A digest of Baltimore news from local sources.
From the Baltimore Sun: Bill to spur Port Covington project advance to City Council
"The Rawlings-Blake administration on Monday introduced a series of bills before the Baltimore City Council to authorize a special tax district and float $660 million in bonds for Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank's massive Port Covington development in South Baltimore.
"City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young said he was bullish about the project, but wants to see Plank make certain deals with nearby communities before approving the subsidies. Young called plans for the project "wonderful" and said he believed it could transform Baltimore into a Los Angeles of the East Coast.
"'We want to see inclusionary housing, affordable housing in there,' Young said. 'We want to see certified apprenticeship programs. We want to make sure minorities have a stake in Port Covington. I think this is going to be a catalyst to put the city on the level of, I'll say, L.A. It'll be a destination. This is going to spur growth of the city.'
"The deal would be the largest tax-increment-financing project in Baltimore's history.
"About $535 million of the $660 million would go to infrastructure with the rest going to fees and related costs. The bonds, which would be paid off with future property taxes from the project, are projected to accrue about $1.4 billion in interest for a total cost of more than $2.1 billion. Plank's development firm says it plans to attract more than $5 billion in private investment for the project.
"Under tax increment financing deals, the city issues bonds to give the developer money to pay for infrastructure improvements and other project costs. The city then uses the increased tax revenue generated by the development to pay off the bonds and their interest. Critics contend such deals divert money for decades from the city's general fund, where tax revenue could pay for services, such as firefighters and schools.
"The community group Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development on Monday called on the council to 'not fast track' any vote on Port Covington until 'specific deals are negotiated to benefit neighborhoods citywide.'"
From the Baltimore Sun: Maryland fines Baltimore $40,000 for discharging grease, pollutants from wastewater treatment plants
"Maryland environmental regulators have fined Baltimore City $40,000 for discharging chunks of grease from the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant and other permit violations.
"The state is also faulting the city because the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant discharged too much phosphorus, a key Chesapeake Bay pollutant, on at least a dozen occasions between 2010 and 2013. That plant is operating close to the capacity it was designed for, and yet officials have not created a plan required to address it, regulators added.
"The city Board of Estimates is scheduled to vote Wednesday on whether to authorize a consent agreement settling the violations. Under the agreement, the city could face hundreds or thousands of dollars in additional fines for failing to fix problems.
"The enforcement comes as the state works to meet standards in a so-called 'pollution diet' the Environmental Protection Agency established in 2010. The plan seeks to clean up the bay by 2025, and to get 60 percent of the way to that goal by 2017.
"Sewage leaks and discharges from wastewater treatment plants across the state are a significant source of pollutants harming the bay. Nitrogen and phosphorus contained in human and animal waste fertilize algae blooms that can lead to large fish kills.
From the Baltimore Sun: Mental health screenings for Baltimore police officers were far shorter than required, inspector general finds
"Mental health screenings for many prospective Baltimore police officers were far shorter than required by a city contract with the psychology firm hired to conduct the exams, an investigation by the city's inspector general has found.
"Nearly three-quarters of officers and trainees interviewed by the Office of Inspector General said their pre-employment screenings with Psychology Consultants Associated lasted 30 minutes or less, according to a newly issued report by the office. The contract required at least an hourlong interview for each job candidate.
"The inspector general is now recommending that the city's law department consider taking civil action against the firm, alleging breach of contract.
"'As a result of not complying with contractual requirements, PCA has caused the City an estimated loss of approximately $29,630,' Inspector General Robert H. Pearre Jr. wrote in a memo Monday to the City Council.
"An attorney for the Lutherville-based firm and its president, Kenneth Sachs, could not be reached for comment Monday.
"The firm conducted about 560 of those examinations between April 2013, when the contract began, and August 2015, according to the inspector general's report.
"The inspector general's office interviewed 92 officers and trainees. Of those, 32 said their pre-employment psychological interviews with PCA lasted 15 minutes or less, and 36 said they lasted between 16 and 30 minutes."