Mayor Scott’s Jan 22 Executive Order

The new Executive Order from Mayor Brandon M. Scott is effective Friday, Jan 22 at 6am.
Key Documents
Key Changes
  • Restaurants / bars / breweries are permitted to reopen indoor dining at 25% and outdoor dining at 50% capacity. Sign-in / sign-out sheets will be required to assist with COVID-19 contact tracing efforts (similar to what Anne Arundel County is doing). There will be a one-hour time limit for patrons to encourage people to be mindful of how much time they are spending unmasked.
  • Fitness classes permitted to resume with 10 or less participants with masks required.
  • All indoor recreation sites permitted to reopen at 25% capacity with the exception of adult entertainment, hookah lounges, and cigar lounges. Hookah lounges and cigar lounges can continue retail but on-site consumption is prohibited.
  • Streaming of live entertainment / performance is now permitted.

BGE and Energy Company Scams

IN PROGRESS- PLEASE CHECK BACK LATER

There has been an uptick in reports of BGE and energy company scams across Baltimore City. Please see the following press release from BGE and the Maryland Public Services Commission (PSC) outlining the nature of the scams including helpful tips on how to avoid being a victim: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18h048F_7co3MVgbJIZoBv7oJrsGu7cZF/view?usp=sharing

These scams can occur mainly through phone calls or home visits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mayor Scott’s Dec 09 Executive Order

Mayor Brandon Scott issued a new Executive Order which goes into effect on Friday, December 11, at 5pm. Notable restrictions in the Executive Order include the following:

  1. restaurants closed for indoor and outdoor dining (only takeout and delivery will be permitted)
  2. indoor gatherings limited to 10 people
  3. outdoor gatherings limited to 25 people
  4. religious facilities limited to 25% of maximum occupancy
  5. retail and shopping centers are limited to 25% of maximum occupancy
  6. indoor recreational establishments will be closed
  7. outdoor recreational establishments limited to 25% of maximum occupancy
  8. fitness centers are limited to 25% maximum occupancy
  9. personal service establishments are limited to 25% maximum occupancy
  10. cultural institutions are limited to 25% capacity
  11. indoor and outdoor theaters and performance venues will be closed
  12. horseshoe casino is limited to 25% maximum occupancy with no food or beverage service

The full text of the executive order may be viewed here: Executive Order

The press release may be viewed here: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MDBALT/bulletins/2b05a3e

Stadium District Camera Expansion Project

UPDATE – STADIUM DISTRICT CAMERA EXPANSION PROJECT (impacting Federal Hill, Otterbein, Sharp Leadenhall, and South Baltimore)
BACKGROUND
Over the past four years community leaders in Federal Hill, Otterbein, and Sharp Leadenhall, led by Joe Levy, have been working with Senator Bill Ferguson, Councilman Eric Costello, Delegates Luke Clippinger, Brooke Lierman, and Robbyn Lewis, the Casino Local Development Council (LDC), the Mayor’s Office, Baltimore City Information Technology (BCIT), Baltimore Police Department (BPD), and large private property owners to install additional CitiWatch cameras in the Stadium District Area. The project was largely funded by casino impact aid, with the final total for Phase 1 in excess of $600,000. There were numerous challenges to get Phase 1 of this project to completion including ongoing community engagement from multiple neighborhoods, coordinating multiple city agencies, installation of 17 blocks of new underground fiber optic cable, construction of 10 new utility poles, and securing funding over multiple years from multiple sources. As these cameras go live, we will be working with BPD and other public safety agencies to assess the effectiveness of the cameras to both deter crime and assist law enforcement to hold wrongdoers accountable for illegal activity. While a set of fixed cameras is not a comprehensive solution to crime, this public safety project funded largely from casino impact dollars will add yet another tool to assist in our ongoing efforts to create neighborhoods where all members of the community feel safe. Without the hard work of Joe Levy, Ethan Cohen (Mayor’s Office), Stefan Waters (BCIT), and Major Sam Hood (BPD), We would not have been able to complete Phase 1 of this project.
RESULTS
The attached map illustrates locations for the Citiwatch cameras:
• Pre-existing Cameras (12 total) – Blue (these are Citiwatch cameras which were operational prior to this project)
• Phase 1 Cameras (12 total) – Green (these are Citiwatch cameras part of this project, which started going on-line in Fall 2020 and will all be operational by November 2020)
• Phase 2 Cameras (10 total) – Yellow (these are proposed locations of Citiwatch cameras for this project, which were proposed at the beginning of the project — locations are still TBD and are subject to additional funding)
NEXT STEPS
We will continue to work with the Mayor’s Office, BCIT, and BPD to analyze data to determine future locations. In addition, we will make best efforts to secure additional funding to help realize Phase 2 implementation. It is important to note that any future funding is contingent on a variety of factors. There is no expected timeframe that can be shared at this time.

Revised Executive Order and Face Covering Order

Mayor Young has issued a revised Executive Order which places additional restrictions in place in response to spikes in COVID-19. This goes into effect on Thursday, Nov 12, at 5pm. In addition, the Health Department has issued a Revised Face Covering Order, which has been effective since Friday, Nov 06. These documents are linked below along with two helpful infographics.

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Pizza parties are easy, governing is harder

As an elected official, it’s easy to make promises people want to hear without considering what fulfilling those promises will take. It’s easy to look at the top line of an appropriation and decide – without reading it, without reviewing rules surrounding it – that you know how it should be spent. In essence, it’s easy to hold a pizza party – it’s much harder to actually govern.

For the “tl;dr crowd,” the bottom line is that we don’t have money available under the CARES Act for bonuses, and even if we did, bonuses are prohibited from being reimbursed by the CARES Act.

When I wrote last week that I wanted to give all of Baltimore City’s critical frontline staff a raise based on their commitment to keeping our City running during the pandemic, I meant it. But as an elected official, I have a duty to my constituents to carefully review and evaluate information before proposing an idea. I like to think of it in terms of school – if I’m going to do well on the test, I need to do my homework.

Recently, my colleagues proposed using a portion of Baltimore City’s CARES Act funding to provide one-time bonuses to employees in DPW’s Solid Waste Division. As I noted last week, this is inherently inequitable, and ignores the incredible efforts of employees across the rest of our City government providing critical services – nurses and EMTs and firefighters and parks staff – who would not receive this proposed bonus.

But my colleagues doubled down on this proposal, noting – without doing their homework – that the idea represents only “a fraction” of the $103 million from the federal government. What I wrote last week remains no less true today – we have expended or obligated in excess of $103 million on our COVID-19 response for which the federal government may reimburse the city. This money was spent providing much-needed COVID-19 supports and resources across the City.

However, because I enjoy doing my homework, I decided to take a second look – I wanted to make sure that I did not miss anything that might possibly benefit our hard-working frontline staff, including DPW’s Solid Waste Division. Maybe I’d hadn’t seen a critical piece of information that could provide dollars for this effort?

Reader, I did not. 

Even a cursory review of the Department of Treasury’s CARES Act guidance clearly illustrates this point (see page five (5), bullet point six (6)). Workforce bonuses for anything other than hazard or overtime pay – which these one-time bonuses would not qualify as – are prohibited. In other words, even if we still had the money available in the CARES Act – we don’t – we couldn’t spend it on what my colleagues have proposed.

I’d like to reiterate how much I appreciate the efforts of our frontline staff, and I look forward to finding real solutions to rewarding these efforts to ensure that we appropriately compensate and incentivize the hard-working crews in our Solid Waste Division and across City government. I look forward to working with the Mayor, the Department of Finance, and my colleagues on the City Council – even those who are a bit lax on their homework – to participate in these efforts.

I recognize that it is tough to voice unpopular truths, but it is a burden that elected officials must carry. We owe it to our constituents and to our City employees to put forward actual plans, not just Facebook posts put up “for the likes.”

And to end on a brighter note – here’s a photo of me and some neighbors throwing a pizza party for some of the DPW sanitation staff in the Southwestern Quadrant back in June, to thank them for their work in the 11th District during the pandemic. I thanked them then, and I continue to be grateful for their efforts throughout these last few months. As the Councilman for the 11th District and Chair of the City Council’s Budget & Appropriations Committee, I’ll continue to do my homework, to find ways to reward their hard work and commitment.

 

UPDATES – Recycling Collection Temporarily Suspended

Recycling service is suspended effective Monday, August 31 through December 15. While the Department and DPW’s workers have worked hard to maintain residential recycling collection throughout the pandemic and record-breaking heat while other cities have abandoned recycling all together,  modifying how DPW collects recycling is now necessary to stabilize and maintain trash collection for obvious public health reasons.  The Department has also been reaching out to private contractors since March in an effort to get assistance for these routes and other trash services.  Unfortunately, private companies are experiencing their own workforce and equipment challenges that have delayed the ability to provide significant help at this time. More info is available in the following Press Release. There is also an FAQ – Solid Waste – Continuity of Service that has additional information.

Status updates on regularly scheduled trash collection are available here.

Community Collections Centers’ Hours of Operation Extended

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays – 7:00am – 3:00pm

Tuesdays, Thursdays – 7:00am – 6:00pm

Saturdays – 8:00am – 3:00pmHere is a map of the exact locations of the Community Collection Centers is available here.

Community Collection Center Location Changes

  • District 1: DPW Maritime Operations Facility, 3311 Eastbourne Avenue
  • District 2: DPW Eastside Sanitation Yard, 6101 Bowleys Lane and Hazelwood Elementary School, 4517 Hazelwood Avenue
  • District 3: Hamilton Elementary, 6101 Old Harford Road
  • District 4: Chinquapin Middle, 900 Woodbourne Avenue
  • District 5: Former Police Academy, 3500 W. Northern Parkway (Access off of Manhattan Avenue)
  • District 6: Greenspring Middle School, 4701 Greenspring Avenue
  • District 7: Westside Elementary location moved to William S. Baer School, 2001 N. Warwick Avenue
  • District 8: Westside Skills Center, 4501 Edmondson Avenue
  • District 9: DPW Meter Shop location moved to Steuart Hill Academic Academy, 30 S. Gilmor Street (Access off of W. Lombard Street)
  • District 10: DPW Southwest Sanitation Yard, 701 Reedbird Avenue
  • District 11: Digital Harbor High School, 1100 Covington Street
  • District 12: Dunbar High School, 601 N. Central Avenue
  • District 13: DPW Property Management Facility, 1825 Edison Highway
  • District 14: Mergenthaler (“Mervo”) High School, 3500 Hillen Road (Access off of 3500 block of Tivoly Avenue)

Residents are invited to continue to submit any questions or concerns about the Solid Waste Continuity of Service Plan to SolidWasteCOSPlan@Baltimorecity.Gov.

Mayor Young’s September 08 Executive Order

Mayor Young Announces Loosening of Restrictions on Indoor Dining, Recreational Facilities, Religious Facilities, and Retail Establishments – Change in restrictions will take effect on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and come after month of sustained improvements in COVID-19 indicators

BALTIMORE, MD.  — Last week, Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young announced the City will loosen restrictions on occupancy in accordance with sustained improvements of key COVID-19 indicators. Mayor Young issued the following statement:

“I am happy to announce Baltimore continues to see significant improvement in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past month,” Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young said. “As a result, we will be easing some of our restrictions on occupancy, but we will need residents to continue to wear face coverings, practice social distancing, and avoid large gatherings if we want to maintain these gains.”

Read more

Recycling Collection Temporarily Suspended

Recycling service is suspended effective Monday, August 31 through October 31. While the Department and DPW’s workers have worked hard to maintain residential recycling collection throughout the pandemic and record-breaking heat while other cities have abandoned recycling all together,  modifying how DPW collects recycling is now necessary to stabilize and maintain trash collection for obvious public health reasons.  The Department has also been reaching out to private contractors since March in an effort to get assistance for these routes and other trash services.  Unfortunately, private companies are experiencing their own workforce and equipment challenges that have delayed the ability to provide significant help at this time. More info is available in the following Press Release. There is also an FAQ – Solid Waste – Continuity of Service that has additional information.
Status updates on regularly scheduled trash collection are available here.
Community Collection Centers for recycling will be established in each City Council District and will be available Monday – Friday, 7am – 3pm. Residents may drop off recyclables at any of the below locations (Recycling locations map).
 

Read more

Executive Order: Partial Reopening of Restaurants and Bars for Indoor Dining and Restricting Outdoor Dining and Gatherings

Mayor Young’s update Executive Order dated Aug 07, 2020: Partial Reopening of Restaurants and Bars for Indoor Dining and Restricting Outdoor Dining and Gatherings: EO 8-7-2020

Mayor Young’s updated executive order includes the following:

  • Indoor dining: Restaurant dining rooms must close at 10:00 p.m. A restaurant’s kitchen is permitted to remain open past 10:00 p.m. to serve carryout and for outdoor dining only.
  • Indoor and outdoor gatherings: Capped at 25 people.
  • Indoor gatherings at event venues: capped at 25 people or 25% occupancy, whichever is lower. If the venue has multiple event spaces, the 25 person/25% occupancy limit applies separately to each space within the venue, as long as the collective occupancy does not exceed 25% of the venue.
  • Religious facilities: Capped at 25% of occupancy only.
  • Retail establishments and malls: Capped at 25% of occupancy only.
  • Indoor Recreation Establishments: Capped at 25% of occupancy only.

Guidance from the Health Department on this Executive Order: Guidance on Executive Order 8-7-20