SCHOOLS AND PROPERTY TAXES. YEAH, AT FACE VALUE, MORE MONEY FOR LOCAL SCHOOLS AND CUTTING THE CITY’S PROPERTY TAX RATE. PROBABLY BOTH SOUND LIKE A WIN WIN. BUT IF YOU’RE THE COMPTROLLER BILL, HENRY, IT LEAVES HIM WONDERING WHERE ALL THE MONEY FOR OTHER CITY SERVICES IS GOING TO COME FROM. AT A SPECIAL SESSION OF BALTIMORE CITY SPENDING BOARD THIS MORNING, LEADERS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE PRESENTED THE CITY BUDGET FOR 2025. FOR HENRY, TWO KEY THINGS STUCK OUT. FIRST, NEARLY HALF THE MONEY FOR THE CITY’S BUDGET NEXT YEAR COMES FROM PROPERTY TAXES. AND THERE’S A PETITION RIGHT NOW FROM A GROUP CALLED RENEW BALTIMORE THAT’S TRYING TO GET A QUESTION ON THE BALLOT THIS NOVEMBER THAT WOULD DRASTICALLY CUT THE CITY’S PROPERTY TAX RATE. SECOND, THE BUDGET PRESENTATION SHOWED THAT THE AMOUNT THE CITY HAS TO CONTRIBUTE TO BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAS INCREASED ROUGHLY 47% OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. THAT’S BECAUSE OF REQUIREMENTS BUILT IN FROM THE BLUEPRINT FOR MARYLAND’S FUTURE. HERE’S HENRY ON WHAT THE COMBINATION MEANS FOR CITY FINANCES. THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL, ALONG WITH WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH WITH KIRWAN AND THE BLUEPRINT TO REALLY PUT US IN THIS SORT OF PERFECT STORM OF MANDATED ADDITIONAL EXPENSES. AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAVE A MANDATE OF REDUCED REVENUE. NOW, THE PETITION TO CUT THE CITY’S PROPERTY TAX IN HALF OVER THE NEXT EIGHT YEARS HAS UNTIL THIS SUMMER TO GET THE NECESSARY SIGNATURES FOR THE BLUEPRINT, HENRY SAYS. THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SAFETY MECHANISM BUILT IN THAT WOULD KEEP THE CITY’S SHARE OF EXPENSES TO A MINIMUM, BUT HE SAYS THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. WE’RE NOW PAYING ALL ALMOST TWICE WHAT WE WERE PAYING SEVERAL YEARS AGO IN TERMS OF LOCAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, WHICH IS GOOD FOR THE SCHOOLS AND IT’S NOT LIKE THE KIDS DON’T NEED THE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES. IT’S JUST THAT THAT PUTS AN INCREDIBLE CHALLENGE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE ALL OF THE OTHER SERVICES IS THAT PEOPLE EXPECT FROM CITY, FROM CITY GOVERNMENT. NOW, IF RENEW BALTIMORE GETS THE NECESSARY 10,000 SIGNATURES BY THIS SUMMER, THE QUESTION WILL APPEAR ON THE BALLOT THIS NOVEMBER, THE CITY’S SPENDING BOARD IS HOSTING ITS ANNUAL ITS ANNUAL TAXPAYER NIGHT, STARTING AT 6 P.M. TONIGHT. AND YOU CAN CATCH IT IN PERSON AT CITY HALL ONLINE OR ON CHARM TV LIV