Members of the City’s Public Safety and Government Operations Committee held an informational hearing on the Baltimore Water Governance Task Force Wednesday. One of the ideas being floated is changing the governance structure to a Regional Water Authority, similar to what Maryland’s DC suburbs have.
Supporters say a Regional Water Authority would improve communication and coordination between the city and county who share a water and sewer system that serves about two million people.
Democratic Councilman Kristerfer Burnett (District 08) said working together more is needed, especially in addressing stormwater runoffs. “Residents ask, how are you working with the county? Agency reps sort of look at each other like, ‘I don't want to respond because it's clear that there is no communication,” said Burnett.
The task force is examining challenges to the system which include aging infrastructure, a large backlog of work orders and understaffing.
The City Union of Baltimore (CUB) represents more than 400 employees of the city's water and wastewater utility system. Also known as Local 800, the union is concerned about the establishment of a Regional Water Authority. Antoinette Ryan-Johnson, president of the union, urged committee members to watch over the task force on behalf of city workers.
“If a new regional utility is created, what happens to the hundreds, perhaps thousands of employees working in the system now?” asked Ryan-Johnson. “Will they have to reapply for their jobs? Will they be covered by their unions contract with the city? What happens to the pensions and retirement plans for the employees who have been paying into these systems for years, even decades?“
Besides staffing issues, opponents also worry about equity. Currently, city residents pay more than their counterparts, as Baltimore County subsidizes the costs. Jamar Lloyd is with Food and Water Watch, a non-governmental organization with 10,000 members.
“How can we make a recommendation without conducting proper racial and equity assessments or without legal analysis?” asked Lloyd. “This is a rushed timeline for such a major decision. We all know that our water and wastewater system is the city's biggest asset.”
Recommendations for Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olzewski and Governor Wes Moore are due in January. Bill Henry, task force chair and city comptroller, said doing something is better than leaving things as-is.
“The other thing that is not on the table is doing nothing,” said Henry. “That the status quo is not something that we are looking forward to recommending that we continue. We could recommend that the Regional Water Authority continue any existing equity based programs that the city is already providing into a region wide scope, and that would be a way to deal with some of the issues around equity.”
“It's one of the reasons why the status quo is not necessarily something we would not want,” he continued. “ Under the status quo, you would need each locality to come up with their own Water4All program in order to accomplish that same goal.”
The Baltimore Regional Water Governance Task Force meets for a second time Wednesday, October 4th. All meetings will be livestreamed on the Baltimore County Government’s YouTube page.
