Prince George's County GOFP Committee Budget Worksession - April 30, 2026
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Prince George's County Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee Budget Worksession
The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GOFP) Committee met on April 30, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:52 a.m. to review proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budgets for five county agencies: Office of Central Services (OCS), Office of Procurement (OOP), Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM), Office of Management and Budget/Non-Departmental (OMB), and Office of Information Technology (OIT). The meeting was chaired by Edward P. Burroughs III, with council members Timothy J. Adams, Wala Blegay, Jolene Ivey, and Krystal Oriadha present. No votes were taken; the session was informational.
Discussion Items
- Office of Central Services (OCS) – BU 2026-35: Director David Byrd and staff presented. The FY27 proposed budget is $47.3 million, an increase of $904,000 over FY26. Key challenges include high retirement-eligible staff (27 vacancies, 9 funded), and recruitment difficulties for specialized positions (e.g., locksmiths, mechanics). OCS is partnering with automotive technical schools to build a talent pipeline. The Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for FY27–32 totals $1.4 billion across 56 projects, with three new projects. The agency manages 135 county-owned buildings, 4,000+ fleet vehicles, and 4.7 million square feet of property.
- Office of Procurement (OOP) – BU 2026-34: Director Alice Williams and staff presented. The FY27 proposed budget is $7.2 million, a 15.8% increase ($990,000) over FY26, driven by training, contracts, and IT costs. Staffing remains at 39 positions. The office highlighted achievements: centralization of procurement under Executive Order 44-2025, certification of over 1,000 businesses, and creation of a vendor assistance center. The Supplier Diversity program reported 308 county-based and 878 reciprocal certifications. Director Williams noted counseling over 100 vendors personally.
- Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM) – BU 2026-36: Director Stephanie Bridgeforth and staff presented. The FY27 proposed budget is $10.98 million, up 5.6% ($580,300) from FY26, entirely funded by the general fund. Staffing includes 73 full-time positions. The office reported reducing the average time-to-fill from 104 days in 2023 to 42 days as of March 2026, exceeding the county executive's 40-day goal. The Summer Youth Enrichment Program (SYEP) plans to place 2,126 youth in 2026, with $1 million in non-departmental funding. Council members encouraged exploring partnerships with Parks and Recreation to expand youth employment.
- Office of Management and Budget/Non-Departmental (OMB) – BU 2026-37: Director Angela Fair Baker and staff presented. OMB's FY27 proposed budget is $5.2 million, an 11.6% increase ($541,300) over FY26. The office manages the county's financial planning, revenue forecasting, and capital improvement plan. Proposed FY27 general fund revenues are $5 billion, up 3.2%. Key revenue sources: outside aid (40% for Board of Education), property taxes (26%), and income taxes ($950 million). The county's bond rating remains AAA from Fitch and S&P, AA1 from Moody's. Non-departmental budget is $500.6 million, including $42 million for school construction, $46 million for retiree benefits, and $218.3 million for debt service. OMB noted a negative fund balance of $215 million, with $10.4 million allocated to reduce it. Debt service is projected to exceed the 8% policy limit in FY28, but the county plans to manage prudently.
- Office of Information Technology (OIT) – BU 2026-31: Director Vennard Wright and staff presented. The FY27 proposed budget is $69.2 million, a 3.9% increase ($2.5 million) funded by the internal service fund. Staffing includes 75 full-time and 1 part-time positions. OIT outlined five strategic pillars, including strengthening local tech ecosystems, transforming government with AI, and cybersecurity. Key initiatives: SAP HANA migration (by December 2027), ADA compliance for citizen-facing applications (DOJ mandate), and deploying Zscaler for remote access. OIT is partnering with Bowie State University and the Summer Youth Program to host interns, and has hosted hackathons with Microsoft and plans others with AWS and Capital Technology University.
Key Outcomes
- No votes were taken on any of the five budget items; the committee conducted informational worksessions. All budgets will continue through the budget process.
- The committee received agency presentations and asked clarifying questions on vacancies, youth programs, technology initiatives, and fiscal challenges.
- Council members expressed appreciation for OMB's work in addressing the structural deficit and for OCS's pipeline programs for skilled trades.
- The committee plans to remain in communication with agencies throughout the remainder of the budget process.
- The meeting adjourned at 11:52 a.m. following a motion by Council Member Ivey, seconded by Council Member Blegay.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning, everyone. In the interest of time, we'll start off in the informational capacity, and once we reach quorum, I'll start the meeting. Uh we currently do not have quorum of the committee members to convene as a public meeting as a result. We will proceed as an informational gathering as opposed to a meeting. And the public is welcome to observe. How are you, Dr. Sullivan? And uh, once we get quorum, we'll switch back over. All right. I'd like to start with the Office of Central Services. Can you come forward? Uh today the GOFP committee will review the proposed FY27 budgets of the Office of Central Services, Office of Procurement, Office of Human Resource Management, Office of Budget and Nondepartmental, and Office of Information Technology. I'll start by yielding to Ms. Jubanks for an overview of the Office of Central Services and then Miss Sylvia King. Okay, that changed on me. Okay, let's do it. Good morning. Um, I want to start first by indicating that you all have hard copies of everything that's in the virtual binder at your desk. The Office of Central Services is here today for their budget review. And at the table, um, we have the director David Byrd, and he will introduce his staff. And as you indicated uh Sylvia King, senior legislative budget officer will present the report, and the agency as well also has a presentation, which is in your bond on page 63. Thank you. Uh thank you. I'll now turn to our our great director, Mr. David Byrd. Actually, you have a okay. All right, and get started. Good morning, Mr. Chair and Councilmember Ivy. This is a presentation of the Office of Central Services Fiscal Year 2027 budget overview. And yeah, it's not working. Okay. Slides two and three provide a brief overview of the agency structure, mission core services and fiscal year 2027 strategic focus. The strategic focus for the agency includes executing capital renewal and modernization across portfolio of county government buildings, fleet management, and processing incoming mail. In fiscal year 2026, the property management fund will transfer back to OCS from RDA. Legislation is being prepared in fiscal year 26 to officially solidify the transfer of the funds management back to OCS. If you recall, last year it was transferred to RDA and now they're transferring it back. Last year, the federal government issued the executive order unleashing American Energy, which could result in a reduction or termination of the funding sources that will limit the availability of grant funding that could support electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging stations, and sustainability initiatives associated with the county's sustainability efforts. In addition, the EPA regulations will also affect HVAC equipment, refrigerants, and lower carbon emissions that may impose higher costs for mechanical equipment, HVAC, refrigerators, etc. for the county. These requirements cannot be quantified due to the large number and scope of the variables. The fiscal year 2027 proposed budget for OCS is approximately 47.3 million dollars and represents an increase of 904,000 above the 26 approved budget. OCS requested and received 1.5 million dollars in supplemental budget due to the high volume of snow events, severe icing conditions, and extended cleanup efforts over the approved FY26 budget. Approximately 1.8 million dollars has been encumbered to date for snow and ice activities, and based on current forecasts and ongoing impacts from recent storms, additional supplemental funding may be required as costs continue to be realized. This is primarily due to increases in compensation due to mandated salary requirements and staffing increases, operational increases for building repair, maintenance, gas, and oil expenditures. Revenues for the fleet increased by 448,000 to 17.9 million dollars that is charged to agencies on a cost basis. Ending fund balance is projected at 392,000 dollars in 2027, which is the first time in a few years that it has come out of the red. The fiscal year 27 proposed expenditure budget for fleet management is 17.9 million. The increase in funding is primarily due to increases in operating costs for vehicle maintenance and repair expenditures, OIT charges, and increases in mandated salary requirements. The proposed budget for the property management special revenue fund is 269,000.
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