Baltimore OECR seeks $11.2 million in FY26; reorganization consolidates oversight and allocates $5 million to reparations fund

The Office of Equity and Civil Rights asked the Baltimore City Council Budget and Appropriations Committee to approve a fiscal 2026 budget of $11,206,170, Director Amber Green said during the office’s presentation to the committee.

"I'm pleased to present the city of Baltimore's office of equity and civil rights fiscal year 2026 budget and to address any questions that you may have," Green said, summarizing the request and the agency’s proposed structural changes.

The request represents an increase of $4,800,000 — about 77.4% — over the FY25 budget figure Green cited of $6,300,000. The proposed FY26 budget includes $5,000,000 from the Community Reinvestment and Reparations Fund, Green said. The office told the committee the increase will support expanded oversight functions, equity work across city agencies and a centralized administrative service.

Nut Graf: The budget would reorganize OECR into consolidated service lines and create a new centralized administration service intended to improve accountability and tracking across agency functions. That reorganization is designed to align staffing and budgets with the office’s expanded responsibilities, including police civilian oversight, wage enforcement and multiple commissions and boards.

Under the reorganization described by Green, OECR would operate five active service lines: a Wage Investigation and Enforcement service (656), an Equity and Inclusion service (844) that would house the Mayor’s Commission on Disabilities and other commissions, a Discrimination Investigations, Resolutions and Conciliations service (846) supporting the Community Relations Commission, a Police Civilian Oversight service (849) supporting the Police Accountability Board and Administrative Charging Committee, and a new Administration service (914) to centralize executive, HR, budget and grants functions.

The office said the restructure eliminates two long-vacant positions (saving roughly $145,000 annually) and consolidates administrative roles that were spread across services. OECR said those internal transfers are cost neutral across the agency. Green told the committee the office currently has 36 full-time staff and is actively recruiting to fill five vacancies.

Wage enforcement: The presentation highlighted recent wage-enforcement outcomes. OECR reported the Wage Commission audited more than 10,000 payroll records, opened 61 investigative cases and helped 367 employees receive restitution; $355,000 in back wages was recovered and $226,000 in fines were deposited to the city’s general fund, the office said. "Through these efforts, we have helped 367 employees receive restitution," Green said.

Civil-rights investigations and commissions: The recommended budget would set the Equity and Inclusion service at approximately $5.7 million supporting six full-time positions and would fund the Community Relations Commission at about $811,286 with four full-time positions, officials said. The office said it conducted 18 intensive trainings for agency staff in the last fiscal year and reviewed 89 state bills through an equity lens, submitting 42 pieces of written testimony to the Maryland General Assembly.

The Mayor’s Commission on Disabilities, the Women’s Commission and the Veterans Commission are included in the Equity and Inclusion service under the proposal. Green described recent milestones for the women’s commission (including a $50,000 grant for a caregiver-support program) and told the committee the Veterans Commission will be made active with appointments expected by the end of the summer.

Ending: Green concluded the presentation by thanking staff and asking the council for questions. Committee members followed with questions about oversight timelines, staffing and how the equity assessment and reparations fund will be operationalized.