PHED Committee Budget Worksession on M-NCPPC FY2027 Budgets - May 4, 2026
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Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee Budget Worksession on M-NCPPC FY2027 Budgets - May 4, 2026
The Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee of the Prince George's County Council held a budget worksession on Monday, May 4, 2026, at 10:15 AM (called to order at 10:15 AM) in Committee Room 2027. The meeting focused on the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) FY2027 budgets for the Commissioner's Office, Central Administrative Services (CAS), and the Planning Department. Chair Wala Blegay presided, with Vice Chair Krystal Oriadha, Council Members Thomas Dernoga, Eric Olson, and Shayla Adams-Stafford (arrived at 10:26 AM) present. Staff and commission leadership presented the budget overview, followed by committee questions and discussion. No public testimony was heard. The committee did not vote on the budget; the meeting was adjourned by a unanimous motion.
Discussion Items
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Budget Overview: Committee Director Rana Hightower presented the staff review. Total FY2027 revenue for the Administration Fund is projected at $88.02 million (8% increase, $6.56 million over FY2026). Proposed expenditures are $98.6 million (16% increase, $13.68 million over FY2026), driven by a one-time capital projects fund transfer. The budget uses $10.68 million from fund balance to cover the shortfall. The Commissioner's Office requests $6.3 million (58% increase, $2.33 million) for 9 new positions. CAS requests $28.9 million (1% increase, $15.2 million county share). The Planning Department requests $57.371 million (no net increase from FY2026, but adds 18 positions) and proposes three new divisions (Design, Placemaking, and Policy; Natural and Cultural Resources Planning; Multimodal Transportation and Facilities) while eliminating the countywide planning division. The Planning Department continues to struggle with vacancies (49 vacancies as of June 30, 2025, up from 26 in FY2024) and underspends contractual services by over $2.5 million annually.
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Project Charges and County Executive's Letter: Council Member Olson and Dernoga questioned the proposed reduction of project charges (e.g., zoning enforcement, DPI permits, DPW&T engineering) from FY2026 levels back to FY2025 levels, totaling roughly $7.5 million. The county executive's April 1 letter recommended restoring the $5.5 million decrease. Commission representatives stated the FY2026 increases were seen as one-time adjustments and that they were not comfortable with the new values without further validation. Council Member Dernoga noted that if approved, the county would have to absorb the costs. The committee discussed the lack of prior agreement with the county executive on the reductions.
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Fund Balance and Projections: Council Member Dernoga observed that the commission's conservative budgeting led to a smaller-than-expected fund balance drawdown ($10 million versus $30 million anticipated) and that the trend of adding $5-7 million to fund balance is expected to continue. He suggested that room exists to accommodate some project charges within the current budget.
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Agricultural Programs and Land Access: Council Member Dernoga raised concerns about the commission's agricultural land being underutilized for minority farmers. Acting Planning Director James Hunt described ongoing work with the University of Maryland Extension, Soil Conservation District, and others to develop a food systems planning program that will increase access to land and fresh produce, including potential partnerships with the Department of Parks and Recreation. Chairman Barnes added that the commission is exploring a butcher shop and other initiatives.
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Housing Pipeline and Entitlements: Council Member Dernoga and Chairman Barnes discussed the large gap between approved housing units (395 entitlements since 2023) and actual construction. The planning department is reaching out to developers to identify barriers (funding, tariffs, permitting process). Interns are analyzing the data. The department aims to streamline the development review process, and a white paper with recommendations is expected later in May.
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New Positions and Planning Department Restructuring: Council Member Adams-Stafford asked about skill gaps the new positions would fill. Director Hunt cited needs in human resources, fiscal/procurement, urban design studio (to improve design review), and support for the county executive's permit rapid response team. The department is also assigning planners per district to assist with master plan implementation and cross-agency coordination.
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Recreation Center Funding and Services: Vice Chair Oriadha expressed concern that the budget prioritizes top-level positions and vanity projects (e.g., the $195 million building) over basic services like recreation center hours, free swimming classes, senior field trips, and transportation for after-school programs. She noted that many rec centers lack microphones, have reduced weekend hours, and that her office funds programs that should be covered by the commission. Parks and Recreation Director Darius Stanton responded that a system-wide assessment tool is being developed, and that some programs (e.g., free swim classes, senior programming) do exist but may not be well-advertised. He acknowledged the need for better data to align spending with community needs. Chairman Barnes reiterated that the FY2027 budget is his first and that he is open to negotiations, and that the commission is employing nearly 3,000 summer youth workers.
Key Outcomes
- The committee held a worksession and received extensive testimony from M-NCPPC leadership. No formal vote on the budget was taken.
- A motion to adjourn was made by Chair Blegay, seconded by Vice Chair Oriadha, and carried unanimously (5-0).
- The committee is expected to consider the budget further at the Committee of the Whole meeting, where changes to reflect council priorities (e.g., restoring project charges, increasing recreation center funding) may be proposed.
- Vice Chair Oriadha signaled that the council will make significant changes to the budget to ensure taxpayer dollars directly benefit residents, particularly in underserved communities.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning, everyone. Call in order, Planet Housing, and Economic Development Committee. May 4th, 10 a.m. Can we please call the roll? Chair Bougay. Present. Councilmember Denoga. Councilmember Olson. Here. Vice Chair Oriada. Here. Four members present at roll call. Okay. And today we are having our budget work section for Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Turning it over to staff for Raina High Tower. Yes. Good morning, Chair Blagay and members of the PHED committee. Today we will be conducting a work session on the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Administration Fund budget. The staff budget review memo is located on pages three through 29. The county executive's letter providing comments and recommendations on the park and planning budget can be found on pages 30 through 33. Responses to budget questions asked by staff are on pages 34 through 60. The uh park and planning uh presentation is on pages 61 through 93. I will give a uh overview of their budget. Uh the administration fund is one of the four county tax supported funds authorized under the state of the Maryland land use article to provide resources to the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning. The fund supports three primary components the Prince George's County Planning Board, uh, the Prince George's County Planning Department and Central Services, which includes human resources and management, finance, legal department, inspector general, merit system board, and support services. The total revenue uh for FY 2027 is projected to be $88.02 million, an increase of 8%, which is $6.56 million over the current adopted budget. For FY 2027, the commission proposes no changes to the personal and real property tax rate for this fund. The uh FY 2027 administration budget fund proposes expenditures of $98.6 million, a 16% increase, which is $13.68 million over the current adopted budget. The changes due to a one-time increase in the capital projects fund transfer. The proposed budget uses 10.68 million from the fund balance to cover shortfall between expenditures and expected revenues. The commission's uh commissioner's office proposes a budget of 6.3 million, a 58% increase, which is $2.33 million over the current fiscal year to fund nine additional positions. Central Administrative Services budget is uh projected to be $28.9 million, uh which includes chargebacks and is an increase of 1% over the current adopted budget. The Prince George's County uh portion of the Central Administration's Central Administrative Services budget is $15.18 uh $5 million. That's their proposal. The planning department's uh total FY uh 2027 budget request is $57.371 million in increase, uh no increase, excuse me, from the current adopted budget. The planning department personnel costs uh request is $36.249249 million, an increase of $3 million, which is 9.3% above the current adopted budget. The proposed budget adds 18 new positions. Uh the planning department still continues to struggle to utilize its current funding, 49 positions, including 19 planners as of June 30th, 2025, averaging a 98-day vacancy uh report, which is up from the 26 vacancies, including 18 planners at the end of the FY 2024 budget. Uh unfilled positions have led to underspending on personnel services. The planning department non-personnel budget request is 21.12 million, a reduction of 3 million, which is 13 percent below the current adopted budget. The planning department proposes 2.6 million in administrative project charges, which are paid to the county government, which is a reduction of 7.737 million from the current budget, uh, which eliminates one-time funding and reduces reoccurring project charges. The county executive's budget uh includes $9.8 million in project charge funding. The planning director's office budget reflects uh three million dollar increase over the adopted FY 2026 budget to support consultant services. The intake and regulatory review and development review uh division budgets reflected $250,000 increase over last year's budget, and that's to support customer service and problem solving professional development to enhance ongoing success in each division. The proposed FY 2027 budget proposes the establishment of three new divisions. Uh design, placemaking, and policy, natural and cultural resources planning, and multimodal transportation and facilities. The countywide planning division is proposed to be eliminated. The department continues to face challenges with underspending requested funding for contractual services. It uh consistently underspends by more than 2.5 million. The administration uh non-departmental budget for the commission proposes a 10, as I mentioned before, a 10 million uh dollar transfer from the administration fund to the uh capital projects fund primarily to fund the construction of the Watkins Regional Park Police Substation.
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