Baltimore Votes to Become First Large U.S. City to Ban Water Privatization
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Government
The city of Baltimore voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to ban the privatization of its water and sewerage systems, in what supporters say is the first large U.S. jurisdiction to take such a step.
By Carey L. Biron
Baltimore Skyline from the dock in Maryland, Source: GoodFreePhotos, Labeled for Reuse
Around 77 percent of more than 148,000 voters backed a proposal to alter the city’s charter to declare the “inalienability” of its sewerage and water-supply systems, with most votes counted Wednesday morning.
A Baltimore official said multiple cities have expressed interest in similar provisions.
Baltimore has one of the oldest water systems in the country, and decades of deferred maintenance have resulted in a quadrupling of water rates since 2000, Eckel said.
It has also prompted worries that privatization would cause further spikes, and that the city would have no control over who these most affected.
Read full article: Reuters
Media
Taxonomy
- Public Private Partnerships in Water
- Governance
- Public - Private Partnerships
- Governance & Policy
- Water Utility
- Infrastructure
- Integrated Infrastructure
- Urban Water Infrastructure
- Utility Management
- Infrastructure Management
- Privatization
- Public Private Partnership
- Governance & Planning
- Water Governance
- Privatization
- Public-Private Ownership
- green infrastructure