In a unanimous vote, the Baltimore City Council passed Mayor Brandon Scott’s operating and capital budget. The City’s budget for fiscal 2023 totals $4.11 billion, including $3.32 billion for operating expenses and $792.6 million for capital investment.

The fiscal 2023 budget reflects the Scott Administration’s key priorities outlined in the Mayor’s Action Plan. It includes a groundbreaking $57 million increase to the City’s investment in City Schools as part of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, continues the response to COVID-19, funds the City’s Water4All billing discount program, ensures the provision of core services, and uses federal recovery funds for critical investments to make the City safer, healthier, cleaner, greener, and more equitable.

“Passing this budget is a huge win for Baltimore and will allow us to continue moving our city forward towards a better, more vibrant future,” said Mayor  Scott. “It contains essential investments towards implementing our Group Violence Reduction Strategy, City Schools, Rec and Parks, and modern, affordable housing units – all things that will help build a safer, better, more equitable Baltimore.”

According to The Baltimore Sun:

New EMS revenue proved crucial to the city funding Kirwan reforms in their first year. Maryland is allowing local jurisdictions to start getting reimbursed for Medicaid patient ambulance rides. Previously, reimbursements were provided for Medicare patients as well as patients with private insurance, but very little was received from Medicaid.

As previously reported on Conduit Street, MACo led the effort during the 2022 legislative session to secure meaningful and long-term support to modernize county EMS delivery and care, including additional funding for county efforts to combat health care disparities through Mobile Integrated Health and similar offerings.

Stay tuned to Conduit Street for more information.