BALTIMORE — Baltimore City officials provided an update on the city's ransomware attack.
City officials say as of Monday, 65 percent of the city employees have the ability to use their computers and send and receive emails. They are expecting to have 95 percent of all their city users re-authenticated by the end of next week.
They are also working to recover data and applications and will bring servers back online gradually.
Officials provided updates on the city's restoration efforts as they work to restore their system:
• Water Bills: Are currently unable to produce and mail water bills. Customers may contact city representatives at 410-396-5398 to find out the amount of their most recent water bill. Customers can then bring payments, along with copies of any bills or statements that display an account number to the Municipal Building at 200 N. Holliday Street. Payments by check or money order may also be sent by mail. Customers should not send cash via mail. The City of Baltimore is continuing to waive any late fees and penalties until the online payment system is operational. Some residents have also reported problems associated with getting new water meters installed. If you have been impacted by this issue, please call 410-396-0170.
• Property taxes: Bills will be mailed on schedule. Banks and mortgage holders will be able to transfer funds to the City to pay the appropriate amount of taxes owed. Tax information, including open balances and the address where the City mails an owner’s bill, is available online by calling 410-396-3987, or by visiting Counter 2 in the Wolman Municipal Building, 200 Holliday St., any weekday between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Parking tickets: The City has resolved the issues related to the payment of parking tickets that pre-date May 4, 2019. They are able to research and verify parking, red light and speed camera tickets that were issued prior to May 4, 2019. Information can also be obtained by visiting the city website and searching data sets related to parking citations.
• Towing: The Department of Transportation (DOT) continues to tow and release vehicles. After the cyber-attack, and out of an abundance of caution, DOT suspended its auction of unclaimed vehicles. Beginning Monday, the city resumed the auctioning of unclaimed towed vehicles. Citizens with additional questions should call 410-396-9958.
• Permits: Active permits will continue to be processed. Anyone with questions about the permitting process is encouraged to contact the Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD) at 443-984-1809 for assistance. The E-permits system is operational, however, they are unable to process payments online. Applicants should continue to apply for permits using E-permits, and use the message board to communicate with staff. Payments will need to be made in person (by check or money order), or mailed to DHCD. Checks must be payable to "Director of Finance" and include the permit number in the memo section on the check. Permits will be issued once a completed application has been approved and your payment has been received.
• Real Property: To facilitate the processing of real property transactions, the City developed and implemented a manual workaround that went into effect on May 20. The backlog of transactions has been cleared. To better understand the process developed by the City and further perfect the workaround process, members of the Maryland Land Title Association (MLTA) met with City representatives on June 5, 2019. MLTA posted an update on this process on their website.
• Emergencies: In the event of an emergency, please call 911. For non-emergency questions, please contact 311 and they will either respond directly or refer you to the appropriate agency.
