Baltimore City Council

Solid waste laborers in the Baltimore City Department of Public Works get 15 cents an hour for hazard pay.

Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen joins Midday for our monthly update. Today he discusses the latest Inspector General report on the Department of Public Works and the city's spending on overtime.

The bill proposal was done in collaboration with advocacy coalition With Us For Us.

A new bill would require school district leaders to report on barriers to attendance and brainstorm solutions with local agencies.

The initial funds will go to setting up a governance structure for the money.

Nearly half of that, about $33 million, went to the Baltimore City Fire Department to cover overtime for sworn positions and unexpected contracting costs for fire and EMS services.

Cohen formerly represented Baltimore City's District 1 on the City Council. Now, he holds the top spot.

During the hours-long meeting, council members grilled representatives not just about the hikes, but also winter shut-offs, power restoration following storm outages, and poor completion of road work.

The first hearings since litigation with companies will start after a judge awards abatement funds to the city.

At a news conference Monday, City Council President Zeke Cohen announced that Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleiffer, who chairs the Legislative Investigations Committee, will lead a series of investigations into the sole utility’s rate increases.