The process has been put in place to reauthorize the CVCBD; a process which means after waiting for 9 weeks for the leaves to be picked up in front on my house that it was finally accomplished on March 12, 2014, so the tales that you have read and heard for the last 20 years about the cleaning that the CVCBD does accomplish is fiction. They simply do not sweep the sidewalks and gutters on each block twice a week. They do not clean up alleys in the community twice a month. My statement regarding my block proves that point and yet my neighbors on the north side of the unit block of east 27th street were not cleaned up as well, but some of the sanitation employees were dispatched to the gutter in front of my house and cleaned it up the first time in 9 weeks. I mentioned this fact that they had not cleaned up the gutter in the front of my house the previous evening at the Budget Hearing. Go to the 2600 block of North Calvert Street and walk along that street and you will that the sidewalks and gutters haven't been cleaned for a considerable period of time. Go to the Harwood
and walk through the area and you will note that many of the streets haven't been cleaned up in a considerable period of time. As you travel through the community you will note that the 2500 block of Maryland Avenue hasn't been cleaned up, nor has the 2600 block of Maryland Avenue. Don't take my word for it, take a walk so far it is a balmy day and check it out.
The recommended FY2015 Budget also shows that they intend on cutting the services of the Off-duty police by 50%, but say that if they can get some grants they may be able to increase the surveillance provided by these officers. However, their lack luster success and promises in the past now has the City telling them to not report these potential grants in their proposed budgets. We have heard these stories for years and have noted that they haven't met their expectations. Just think of it, within the last 20 years we, as residents have spent $15,000,000.+ on the Benefits District without any real success noted in the community. We have the same amount of crime and our streets are as dirty as previously prior to their legislation. With the exception of spending $15,000,000.+ nothing has changed. The Benefits District was going to encourage people to move into the community, but look around and you will see many "For Sale" signs for businesses and homes which are not moving off the market. On my tiny block two houses that we up for sale have been taken off the market and both are being rented out, because the Real Estate brokers could not secure interest after potential buyers walked around the community. Filthy does not create tools in which to sell properties.
At the public hearing on the budget, 8 residents attended this important hearing; not counting those associated with the Benefits District or employees of the Benefits District and other agencies such as Central Baltimore which also attended. The figure is so low in proportion to the residential base of the community that it is laughable. At that time we listened to a budget created out of the air which does not represent actual expenditures, but a fiction of costs to the point that in the slide presentation they stated they had 16 employees and then the recommended budget included only 15 employees.
On the Board of the Benefits District sits a person who owes the city $4,136.00 in taxes and this individual sits with the authority to recommend a surtax increase. The Benefits District employed the services of a disbarred attorney. Why was it necessary to hire this individual and obtain the other for the Board? Within the community's population of 14,000 weren't there other competent people available to replace these two people?
Most people don't even know what the CVCBD is, and/or what they do. After 20 years and $15,000,000.+ of our money being spent on this failed program, most people don't even know what they are and what they do. It is sad that such a failed entity will more than likely continue to exist.
Wouldn't you like to receive $15,000,000.+ over 20 years and not be accountable for performance?
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