BALTIMORE – The Baltimore City Board of Estimates met on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, and voted only on routine agenda items. It deferred several larger matters, including an $11 million class-action settlement and a $14.15 million water infrastructure contract, to its next meeting on Nov. 18. The board also moved a group of Health Department emergency procurements to Dec. 2.
The board’s agenda notice from the Comptroller’s office said items on the non-routine agenda would move to the Nov. 18 meeting. The meeting came a day after Baltimore voters approved Question E, which removes the charter requirement that city contracts go to the lowest bidder. Unofficial results showed it passing 63.7 percent to 36.3 percent. The recording did not specify why the items were deferred. Council President Zeke Cohen chairs the board as its president, and the Board of Estimates approves most city contracts and settlements.
What Was Delayed
The board deferred a $14.15 million award to Monumental Paving & Excavating for urgent-need water infrastructure work, listed as Water Contract 1454, to the Nov. 18 meeting. Also moved to Nov. 18 were two follow-up performance audits, one of the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development and one of Baltimore City Recreation and Parks.
The Law Department had four settlement agreements deferred: $325,000, $30,000, $35,000 and the $11 million class-action settlement. Department of Transportation emergency procurements for lead paint cleanup on three bridges, including items of $765,134.20 and $5 million, were also deferred to Nov. 18.
What Was Deferred Until Dec. 2
A series of Health Department emergency procurements were deferred to the Dec. 2 meeting. Individual amounts range from about $73,000 to $300,000.
What’s Next
The next regular meeting of the Board of Estimates is Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, at noon. No vote has been reported on the deferred items. A deferral does not signal approval or rejection.
