Baltimore committee hears Water for All update; officials outline tiered auto-enrollment and request financial details

The Baltimore City Legislative Investigations Committee held an informational hearing on the Water for All water affordability program on Friday, hearing presentations from Department of Public Works and the Mayor's Office of Children and Family Success and testimony from residents and advocates. Councilwoman Phylicia Hoda Ramos, sponsor of the resolution that created the hearing, said the session was meant to assess enrollment, program differences from the prior BH2O initiative and ways to boost participation.

Councilwoman Ramos opened the hearing by noting the program was established under the Water Accountability and Equity Act (Council Bill 18-0307) and that the committee wanted data on enrollment, homeowner and tenant breakdowns, demographics, process and recommendations for improvement.

Resident Alexis Scofield gave extended public testimony criticizing the rollout of Water for All, calling the mailed materials confusing and the phone help line ineffective. "When you call that number, you can go to one of the Northwestern, the Southern, the Northern office... all you hear is music," Scofield said, recounting multiple long hold times and disconnections. She also said she lost an earlier $15 hardship and described difficulty navigating the application before receiving help from DPW staffers Terrence Jennings and Anthony Mills.

DPW…