The Baltimore Sun says the following are some of the Mayor’s revenue generation ideas:
| Fee | Cost | Projected revenue |
| Hospital and university bed tax | $350 per bed per year | $4.12 million |
| Parking fines | $4-$60 increases | $1.68 million |
| Beverage container tax | 4 cents | $10.75 million |
| Property tax early pay discount | Decrease from 1% discount to .5% for paying in July, Eliminate .5% discount for paying in August | $2.5 million |
| Hotel tax | Increase from 7.5% to 10% | $3.9 million |
| Income tax | Increase from 3.05% to 3.20% | $5.9 million |
| Telecommunication tax | Increase from $3.50 to $4.00 per month for most types of phone lines | $3.75 million |
| Parking tax | Increase from 16% to 20% | $5.8 million |
| Energy tax | Increase 15% | $8.16 million |
Revenue generation is just one way of closing the $121 million budget gap. It appears that our leaders want to generate some of their revenue from people who live outside of the city (parking tax, hotel tax, and bed tax). They are on the right track. There is no way that property owning city residents should be squeezed anymore though. An increase in the income tax is just another way to get money out of homeowners without raising property taxes. The energy tax and the telecommunications tax will also hurt the already overburdened city home owner occupant. Home owner occupants are what Baltimore can least afford to lose.
Our leaders can not fear mass bureaucratic firings and pay cuts. Many of the people who work for the city do not live in the city so firing some of them would fit with the theme of having those who do not live in the city share the burden.
Even though I usually pay my property taxes early I can accept the elimination of this discount. I doubt that many people pay their property taxes early anyway. I think the bottle tax will hurt local businesses and thus it should not even be considered.
If parking meters function correctly and parking enforcement is fair and just, then I can deal with increased parking fines. Read the street signs and you should be fine. This is another fee that should hurt outsiders more than residents.
Every elected official should take a 20% pay cut. I noticed the Mayor did not make that suggestion.
Fire some useless bureaucrats before you make me pay a penny more to fund the ridiculous salaries and benefits of other useless bureaucrats.
Adam is the most recognizable face of the recent resurgence in Reservoir Hill. He has appeared on many national and local radio shows, in several news publications, and at numerous events discussing his innovative urban redevelopment ideas and his unique lifestyle. Adam is a successful entrepreneur, community activist, and a local political guru who ran for city council in 2007. He is the founder and director of the TechBalt.com Buy a Block Project and BaltimoreHourly.com. His fearless local political commentary has rocked the local blog scene for most of this decade and he plans to take it to the next level in the next decade here on Charm City Current.