Baltimore emergency procurement: Better oversight required

Anyone who doesn’t regularly attend meetings of Baltimore’s Board of Estimates — the five-member panel charged with awarding contracts, supervising purchases and generally executing the city’s fiscal policies — might be surprised by how often it’s essentially bypassed. A quick glance at the agenda for Wednesday, Oct. 4, reveals that the board will be considering multiple contracts that were already executed for snow removal, to purchase sewer inspection equipment, to acquire a new ladder truck for the Baltimore City Fire Department, and on and on.