Politics

Baltimore County announced Tuesday new leaders for the Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability and the Department of Economic and Workforce Development Tuesday. Horacio Tablada will head up the environmental protection department, while Marcus Wang will lead the economic development agency.

Most government agencies want to use such technologies as artificial intelligence, machine learning and chatbots to improve efficiency and decision making, but the cost of implementation and concerns about breaking legacy technology are holding them back, according to a report released Tuesday by General Dynamics Information Technology.

The Baltimore City Council held an informational hearing Monday to address widespread challenges with getting a permit in the city. Just over two weeks ago, an unpermitted block party in Brooklyn ended in tragedy. Councilmembers said although a permit was technically not needed at that event, improving the permitting process would keep more people safe.

City officials are considering an increase in hourly and monthly lease parking rates. Cumberland Administrator Jeff Silka on Tuesday provided the mayor and City Council recommendations on the issue. “The (Municipal Parking Administration) expenses exceed revenue,” he said and discussed use of the app ParkMobile. The technology is used in cities including Frostburg, Annapolis and Pittsburgh, Silka said and added the city would not incur upfront costs to implement the app.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott made his nomination of Richard Worley to be the city’s next police commissioner official Monday, submitting the selection to the Baltimore City Council and kicking off a confirmation process. The council, which met Monday night, received the nomination without discussion. Worley’s appointment was assigned to the council’s Rules and Legislative Oversight committee, which will hold a hearing Aug. 15.

The Baltimore City Council is expected to call for a hearing on Monday to investigate why several pools in the city have not opened for the summer. In southeast Baltimore, the water is green, and the gates are padlocked at the Patterson Park Public Pool. For 13- year-old Naveah Distance, it’s a been a bummer summer without taking a swim.

A Baltimore City councilman is calling on the state body that oversees Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. to reject a proposed plan that would significantly increase gas costs for customers over the next three years and his City Council colleagues have also signaled their disapproval. Zeke Cohen, who represents Southeast Baltimore’s 1st District, introduced — and council approved — a nonbinding resolution Monday opposing the rate increase.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and first lady Dawn Moore have sold their North Baltimore home, closing on the $2,525,000 sale six months after the family moved to Annapolis following the inauguration, according to online listings. The six-bedroom, six-bathroom mansion overlooking Sherwood Gardens in Baltimore’s Guilford neighborhood had been on the market for almost five months and was originally listed at $2,750,000.