After a tumultuous 2025 in which the continued existence of the quasi-public Midtown Community Benefits District and Management Authority was in doubt, Midtown begins this new year with a new board and interim director and with plans to audit and beef up needed services to residents of Bolton Hill, Charles North, Madison Park and the Mt. Vernon-Belvedere neighborhoods.
That follows the “Yes” vote last spring by property owners in those neighborhoods in a March referendum to re-establish the special tax district after the city council failed to reauthorize the district. In April Eric Souza, the president of Midtown since 2022, announced his resignation, and vice-president Zac Blanchard left to run for the city council. In July a new board was sworn in and assumed responsibility for the surtax paid by property owners in the district.
The interim executive dDirector is Colleen Stanley and Rayco Turner is community coordinator. Mary Ann Henderson is chair of the board of directors. Bolton Hill is represented on the board by Lee Tawney, BHCA’s president, and neighborhood residents Oge Okoli and James Prost. Each of the other neighborhoods in the district have similar representation.
The Midtown Community Benefits District provides cleaning and greening services to more than 4,000 properties across the 144 blocks of Bolton Hill, Charles North, Madison Park, and Mount Vernon.
Clean
- Removes litter from streets, sidewalks, gutter lines, tree pits, bus stops, storm drains and parks using mechanized equipment and brooms and dustpans for detailed work
- Empties 173 trash cans, 7 days per week
- Provides bulk trash removal on request of residents
- Removes graffiti and stickers on light poles, trash cans and bus stops
- Inspects and cleans alleyways on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
- Hand wipes vertical surfaces, i.e., trash receptacles, benches, lamp posts and dog stations
Green
- Helps maintain 20+ acres of public green spaces
- Provides tree and tree-pit stewardship, including mulching, pruning and watering
- Assists community associations (and/or groups) with tree plantings and pruning events
- Promotes tree and park stewardship by sharing best practices with a goal towards increasing community involvement
- Provides seasonal leaf management service
- Offers sustainable green waste removal collection
- Provides weeding along gutter lines and curbs (Owners are responsible for sidewalks and tree wells per city code.)
To request services for general cleaning, bulk trash, or tree/weeds/green waste make a service request on the Midtown website: https://www.midtownbaltimore.org/
–Lee Tawney
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