City Council Hearing: Committee on Legislative Investigations; October 15, 2026

The Baltimore City Council Committee on Legislative Investigations held a confirmation hearing on October 15, 2026. The committee voted to advance groups of nominees to the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee, Baltimore City Re-entry Action Council, Commission on Aging Resources and Empowerment, and Police Accountability Board, and separately voted to advance Dita Logan’s re-entry council nomination. It also recommended Timothy Keane for Commissioner of Housing and Community Development and Madu Samba for Director of the Department of Consumer Protection and Business Licensing; the nominations were scheduled to proceed to the full Council. The committee discussed DHCD’s work on permitting, housing affordability, demolition and stabilization planning, property acquisition and disposition, and coordination with state partners, but no specific procurement, contract award, bid approval, or spending allocation was identified.

Samba described the new department’s enforcement and licensing operations, including more than 300 inspections and over 110 violations, consolidation of 20-plus application forms into one online application, and reported processing times of under 10 days for 84% of new and 88% of renewal applications. Members questioned the department’s initial focus on towing businesses, consistency across regulated business categories, legal review of enforcement communications, and coordination with 311 and existing late-night business inspections. The committee’s favorable motion for Samba included a request that he provide the committee his one-year plan and standard operating procedures before the full Council vote. No procurement activity was identified.