Maryland is currently experiencing a $3 billion budget shortfall, and filling the gap has been a top priority of Democratic Gov. Wes Moore.
As part of his campaign, Moore tasked state agencies, such as the Department of General Services (DGS), with identifying opportunities to "eliminate inefficiencies" by reviewing their portfolios of state-owned facilities. In June, DGS chose to relocate several state agencies to commercially leased spaces in Baltimore in a bid to save the state "$326 million in real estate savings over the next 20-25 years." Moore touted that this initiative, along with other cost-cutting measures, would reduce spending by nearly $400 million over the coming years, according to Maryland Matters.
However, a recently released audit from the Maryland State Legislature raises questions about Moore's cost-saving measures.
