By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
The Baltimore City Council officially passed their $4.6 billion fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget with a 13-2 vote on June 16. Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer (D-District 5) and Councilman Mark Conway (D-District 4) both voted against the budget as written.
“This budget is the result of months of discussion, negotiation and careful deliberation, and I want to thank the entire City Council for their partnership every step of the way,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott (D) in a statement immediately after the passage of the budget. “Tonight, the City Council overwhelmingly voted to pass this budget. I’m grateful to leaders on the City Council and my team for their unwavering commitment to delivering a balanced, equitable budget, which I now look forward to signing into law.”
The mayor has to sign the budget into law by the end of the month, as the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
Scott mentioned that the budget was amended to include additional funding for key priorities shared between the council and his office, including $2 million to support immigrant communities, $1 million for traffic calming projects throughout the city and $750,000 for implementation of curbside composting. Amendments also include funding to create the Department of Consumer Protection and Business Licensing which is expected to centralize and streamline many of the city’s licensing processes.
This budget features approximately $7 million in amendments.
Around noon on June 16, the Budget and Appropriations Committee met to consider amendments on the budget.
One amendment was created to include in the budget $2 million for the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs, $250,000 for startup costs of the Department of Consumer Protection and Business Licensing and $750,000 for the Zero Waste curbside yard collection pilot.
It was funded by reducing contractual spending, savings from vacant positions and scaling back funding for new positions that were a part of the fiscal year 2026 budget. It was passed by a 5-0 vote in the committee.
The second amendment, proposed by Councilman Paris Gray (D-District 8), which would have moved $112,000 from the State’s Attorney’s Office to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), was voted down by a 4-1 vote.
“While I fully support the OIG office, I certainly don’t want to be pulling any funding away from the State’s Attorney’s Office with the great work they’ve been doing, so I vote no,” said Schleifer.
The budget, 25-0060, was passed favorably from the committee to second reader with amendments. The council and the Board of Estimates later held several meetings regarding the budget, eventually passing it on to third reader for final passage before the regular council meeting later that day.
“Our city council worked closely together to negotiate a budget that secured more funding for public safety, invested in improving accountability by funding an additional position in the IDS office, increased funding for our immigrant communities, a zero waste pilot and powerful new support for home ownership programs,” said Council President Zeke Cohen (D) at the city council meeting. “We were able to produce a budget that invests in Baltimoreans of every background and age and secure critical commitments that will fund libraries, parks, playgrounds and pools in the neighborhoods throughout the city.”
In a statement via social media after the vote, Schleifer shared his reasons for voting against the budget as written.
“Now is not the time to raise taxes and fees,” said Schleifer. “Our residents are already drowning in sky-high utility bills—especially water bills that have quietly been hiked year after year. We’ve had older adults come into City Hall and tell us they’re choosing between paying for their oxygen tanks and medication or their utility bills. That is unconscionable.”