Baltimore City plans to spend almost 50% of its budget on policing that disproportionately harms Black communities, and deadlines are approaching to solidify the budget for 2021 Fiscal Year.

However, the Mayor and Board of Estimates serve as a centralized, decision-making power that makes it difficult for elected council members to influence the allocation of resources within the city’s fiscal budget; currently, the City Council is limited to only cutting funds. In order to shift the balance of power to the people, we demand that you support the Charter Amendment (CB19-0379) that would authorize the City Council the ability to reallocate funds towards other initiatives based on their constituents’ needs and expressed concerns.

Read more about the Bill here: https://baltimore.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3932508&GUID=E58F8DC1-19FB-4A89-A1FF-21B5A732A36D&Options=ID%7CText%7C&Search=Charter+amendment

Feel free to use this template attached below to email your city councilmembers directly: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KG7R_zU0gNgod2gHYwVaPAX45yJ8jCck_FWRdtlXuaY/edit?usp=sharing

Use this link to find the contact info for your district’s Councilmember: http://www.baltimorecitycouncil.com/council-district-map