* Warning: This is an unofficial, introductory copy of the bill.
The official copy considered by the City Council is the first reader copy.
Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Burnett
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
B-more Clean: Coordinated Agency Community Clean-up and Maintenance Strategy
For the purpose of requesting that the Director of the Department of Public Works, the Director of the Department of Transportation, the Commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Commissioner of the Health Department, and the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Performance and Innovation present to the City Council a plan for coordinated community clean-up and maintenance throughout Baltimore and a plan for increased community involvement.
body
Recitals
Baltimore residents’ sense of “place” and “health” are based, in part, on their perceptions of a safe, healthy, and happy place to live. A fundamental determinant of social health is the physical environment. One of the cornerstones of “community” is cultural identity, perception, social involvement and interactions between a city’s government and that city’s residents. The improvement in health outcomes begin when one’s physical environment is free from trash, toxins, vermin, and overgrowth. Residents’ willingness to participate in improving their own physical environment is based on their belief that the city, themselves, and their neighbors are “all in this together.”
As Baltimore seeks to professionalize City government and make it more efficient, it is imperative that our City agencies coordinate with each other when it comes to the critical issue of clean-up and maintenance of our communities. Too often, issues noted during routine inspections by one agency are referred to another agency for proper remediation where they languish. This could be resolved by the development of a coordinated citywide code enforcement and inspection strategy, aimed at resolving clean-up and maintenance issues as they are seen. Further, agencies could benefit from increased involvement and participation from the communities that they are inspecting. We have seen the success of ad hoc “code enforcement walks,” now it is time to deploy this strategy Citywide for the ultimate goal of a cleaner, greener, and healthier Baltimore.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of Baltimore, That the City Council requests that the Director of the Department of Public Works, the Director of the Department of Transportation, the Commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Commissioner of the Health Department, and the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Performance and Innovation present to the City Council a plan for coordinated community clean-up and maintenance throughout Baltimore and a plan for increased community involvement.
And be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Director of the Department of Public Works, the Director of the Department of Transportation, the Commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Commissioner of the Health Department, and the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Performance and Innovation, the Mayor’s Legislative Liaison to the City Council, and the Mayor.