Do Not Sign Renew Baltimore petition
“Would you like to pay lower property taxes?” this is what the person collecting signatures for the Renew Baltimore petition drive will ask you at the store, the market, and other places.
Your answer is sure however, they don’t tell you the details on how this can occur and its negative consequences. I am asking you not to sign this petition to get an initiative on the ballot to amend the charter to lower the tax rate. While we do need to lower it, this proposal is not the right one for Baltimore. Lowering the tax rate over 7 years without a plan for revenues means basic city services, like trash pick up, will not be provided. If you are approached to sign the Renew Baltimore petition, please DO NOT sign it.
Here are more details:
The Renew Baltimore plan cuts property taxes by ½ over 7 years, with no plan for increasing revenues. Renew Baltimore proponents claim that the population will grow if the tax rate is dramatically cut which will in turn increase tax revenues.
The Baltimore City Bureau of Budget Management and Research recently published a study that shows that if Renew Baltimore would take place, it would result in a loss of over $830million a year after the 7 years. And, that in order to make that up, just in population growth, we would have to reverse 50 years of population decline in 7 years. https://bbmr.baltimorecity.gov/sites/default/files/BBMR%20Report_Analysis%20of%20Renew%20Baltimore%20Tax%20Reduction_FINAL.pdf This is unrealistic, especially considering we no longer have viable housing options for everyone because of the decay over the past decades.
The loss of $800million per year without any plan for additional revenues means that services would be dramatically reduced. Trash and Recycling pick up would cease, police and fire services would be eliminated, and
In addition, Baltimore RENEW would have us believe that no one wants to move into the city because of the taxes. This is not true. People want to move into Baltimore and the recent Live Baltimore study suggests that the obstacle is not taxes, it is available housing stock that is move in-ready.https://livebaltimore.com/
People move to Baltimore, and stay in Baltimore, for several reasons. Many more reasons than just the tax rate alone. Proximity to jobs, amazing historic housing stock, city life amenities, and more. Families leave for several different reasons. With the Renew Baltimore proposal, the things we love about Baltimore would diminish, and the things we need to improve like city services, public safety, housing and more, would get worse.
Why would we do this to ourselves? Please do not sign this petition.
We have worked to reduce the tax rate before. Let go back in time to 2012. Mayor Rawlings-Blake announced her 20 cents by 2020 innitiative. This would reduce the tax rate paid by homeowners by 20 cents. This initiative also included a plan to reform the way the city operated to create savings for the tax cut. https://bbmr.baltimorecity.gov/ten-year-financial-plan
Following this plan, the City has achieved Mayor Rawlings-Blake’s goal of reducing the tax rate for homeowners by 20 cents. We know that strategic and impactful moves to reduce the tax rate are the way to go.
My recommendations for eventually cutting the tax rate includes first coming up with more revenues. This includes:
Significantly invest in creating more housing opportunities for residents. This means rehabbing our incredible housing stock that is currently vacant and abandoned, and has been ignored for decades. Renters want to become homeowners. People want to move to our amazing city. Homes are receiving more than 5 offers these days because there is not enough inventory. Significant investment is needed as outlined in the BUILD/City/GBC plan announced late last year. $7Billion is needed to do this from various sources. Ensuring more tools that work are in place for acquisition and disposition of vacant properties in an efficient and equitable manner through building the Land Bank will accelerate this important work and resolve the crisis of vacant housing, creating intentional mixed income communities. Only through providing the housing stock needed can we increase our population and over time increase revenues.
Reform our tax credits that are given to private companies. Currently tax breaks for development takes up over $100million in revenues. While some are needed to spur growth, we should be looking at ways to ensure that these tax credits are equitable, actually needed in the projects, and provide ultimately with the goals we need. We could be saving millions with proper reforms.
https://bbmr.baltimorecity.gov/sites/default/files/FY2025%20Executive%20Summary%20(1).pdf
Ensure that our non-profit institutions that own over ⅓ of our taxable land pay more in payment in lieu of taxes. According to analysis by BBMR the last time the PILOT was negotiated, almost 40% of our police and fire resources are used in this ⅓ of the area of the city. They should pay for those services so that we can use current funds used for those services elsewhere.
Last, unfortunately, residents do not have authority to set the tax rate through petition. Only the Mayor and City Council have the ability to set the tax rate according to our charter. This petition effort is a waste of time and money. Don’t sign the petition.