By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott (D) announced April 28 that enrollment is open for the city’s new Residential Property Tax Payment Plan Program, the first of its kind in city history.
According to city officials, the program will allow eligible residential property owners to catch up on past-due real property taxes through structured monthly payments as low as $25. Enrollment is open through May 12.
“Since I’ve been the mayor, we’ve been removing homeowner occupied properties from the tax sale each year,” said Scott, in an interview with the AFRO. “This really is the next step of that.”
Scott highlighted that through an agreement with Maryland Legal Aid, the city decided to implement payment plans and increase the minimum bid on tax liens to the assessed value of properties. The changes are intended to help ensure residents that end up on tax sale and lose their homes are compensated fairly for their property.
While the administration framed the program as a necessary step toward preventing home loss, some council members questioned the cost and necessity of the initiative.
“Everything we’re intending to do could be done by individual property owners without legislation,” said Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer (D-District 5). “When we’re talking about spending another $1 million plus on a new program that’s doing what you guys are already doing, I’m just trying to understand the cost-benefit analysis to that.”
Michael Mocksten, director of the Baltimore City Department of Finance, said the program streamlines the manual process used in the past.
“Until now, we had not had the technical ability through the mainframe system to set up a payment plan,” said Mocksten. “We had the ability to work with folks by hand to take in one payment at a time.”
“There is a tremendous amount of financial risk for the city if we do nothing and financial opportunity if we do something,” he added.
Clementine Case, a Baltimore resident and Maryland Legal Aid client, certainly could have benefitted from services like this. In the 2019 tax sale, a tax lien on her home was sold. During COVID-19, she attempted to resolve the debt, but her court requests to determine the payoff amount were never officially recorded.
In 2022, she received a notice stating she owed about $8,900 and that her property would be included in a tax sale unless paid. She paid the bill for her 2022 taxes, but the 2019 tax sale case remained pending. Then it went to a tax sale.
“When I was told I owed a tax lien, I paid it,” said Case. “Then I got a letter saying my home was sold in tax sale and I said, ‘what tax sale?’”
The tax sale purchaser later filed a wrongful detainer against her, initiating eviction proceedings. With Maryland Legal Aid’s help, she temporarily delayed eviction, but could not meet a nearly $20,000 court requirement to reopen the case.
She lost her home of decades.
After the experience, Case said she finds it hard to trust the system.
Mocksten highlighted that about 900 people expressed interest ahead of launch, while roughly 28,000 residents are currently eligible for the program.
Faith Leach, Baltimore City chief administrative officer, discussed the data and what it means for Black and Brown homeowners.
“When we drill down on that data, we see that the majority of those folks and those property owners are going to be Black and Brown or in Black and predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods,” said Leach. “When we look at the data, about 44 percent of people owe less than $1,000, which means, this structured payment plan could really help them manage that debt. Then about 85 percent of those folks that owe debt, owe less than $5,000.”
Leach said the program reflects the city’s broader effort to address long-standing tax sale challenges while expanding access to repayment options for struggling homeowners.
To access the application, please visit baltimore-dof.promise-pay.com.