A Budget for a Time of Rising Opportunity
Dear Prince Georgians,
Today, I presented my proposed fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget, which focuses on key investments to support residents and communities in Prince George’s County. Our FY 2023 proposed budget reflects caution and fiscal discipline as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, while making historic investments that will benefit all Prince Georgians.
In this budget, we are walking the path we laid out for Prince George’s County at the beginning of this administration. As the economy continues to rebound, wages continue to rise, and demand for housing in Prince George’s County continues to grow, this administration will deliver on the promises we made. Our Proud Priorities have served as a map for this County, first through a time of hardship, and now into a time of rising opportunity.
Even amid rising opportunity, we know our residents still face hardship. We are all concerned by the war in Ukraine, rising gas prices, and rising inflation. While things are volatile now, everything we’ve seen in government points to a broad and rapid economic recovery for our County and for our region. In the present, we understand that families are affected by rising food costs and rising fuel costs, and that the pandemic hit our County harder than any other jurisdiction in our region.
In the past, an event like this would have set our County back decades, but Prince George’s County is incredibly resilient. The economic outlook for our County is bright, new companies and jobs will continue to come here, and wages will continue to rise. Through our FY 2023 budget, we have chosen to meet this moment with discipline and caution to capture this time of rising opportunity for Prince Georgians.
Thanks to better-than-expected outcomes locally, state and federal assistance, and our own disciplined, cautious approach to budgeting during this volatile time, our budget outlook has improved greatly. Now, looking to our $5 billion FY 2023 budget, we are confident that our County can continue to responsibly make progress to benefit our residents. We are taking steps forward on our Proud Priorities while using the budget to address new issues that were magnified by the pandemic.
We understand that taxpayers are trusting us to use these dollars responsibly. That’s why we’ve maintained budget discipline. In this way, we can continue to make progress while remaining in line with our fiscal policies. Our FY 2023 budget continues the sound fiscal policies that have earned our County a Triple-A bond rating, even during a global pandemic.
In this budget, our goal is to unlock opportunities for all our communities, some that have missed out on opportunity for too long. However, we are making these historic investments with discipline. We will meet the needs of residents today and over the long term with a plan for the future, no matter the challenges we may face.
Some of the major highlights of our FY 2023 proposed budget include:
Education
- Board of Education - $2.63 billion
- An increase of $286.3 million or 12.2% over 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 - $34.8 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 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 & 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 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 Notable Investments
- Department of Public Works & 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
FY 2023-2028 Capital Improvement Program
- Board of Education - $1.2 billion
- School construction and other improvements for staff and students
- Public Works & Transportation - $591.3 million
- Bridge replacements, pedestrian safety and road improvements
- Stormwater Management - $503 million
- Flood protection and drainage improvements, stream restorations and restoration of impervious areas
- Prince George’s Community College - $267 million
- Building renovations, including renovating the student center
I want to thank everyone involved in the budget process for their hard work, and I want to thank our County employees who will make sure these are not just numbers in a budget, but will become the services that our residents want and deserve. I also want to thank Prince Georgians for your continued engagement, ensuring we use your tax dollars in a disciplined way that benefits our communities.
For residents that wish to read more about the budget, the FY 2023 Proposed Budget in Brief is available online here. With this budget, I am truly excited about the future of Prince George’s County. Together, we can continue working to achieve an even brighter future and ensure this time of rising opportunity lifts up all of Prince George’s County for generations to come.
Yours in service,
Angela Alsobrooks
Prince George’s County Executive
 
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