When contractors finish a job, they expect to get paid. But vendor payment is a perennial issue for Baltimore City, where the most recent finance department audit found 5,253 outstanding invoices — nearly a third of which were overdue by more than a month.
This November, Baltimore voters will weigh in on a ballot measure that the mayor and comptroller say will stabilize the vendor payment process. A “yes” vote on Question J would move the oversight of about 10,400 vendor invoices each month out of the finance department and to the Office of the Comptroller.
If passed, the measure would create a department of accounts payable under the comptroller. The finance department currently operates the Bureau of Accounting & Payroll Services, which oversees vendor payments, supports agencies with payment matters, and processes employee paychecks and expenses. Employees in the bureau’s accounts payable division would shift to the new office, while payroll responsibilities would remain within the mayor’s office.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Emily Sullivan over at The Baltimore Banner
