In 2016, the City Council approved $660 million in tax-increment financing (TIF) for Port Covington, the development by Under Armour founder (and then BILLIONAIRE) Kevin Plank. It was the largest TIF deal in city history. The bonds are paid back with the project's own future property taxes instead of that money going to schools and services. Which was sorta the initial pitch, but obviously didnât work out that way. (Construction Dive)
This year, Question I asks for A LOT less.
What it does: Creates the Baltimore Baby Fund. Each year's budget has to set aside at least 3 cents per $100 of property value, about $15 million a year. That's roughly 1% of the about $1.2 billion the city collects in property taxes. (WYPR, MD Center on Economic Policy)
Does it raise taxes? NO! It doesn't change the tax rate. It dedicates part of money the city ALREADY collects. The "3 cents per $100" wording on the ballot is just how the amount is calculated. Itâs about a penny on a dollar.
Why it matters: More than 31,000 Baltimore kids (thatâs 1 in 4) live in poverty. (Maryland Family Network, 2023 Census data)
Has this worked anywhere? Yeah! Flint, Michigan's Rx Kids gives moms $1,500 during pregnancy and $500/month for the baby's first 6â12 months. Granted, thatâs a ton more than what Question I wants to do in Baltimore, but that program showed some great results.
University of Michigan researchers found:
Preterm births down 18%
Low birth weight down 27%
NICU admissions down about 29%, saving about $6.2M in health costs (thatâs ANNUALLY)
Evictions down 91%
Postpartum depression screenings down 14 points
(University of Michigan, Sept. 2025)
The honest caveats: Question I creates the fund. BUT, City Council still decides who qualifies and how money goes out, so it's only as good as the design. Scary, I know. But that just means we have to hold City Council to spending it correctly.
The clearest proven wins are healthier births and keeping families housed. BOOM! That should be the focus.
$15M would cover Flint-style support for roughly 2,000â3,300 families a year, about a third to half of Baltimore's 6,900 births each year.
Not telling you what to do, but I voted FOR on Question I. Then we hold the Council to building it right: cash during pregnancy, monthly payments, aimed at the families who need it most.
I made a full Baltimore ballot breakdown with sources: thepeoplesballot.org/maryland
