Thousands of Baltimore residents are behind on property taxes. Millions of dollars sit unused in Annapolis.

It seems like simple math to housing advocates. The city of Baltimore needs more property tax revenue; the state of Maryland has millions of dollars in federal COVID relief to help homeowners pay their property taxes. The city and state both have a financial incentive to get that money to residents, advocates say, but instead they’re about to let debt collectors once again profit off longtime Baltimore homeowners. Friday is the last chance for Baltimore homeowners to pay off delinquent property taxes before being put on the city’s annual tax sale list. That’s where the city auctions off the right to collect those past-due property taxes.