FY23 Budget Approved By Prince George's County Council: Here Are The Highlights

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — The County Council has approved the fiscal year 2023 budget.

“Our FY 2023 budget reflects caution and fiscal discipline as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, while making historic investments that will benefit all Prince Georgians,” County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said. “Although we face several challenges at the moment including rising gas prices and inflation, we are in a time of rising opportunity in Prince George’s County. This budget will help us meet the moment and ensure we unlock opportunities for all our communities, some of which have missed out on opportunities for too long. I want to thank the County Council for all of their work on this budget and their partnership that allowed us to pass a budget that will be beneficial for all Prince Georgians.”

The FY 2023 budget includes $5 billion in operating funds, an increase of $450 million or 9.9 percent from the FY 2022 budget. The general fund totals $4.2 billion, an increase of $405 million or 10.7 percent from the FY 2022 budget. The budget includes $4.2 billion in revenues, the largest portion of which comes from outside aid to support the board of education.

Even though this year’s budget is "cautious and disciplined, it still makes historic and critical investments to support Prince Georgians," Alsobrooks. Highlights of the FY 2023 budget are below.

Education:

• Board of education - $2.63 billion
  • An increase of $286.3 million or 12.2 percent from the FY 2022 budget
  • County contribution is $847 million
  • $15 million in operating funds for the Alternative Construction Finance Program for school construction
• Prince George’s Community College - $126.8 million
• Memorial Library System - $35.5 million

Reducing Violent Crime:

• Supporting police department recruitment:
  • Funding for two new recruit classes for the police department - $5 million
  • New recruitment incentives for police officers - $640,000
  • Develop an efficient and improved recruitment process for public safety - $51,000
• Five new positions (deputy director of forensic sciences, two chemists, two crime scene investigators)
• New equipment investments to support crime-fighting efforts, including license plate readers - $1.5 million
• Two new boards as required by the Maryland Police Accountability Act to improve public trust in law enforcement:
  • Police accountability board – three positions (two existing positions from CCOP and a community developer position)
  • Administrative charging committee – six new positions as well as support for stipends

Beautification:

• Various litter reduction programs - $3.3 million
  • Includes anti-litter public education, surveillance of illegal dumping sites, signage for illegal dumping sites and trash and litter removal from local waterways
• Increased funding ($500,000) for the Clean Lot Program - $2.4 million
  • Helps clean properties that are overgrown or have become dumping sites
• Solid Waste Management Fund - $126.4 million
  • Supports “Clear the Curb” initiative, providing new and improved waste collection services in an environmentally friendly way
    • Includes new curbside bulky trash collection program

Flooding investments:

• Local Watershed Protection and Restoration Fund - $20.6 million
  • Supports water quality and flood mitigation projects around local watersheds
• Increased funding ($4.2 million) for Stormwater Management Fund - $95.9 million
  • Supports water quality programs and helps mitigate flooding
• Stormwater Management Capital Improvement Program - $149.8 million
  • Funds multiple flood protection projects across the county

Economic Development:

• Economic development agencies - $9.5 million
• Funding to Redevelopment Authority to revitalize neighborhoods, particularly within the Beltway, with a focus on transit-oriented, mixed-income and mixed-use development - $21 million
• Support to increase procurement opportunities and technical assistance to small, minority-owned and county-based businesses - $100,000
• Permitting and inspections:
  • Funding for the various IT initiatives including the momentum permitting and licensing system, permit queuing system and Project Dox - $4 million
  • Increased resources for staff augmentation to support engineering consultants and commercial inspections - $850,000

Affordable housing:

• Strengthen the Housing Investment Trust Fund to address housing affordability issues - $10 million
• Funding to preserve naturally occurring affordable housing for current low-income residents - $6 million
• Create a long-term framework for Housing Opportunities for All Workgroup - $205,000

Health and human services:

• Department of family services:
  • Reinforce efforts to provide safe housing for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking - $1.5 million
  • Increased funding for veteran outreach services through the Office of Veterans Affairs - $457,300
• Food distribution coordinator to better coordinate food distribution programs - $100,000
• Expansion of Prince George’s Health Assures Program to cover 50,000 uninsured residents in the county - $13 million (over three years)

Other key investments:

• Department of public works and transportation
  • Funding to further Vision Zero efforts - $63,000
  • Enhance bus services in high-need areas - $750,000
• Re-entry programs to reduce recidivism - $1.5 million