![[photo, City Hall, 100 North Holliday St., Baltimore, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/36loc/bcity/images/1198-1-1365.jpg)
Within the Office of Mayor, Administration is the responsibility of the Chief of Staff, the Chief of Operations, the Chief of Strategic Alliances, and the Director of Administration.
City Hall, 100 North Holliday St., Baltimore, Maryland, June 2006. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
In September 2010, the Mayor's Anti-Animal Abuse Advisory Commission was established.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD
Promoting environmental awareness and enforcement, the Board provides community outreach services, and establishes procedures for issuing and enforcing environmental citations. During hearings and any appeal made regarding violations, the Board provides advice to involved parties (City Code, Article 1, sec. 40).
The Board consists of thirteen members. Seven are appointed by the Mayor with City Council consent. Six serve ex officio.
BOARD OF ETHICS
The State Public Ethics Law, enacted in 1979, required local jurisdictions to enact similar legislation.
Annually, the Board submits a report to the State Ethics Commission, showing County compliance with State law governing the public ethics of local officials with respect to conflicts of interest, financial disclosure, and lobbying (Code General Provisions Article, secs. 5-804 through 5-812).
Appointed by the Mayor to five-year terms, the Board consists of five members, two of whom must be lawyers. One member is nominated by the City Council President, and one by the City Comptroller. Each year the Board selects a chair from among its members. The Director of Legislative Reference serves as Executive Director of the Board (City Code, Art. 8).
LOCAL [VIDEO LOTTERY] DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
The Local Development Council advises Baltimore City on the impact of the video lottery facility on the communities in immediate proximity to the facility, and on the needs and priorities of those communities. The Council also makes recommendations to the City regarding the multi-year plans for expenditure of revenue from the facility.
Appointed by the Mayor in consultation with the City Council, and the senators and delegates who represent communities surrounding the video lottery facility, the Council consists of fifteen members (Code State Government Article, sec. 9-1A-31).
SAFE ART SPACE TASK FORCE
The Environmental Control Board was created in 1998 to identify and control harmful environmental factors in the City.
In Baltimore City, the Board of Ethics was established in 1963 (City Charter, Art. VII, sec. 106).
A local development council is established in each geographic area where a video lottery [slots gambling] facility is located (Chapter 5, Acts of 2007; Chapter 4, Acts of 2007 Special Session; Code State Government Article, sec. 9-1A-31). In Baltimore City, a video lottery facility, called Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, opened on August 26, 2014.
In December 2016, the Mayor formed the Safe Art Space Task Force to consider how to create safe, affordable places for young artists to live and practice.
OFFICE OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALE ENGAGEMENT
The goal of the Office is to support and expand mentoring and other services to help African-American boys and men avoid falling prey to crime and violence.
OFFICE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE
The Office coordinates criminal justice strategies with federal, State and City agencies, community groups, and nonprofit organizations. Managed by the Office, the C-Safe Program and the Operation Crime Watch Program coordinate the work of local neighborhood watch groups and law enforcement.
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES
The Mayor and the Civil Service Commission hear and rule on issues related to human resources, and may amend or overturn current policies and procedures. Implementation of decisions is made by the Department (City Charter, Article VII, secs. 96-98).
OFFICE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Advising the Mayor and the Board of Estimates on technology programs and needs of the City, the Office operates the City’s Enterprise Geographic Information Services (EGIS), and the 311 One Call and Dispatch Center. With one phone call, 311 services allow residents to reach a City agency while EGIS coordinates information sharing among City agencies, making available data more efficient and accurate. These services enable residents to easily notify the City of concerns, and allow for quick resolution of problems.
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
Violations of civil and criminal law, City regulations, or employee standards of conduct by City agencies are investigated by the Office of Inspector General. The Office audits and investigates to detect program weaknesses, contract irregularities, or other institutional problems. Annually, the Office audits procurement by the City, and submits its annual report.
OFFICE OF PROMOTION & THE ARTS
Coordinating dozens of art, cultural and sport events for the City, the Office of Promotion and the Arts manages events, such as Artscape; the Baltimore Book Festival; the Baltimore Grand Prix; the Baltimore Farmers’ Market; the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Parade; the Showcase of Nations Ethnic Festivals; and the annual lighting of the Washington Monument. The Office also arranges the Mayor’s town hall meetings, and supervises the Municipal Music License Administration.
The Board of Directors of the Office is composed of ten members.
OFFICE OF SMALL, MINORITY & WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Working to improve the success rate of Baltimore’s minority and women-owned private businesses, the Office of Small, Minority and Women-Owned Business Development contracts services to companies owned by minorities or women, reducing the City’s procurement needs, and increasing contracts available to qualified contractors. To meet these ends, the Office manages the Minority and Women-Owned Business Development Fund, which, in coordination with City procurement resources, helps the City finance necessary contracts (City Code, Article 5, sec. 28).
The Office oversees the Local Contractor Development Program, the Annual Procurement and Outreach Fair, the Women’s Business Forum, and the Vendor Seminar Series. The Office works in cooperation with government and private agencies and organizations, such as the Small Business Resource Center, the City Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Greater Baltimore Committee.
MAYOR'S OFFICE OF SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
Sustainable Solutions is a data-driven, performance-based management system to improve the performance and effectiveness of City services and offices. Conducting audits of current data and information, the Office reviews agency performance, polices, and procedures. The Office and agency representatives meet with the Mayor bi-monthly to address the Office's questions, concerns, and recommendations.
The Deputy Chief for Government Relations and Labor advises the Mayor on matters of government responsiveness to City residents.
Under the Deputy Secretary are three offices: Civil Rights and Wage Enforcement; Labor Commissioner; and Neighborhoods.
OFFICE OF LABOR COMMISSIONER
The Office oversees City labor organizations and acts as arbitrator in labor disputes within City government. For the City, the Office conducts collective bargaining, and negotiates union employment matters, including benefits, wages, and working conditions. For those not covered by collective bargaining, these matters are managed by the Department of Human Resources.
The Office provides management training for supervisors. In addition, the Office reviews and makes recommendations to the Mayor and City Council on labor policies and procedures (City Code, Article 12, secs. 1-10).
OFFICE OF NEIGHBORHOODS
The Office coordinates and manages interagency and City initiatives related to neighborhood and community planning. To help in these initiatives, the Mayor appoints neighborhood liaisons who communicate with community associations and organizations. These liaisons oversee all Office programs in their assigned areas.
To assist the Board of Estimates in formulating the City’s budget and ordinances, the Department annually prepares a preliminary operating budget, which it submits to the Board. The Department implements and enforces actions of the Board of Estimates, and provides the Board with its reports and recommendations (City Charter, Article VII, secs. 5-19).
The Department is assisted by the Board of Finance.
Five members constitute the Board. Three are appointed to four-year terms by the Mayor with City Council consent. The Mayor and Comptroller serve ex officio. The Mayor serves as president of the Board (City Charter, Article VII, secs. 19-21).
The Office of African-American Male Engagement was established by the Mayor in February 2018.
Responsible for public safety and criminal justice issues, the Office on Criminal Justice creates and administers programs and strategies designed to reduce crime in Baltimore. Programs aim to reduce gang activity and drug trade, and support prisoner re-entry to the community and juvenile justice reform.
Management of City staff is overseen by the Department of Human Resources, which develops and implements policies to hire, train, and supervise City employees. Employee and retirement benefits also are overseen by the Department, which sets employee classification and pay. In cases of collective bargaining, the Office of Labor Commissioner determines wages, benefits and work environment standards.
Digital networking and infrastructure for City government is managed by the Office of Information Technology, which also provides agencies with e-mail service and web access. The Office develops and procures hardware and software for the City, and gives instruction and technical assistance to agencies. For residents, networks managed by the Office allow e-payment of bills to the City by computer or phone.
Formerly under Public Safety, Operations, and Citistat, the Office of Inspector General was transferred to the Chief of Staff in September 2012, and to Administration in 2014.
Established in 1977, the Office of Promotion and the Arts formed as the Baltimore Office of Promotion and Tourism. The Office merged with the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association in 1989, and was renamed the Office of Promotion. The Office assumed its current name in 2002, when it merged with the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Arts and Culture. In 2004, the Office incorporated as a nonprofit corporation.
The Office of Small, Minority and Women-Owned Business Development originated as the Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Development, and adopted its present name in 2017.
The Mayor's Office of Sustainable Solutions was founded by the Mayor in 1999 as the Office of Citistat. Formerly, it came under Public Safety, Operations, and Citistat, but transferred to the Chief of Staff in September 2012. It reformed under its present name in 2017.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Government Relations began as Government and Community Affairs and reformed as Government Relations and Labor in 2014. It was renamed Government Relations in December 2016.
Created by the City Charter of 1968, the Office of Labor Commissioner was under Public Safety, Operations, and Citistat before being restructured under the Chief of Staff in September 2012. In 2014, it was placed under Government Relations and Labor.
In 2001, the Office of Neighborhoods was established by the Mayor upon recommendation of the Neighborhood Planning Program Steering Committee, and the Neighborhood Revitalization Transition Team. In 2012, the Office merged with Correspondence and Constituent Services to form the Office of Neighborhoods and Constituent Services. In 2014, the Office returned to its original name.
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE
The Department of Finance collects required City and State taxes and levies, issues and maintains lien records, conducts property sales, and adopts rules and standards for City purchases. The Department manages deposits and withdrawals of accounts, and submits a monthly summary of City finances to the Board of Estimates and the Board of Finance. The Department also oversees the financial records of City agencies. Annually, the Department makes a full report of all income, expenses, assets, and liabilities to the Board of Estimates.
BOARD OF FINANCE
City debts and collaterals are managed by the Board of Finance. All City loans must be approved by the Board, which issues promissory notes, and selects depositories to be used by the Department of Finance for City payments and funds.
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