

[1:30:25] have a duty to make sure that we are pulling all of the opportunities for

[1:30:31] grocery stores to come into communities so that we have fresh fruits and

[1:30:34] vegetables. And so this is not only a testament of the work that the community

[1:30:38] is doing, but this is the testament of the rigor and the hard work it actually

[1:30:42] takes to bring a grocery store in. Again, this is the third grocery store

[1:30:46] in the 5 years that I've been serving. This is the first national grocery store

[1:30:49] that we have in this circuit. So, thank you so much, Councilman.

[1:30:53] » Thank Thank you and congratulations

[1:30:58] and um Councilman Gray comment. >> Yep. I just want to acknowledge uh that

[1:31:07] Local Progress uh was in Baltimore this past uh weekend um for their annual

[1:31:14] convening. Uh this is their first time in Baltimore.

[1:31:17] maybe in history. As far as the actual convening, um they've been here for

[1:31:21] other events. Uh it was an amazing time. Uh Local Progress is a grassroot

[1:31:25] organization that really helps um electeds from all across the country. Um

[1:31:31] with uh with legislation, uh with support, with family, um it is uh we had

[1:31:37] a lot of representation. We had the mayor give the opening address. Uh we

[1:31:41] had um we had uh school board member uh Ashley Espazito on a panel along with uh

[1:31:50] council president Z Cohen along with um our comproller Bill Henry. Uh we also

[1:31:56] had a welcoming opening from James and I. Um, but overall I just wanted to let

[1:32:01] everyone know that um, we've been saying that Baltimore is on a renaissance, but

[1:32:07] after this I know that most of people will go around and tell everyone around

[1:32:11] the country that Baltimore is back in a big way. Uh, from the food, from the

[1:32:16] entertainment, from the hospitality, everything that they experienced was uh,

[1:32:21] top tier. And so, um, I just want to give a big shout out to Baltimore, uh,

[1:32:26] for us, for being us, not knowing who they were, but still giving giving them

[1:32:30] the love, the food, the support, uh, the laughs, uh, and the memories, but also

[1:32:35] to let people know, um, that, uh, we see what's going on the federal level. Uh,

[1:32:42] hopefully, God willing, we have two more years of this, but there is a underbelly

[1:32:48] of leadership that is ready, ready to explode. Last year we were in Chicago.

[1:32:52] Uh Councilwoman Border and Councilman uh Torrance Ethan was there as well. Uh and

[1:32:58] in that room I spoke to um a council woman at the time, Janice George, who is

[1:33:04] now the mayor of DC. And so to hear her say at that moment that she was looking

[1:33:10] to run for mayor, and to see where she is now, um progressive politics aren't

[1:33:15] dead, they are here to stay. Um, and I'm just thankful for for programs like

[1:33:20] this, uh, and for grassroot organizations like this that continue to

[1:33:24] feed the next generation of leaders that will actually show up and do what

[1:33:29] they're supposed to do for communities, whether it's Mandomney, whether it's

[1:33:31] George, whether it's Scott. Um, a lot of these folks have come through these

[1:33:35] organizations to make the changes that we need in cities, uh, in counties,

[1:33:40] whether it's rural or urban. Um, a change is coming and I just know they

[1:33:44] had a great time. So, I just want to thank Baltimore and everyone else who

[1:33:46] participated. >> Thank you. Anyone else before I speak

[1:33:52] and Councilman Conway?

[1:33:57] » Thank you, Madam Vice President. I'll be very brief. Um, my colleague pulled the

[1:34:01] hood before I could announce this. U, but, uh, the fourth district will be

[1:34:05] getting a new grocery store as we alluded to earlier. Trader Joe's will be

[1:34:08] coming to the Anelise shopping center off of York Road. Um, since I came in

[1:34:13] office uh in 2020, December, this was one of the highest

[1:34:18] priorities for myself to get an additional grocery store for the fourth

[1:34:21] district. Um, now I I'm I'm incredibly happy about the Trader Joe's coming in.

[1:34:26] Uh, we still have a food desert on the east side of um of York Road that we

[1:34:31] need to address. And so, this is uh this will continue to be an issue that we

[1:34:34] need to resolve. And I agree with my colleagues, we should be doing

[1:34:38] everything at our liberty to make sure that we meet the food needs for the

[1:34:41] folks in our districts. Um, but we should also celebrate those ones when we

[1:34:44] get them. And I hope that every one of my council members here who has a food

[1:34:48] desert in their district um is has the liberty and and um the the joy that I

[1:34:53] have in being able to bring a um grocery store to the district. So um just want

[1:34:57] to, you know, uh lift up that win and uh hopefully we can continue to do great

[1:35:01] work. Thank you. >> Thank you. And then Councilman Torrance,

[1:35:07] » be very brief. I just want to do a shout out to Visit Baltimore who's helped us

[1:35:11] with getting these um conventions. Um just to give you the lens of it, this

[1:35:16] summer we're getting Jack and Jill, the Capitals have come, Delta Sigma Theta is

[1:35:22] coming, and there are other um large entities that are coming here that are

[1:35:26] bringing thousands of people to Baltimore. And that team has I've seen

[1:35:30] what their new pitch stack looks like. It is drastically improved how we're

[1:35:35] attracting people. But I also want to shout out to um the community this

[1:35:40] weekend who came out with us. We built a um playground within six hours.

[1:35:46] Six hours with 90 volunteers from both the Ashburg community and the greater

[1:35:50] Montgomery community as well as the brothers of cap alphasai. So six hours

[1:35:54] be playground alphas. Six hours. >> Thank you so much. So, um I don't know

[1:35:59] if you So, my I have two things. Um a shout out to um Baltimore KOJIC for

[1:36:07] helping to bring the Kod KIC uh faith-based congregation for their

[1:36:12] convention here. It was here at the con uh civic center, I mean convention

[1:36:17] center. over 10,000 people came and filled the hotels, restaurants, just

[1:36:25] poured revenue into our city and really had a wonderful time. The second piece

[1:36:34] is that you notice these wonderful dangling earrings that I I have been

[1:36:39] wearing that um I'm just so proud. I've been getting compliments. I made these.

[1:36:46] So on

[1:36:49] So, um, I'm a member of the Baltimore City Links. A shout out to the Lynx. We

[1:36:55] had a friendship day at the Walters Art Gallery on Thursday and did a tour of um

[1:37:05] uh the Dorian uh Fletcher's um she's a artist that makes jewelry and

[1:37:12] she made jewelry for uh the movie um Wakanda. So, they have right now an

[1:37:20] exhibit that's been going on for a while, but um you know, we have so much

[1:37:25] art and culture and history here. And so, we did the tour and then they do

[1:37:32] have sessions. And this is something I'm saying because families and children can

[1:37:38] can go to this museum. A reminder, the Walters Art Museum is free admission.

[1:37:44] It's um the funding is given from uh the council, Baltimore City, um Howard

[1:37:53] County and also B our neighbors Baltimore County contribute to keep the

[1:38:00] admission free and they have activities.

[1:38:07] You can book a group to do tours. They have a um brooch making session coming

[1:38:15] up. But we after I did we did that um jewelry tour. Of course you have that

[1:38:22] inspiration. So they we were sitting down as a group and they provide all the

[1:38:27] things and you design you know your own jewelry. And of course all of it is

[1:38:32] free. So, if families are looking for something to do, this is um a nice

[1:38:38] museum to uh take your family with or just go in there one day yourself and do

[1:38:44] the tour. They they have um just some great exhibits going on there. And

[1:38:51] lastly, for a moment of silence, I have four names. We lost a DPW worker,

[1:38:58] Courtney Brown. um also a former employee

[1:39:04] from uh the Schaefer administration. Her name was Jacqueline Hardy.

[1:39:10] And we also um lost uh Willie May Lowry, which was the grandmother of um

[1:39:19] Ty and Greg Miller, my chief of staff, Ty, and um a prominent doctor in the

[1:39:28] community. Her name was Marsher Brown Matthews. So, a moment of silence for

[1:39:33] them. And

[1:39:37] the next regular meeting of the Baltimore City Council will be held on

[1:39:40] Monday, September 14th at 5:00 p.m. There being no further business, this

[1:39:48] concludes the 33rd regular meeting of the 74th term of the Baltimore City

[1:39:53] Council.

City Council Meeting; July 13, 2026

Transcript