Prince George’s County eliminated a $170 million structural budget deficit in eight months by renegotiating contracts and cutting vacant positions, County Executive Aisha Braveboy announced at a town hall meeting in Beltsville on April 9.
Braveboy told the audience of approximately 120 at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir that her newly proposed $5 billion general fund budget requires no tax increases for residents.
“I’m going to be focused on getting our fiscal house in order,” Braveboy said at the 1.5-hour meeting, which was organized by Prince George’s County Councilmember Tom Dernoga (District 1). “Because in order to do anything, you have to have a strong fiscal management system, and you have to have your resources going in the right directions.”
The majority of county funds are earmarked for schools and policing. Braveboy’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget allocates three-fifths of the county’s general fund to education and one-fifth to public safety, according to Andrew Pierce, the deputy director for the county Office of Management and Budget, who spoke at the town hall.
The remaining one-fifth represents “everything else, which includes all other county agencies and non-departmental costs,” Pierce said.
While the state mandated that the county devote $968 million to school funding for fiscal year 2027, Braveboy’s budget proposal added $20 million on top of the mandate to address special education, reading and math—$30 million less than the county Board of Education requested.
The state will contribute $1.97 billion to the general fund, most of it for education, according to Pierce.
However, officials noted they lack line-item control over how the school board ultimately spends its $2.97 billion budget.
Braveboy noted that public safety remains a primary focus, saying the county is fully staffed with 911 call takers and is training the largest police recruit class in more than a decade.
“Homicide last year, 40% less than we had in decades. … We are still down 21% [in homicides] compared to last year. … Overall the crime numbers down 18% [and there are] 62% reductions from a historic level last year in carjackings,” Melvin Powell, deputy chief administrative officer for public safety and homeland security, told the audience.
Beyond safety and schools, the administration is tackling community maintenance through its 311 Strike Force, Braveboy said.
This initiative was designed to clear a massive backlog of 28,000 unresolved resident complaints—some more than three years old—that Braveboy said she inherited when she took over as county executive in June.
Officials reported that the backlog of service requests has been brought down to 30 recent reports of problems like litter, illegal dumping and potholes.
“Somebody on somebody’s street [is] going to throw some trash outside,” Devan Martin, deputy chief of staff of governmental affairs, said. “If you see them, if you grab a picture of them … send it to us in 311, and we will work our law enforcement partners to hold those individuals accountable.”
The Department of Public Works and Transportation launched a street sweeping program the week of April 13 that will cover 1,600 miles of residential roads and is repairing approximately 1,000 potholes a week, Braveboy said.
To stretch infrastructure dollars, the county is piloting a “thin lift” paving technique for low-traffic residential streets and cul-de-sacs.
“What we do … is that we apply a thinner course, structural course, and that preserves the road for decades, and it also gives it a very cool finish,” Director of Public Works and Transportation Michael Johnson said.
Braveboy shifted the conversation from maintenance and what she called “beautification” to highlight two major commercial projects aimed at growing the county’s tax base.
The county won a bid for Sphere, an immersive tech-driven entertainment facility to be built near National Harbor. Plus, an investment group including NBA star Kevin Durant has purchased the 515-acre Bowie property where Six Flags operated until November.
“The only way it’s really going to work is that the residents have a say in the process,” Braveboy said. “Let the residents have their say first.”
Finally, Braveboy reaffirmed the county’s stance on resident safety regardless of immigration status.
She emphasized that all county government buildings are free from federal immigration intervention.
“Prince George’s County is a safe place. … All county buildings are safe places, free from ICE intervention,” Braveboy said.