The Baltimore City Council unanimously approved a bill Monday night that would hike the property tax rate on vacant homes.
The bill would triple the property tax rate on vacant homes on July 1, 2026. A year later, on July 1, 2027, the tax rate on the vacant homes would increase from three to four times the normal rate.
“This puts Baltimore in a different perspective of dealing with the vacancy that we’ve seen throughout East and West Baltimore for decades upon decades upon decades,” City Council President Nick Mosby said after the vote.
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The rate would expire in 2029, and the bill which was sponsored by Mosby and all 14 council members, is awaiting Mayor Brandon Scott’s signature.
In a West Baltimore church last month, state housing Secretary Jacob Day pledged $1 billion over the next 15 years to the effort to acquire vacant homes. Mayor Brandon Scott has said the 15-year effort will take $3 billion.
The city has around 13,000 vacant homes, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore set a goal last month of transitioning at least 5,000 vacant properties into homeownership or other positive outcomes during the next five years.
Contact Dillon Mullan at dmullan@baltsun.com, 302-842-3818 or @DillonMullan on X.
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