Baltimore City council probes streetlight maintenance, urges DOT–BGE contract and system fixes

BALTIMORE CITY — On April 10 the Baltimore City Council's Land Use and Transportation Committee pressed the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE) to fix persistent gaps in streetlight maintenance after officials and council members described missing contracts, fragmented data systems and inventory shortfalls that slow repairs.

"Baltimoreans should expect to live in a city with safe and comfortable streets," Council President Zeke Cohen said in opening remarks, adding that the hearing followed a city investigation into the Street Lighting Maintenance Division. The committee's chair, Councilman Ryan Dorsey (Third District), opened the presentation by asking, "Why does it take so long to get my streetlight fixed in Baltimore City?" and laying out what he and staff say are failures in contracting, asset management and data sharing.

The meeting focused on three recurring complaints from residents: no formal written agreement that defines DOT's relationship with BGE, multiple and incompatible service-request categories in the city's 311 system, and DOT's lack of an internal asset map for the streetlight inventory. Dorsey told the committee he had driven city streets and photographed at least 27 knocked-down or missing lights to show the scale of the problem.

DOT Director Veronica Macbeth said the agency has begun steps to address the problems. "We have a current process flowchart that we are working to further…