[Greater-Baltimore] info on Baltimore City bond questions

[Cheryl Fogle-Hatch]

Here is information about local bond issues from a Baltimore City
Newsletter--links may not work correctly because I copied the article
to this message.

City Prepares for Next Six-Year Capital Funding Cycle

In addition to choosing among candidates on November 8, 2016, voters
in Baltimore City will be asked to make decisions on several bond
issue and charter
amendment questions on the ballot.

Questions A through D are bond issue questions, and are directly
related to the capital budget. Every two years, voters are asked to
authorize the City
to issue general obligation (G.O.) bonds, which are debt instruments
secured by the full faith and credit of the City. The questions are
sometimes referred
to as loan authorizations, as voters are authorizing the City to issue
debt that will be paid back over time. Each bond issue question refers
to a “loan”
dedicated to a specific purpose, described further below.

This year, voters are being asked to authorize up to $130 million over
two years to fund the City’s capital program. These long-term
investments in physical
infrastructure will support residents, neighborhoods, and jobs in
Baltimore by helping to build affordable housing, improve schools,
revitalize neighborhoods,
and improve public facilities.

Read below and
visit our website
 to learn more about each loan and see examples of the types of
projects each could fund. Don’t forget to vote “FOR” these questions
on November 8, 2016
to allow the City to continue to invest in its future!

One

The new Affordable Housing Loan would allow the City to spend up to $6
million over two years to be used for an affordable housing program,
including acquisition,
preservation, demolition, rental assistance, and housing counseling
(among other related activities).
Learn more.

Two

The Schools Loan would allow the City to invest up to $34 million over
two years in improving City school facilities. This loan complements
the much larger

21st Century Schools
 initiative by providing funding for large-scale maintenance
improvements along with a few new school construction projects.
Learn more.

CED

The Community and Economic Development Loan would provide the City up
to $45 million over two years to be used for community and economic
development.
Potential uses range from renovation of some of the City’s cultural
institutions to acquisition and demolition of vacant homes, among
other activities.

Learn more.

Four

The Recreation and Parks and Public Facilities Loan would allow the
City to invest up to $45 million over two years to improve public
buildings and land,
including libraries, parks, municipal buildings and other city-owned
properties.
Learn more.

For more information on the capital improvement program or the bond
issue questions that will appear on the ballot, contact Kristen Ahearn
at (410) 396-8357
or
Kristen.ahearn at baltimorecity.gov.