Scott pushes IG oversight changes, budget fix and youth programs
Scott’s agenda would hit Baltimore first at City Hall, on Monument Street and at rec centers, reshaping oversight, shop closures and summer programming.
If Brandon Scott’s agenda moves, the first changes Baltimoreans may feel are at City Hall, on Monument Street and in neighborhood rec centers: who can see city records, which smoke shops can be padlocked, and where young people can spend summer nights.
Scott on May 13 unveiled legislation he said would create a clearer process for the Baltimore Inspector General’s access to city records. The proposal would add an audit trail, name a designated legal representative for the inspector general, create conflict-resolution procedures and require quarterly performance reviews by the IG Advisory Board. Scott also said he wants state law changed so the inspector general can access most unredacted records, and he floated a statewide oversight body for inspectors general.
The fight is playing out against a lawsuit filed by Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming over access to records tied to the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and the SideStep youth diversion program. Councilman Mark Conway, who has pushed a competing bill to restore the IG’s records access, has said Scott’s approach is only a cosmetic fix and that the watchdog needs direct access to do the job. For residents, the practical question is whether the city is strengthening oversight or building a slower, more managed version of it.
Money is the other pressure point. City budget planning has centered on a $64 million deficit, even after earlier reporting said the mayor’s 2026 budget plan was built around closing an $85 million gap without raising property or income taxes. Officials said that plan would rely on fee increases, updated regulations, agency savings and other new revenue, while also warning that federal uncertainty and layoffs could hit income-tax collections. That is the kind of shortfall that can quickly spill into service levels, from staffing and maintenance to how much the city can keep investing in youth and neighborhood programs.
Scott’s team is also backing a tougher crackdown on illegal weed sales in smoke shops. A proposed padlock bill would let the city temporarily close nuisance shops after two documented violations, but only after notice and a hearing. City officials said the target is businesses that keep selling illegal cannabis, controlled substances and products to minors despite fines. Council President Zeke Cohen said smoke shops are spreading across the city, and Councilmember Antonio Glover said one stretch of Monument Street has 16 smoke shops in a three-block radius. For licensed retailers, the difference matters: the city is aiming at repeat violators that undercut compliant businesses and draw complaints from nearby blocks.
At the same time, Scott is pitching youth programs as part of public safety. Baltimore’s 2026 “In the Mix in ’26” strategy is the fourth straight year of the effort, pairing teen events with non-traditional curfew engagement meant to reduce unnecessary contact between young people and police. Last summer’s version drew 3,204 campers, nearly 1,800 people to Rock the Block block parties, 1,313 youth to Splash Fest teen pool parties, 8,604 YouthWorks job offers across nearly 700 employers and 977 positive interactions by outreach teams. This year’s schedule includes teen concerts, community block parties, teen pool parties at Druid Hill Park Pool on June 26, July 3, July 24 and August 7, mobile recreation and basketball leagues, plus rec centers open until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays from June 26 through August 16. For families, that means the city’s summer plan is not just about entertainment, but about where youth spend their evenings and how often they run into law enforcement.
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