[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-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],{"_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",6214362,"mediaKeyId","3670640-626fbb6db24fbcee8e651ce63c54d97e","parentId",3670640,"title","Baltimore IT office outlines budget priorities: broadband expansion, municipal ID, 311 and cybersecurity","audioSeconds",2124,"startMs",4000,"endMs",2128000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3670640-626fbb6db24fbcee8e651ce63c54d97e&start=4&end=2128","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3670640-626fbb6db24fbcee8e651ce63c54d97e/thumbnail_4000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6214362/Baltimore-City/Baltimore-County/Maryland/Baltimore-IT-office-outlines-budget-priorities-broadband-expansion-municipal-ID-311-and-cybersecurity","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6214362-8d2480f00cbba7dfcc7a6c1ce4a62ae5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770808227&Signature=QqD60nnyYEK9GOuARmaTsSF~hTWxswU1R8Y2Ieiqml12iDX1nrsCink3nqVfoQl2aYahghSVJ~A6ellfAa-~8xUUDYPrNSkafuf~eLF4QoZhhCg-N2B5icax1E4~84Gc0A3z6JAGlhAnYB6yYfVkoLjeL1-l8nrHMg-U6foy4FTWWscpkKo1ss87UBeCeWeXnNQsZZQYD4jL00oA-FxZf5hf0iQC6P9GcHYldhabPdrzPC7342b43clxiOBsYxNbAZJgxfLsz-enWaecI-W87eAJ63-0WVUTKZ4W2DYmwjth2iKQR0lA3CjQykACheyEAtJ21nZVMc6IjEB3D7EANw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Baltimore, MD","date","2025-06-04T20:35:58Z","article","A committee staff member opened the hearing by instructing participants not to request or disclose sensitive details of the 2019 ransomware attack because it remains an ongoing federal investigation. The staff member said the committee is limited in what it can discuss about the attack and about specific system vulnerabilities.

Interim Chief Information Officer Layla Layman presented the Baltimore City Office of Information and Technology’s budget and program priorities, telling the Ways and Means Committee the office’s mission is to “provide sustainable infrastructure and technology to support and enhance city agencies, communities, and businesses to meet city and mayoral goals.” She outlined eight service areas, including CityWatch camera monitoring, applications and Workday integration, 311, infrastructure and redundancy, broadband and digital equity, digital services, and a new municipal ID program.

Layman highlighted measurable improvements and specific program investments. She said the CityWatch camera network — more than 800 cameras — moved from roughly 88% availability in fiscal year 2022 to about 98% availability this year. The administrative services division includes fiscal, HR and project teams and will lead contractor conversions tied to FY26 savings; Layman said the office’s internship program will grow from six interns in FY24 to 15 the next summer. On applications, she cited 20 automated processes built in Workday, improved banking and settlement processes, and a partnership with the Department of Transportation, DGS and DPW to implement the Unifier enterprise project controls platform for capital programs.

On constituent services, Layman said 311 has taken more than 500,000 calls as of April (cumulative) and recorded over 41,000 calls year‑to‑date; the city plans to expand the call center to handle the plans‑examining phone line and to roll out a public 311 dashboard and additional language options, starting with Spanish. In infrastructure, BCIT reported nearly 90,000 IT service requests last year with a 95% satisfaction rate for ticket resolutions and has used ARPA funds to deploy hybrid meeting rooms, mobile solutions, and PC/network refreshes. The office also reported progress on disaster‑recovery plans and 800 MHz radio redundancy.

On cybersecurity, Layman said staff run phishing tests and awareness training and have reduced repeat clickers by 73% year over year. On broadband and digital equity — an ARPA‑funded initiative — Layman said Baltimore has distributed about 49,000 Chromebooks through partnerships with Enoch Pratt Free Library and others, made multimillion‑dollar investments in middle‑mile fiber, and awarded $1,800,000 in a second round of digital equity fund grants to 10 organizations plus $2,000,000 to an organization referred to in the transcript as “waves” to provide free internet to 24 multi‑dwelling units. The transcript also records that 33 Baltimore‑based organizations have received digital equity fund awards since 2023.

Layman announced a released request for proposals to bring a new internet service provider that would connect more than 45,100 public housing units to high‑speed service using the city’s fiber; she said by the end of fiscal year 2026 all eight public housing complexes should be ready for the ISP to provide service at under $50 per month. On a new municipal ID program, Layman said the Scott administration allocated $1,300,000 to fund six staff positions, marketing, equipment and software; the director position had been posted and additional roles were expected to be advertised.

Layman closed by acknowledging the work ahead on modernization and security and by asking council members to help recruit businesses to offer incentives for municipal ID holders so the program “does not become a second class ID.” Councilmembers responded with appreciation for the municipal ID initiative and follow‑up questions about permits and remediation; no formal votes occurred on the budget presentation during the hearing.

Ending: Layman and BCIT staff said they will continue working with partner agencies, the Tiger team and vendors to implement fixes and deliverables and will provide follow‑up materials requested by the committee.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Hearing: FY2026 Budget – BCIT; June 4, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","A committee staff member opened the hearing by instructing participants not to request or disclose sensitive details of the 2019 ransomware attack because it remains an ongoing federal investigation.","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},6214366,"Council hearing: Baltimore’s new housing permit system blamed for severe backlog; staff ordered to produce top‑10 fixes",1890,226000,2116000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3670640-626fbb6db24fbcee8e651ce63c54d97e&start=226&end=2116","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3670640-626fbb6db24fbcee8e651ce63c54d97e/thumbnail_226000.jpg","/articles/6214366/Baltimore-City/Baltimore-County/Maryland/Council-hearing-Baltimores-new-housing-permit-system-blamed-for-severe-backlog-staff-ordered-to-produce-top10-fixes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6214366-7f8a650f826a55f05f66a7b53f52b941/orig.mp4?Expires=1770808227&Signature=gcC~ik3N3oKlQrSd4hVIE-1cr0N52cgqX9cSB6WT7nkDcTyCIHYhnFR-6N6HGbUkTBqxD8SdJWgH9GYrKnv1OUT5MyXLqyR2JZ~t~NguDTLAmaRzeSZqgfbTnVIUo~tqkyp2C4PY3t6vd48JbG2wwV6PyjGZSmoNcWVEPV7wUofIiWrMD0YdAbmSX5EOl6V7AtWJf8JsI1-HDUu6c0t8-qmDosNxawAGC3-gfom6Xuqrsm2zWMU09M7wjAbB3ViFhQxhylQW2xbfD-T87UFYLX-NFmz3lvWMYXVN-x~~BTrXu2pdaldhc2lAuVW0EEXhLvbHlQKd9Q1ghCudrUgNyA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a Baltimore City Council Ways and Means Committee hearing, Interim Chief Information Officer Layla Layman told council members the recently launched housing permitting system has produced “significant challenges” that city staff are working to fix, and committee members requested a prioritized “top‑10” list of immediate corrections.

The issue matters because the permitting failures have created a backlog that residents and developers say is slowing construction, frustrating permit applicants and impairing the city’s strategy for addressing vacant properties. Councilmembers pressed staff for a plan and for faster fixes; a committee request will ask the Baltimore City Department of Information Technology (BCIT), the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the Tiger team to supply the list ahead of the next permit‑office oversight hearing in July.

Layla Layman, interim CIO and interim director of the Baltimore City Office of Information and Technology, told the committee the problems stemmed from a mix of technology, people and process issues and from replacing an aging legacy system under a tight timeline. “The timeline was tight…and so, we were running up against a very aging system,” Layman said, adding that the city and DHCD selected the vendor after demos and joint criteria. She acknowledged the rollout produced a large backlog and said BCIT and DHCD have compiled user‑reported issues and identified a running list of high‑priority fixes.

Rob McBride, BCIT’s director of applications, described a technical constraint that complicated rollback and recovery: “Once you make that cut over and you have data in the new system, it's nigh impossible to go back because the data is in a different structure and you don't have the code to export that from that new system,” he said. McBride said the old system’s data remain backed up and available for reference, but making transactions in the new platform created a “point of no return.” He also said the city saw a surge in in‑person visits as the problems began: “There was a 200% increase in walk‑ins…as this problem started to snowball.”

Councilwoman Odette Ramos pressed staff on why the city proceeded despite warning signs and whether BCIT had been consulted on vendor selection. Ramos said the rollout has eroded confidence in city programs aimed at vacant properties and called the result “a disaster.” Layla Layman and application staff said testing occurred but that the magnitude of the problems was greater than anticipated; Layman said the city continues to identify and deploy parallel fixes, with one immediate priority being restoration of over‑the‑counter permits.

BCIT told the committee the permit team compiled a prioritized set of issues into a working list and is working in parallel on the top items rather than sequentially. Layman said the over‑the‑counter permit capability is on track for resolution by the end of the month. She also said the message board complaint feature — a frequent source of frustration — is not in the immediate top‑10 list, though staff are investigating solutions for it.

Committee members and staff noted outside teams are also involved: the committee heard that a Tiger team convened by the Office of Permits and Inspections is coordinating with BCIT and DHCD. The transcript includes inconsistent vendor name references (the transcript refers to “Acela” during questions and later to “Exela” as the vendor working on fixes); the committee asked staff to clarify vendor roles and commitments in follow‑up communications.

Action requested by the committee requires BCIT, the Tiger team and DHCD to deliver a prioritized “top‑10” inventory of immediate fixes and expected completion targets; council staff said they will follow up by email to formalize the request. The city administrator previously committed to present a plan before the next permit‑office oversight hearing.

Next steps: BCIT and DHCD will provide the committee the requested top‑10 list and estimated timelines; staff said they will continue parallel remediation work with vendor support and Tiger‑team coordination.","Interim CIO Layla Layman acknowledged the recently launched housing permitting system has caused major operational failures, and the council requested a joint top‑10 list of immediate fixes from BCIT, DHCD and the Tiger team ahead of the next oversight hearing.","actionData","errors"]

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Baltimore IT office outlines budget priorities: broadband expansion, municipal ID, 311 and cybersecurity

Council hearing: Baltimore’s new housing permit system blamed for severe backlog; staff ordered to produce top‑10 fixes