The Housing Authority of Baltimore City is disputing allegations that it owes millions of dollars in overdue water bills to the city as “wildly inaccurate,” arguing that the actual total is far lower. Baltimore’s inspector general published a report Tuesday stating that the city’s internal figures show the housing authority was behind on water bill payments to the tune of $7.8 million. But the report also pointed to several problems with the Department of Public Works’ billing system, which could be contributing to confusion about the housing authority’s total charges for its roughly 7,000 properties.

Using one of Maryland’s toll bridges and tunnels could become more expensive. The state has not seen an increase in tolls in more than a decade. Joseph Sagal, executive director of the Maryland Transportation Authority, said that era, which included two toll reductions, may be at an end within the next four years. “We started looking at the last time tolls were raised, that was nearly a decade ago,” Sagal said at a meeting of the Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs Commission in Annapolis.

The Worcester County Commissioners are seeking answers to a variety of financial questions now that they have a detailed school system budget to review. The commissioners last week sent a letter to the Worcester County Board of Education asking for clarification on a number of items in the school system’s budget. Commissioner Chip Bertino, president of the board, said the county simply needed to gain a more accurate understanding of the Worcester County Public Schools (WCPS) budget and policies.

Maryland’s Work Zone Safety Task Force met Thursday to discuss potential improvements to safety at road construction sites. Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller established the task force after the crash in March that killed six construction workers on the Baltimore Beltway. Since that crash on March 22, there have been 325 construction zone accidents. The total so far this year is 804.

 

 

At Wednesday’s event, Moore was asked how he planned to tackle educational disparities across jurisdictions in the state. His answer: the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, historic legislation funneling billions of dollars into the state’s public schools over the next decade. “We cannot be afraid to say that these disparities that we have in the state of Maryland — not just when it comes to education, but with every single facet — that for many of them, they are generational and long-standing,” Moore said.

Baltimore’s Board of Estimates is scheduled to consider Richard Worley’s new employment agreement Wednesday, a document that details how much severance he’d be owed if city legislators don’t confirm him as the city’s next police commissioner the next day. An agenda for the spending board’s meeting next week prices the contract at $285,000 — presumably the proposed salary for Mayor Brandon Scott’s pick to lead the Baltimore Police Department.

Lawmakers, public defenders, police, prosecutors and state officials gathered in a marathon meeting over video on Wednesday to confront Maryland’s problems with juvenile crime head-on. For five hours, they defended their own actions to help kids and combat crime, while pointing out other areas that need changes. Despite disagreements, all said they hope to reduce instances where children are perpetrators or victims of violence.

At the first meeting of the Baltimore Water Governance Task Force on Wednesday night, Chairman Bill Henry chose to start off with some assurances. “Our water utility system is not for sale,” Henry said. “We will not be making any recommendations that involve Baltimore City giving up legal ownership of the water, wastewater and stormwater system.”

A day after the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services released a report showing statewide youth crime has decreased over the past decade, some state lawmakers criticized the findings in a legislative hearing Wednesday. State House Judiciary Chair Luke Clippinger, a Baltimore City Democrat and Anne Arundel County prosecutor, held a legislative briefing Wednesday, the first in a series before the 2024 session, to address the state of the juvenile justice system.

The U.S. House and Senate are both back in D.C. on Tuesday following a long summer recess, facing an overwhelming agenda of unfinished work — funding the federal government and reauthorizing major programs set to expire at the end of the month. Congressional leaders and President Joe Biden have only a few weeks to broker a short-term spending deal that can gain votes from deeply divided members of Congress or spark a partial government shutdown before a Sept. 30 deadline. Far-right House Republicans already are insistent on big cuts in spending levels at odds with bipartisan Senate legislation.