[{"_1":2,"_108":-5,"_109":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6236818,"mediaKeyId","3354052-0b01419c03446cfb085e4b82af4b26b0","parentId",3354052,"title","Mayor’s recovery office reports $641.2 million in ARPA obligations; opioid restitution grants moving slowly","audioSeconds",284,"startMs",88000,"endMs",372000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3354052-0b01419c03446cfb085e4b82af4b26b0&start=88&end=372","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3354052-0b01419c03446cfb085e4b82af4b26b0/thumbnail_88000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6236818/Baltimore-City/Baltimore-County/Maryland/Mayors-recovery-office-reports-6412-million-in-ARPA-obligations-opioid-restitution-grants-moving-slowly","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6236818-94e4e7720a74c370c8855cbbda82eb30/orig.mp4?Expires=1773583757&Signature=oGvrNyViGlz~IsMour1B~64oOiEh7TI4dJa1QCC-4BfOXMg9kGMaxxEuZu4ORTYsGfAA1dfE9rwT4dAhU7LFkxz23mnZZA1A9p4i7MlMGcnCE7y32DUIjoHgRJI7IdKX7g~QNu2MbWc3dbXV2JH~8pkPmXM3Ed1rK3ObLFFHVFqYaNZmVQNrT-zC2yQnixabOI1p3GRmb71lDlv~3dGMb0nzpFSRi~~gINvUJ6IICmMcfZvy6Yx2zWTOSie69Z~D8xiEcVf4Etx6YdTCj6SjIWEpsy2kJyQmmOt89vVov2eVfF9LbXnW8CI~k6BRrNS5KE5hGUGgkun8G4v3slBVTg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Baltimore, MD","date","2025-05-16T15:00:19Z","article","Acting Chief Recovery Officer Elizabeth Tatum told the Baltimore City Council Budget and Appropriations Committee on a quarterly briefing that Baltimore City has fully obligated $641,170,126 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and had expended $434,900,000 as of March.

Tatum said the recovery office is tracking agency-level spend rates and focusing on agreements where expenditure is under 50 percent. \"We have fully obligated $641,000,000 It's $641,170,126 That's all been obligated as of December 31 and then as of the March we've expended $434,900,000,\" she said. She told the committee the presentation covered expenditures through March and noted April numbers would be available at the May 28 budget hearing.

The office highlighted projects across city agencies with slower spend patterns. Examples cited by Tatum included a $3.7 million Department of Finance city-services agreement executed in December 2024 (about half expected to be spent in the next six months), a $36 million portfolio for the Department of General Services (three projects under 50 percent, including $3.4 million for fire-facility upgrades, an $11.8 million City Hall roof replacement with $6.85 million from ARPA, and $10.8 million for HVAC at six libraries), and a $13.1 million Department of Transportation agreement where $12 million is allocated to construct 1,600 ADA ramps (Tatum said about 40 percent of those ramps were complete and about 18 percent of sidewalks slated for repair had been finished after a contract bid protest delayed start).

Recreation and Parks was shown with a $58.4 million ARPA obligation and 39.7 percent spent; Tatum said pools and three recreation centers are under construction, and cited specific schedules: Coldstream pool projected to open in June 2025, and the Greater Model Pool expected to be completed by fall 2025. She said ARPA provided $6.6 million for the new Elijah Cummings recreation center, with about 12 percent of those design funds already spent.

Tatum also reviewed grants and quasi‑governmental partners: quasi‑government and nonprofit portfolio spend stood at 84.6 percent, while Visit Baltimore’s $4 million tourism and convention incentive grant — awarded December 2024 — had reached roughly the 50 percent threshold in the first disbursement cycle. Enoch Pratt Free Library’s $4.4 million grant was described as ‘‘a little under half’’ spent and tied in part to related library HVAC work.

On the opioid restitution fund — an appropriation separate from ARPA — Tatum said the office had budgeted $270,000 for administration in FY25 and spent about 11.4 percent of that, and that $10 million in named‑entity grants had one disbursement to date (1.7 percent spent). She described the grant process and technical assistance: \"...site visits, detailed budget reviews ... qualitative feedback on grant applications,\" and said the recovery office is coordinating performance measures with the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Behavioral Health (BCMoore) to standardize outcome reporting across grantees.

Council members pressed the administration for more detail. Councilman Isaac \"Yitzi\" Schleifer asked for a copy of the equity rubric used in ARPA grant review and for the office’s equity analysis; Tatum said she would provide the scoring rubric, the Treasury report questions the office answers, and a description of the University of Baltimore spend analysis the office is running. Council President Cohen and Deputy City Administrator Shamaya Kearney discussed the pace and priorities for opioid restitution disbursements and confirmed the city had roughly $87 million allocated to named entities overall and about $87 million planned to be disbursed to named entities across multiple years, but that the amount actually disbursed in FY25 would be provided as a follow‑up.

Committee members also questioned staffing supported by ARPA. Tatum said 92 staff were charged to ARPA as of March; some positions have transitioned to the general fund while others will be cut or shift to other grant funding, and specifics would vary by agency. She agreed to provide an agency‑by‑agency list of ARPA‑funded positions and a separate list showing which would transition to the general fund, which would remain on grant funding, and which were expected to move to other federal grants.

Why this matters: the briefing laid out where federally sourced ARPA dollars have been committed and where expenditure lags could create carryforward or implementation risk. Committee members asked for supporting materials and follow‑ups (equity rubric, FY25 disbursement totals for opioid restitution, and a staffing list) that the recovery office committed to provide.

Tatum closed by reiterating public reporting avenues and dashboards for ARPA spend and said the office will continue to provide monthly reports to City Council and quarterly reports to Treasury.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Hearing: Budget & Appropriations Committee; May 15, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Acting Chief Recovery Officer Elizabeth Tatum told the Baltimore City Council Budget and Appropriations Committee that the city had obligated $641,170,126 in ARPA funds and expended $434.9 million as of March, and she outlined slower‑than‑expected spending at several agencies and early steps on opioid restitution grants.","taxTitle","Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Maryland","taxId",4816,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6236802,"Planning department outlines FY26 capital program; utilities and sidewalks get large shares",461,5071000,5532000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3354052-0b01419c03446cfb085e4b82af4b26b0&start=5071&end=5532","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3354052-0b01419c03446cfb085e4b82af4b26b0/thumbnail_5071000.jpg","/articles/6236802/Baltimore-City/Baltimore-County/Maryland/Planning-department-outlines-FY26-capital-program-utilities-and-sidewalks-get-large-shares","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6236802-22ca6ab634b65fdb065da8cbbc234181/orig.mp4?Expires=1773583757&Signature=GiSpyvATIwT4WBjH9EIG1Iox27ouia02CIegxsvR9BaNd4opGaD1QfJrIRQedD4BedmltpYGOGfRwxXlb3NYqTlTpKXPPggjqI4k35VBLymHPr1x3yvDMX5dLb0VlqZ3yebW8v-CT6f~YeSWsohxkFbZ~zEgpCe28lsJ6FBQBqx5X36uKBVGXoxLnBxgS9o0EwVsazqFqCcQx1euCesOeqnmD~qWi89A8zLJIQIyzXY8GrKOmuZ-qW8JrxXNzFMpBgHOx7w8dZVhKdsotuMC-7H2oKcF7H9VpQ-jbDN34jq8O4BnhAujP84mlD-iEgDBpwwGREipB7T-AMjwA6RUJw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sarah Parnellum of the Baltimore City Department of Planning told the Budget and Appropriations Committee that the Planning Commission’s recommended six‑year Capital Improvement Program (FY26–31) and the FY26 capital year emphasize utility investments and have larger-than‑typical local discretionary allocations in FY26.

By city charter the Planning Commission submits the six‑year program to the Board of Estimates; the first year becomes the capital ordinance before the council. Parnellum emphasized the definition of capital under Board of Estimates policy and outlined the multi‑agency review process used to assemble the program: agencies submit requests in the fall, present to the Planning Commission in January, staff prepare recommendations, and the Planning Commission votes in March.

She said utilities remain the largest share of the capital budget (water, wastewater and stormwater funds) and account for a substantial portion of the FY26 program; those utility funds are restricted to utility uses. The FY26 program also includes a larger local investment in sidewalks ($12 million) and partial funding for ADA consent‑decree sidewalk work, a more than $40 million resurfacing program, and an expanded solid‑waste investment that includes Phase 1 and Phase 2 of a future east‑side transfer station (administrative improvements and a compost facility).

Parnellum listed FY26 project highlights that include the local match and state funding for impact investment areas, final funding increments to allow award of several Recreation & Parks contracts (Robert C. Marshall Field, C.C. Jackson Park expansion, City Springs Park improvements, Easterwood Park improvements, Bocek Athletic Center and Cab Calloway Legend Square Park), and design funds for Lillian Jones Recreation Center. She also noted acquisition funding for the Highlandtown–Greektown Greenway Trail segment and ongoing planning for larger items in later years such as a Northeast police district station, broadband upgrades, courthouse HVAC replacement, demolition of surplus school buildings, and the final phase of the East Side transfer station.

Why this matters: the six‑year CIP and FY26 capital year allocate constrained local discretionary capital alongside restricted federal, state and utility funds. The planning department asked the council to consider advocacy on restoring higher highway user revenues that boost transportation investments and noted that many non‑utility projects still depend on limited discretionary local funds.","Baltimore City Department of Planning presented the six‑year Capital Improvement Program and FY26 capital year that emphasizes utility spending, an expanded sidewalk and resurfacing program, and funding to move several park and recreation projects to construction.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6236806,"City Schools presents FY26 budget; ESSER litigation and blueprint funding shape year",0,3539000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3354052-0b01419c03446cfb085e4b82af4b26b0&start=3539&end=3539","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3354052-0b01419c03446cfb085e4b82af4b26b0/thumbnail_3539000.jpg","/articles/6236806/Baltimore-City/Baltimore-County/Maryland/City-Schools-presents-FY26-budget-ESSER-litigation-and-blueprint-funding-shape-year","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6236806-56e507e2c85a1ba685230e911c71a696/orig.mp4?Expires=1773583757&Signature=LgnNXyFgAtv2shw60d~eNuJ-Yn7af0WcCWpyMuUirdt6YmFR0VLPlpvG3xWv-WJuhJdgqZCvRiWN93rJp619xVQBLOdwBAgTc3krSRLFgG7ilaYU01fSbrYC8vwZkEVM6KDt6keXdk6RaCLGaLVvmjh1zCS5T5PFP~WOeCYn7e2MvGqcdYzk0JPyc-lCK8~a8mMeJWiEC3uXL9Yc6WelRcMNqidzg-Bvt3sSaizxwAzezVnvL9foqOQ-FYcwBA3xJzrw3dauNZAyWHhY6~8z54FgWodmvVPisuX5N4Sec5Xd9ZL3EEXLBsuZPO1JQN8nTvvzNgxvndoKqBaFcCMUww__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Baltimore City Public Schools presented its FY26 operating budget overview to the Budget and Appropriations Committee and said the district’s spending plan reflects a 6 percent year‑over‑year increase even as officials described the constraints schools will feel as federal ESSER funding ends and the state's Blueprint for Maryland’s Future continues to structure funding.

\"We unexpectedly received a letter, saying that in fact, the United States Federal Department of Education had rescinded something that had been previously, approved and that had to do with a late liquidation deadline for the all important ESSER funding,\" CFO Chris Doherty said, describing a March 28 federal action that temporarily put roughly $48 million in ESSER reimbursements at risk and led the district, briefly, to suspend some after‑school and tutoring activities. He said a subsequent injunction and coordination with the Maryland State Department of Education allowed the system to seek reimbursement.

Doherty said the district’s FY26 general fund portion increases from $1.437 billion to $1.5 billion (about a 4.2 percent increase), and that state blueprint funding and the city contribution together account for the overwhelming majority of general fund revenue. He warned that blueprint formulae create wide variation at the school level — \"one school can get almost 3 times more money than another school does\" — because funding weights follow student characteristics such as poverty, special education and multilingual learner status.

Chief of Staff Allison Perkins Cohen told the committee the budget prioritizes a set of core investments maintained from ESSER where possible: $10.5 million for early literacy tutoring (using paraeducators), $7.6 million for summer programming (serving about 12,000 students) and $1.8 million for credit recovery. The district also continues to invest in instructional coaching (roughly $25 million for literacy coaching and $8 million for math coaching), career‑readiness partnerships, school‑based social workers and psychologists (nearly $50 million for mental‑health staff), attendance positions (about $6 million), and school re‑engagement services.

Doherty said the district remains focused on protecting positions and programming in the face of ESSER step‑downs and rising personnel costs: teacher contract increases and fringe cost growth have increased position costs materially over recent years. He also described the district’s decentralized budgeting model: roughly 73 percent of general fund dollars either are controlled by principals or spent on their behalf.

Why this matters: the district reports steady funding overall but warns that the end of ESSER, the state’s blueprint formula and higher personnel costs make FY26 a lean year at the school level. District officials said they avoided layoffs and retained high‑priority investments but acknowledged principals will feel tight budgets and asked for continued coordination with the council on state grant and blueprint developments.","Baltimore City Public Schools officials told the committee the FY26 operating budget represents a 6 percent increase but school leaders said the end of ESSER funding, weighted student funding and recent salary increases make this a tight year at the school level.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":90,"_43":101,"_45":101,"_47":102,"_49":103,"_51":104,"_53":105,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":106,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":107,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6236813,"City budget director outlines FY26 plan: $4.6 billion total, new fees and expanded capital investments",2885000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3354052-0b01419c03446cfb085e4b82af4b26b0&start=2885&end=2885","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3354052-0b01419c03446cfb085e4b82af4b26b0/thumbnail_2885000.jpg","/articles/6236813/Baltimore-City/Baltimore-County/Maryland/City-budget-director-outlines-FY26-plan-46-billion-total-new-fees-and-expanded-capital-investments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6236813-9903500f57977eab71381bb2ea94d7cf/orig.mp4?Expires=1773583757&Signature=G4vF8PzfRs1LffXPgVMHU7kWL1AS4o-7QXGlWNggntSyXEZwVLmIZT6-fp2gySTdQHWeEjQN4CKn3uAUsDm5qAHZjLEHdLm5fLGFCBl9U8xODJgnUijstStDu68CpwXL0UhWcNqGTXN4U7r8MwilQ9VVu-KtWEx1CXFAX3Kml~C3~sw5BtUoLmI4EkilwZrJBIVmj58Yu-p3f~5gAngb9mcl1PZkNXFbGNEIF9S77meg8uCZuUaH0GzOdhDO5OyUX8Wbwwb1bk37ElqgGlcYxRcJmDpybqoZ9mGSC1gw1qc-MM9dKamXKObnWIFURhEAHxQZ3vuBHjkFzwQ4lsu~iQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City Budget Director Laura Larson presented the administration’s recommended fiscal 2026 spending plan to the Baltimore City Council Budget and Appropriations Committee, saying the proposed ordinance of estimates would total roughly $4.6 billion with a $3.6 billion operating budget and a $931.9 million capital program.

\"The city was faced with an $85,000,000 projected shortfall as we began our work on the fiscal 26 budget,\" Larson said, describing drivers such as rising wages and benefits, debt service and fleet and building costs. She said the administration approached balancing the budget by focusing on recurring initiatives, cost optimization, and investments in core quality‑of‑life services.

Larson said the general fund recommendation totals about $2.6 billion (an $256 million, or 11 percent, increase over FY25) and that the mayor’s plan pairs revenue increases with identified savings: for every dollar of new revenue there are roughly $2 of identified savings. She outlined revenue proposals including an updated tipping fee for the landfill (last raised in 1993), an assumed 20 percent increase in EMS transport billing revenue, and a citywide fee inventory that could yield roughly $6.5 million from adjusted fees and fines. Larson told the committee the administration was not proposing an increase to the local income tax rate and estimated a hypothetical increase to 3.3 percent would generate about $14 million to $40 million depending on structure and assumptions discussed in the hearing.

On expenditures, Larson highlighted $50.4 million in local support for city schools, increased pay‑as‑you‑go capital funding and a $5.2 million increase in the Department of Public Works (DPW) to reduce route sizes for trash and recycling crews that the administration said would add 15 new recurring crews. She said the budget includes $1.3 million for neighborhood safety and engagement to expand group violence reduction citywide and $1.2 million for additional staff at Housing and Community Development to support a vacancy initiative.

Larson also described the administration’s approach to federal and state grants (budgeted at $361.1 million) and said those figures are fluid because of pending federal proposals. She flagged the opioid restitution appropriation for FY26 — $36.7 million to grants, city services and oversight — and said the annual budget will incorporate additional opioid restitution allocations in subsequent years.

Committee members asked for more detail on affordability programs after water/wastewater/stormwater rate increases were included in the enterprise funds (water and wastewater rates up 9 percent each; stormwater up 3 percent). Larson agreed to provide historical utilization and FY26 appropriation details for the Water for All affordability program. Council members also pressed the administration to specify which fines and fees would generate the $6.5 million figure and to consider equity and distributional effects of fee increases; Larson said the fee inventory is being reviewed fee‑by‑fee with attention to who benefits and who is burdened.

Why this matters: the administration’s recommended budget increases recurring operating and capital commitments, ties additional revenue proposals to identified savings, and advances targeted public‑works and school investments. The council asked for line‑by‑line detail on fees, DPW staffing and the water affordability program ahead of statutory budget hearings.","City Budget Director Laura Larson told the Budget and Appropriations Committee the recommended FY26 spending plan totals about $4.6 billion, with an 11 percent increase in the general fund, proposed fee changes to raise revenue, expanded capital investment and a focus on quality‑of‑life services.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Mayor’s recovery office reports $641.2 million in ARPA obligations; opioid restitution grants moving slowly

Planning department outlines FY26 capital program; utilities and sidewalks get large shares

City Schools presents FY26 budget; ESSER litigation and blueprint funding shape year

City budget director outlines FY26 plan: $4.6 billion total, new fees and expanded capital investments