BALTIMORE, MD.  — Today, Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young ordered an audit of the city’s water billing system. The audit will be performed by a multi-disciplinary team led by Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Sheryl Goldstein. The audit will compare account records to real property records, compare development permits to water billing accounts, search for other billing irregularities and recommend improvements that will increase accuracy of the city’s water billing system.

In mid-October, Mayor Young was informed of a potential discrepancy with the water bills to the Ritz Carlton complex. The Mayor immediately tasked his team with investigating the matter. The investigation yielded that the complex had not received a water consumption bill since a water meter was installed in 2007.

“I was outraged to learn of this major oversight in water billing as it relates to the Ritz Carlton,” said Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young. “To think that previous administrations allowed residents’ properties to be sent to tax sale while not even billing the city’s wealthiest is absolutely shameful. Essential to good government is thoroughness in both audits and oversight and that clearly was not the case here.”

Mayor Young is committed to transparency and the results of the audit will be made public.