Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced yesterday she plans to seek legislation that would provide a $2,500 annual tax credit to Baltimore’s police, fire and sheriff’s department employees for homes purchased in the City as an incentive for first responders to locate their.

As reported by the Baltimore Sun,

“Our first responders are a crucial part of keeping Baltimore safe,” Rawlings-Blake said at a news conference Tuesday. “There is a shared and common desire for them to help us rebuild our communities, and to improve the overall quality of life in our city.”

About 72 percent of Baltimore’s police officers and 64 percent of its firefighters live outside the city, according to an Abell Foundation report cited by the mayor’s office.

To become law, the tax credit must be approved by the City Council and by the General Assembly. If approved, it would be available to about 5,000 police, fire and sheriff’s employees beginning in 2018.

Representatives from the public safety community reacted positively to the property tax credit. This incentive will be on top of other home buying incentives offered by the city and state.