Baltimore City Council Demands Accountability for Youth Fund Oversight

The Baltimore City Council is poised to intensify its scrutiny of the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund (BCYF) as public hearings begin on a bill aimed at enhancing oversight of taxpayer dollars allocated to youth programs. The first hearing is scheduled for December 18, 2023, and represents a significant step toward enforcing greater transparency and accountability from an organization that has received millions in city funding without submitting required financial audits for three consecutive years.

At the heart of the debate is the management of over $16 million in annual taxpayer funds earmarked for youth initiatives. The proposed bill seeks to clarify who holds the authority to control, monitor, and audit these funds, prompting discussions on whether the city should establish independent oversight or continue to permit BCYF—a largely self-regulated nonprofit—to operate with minimal scrutiny.

The legislation, which has garnered support from seven council members, proposes several key changes to BCYF’s operational framework. Most notably, it would mandate a performance audit by the Baltimore City Comptroller every three years starting in 2025. Additionally, the bill aims to prevent BCYF from allocating city funds to organizations related to its board members, staff, or their family members.

Councilman Zack Blanchard, one of the bill’s cosponsors, emphasized the importance of community input in shaping the proposal. “I suspect that we’re going to have some amendments to the bill,” he stated in an interview with Spotlight on Maryland. “There’s going to be all sorts of unintended consequences. And that’s why we’re trying to do our best to think through them by getting input from nonprofits, from the administration, from everybody.”

Concerns regarding BCYF’s financial management have persisted for years. While Baltimore’s budget allocated more than $16 million to BCYF for the current year, approximately $7 million of that funding was redirected to the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development for programs like YouthWorks, which offers summer jobs to local youth. Concurrently, BCYF’s budget for grants to local organizations was cut by around $6 million.

Mayor Brandon Scott has voiced opposition to the proposed legislation, arguing that it undermines his office’s ability to allocate BCYF funds to vital programs such as YouthWorks. “The bill as it stands right now has issues for me,” Scott told WYPR radio in October. “For example, as proposed, the bill will prevent programs like YouthWorks, which BCYF supported 2,000 YouthWorks jobs this summer, from receiving funding.”

Blanchard countered the mayor’s assertions, clarifying that the legislation does not restrict city agencies from accessing funding but rather requires them to follow a formal application process. Councilman Mark Conway, another supporter of the bill, reiterated that the intent is to ensure fairness in the funding process, stating, “The bill simply says that there has to be a process and everyone must go through that process.”

The proposed bill is sponsored by Councilmembers Mark Parker (District 1) and John Bullock (District 9), with additional support from Council President Zeke Cohen, Ryan Dorsey (District 3), Conway (District 4), and Blanchard (District 11). Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer (District 5) also expressed support, bringing the total number of supporters to seven. A total of ten votes would be required to override a potential veto from the mayor.

Other council members have not publicly disclosed their positions on the proposed legislation, including Danielle McCray (District 2), Sharon Green Middleton (District 6), James Torrence (District 7), Paris Gray (District 8), Phylicia Porter (District 10), Jermaine Jones (District 12), Antonio Glover (District 13), and Odette Ramos (District 14).

Conway previously opposed the Baltimore City budget, citing concerns about the management of BCYF funds. He remarked, “Our young people across the city need these resources. They need these programs, and we want them to have the highest quality programs. But if there’s no accountability and no transparency on how the money is spent and the outcomes that it has, it’s really hard for us to ensure that we have that going forward.”

Previous investigations by Spotlight on Maryland have revealed troubling financial practices within BCYF, including the expenditure of approximately $300,000 in taxpayer dollars on trips for staff and grantees to locations such as Texas, Missouri, Louisiana, and Alabama. Conway expressed particular concern about these travel expenses, stating, “It’s one of the most egregious things that I saw. We certainly would never want to justify expensive dinners and travel if it’s not benefiting our young people.”

BCYF has claimed that the proposed bill jeopardizes its operations, though the organization has not specified which aspects it opposes. In a recent article for the Baltimore Beat, BCYF board chair Larry Simmons Jr. criticized the bill for being largely a reaction to media scrutiny rather than stemming from collaborative discussions.

A recent report from Baltimore City Inspector General Isabel Cumming underscored ongoing issues with BCYF’s oversight, revealing that the Baltimore City Department of Audits has not received a financial audit from BCYF for the fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024. Additionally, the report indicated that there was no signed agreement between the Baltimore City Department of Finance and BCYF regarding rules and regulations established in 2020.

As the city prepares for the upcoming hearings, the focus will be on determining the future of BCYF and ensuring that taxpayer funds are managed with the accountability and transparency that Baltimore’s youth programs deserve.