Baltimore Mayor Scott highlights crime, road repairs, cost of living in State of the City address

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott focused on crime improvement, road repairs and investing in the youth during his sixth State of the City address on Tuesday evening. 

The mayor also addressed new protections for homeowners and providing relief for residents dealing with high utility costs. 

The address came as the city continues to see progress in reducing violent crime, takes steps to protect residents amid a federal immigration crackdown and faces a call for greater oversight from the local inspector general. 

City leaders are preparing to consider the 2027 budget proposal, which will be presented to the Board of Estimates on April 22.

Gov. Moore touts partnership

Maryland governors don't normally attend the Baltimore's State of the City address, but Tuesday night, Gov. Wes Moore was an opening act for Mayor Brandon Scott. 

The governor emphasized the city and state's partnership.

"Without that partnership that we have now between the city and the state, we would not be seeing this momentum," Gov. Moore said.

Moore said that his team has gone back decades and a governor has never been invited to the speech.

Crime in Baltimore 

Baltimore has experienced a dramatic downturn in violent crime over the past five years, including major declines in homicides and non-fatal shootings, data from the mayor's office shows. 

In 2025, the homicide rate reached a 50-year low in the city, declining by 30% compared to 2024. Non-fatal shootings declined by nearly 20%, data shows. 

The mayor has credited some of the city's success in crime reduction to the Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS), a partnership between the police department, mayor's office, state's attorney and attorney general that focuses on violent crime networks. 

In 2025, GVRS was connected to 600 arrests, the mayor's office said. 

The city has also taken proactive steps to address gun violence. Last year, the city sued gun manufacturer Glock, claiming that the company contributed to the gun violence crisis. 

Repairing Baltimore roads

Potholes are a concern for Baltimore residents, especially after a bitterly cold and snowy winter.

Mayor Scott introduced a program called, "Repave Baltimore," which will reimagine how the city resurfaces roads.

"I know this is a point of frustration for everybody in Baltimore, and I do mean everybody," Scott said. Yes, during the Great Recession, the State cut our funding to the tune of $900 million and never put it back. I don't control the State budget, but while we continue to work with our State partners to maintain the funding we have, there are steps we can and will take to improve our resurfacing program. Repave will be a complete reimagining of our resurfacing program, from top to bottom." 

Scott said the new plan uses analysis of all city roads so workers have up-to-date information and a public website to track progress. You can check out the progress here.

In the weeks following January's harsh winter storm, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation said more than 1,000 potholes were reported across the city.

In what the city called a "pothole blitz," crews filled more than 1,400 potholes.

Baltimore residents told WJZ in February that avoiding potholes in Baltimore is like playing a video game.

"I am the king of Mario Kart. It does, but luckily, I'm great at it," Baltimore resident Aaron Guillen said.

The mayor also challenged city agencies to a 90-day sprint starting in mid-April. The Department of Transportation will pave 25 lane miles of road and fill 25,000 potholes. 

Baltimore City Recreation and Parks will clean, weed, and mulch 500 tree pits, and the Department of Public Works (DPW) will sweep 25,000 miles of road, complete 6,000 graffiti removals and 12,000 bulk waste pickups. 

Utility bill assistance

Scott announced a pair of programs giving residents who are struggling with utility bills some help, including the Energy Stability Fund (ESF) that will provide up to $1,500 in assistance to residents. For more information, visit this website.

The city will also award small- and medium-sized businesses up to $25,000 in grant funding to help with their utility bills. Businesses can apply here.

Investment in Baltimore's youth

Scott addressed a plan to invest in Baltimore's youth. 

By the end of the mayor's term, the City is expected till break ground on a state-of-the-art sports facility, featuring a competition-level indoor track as well as basketball and volleyball courts.

The mayor said the city is creating a joint apprenticeship program, that will connect City agencies, contractors, and unions for apprenticeship and training opportunities.

Also, more than 6,500 YouthWorks positions will be included in the city's FY2027 budget. 

YouthWorks gives young people aged 14 to 21 paid work opportunities across the city, allowing them to earn money while gaining workforce skills and experience. The budget will also include funding for a coordinated workforce pipeline that leverages existing city, state, and education systems to recruit, train, and place individuals into child care roles.

Tax debt relief for legacy homeowners

Mayor Scott announced a program that will help Baltimore homeowners who are older than 65 years old, have owned a home for more than 10 years and make less than $73,000 per year.

Legacy homeowners can sign up by April 15 for a chance to wipe out property tax debt. For more information, visit this link.

Currently, Baltimore residents have the option to defer their tax payment each year, which eventually leads to large bills.

"We want folks here who will help us grow our city and build on our momentum," Scott said. "But we also want to make sure we're protecting the legacy residents who have put blood, sweat, and tears into their communities for decades. We know that many of these legacy residents face significant property tax bills that threaten to push them out of their homes."

Tracking progress

The city also launched a new map of key investments and projects since Dec. 8, 2020, which was the date of Scott's first inauguration. 

Scott said his focus is uplifting communities block by block this year through community investments and he says the city is working on ways to track that progress. 

To track projects on your corner, click here. 

Federal immigration impacts 

In the past year, amid a federal crackdown on illegal immigration, Baltimore has taken several steps to protect the rights and safety of migrants and all residents. 

In early March, the mayor signed an executive order amid concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations across the state and a potential new detention center in Washington County. 

"The recent deployment of federal enforcement agents to cities across the United States — which has led to violent and deadly confrontations between civilians and law enforcement — has created chaos and fear within communities, while raising serious concerns regarding civil rights violations," the mayor said in a statement. 

The Protecting the Rights and Well-Being of Baltimore City Residents order clarifies existing city policies related to immigration and outlines other steps being taken to protect residents. 

Also in March, the city council unanimously passed a bill that prevents police from working with ICE and prevents ICE from conducting operations in city buildings. 

The legislation was similar to measures that were passed in surrounding counties.

Inspector General oversight 

The mayor's address on Tuesday also comes as Baltimore's inspector general continues to call for oversight after a disagreement over access to essential documents and sensitive data. 

In a report filed in mid-March, the inspector general's office detailed thousands of dollars in overbilling and the improper release of confidential juvenile records. The report claimed that several contractors created fake invoices and fraudulently billed the city while working with a now-closed youth program. 

The program, SideStep, operated under the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE). 

The mayor previously defended the program and pushed back against the allegation that his office was not providing access to documents. 

"In this case, MONSE and the city would be the victims here. This is not about wrongdoing from them," the mayor said. 

The report also claimed that a city employee improperly sent confidential information to a relative of about 700 juveniles in violation of state law. 

The mayor said the employee no longer works for the city. 

The inspector general has referred her findings to law enforcement, and the mayor said an audit of the SideStep program is underway. 

"If this is true, then we will hold these people accountable to the highest extent of the law," Mayor Scott said.