City Council issues fiscal policy analysis on Complete Streets legislation

BALTIMORE, MD - The office of Baltimore City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young today released a 57-page comprehensive analysis of City Council Bill 17-0102 Complete Streets.

The report offers a positive recommendation with amendments to the legislation, which was introduced by Councilman Ryan Dorsey (District-3) and co-sponsored by President Young and a majority of the City Council. 

The fiscal analysis of the Complete Streets legislation finds the following:

• The policy topic aligns to city economic, equity, financial and quality of life goals
• Would strengthen previous legislative efforts by adding complete streets stipulations to city code
• Bill calls for funding a Comprehensive Complete Streets Design Guide, which would satisfy demands of many city plans

The report recommends several amendments to the Complete Streets legislation that would clarify the scope of the bill and reduce administrative overhead. 

Council President Young, who supports the Complete Streets legislation and pushed for the Council to have the ability to properly analyze pending legislation, praised the release of the report.

“I am really excited that the Council now has the ability to fully analyze legislation and offer a well-researched take on a bill’s fiscal impact on our city,” Council President Young said. “The report on Complete Streets is comprehensive and thoughtful and provides members of the City Council with the information they’ll need to be able to make an informed decision on behalf of our constituents. As a Council, we might not always like the findings that come from the fiscal legislative analyst, but having access to independent research is a necessity for us to properly conduct our work.”

Councilman Dorsey, who began formally working on Complete Streets legislation shortly after taking office in late 2016, also welcomed the findings in the report.

“I’m happy with the report issued by the new Fiscal Legislative Analyst in Council President Young’s office,” said Councilman Ryan Dorsey. “This report demonstrates that there is an abundance of support for Complete Streets in general. It documents well what the City has already done to elevate this subject, and unfortunately confirms what we’ve seen, that without additional legislation, Complete Streets requirements are not being adhered to.”

"The report from Council President Young's office is exactly the kind of robust analysis any legislation before the council deserves,” said Jed Weeks, policy director at Bikemore. “Their report confirms the need for a complete streets ordinance like the one we're proposing. Where their conclusions differ from ours, it's due to methodology, not lack of analysis. Reporting like this elevates debate and ultimately leads to better legislation."

To read the full report, please click here.

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