Taxpayers, councilman slam Mayor Scott’s staffing plan as City Hall defends it

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Taxpayers are questioning the mayor’s preliminary budget, which calls for an additional 16 new staffers at the Baltimore city mayor’s office.

“I don’t really get it. We got a bunch of abandoned buildings. We’ve got homeless people. Why aren’t we pouring into that?” Ebony Diggs, a commuter, asked.

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City staffing figures show the mayor’s office has expanded significantly over the past decade, even as the city’s population has shrunk. Ten years ago, the mayor’s office employed 39 people. By 2025, it had grown to 105 employees. This year, the office expanded to 118 staffers. In the city’s preliminary budget, the mayor is proposing to add 16 staff members, bringing the total to 134 — a level described as far larger than even the governor’s office.

City Councilman Yitzy Schleifer criticized the proposed expansion, arguing the money should go to other city agencies and to taxpayers.

“We have so many agencies strapped that need extra help, need new equipment and instead that money is going toward their administration for record level staffing. I’m not sure how they can fit 134 people in those offices,” Schleifer said.

He added, “It just shows priorities are in the wrong places.”

“There is enough money right now to lower the property taxes below 2% for the first time in my lifetime and that’s what needs to happen,” Schleifer insisted.

The mayor’s office defended the proposed expansion, saying half of the 16 new positions would be funded by private contributions rather than tax dollars.

In a statement, a spokesperson wrote: “Each of these positions play a significant role in Mayor Scott’s work to improve the quality of life for Baltimore residents. The Mayor’s Office is leveraging these roles to improve services, respond to complex challenges like addiction, vacant housing, police recruitment and retention, and deliver real results for residents.”

“But they’re closing schools and taking away programs for the children,” Baltimore native Ebony Diggs said. “What is the staff gonna do for that?”

“If you have this plan to hire people then you should already have a plan and a timeline to see change. It shouldn’t be ‘let’s put them in and then figure it out’…no,” Diggs said.