The City Council signaled last night its intention to pass a $2.1 billion spending plan that funds a once-threatened child care program and gives police a 9 percent pay raise.
The budget for fiscal 2003 is expected to win final passage by the council next week.
The proposed budget, which covers the fiscal year that begins July 1, passed the council in a 14-4 vote, with members Kenneth N. Harris Sr., Helen L. Holton, Lisa J. Stancil and Bernard "Jack" Young opposed. One member of the 19-seat council, Agnes Welch, was absent.
The property tax rate remains $2.328 per $100 of assessed value, a figure that has been adjusted from $5.82 under a state law that changed how property taxes are calculated.
"I think any time that taxes are not increased or other fees are not increased, it turns out to be a good budget," said Councilman Nicholas C. D'Adamo Jr., the Southeast Baltimore Democrat who heads the Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Young said he opposed the budget plan because it devotes far more to police than to programs for children.
"We need to really focus on prevention," he said.
The budget plan includes $243 million for police, an increase of $14.7 million that will help cover the cost of raises the city agreed to as part of a three-year contract with officers.
The plan originally called for the elimination of a child care program that serves 115 children and costs the city about $200,000 a year. The O'Malley administration agreed to restore funding after council members objected.
In other action last night, another plan for reducing the size of the council came before the panel. Councilwoman Catherine E. Pugh submitted a bill that calls for creating six two-member districts and three at-large seats. Under that plan, the top vote-getter among the three at-large council members would serve as council president.
Currently, the council has six three-member districts and a president, the only member who runs at large.
Last week, Councilwoman Rochelle "Rikki" Spector submitted a bill that would create six two-member districts, two at-large seats and a president, who would run specifically for that office.
Other council members have filed two other plans for shrinking the council, one by four members, the other by two.
All the plans have been referred to the council's Judiciary and Legislative Investigations Committee. Councilman Robert W. Curran, chairman of the committee, said he does not want more than one plan to come out of committee, since voters would be confused if more than one appears on the November ballot.
A coalition of unions and community organizations is collecting signatures in an effort to get its own council-trimming plan on the ballot.