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BALTIMORE, MD (June 7, 2021) — The Maryland Public Policy Institute today urged the City of Baltimore to establish an independent auditing board to review and disclose how $640 million in federal stimulus funds are spent by city agencies and community organizations that receive funding. The Institute also urged Baltimore to prohibit members of its Office of Recovery Programs, which is responsible for allocating stimulus funds, from having any affiliation with organizations that receive funding.

“Baltimore city is spending $10 million just to review applications for stimulus funds but taking no apparent steps to audit how stimulus funds are actually spent,” said Christopher B. Summers, President and CEO of the Institute. “Taxpayers deserve full accountability and transparency from their city leaders and funding recipients to determine which expenditures went to genuine COVID-19 relief and which did not.”  

The City of Baltimore announced last week it would receive $640 million from the federal American Rescue plan enacted in March. The City has established the 10-member Office of Recovery Programs to review stimulus funding applications and to allocate funds.   
 

About the Maryland Public Policy Institute: Founded in 2001, the Maryland Public Policy Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research and education organization that focuses on state policy issues. The Institute’s mission is to formulate and promote public policies at all levels of government based on principles of free enterprise, limited government, and civil society. Learn more at mdpolicy.org.