Baltimore City Council closes out term, passes bill to increase property tax for vacant homes
BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore City Council passed several pieces of legislation Monday during the last meeting of the term.
During the meeting, Mayor Brandon Scott signed into law a bill to create a special property tax increase for vacant homes.
The tax increase is meant to encourage homeowners to take better care of their property and allow the city to take control of vacant buildings if necessary.
The bill was introduced in early October and was unanimously sponsored by all the councilmembers.
Following the passage of the bill, taxes on vacant properties will increase threefold starting in the 2026-27 tax year. It will then increase four times in the following year if needed.
Currently, Baltimore City owns less than 1,000 vacant properties. According to Councilwoman Odette Ramos, there are 13,000 vacant properties across the city, and thousands more are falling apart or designated as uninhabitable.
The city has seen a 20% drop in vacant building notices over the past five years.
As of early October, only 3,600 properties qualified for the tax rate increase, though that number is expected to increase under the recently passed bill.
The city has been pushing for a vacant home tax bill for years but had to wait for approval from the Maryland General Assembly as the state legislature has to approve any tax rate change on specific properties.
Gas-powered Leaf Blower Ban
During Monday's meeting, the council also passed a bill to establish penalties after banning the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in October.
The ban prevents private contractors and city workers from using gas-powered leaf blowers after December 15. Private use, including for landscaping professionals, will also be limited.
The bill passed Monday allows the city to impose a citation, a $1,000 fine or a misdemeanor charge for anyone caught disobeying the law.
Final City Council Meeting of the Term
Monday's meeting closed out the Baltimore City Council's term, which began in December 2020.
During the 2024 primary election, Democrat Zeke Cohen defeated current City Council President Nick Mosby.
Cohen went on to win 88% of the vote in the general election, defeating Republican Emmanuel Digman to become city council president.
Mosby served as city council president for four years. He shared an emotional farewell while accompanied by his daughters at Monday's meeting.
"I can remember being this little boy on a yellow cheese bus, driving past this building, and I would tell everybody in my class, 'I'm gonna work there one day. That's where I want to be,'" Mosby said. "This idea of being a public servant to the citizens of Baltimore wasn't just started in a way to like create a resume filler or do it in a way to be recognized by name. It was really set up to ensure that I provide opportunities for those who I saw struggle on a daily basis in my life."
Cohen will be sworn in on Thursday, Dec. 5.