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Subcommittee questions West North Avenue Development Authority on missing city funds and grant oversight
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Summary
DLS presented the West North Avenue Development Authority budget and asked for follow-up on several city grants that were not provided; the authority defended grant activity and urged passage of legislation expanding its authority.
The Health and Human Services Subcommittee reviewed the fiscal 2026 allowance for the West North Avenue Development Authority (WNADA), its first-year grant-making record and outstanding city funding commitments.
Elizabeth Weibel (DLS budget analyst) told the subcommittee the authority’s fiscal 2026 allowance increases $5.4 million (32%) to $22.4 million, driven primarily by a $5.0 million increase in grant funding. Weibel said 89% of the allowance (about $20.0 million) is for grants and that exhibit data showed the authority distributed 31 grants totaling $9.6 million in fiscal 2024.
Weibel reported three city grants anticipated in fiscal 2024 were not provided: $150,000 from the Baltimore Department of Housing and Community Development as a pass-through to Neighborhood Housing Services; $260,000 from the Baltimore mayor’s office; and $40,000 that was to be passed through to Coppin Heights Community Development Corporation. She said the authority used state general funds intended for grants to supplement its operating budget when city funds were not received and that DLS asked the authority to report on follow-up efforts and reasons city funds were withheld.
Chad Williams, executive director of the West North Avenue Development Authority, told the committee the authority had received a $260,000 check from Baltimore City on Wednesday, Jan. 29 and said the authority is discussing a recurring commitment “in line with supporting Winona as what is intended of approximately about $250,000 annually.” Williams said the authority will insist on formal grant agreements with the city before advancing funds in the future.
Williams also contested a DLS recommendation to reduce the governor’s proposed grant allowance by $5.0 million. He said demand is high — citing 103 eligible applicants requesting about $180 million in project requests along a small corridor — and described neighborhood vacancy and economic loss figures as part of his case for maintaining the larger grant total. Williams told the committee he is seeking passage of legislation (filed this session) to make the Authority permanent and to expand its authority to accept noncity, nonstate funds (he said Senate Bill 4 is needed to allow that expansion).
DLS recommended releasing $250,000 in restricted grant funding after the authority submitted a grants manual and comprehensive plan; Weibel said those materials have been received and DLS would proceed assuming no committee objections. She also recommended making funding for an additional paralegal position contingent on enactment of legislation expanding the authority’s responsibilities.
Why it matters: The authority’s budget is grant-heavy and new; DLS urged caution about adding recurring state grant dollars until there is evidence the grant strategy is producing the comprehensive-plan outcomes (reduced vacancies, increased homeownership, business activity) the authority aims to achieve. The authority and members of the subcommittee pressed the need for statutory changes to broaden the authority’s funding sources and make its operations permanent.
