* 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 Middleton
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Upkeep and Maintenance of Vacant Lots and Public Green Spaces
For the purpose of requesting the Director of the Department of Recreation and Parks, the Director of the Department of Transportation, the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Head of the Bureau of Solid Waste, and the Chief of the Bureau of Budget and Management Research to report on the annual cumulative total of calls for service for the upkeep and maintenance of vacant lots and green spaces; and to recommend to the Administration a single City agency with the responsibility for mowing all City-owned lots, parcels, parks, and green spaces.
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Recitals
According to the 2010 annual report of the Office of Sustainability, “At the end of 2010, roughly 7,000 vacant or abandoned properties were titled to the Mayor and City Council, and over half of these, 4000 were vacant lots.” Furthermore, the Department of Housing and Community Development possesses ownership of approximately an additional 4,000 lots. With the total number of vacant City-owned lots hovering around 8,000, a single bureau would increase both the efficiency and effectiveness of this City service.
In 2010, 4,000 lots owned by the Mayor and City Council, which are managed by the Department of Housing and Community Development, averaged $760 per lot for 3 grass cutting seasons and $1,015 per lot for annual trash and debris removal, totaling a little over $7,000,000 for total average maintenance cost for all the lots.
Consolidating all mowing operations in a single agency will eliminate confusion in determining which City agency is responsible for mowing which City-owned parcel. It would also create opportunities for the City to provide better service with greater efficiency in both cost and response time.
This idea was presented to the last administration, but unfortunately progress does not appear to have been made toward achieving the efficiencies that consolidation of responsibility for all City-owned vacant lots and green spaces would achieve. The current status of City mowing operations needs to be examined once again with an eye toward creative solutions that could improve results for both our residents and City finances.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of Baltimore, That the City Council requests the Director of the Department of Recreation and Parks, the Director of the Department of Transportation, the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Head of the Bureau of Solid Waste, and the Chief of the Bureau of Budget and Management Research to report on the annual cumulative total of calls for service for the upkeep and maintenance of vacant lots and green spaces; and to recommend to the Administration a single City agency with the responsibility for mowing all City-owned lots, lots, parcels, parks, and green spaces.
And be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Director of the Department of Recreation and Parks, the Director of the Department of Transportation, the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Head of the Bureau of Solid Waste, the Chief of the Bureau of Budget and Management Research, and the Mayor’s Legislative Liaison to the City Council.