Non-native Baltimore residents are sometimes subjected to a peculiar line of questioning. With a tone of unabashed befuddlement, our friends, family and even strangers who live elsewhere openly question the decision to make a home inside city lines. Even after providing the naysayers with ardent explanations of life choices, city transplants are consistently met with assurances that we can (and will) eventually move to the greener pastures of “the county.”

My husband and I recently made the leap from being renters to Baltimore City homeowners. This new reality is accompanied by property taxes and mixed emotions. On one hand, I'm excited and optimistic about the future of the city and my future in it. On the other, an anxiety over the long-term investment quietly, but persistently, lingers. Perhaps the line of questioning mentioned above is not so strange after all?

In fact, census migration patterns show that middle- and high-income earners and those between the ages of 25 to 44 are moving out of the city at a faster pace than they are moving in, which doesn't bode well for the city's long-term health. City officials and residents are certainly cognizant of the causes of this relocation deficit. The property tax in Baltimore City is the highest in the state, and more than twice the rate in our neighboring counties. Additionally, local income taxes are set at the maximum level allowed by state law. These tax burdens, compounded with the problems plaguing city public schools, daily stressors (scarce parking, abundant litter, etc.) and crime result in a Charm City exit strategy that often kicks in when a family's firstborn reaches school age or renters want to become homeowners.

This migration pattern contributes to Baltimore City simultaneously having a weekly average wage that is higher than the statewide average and the third-lowest median statewide household income; many of those who work here live and pay their taxes elsewhere. In neighboring Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties, where a significant number of former city residents choose to relocate, the net taxable incomes are $21.4 billion and $15.7 billion respectively, according to 2013 figures. In comparison, the city's net taxable income is just $8.4 billion. While statewide population trends suggest that a massive city exodus has tempered, the reality remains that a significant amount of tax dollars still commutes out of the city at the end of every work day.

It's not all bad news on the transplant migration front, however. In recent years, Baltimore has gained a reputation as affordable and “cool,” resulting in an influx of the college-educated millennials — a key demographic for the lasting growth of any mid-size city. In fact, those born between 1982 and 2002 represent the largest components of the migration flow to Baltimore. Further, this is the demographic that many other mid-size cities are actively trying to court. Parts of Baltimore have the attraction part of the migration puzzle down, but many of these new residents will look outside the city when they are ready to plant roots if there are no changes to the city's drawbacks.

Like other counties in Maryland, primary revenue sources in Baltimore City are composed of state aid, property and income taxes. Thus far, the large slate of mayoral candidates have offered a variety of policy proposals to address the city's problems, including after-school programs, community centers, public health initiatives, police training, better public safety and emergency services, parks, increased public transportation, lowered property taxes, etc. And while the details may differ, all of the proposals are reliant on a revenue stream.

Accordingly, mayoral candidates should be pressed to present new strategies for growing and maintaining the number of new households alongside their plans for improving the overall economic situation of the city. Growing the city by 10,000 families should not be a forgotten aspiration after the current administration departs. We should elect a mayor who can build confidence in the economic viability and livability of the city. A case needs to be made to new residents and commuters that Baltimore City is a great place to live — and the long-term play.

Mileah Kromer is the director of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center at Goucher College, which conducts the Goucher Poll. She is also an assistant professor of political science. Her email is mileah.kromer@goucher.edu; Twitter: @goucherpoll.