The House and Economic Development Committee held a legislative oversight hearing Dec. 19 to review code‑enforcement inspector accountability, and councilmembers demanded clearer data, timetables and operational SOPs from the Department of Housing and Community Development. Chair James Torrance introduced Bill LO25034 as a vehicle for that review and said the committee wants 12‑ and 24‑month datasets and a publicly accessible dashboard to track enforcement outcomes.

The DHCD chief of staff, Scott Davis, told the committee DHCD splits code work between Property Maintenance Code Enforcement and a Special Investigations Unit (SIU), and characterized the work as physically demanding and historically understaffed. He said the department conducts thousands of inspections annually and that, in calendar year 2025 to date, DHCD issued 34,760 citations after issuing 26,987 in 2024.

"We hear you and we have those same concerns," Davis said, describing the department’s participation in the city’s Reframe Baltimore strategy and noting hiring is underway. He explained the difference between a violation notice (which triggers a reinspection and carries no fine) and a citation (a monetary fine that can be contested at the Environmental Control Board).

Councilmembers repeatedly pressed for operational clarity. Chair Torrance demanded a dashboard that shows open and closed cases, prosecutions for illegal dumping, and additional zoning and rental licensing tracking; he also requested a confidential map of camera locations for council use. "I would like it tomorrow by close of business," Torrance said when asking for SIU data that was missing from the presentation.

Vice Chair Odette Ramos and other members asked for precise timelines — median and average reinspection intervals and the realistic turnaround the department achieves in practice — arguing those metrics are needed to size staff and technology needs. DHCD staff said an ideal reinspection window is 60–90 days, but that daily priorities and workload make the actual timing "very fluid." The department said it aims to inspect vacant properties at least four times per year.

On staffing, DHCD reported about 51 inspectors across sanitation and housing inspector classifications with several vacancies and hires in progress. Councilmembers urged faster adoption of handheld technology that would let inspectors complete paperwork in the field; DHCD said a software upgrade linking permitting and enforcement functions is planned for summer 2026.

Committee members also sought information about SIU camera deployment and effectiveness. DHCD said it operates about 99 cameras, mostly motion‑triggered trail cameras, and described criteria for successful placement: persistent vehicular dumping, low non‑criminal traffic and installation on city property. "The cameras are most effective in those areas where there's less traffic where people like to dump," DHCD said.

The committee requested additional deliverables: the 24‑month and 12‑month SIU data, a timeline of service‑level agreements tied to reinspection benchmarks, camera‑location information for council review (not public release), counts of prosecutions and recovered funds from illegal‑dumping enforcement, and a set of SOPs that identify named staff members and contact details for each step of the enforcement workflow.

The hearing closed with a schedule for follow‑up oversight and multiple data requests from the committee; no formal votes were taken.