In a move that will only make financial purists crazed, the Baltimore City Council has voted to reject a budget transfer for $21 million to cover police overtime from the previous fiscal year – money that, of course, has already been spent.
The Baltimore Sun quotes Public Safety Committee Chair Brandon Scott:
This is a clear message that the status quo is not going to work anymore.
Last year the Baltimore Police Department spent $47.2 million on overtime. According to the Sun, $16 million was budgeted. From the coverage:
The committee vote comes as leaders on the City Council have announced monthly accountability meetings about the police department, focusing on both the agency’s budget and its crime-fighting strategies.
The city law department also is auditing the Police Department’s overtime, but has yet to make the results of the audit public.
