Prince George's County Council FY 2027 Budget Public Hearing – April 28, 2026

On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, the Prince George's County Council reconvened at 6:18 p.m. for a public hearing on the county's proposed FY 2027 operating budget, six-year capital program (including the Capital Improvement Budget), the Prince George's County Board of Education portion of the FY 2027 operating budget, the proposed budgets of the Redevelopment Authority and Revenue Authority of Prince George's County, and the constant yield tax rate. Chair Krystal Oriadha presided with 9 members present; Council Members Wala Blegay and Wanika Fisher were absent. The hearing convened at 6:19 p.m., concluded at 7:04 p.m., and featured a two-minute per speaker limit.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Direct Support Professionals (DSP): Multiple speakers asked the Council to increase the direct support professional supplemental grant from $4.6 million to $6.9 million, citing the county's 2% minimum wage increase. April Gower-Getz (executive director, Prince George's Provider Council) reported vacancy rates had fallen from 18% to 14% but were rising again. Irene Hluchyj and Nicholas Hluchyj, parents of a profoundly autistic son in an Arc group home, and Fatimah Mudashiu, a direct support professional, urged the increase. Sara Finlayson, mother of a son in a group home, asked for the 2% DSP raise aligned with the minimum wage and noted reduced DDA funding. Chair Oriadha responded that this budget line item has been a priority for every council and remains a priority this year.
• Animal Shelter & Pet Overpopulation: Melissa Schweisguth, a shelter volunteer and foster, thanked the Council for the shelter budget increase of about $844,000 over last year but cautioned it mostly restores the FY25 budget; she urged prioritizing spay/neuter, trap-neuter-return, veterinary care, and higher pay for animal care attendants. Amy Pergosky, a 20-year volunteer, criticized shelter management for failing to enforce the mandatory spay/neuter law; she cited a FOIA request showing 381 dogs left unaltered over 3.5 years and shelter dog numbers rising from 116 in 2022 to 181 in 2025, with 223 dogs on the shelter website the day before.
• PGCPS Operating and Capital Funding: Alexandra Tyukavina asked the Council to fully fund PGCPS's annual budget request and capital projects, referencing an electrical fire at Cesar Chavez Elementary and noting the county executive committed $20 million toward the $50 million additional request; she urged protecting language immersion, IB, and EVIT programs. Catherine Nwosu, a PGCPS educator and parent, asked the Council to honor the PGCPS request and increase capital improvement funding, describing a 1950-built school and a recent HVAC-related fire. Amy Olivo, Artworks Now executive director and District 4 Board of Education member, requested $25,000 in non-departmental grant funding and $40,000 in MNC/PBC project charge funds for Artworks Now; she also asked the Council to add the remaining $30 million for special education, noting the board had already cut $150 million. Daniel Jones, a community member, supported closing the $30 million gap for special education and investing in safe school facilities after the April 19 fire. Rachel Mulford, a Cesar Chavez parent, urged funding PGCPS at $50 million above maintenance of effort and questioned where telecommunications tax funds are going. Tyra Janet Bennett, an advocate and Board of Education candidate, asked for a sustainable long-term strategy to replace lost federal funding and for accountability measures to track impacts on student outcomes. Caleb Hii, a parent of five, urged prioritizing language immersion programs. Michele Clarke, a special educator at Kenmore Early Childhood Center speaking as an individual, begged the Council to provide the requested school funding, recounting a student who could not access the elementary autism program due to limited spaces and a test requiring verbal responses.
• Youth and Community Organizations: Adriana Costilla and Christopher Gonzalez, participants in the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) Next Generation Scholars Program, shared personal stories of academic recovery and support and thanked the Council for funding LAYC. Sabrena Ball and Dina Smith, representing the Distinguished Pearls Foundation (Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.), noted they submitted a letter of intent for a non-departmental grant and highlighted their youth development, health, wellness, and family support programming.

Key Outcomes

• The public hearing was held and the record was left open for written comments via the Council's eComment portal, email, or fax.
• Chair Oriadha stated that the DSP supplement increase remains a council priority.
• No substantive votes were taken during the hearing. At 7:04 p.m., a motion to adjourn by Council Member Harrison, seconded by Vice Chair Olson, carried unanimously.