Latest news with #YouthWorks
CBS News
06-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Baltimore Mayor Scott to host town hall to discuss FY26 budget
Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott is hosting a town hall meeting to discuss the city's planned budget for fiscal year 2026. The preliminary budget includes what Scott says is the largest capital project investment the city has seen in two decades - a 56 percent spike. Mayor Scott seeks to tackle longstanding community issues Scott says he wants to direct money toward long-neglected issues, including eliminating vacant homes, improving city parks, and constructing new schools. The proposal dedicates nearly $7 million to expanding the city's Youth Works summer job program. The mayor said the goal is to help keep teens engaged and off the streets. More than $1 billion is earmarked for public safety, including efforts to tackle crime and enforce parking restrictions. Scott's budget plan allocates $346.4 million to community development, with an additional $1.5 million for the mayor's $3 billion vacant housing effort. That funding will also cover Bmore FAST, a new initiative designed to improve the city's property permitting process. Federal cuts pose challenges for Baltimore City While income tax rates will remain unchanged, the city remains heavily reliant on revenue from income taxes and federal funding. Scott acknowledged that future funding from the federal government could be uncertain, depending on potential cuts from the Trump administration. City budget officials project an $8 million deficit by the end of the fiscal year in June. The city already issued a spending freeze more than a month ago for several agencies, including police, fire, sheriff, and the recreation and parks department. Residents will have an opportunity to weigh in on the budget plans during the town hall meeting at Coppin State University. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.
CBS News
29-04-2025
- CBS News
16 teenagers charged with violent crimes in Baltimore over the weekend
Sixteen teenagers were charged with a string of violent crimes over the weekend. The teens range in age from 13 to 17, and three of them are being charged as adults, according to police. Baltimore Police say 11 of the teens have prior arrest records, and two of them have been arrested more than nine times. Seven were released to a guardian. Among the crimes committed are robbery, auto theft, and assault. "It is incredibly frustrating to see young people involved in violent crimes across our city," Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said. "Our officers are working every day to keep our neighborhoods safe, but real, lasting change requires all of us, from our families, schools, community leaders, and the justice system, working together. We cannot arrest our way out of this problem. We need accountability, early intervention, and real support for our youth to break this cycle and build a safer future for Baltimore." Mayor touts decline in crime Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott discussed in an interview with WJZ on April 23 his administration's aggressive efforts to attack crime. Scott said the city has seen a 40% reduction in murders since 2020; shootings are down 43% over that time; robberies are down 23% since last year; carjackings are down 19%.; and auto thefts are down 40%. "We said that we were going to reduce homicides by 15 %, and we did that, we beat it, that is great progress, but we have a lot more building to do together, Mayor Scott told WJZ. Mayor Scott says the approach to decreasing crime numbers and investing in young people is working despite a shortage of nearly 500 police officers. "Statistics will show, unless you have something that connects them with something better, they will revert back to something they did before, creating this cycle that we're seeing over and over again," Mayor Scott said. "The way that we operate now is the way we should have been operating forever, not putting everything on the backs of BPD. There are other things for other agencies to handle, and they have to have investment to do that." Investing in youth and safety Mayor Scott said during his State of the City address on April 21 that youth and public safety are major investments in the city's proposed budget for fiscal year 2026. According to the mayor, the spending plan involves $624.8 million for youth initiatives, including $6.9 million to expand the YouthWorks summer jobs program to 8,500 participants at $15 per hour and funding for two new recreation centers. Public safety would receive $1.2 billion, with full funding for the citywide expansion of the Group Violence Reduction Strategy and continued efforts to transition administrative police tasks to civilian roles, according to the proposed budget.
CBS News
02-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
What's in Baltimore City's fiscal 2026 budget?
Mayor Brandon Scott has announced Baltimore City's fiscal 2026 budget, which is expected to address an $85 million shortfall while making several investments. The budget balances the deficit through $26.6 million in new revenue from updated fee structures, $43.7 million in citywide cost optimizations, and $14.7 million in agency-specific reductions. The proposal does not include increases in property or income taxes. "These decisions look to avoid mistakes of the past, which balanced the budget on the backs of core services and investments in our communities," Scott said in a statement accompanying the budget proposal. The spending plan includes $624.8 million for youth initiatives, including $6.9 million to expand the YouthWorks summer jobs program to 8,500 participants at $15 per hour and funding for two new recreation centers. Public safety receives $1.2 billion, with full funding for the citywide expansion of the Group Violence Reduction Strategy and continued efforts to transition administrative police tasks to civilian roles. These efforts are expected to save $1.1 million annually in overtime costs. The budget allocates $1.1 billion for neighborhood services, including $5 million to enhance trash and recycling collection with 15 additional crews and $36.7 million from the Opioid Restitution Fund to combat the opioid epidemic. Scott's plan also includes $346.4 million for neighborhood development, featuring an additional $1.5 million for the mayor's $3 billion vacant housing initiative. That funding will also cover Bmore FAST , a new program to improve the city's property permitting process. $2 million to establish a new Office of Art, Culture, and Entertainment. The capital budget marks the largest investment in 20 years, with $125 million in borrowing for capital projects 56% increase from previous levels-targeting affordable housing, school construction, and city parks. The budget now moves to the City Council for review before the start of the fiscal year on July 1. According to The Baltimore Banner , the plan relies on $200 million in federal funding and does not account for any cuts to income tax revenue as a result of Baltimoreans laid off by the federal government. The Trump administration's recent cuts to federal funding and ongoing efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce have created an air of uncertainty. As many of Maryland's federal workers who were laid off search for new career opportunities , agencies, and organizations are assessing the impact of federal funding cuts. On Monday, state education leaders said they were shocked after the federal government rescinded a reimbursement of $360 million in funding that was previously committed to state schools.
CBS News
28-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Baltimore City to invest in youth athletics, summer jobs to reduce violence
Baltimore City's Children and Youth Fund (BCYF) will make several investments into youth athletics programs, summer job programs and Mayor Brandon Scott's youth engagement strategy in an effort to reduce youth violence this summer. According to the mayor's office, the strategy has helped reduce youth violence over the past two summers. The investments aim to continue the positive trend. The BCYF will establish a new youth athletics fund with an initial $500,000 investment to expand access to vendor-provided athletic programming in Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS). The youth athletics fund will build on BCPS's launch of middle school sports programming, which has allowed thousands of students to access athletics in schools, and will create a path for more philanthropy to invest in middle school athletics. "We best enrich the lives of Baltimore City students when our community offers more opportunities to learn both inside and outside the classroom," said Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools. BCYF will also allocate $6 million in funds to support YouthWorks , the city's summer employment program. The investment will ensure that 8,500 young people find meaningful employment during the summer. The investment into YouthWorks will provide young people in the city with paid work experiences, professional development and career readiness training through the Mayor's Office of Employment and Development (MOED). The fund will also invest $1.5 million into Mayor Scott's summer youth engagement strategy, which has helped reduce youth victimization and violence. The city will use the funding to provide outreach workers, structured programming and safe spaces for young people during the summer. "This is about investing in our young people holistically - in their futures, their well-being and their safety," Mayor Scott said. "Together, with BCYF, MOED, and Baltimore City Public Schools, we are ensuring that Baltimore's young people have every opportunity to thrive." Baltimore City saw a major reduction in crime in 2024. It was the third year in a row that the city's violent crime rate dropped, according to data from the Baltimore City U.S. Attorney's Office. As of March 3, 2025, homicides and nonfatal shootings were down in the city compared to 2024. Homicides were down 29% and nonfatal shootings were down by 41%, according to Mayor Scott. "While we are on the right path and are continuing to approach public safety the right way, understanding that it is more than just the responsibility of law enforcement and we all have a role to play, the work cannot and should not stop here," the mayor said. "We have a responsibility to expand the strategies and interventions we know are working, continue to be proactive, and deepen our efforts to build a better, safer Baltimore for all," Mayor Scott added. According to the CBS News gun violence tracker , there has been a 20% decrease in the number of gun violence victims over the past five years in Baltimore City, including victims of fatal and non-fatal shootings and any armed encounters. The tracker, which draws on crime data through the end of December 2024, shows that 389 children and teens faced threats of gun violence in Baltimore City in 2024. Data shows there were 499 youth victims of gun violence in 2023, and 389 in 2024, a 22% reduction over one year.
