OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Prince George's County Council Meeting - July 7, 2026

County Council & Boards — Tuesday, July 7, 2026
BodyPrince Georges County, Maryland
SessionCounty Council & Boards
DateTuesday, July 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 53:49

Transcript — Verbatim
0:09

Good morning.

0:11

We are now sitting as the county council.

0:13

Today is Tuesday, July 7th.

0:16

Madam Clerk, can you please have a roll call?

0:19

Good morning, Chair Orieta.

0:20

Here.

0:21

Mr.

0:21

Adams.

0:24

Present.

0:25

Mr.

0:26

Denoga.

0:27

Present.

0:27

Miss Blagay.

0:28

Present.

0:30

Mr.

0:30

Harrison.

0:31

Morning, President.

0:32

Miss Hunter.

0:33

Present.

0:33

Ms.

0:34

Ivy.

0:34

Here, Vice Chair Olsen.

0:36

Here.

0:38

Motion.

0:38

Eight members present at roll call.

0:41

Thank you.

0:43

Now we'll have the invocation.

0:46

Welcome our pastor to the front and ask if there are any special intentions for my colleagues.

0:53

Seeing no special intentions, the floor is yours.

1:08

There's a button.

1:09

Can you help them, Shelly?

1:11

Thank you.

1:16

Good morning, and let us pray.

1:23

Almighty God, creator of all people and giver of every good and perfect gift.

1:32

We come before you with grateful hearts for the privilege of living and serving in this county.

1:40

As the county council today begins its work, we pray that you would grant each member wisdom, discernment, and courage to make decisions that serve the common good, not any personal interest.

2:00

May every discussion be marked with civility, mutual respect, and integrity.

2:10

We pray for the families of Prince George's County, for our children and our seniors, for our educators and our public safety professionals, for our local businesses, and for all who labor every day to make this county a place where every person has the opportunity to thrive.

2:31

God, we pray that you would bless the work of this council as it seeks to provide safe neighborhoods and excellent schools, affordable housing, and economic opportunity, responsible stewardship of the public's resources.

2:49

Give them the wisdom to balance today's needs with tomorrow's responsibilities.

2:58

Always remembering that behind every budget, every policy and every decision, the lives of the people they have been elected to represent.

3:24

Our young people searching for hope and direction and our neighbors who feel unseen or unheard.

3:31

We pray that you would help this council, this governing body to be an instrument of justice, compassion, and opportunity.

3:42

May your peace and your presence rest upon this chamber.

3:50

Amen.

3:53

Amen.

3:54

Thank you.

3:54

Now we'll have the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilmember Adams.

4:22

Thank you.

4:22

Now we'll have requests from the general public to speak.

4:35

Tanya Stevens.

4:41

Tanya Stevens.

4:45

Okay.

4:46

Next we have.

4:48

Oh, it's both.

4:51

Both names are the same.

4:54

Okay.

4:55

No Stevens.

4:56

Okay.

5:00

Today is legislative day number 24.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████61%
Personnel Matters█████████12%
Affordable Housing████████11%
Historic Preservation████6%
Public Engagement████6%
Public Safety█2%
Technology and Innovation█2%
Summary of Proceedings

Prince George's County Council Meeting - July 7, 2026

The Prince George's County Council convened on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 at 10:43 a.m. (Legislative Day No. 24) under the leadership of Chair Krystal Oriadha. The meeting covered a broad range of legislation including emergency weather operations, accessory dwelling units, election day leave, human trafficking awareness, affordable housing financing, a planning board appointment, and a two-year moratorium on hyperscale data centers. The session recessed at 11:32 a.m. for a Committee of the Whole meeting and reconvened at 1:52 p.m. to adopt the data center moratorium, adjourning at 1:55 p.m.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes approved: June 29, 2026 morning and evening sessions (MIN 06292026a and MIN 06292026b).
  • CB-072-2026 (Emergency Weather Operations Fund) – Presented by the Chair on behalf of the County Executive, establishing a fund for pre-event staging, active response, and post-event recovery. Referred to the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GOFP) Committee.
  • CB-073-2026 (Standards for Specific Sign Types) – Sponsored by Council Member Dernoga, amending sign height limits in Industrial, Employment, and IE-PD zones. Referred to the Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee.
  • CB-074-2026 (Accessory Dwelling Units) – Sponsored by Council Member Adams-Stafford (agenda) but presented and sponsored by Chair Oriadha in Adams-Stafford’s absence; adds definitions and regulations for accessory dwelling units consistent with state law. Referred to PHED Committee.
  • CR-067-2026 (Stop Sign Monitoring Systems – Town of Riverdale Park) – Introduced by Council Members Olson and Dernoga, requiring County Council approval of monitoring system locations. Referred to Committee of the Whole (COW).
  • CR-068-2026 (School Facilities Surcharge FY2027) – Introduced by the Chair, adjusting the surcharge by 3.8% per CPI-U to $12,680 (inside I-495/transit areas) and $21,769 (other areas). Referred to COW.
  • CR-069-2026 (Public Safety and Behavioral Health Surcharge FY2027) – Introduced by the Chair, adjusting the surcharge to $3,429 (Developed Tier/transit areas) and $10,279 (other areas). Referred to COW.
  • CR-070-2026 (Supplementary Appropriation of Federal, State, and Other Funds) – Introduced by the Chair, appropriating $15,381,210 in grant funds to 11 county agencies. Referred to COW.
  • The consent agenda was adopted by a vote of 7–0 (Absent: Adams-Stafford, Burroughs, Fisher, Harrison).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Tonya Stephens signed up to address the Council but did not speak.
  • APPT-15-26 (Planning Board Appointment): Greg Smith expressed concerns about the lack of public notice and transparency regarding planning board appointments, citing the county code requirement to make appointment information public. He did not state support or opposition to the nominee. Oretha Bridgwaters-Simms spoke in support of Ms. Lawlah, highlighting her decades of public service and love for the county.
  • No public testimony was offered on CB-039-2026 (Election Day Leave) or CB-040-2026 (Human Trafficking Awareness Notice).

Appointment & Confirmation

  • APPT-15-26 – Gloria Gary Lawlah to the Prince George’s County Planning Board (M-NCPPC) – A public hearing was held. County Executive Aisha Braveboy introduced the nominee, citing her 50+ years of leadership as a State Senator, Secretary of Aging, and educator. The nominee pledged to work closely with the Council and support seniors. After comments from Council members praising her legacy, the Council voted 11–0 to confirm the appointment for a term expiring June 15, 2027.

Discussion Items

  • CB-039-2026 (Election Day Administrative Leave) – Sponsor: Blegay, Burroughs, Oriadha. Public hearing held; no testimony. Enacted by a vote of 10–0 (Absent: Burroughs).
  • CB-040-2026 (Human Trafficking Awareness Notice) – Sponsor: Olson, Burroughs, Oriadha, Ivey, Harrison, Dernoga, Adams-Stafford. Requires hotels to post human trafficking awareness notices. Public hearing held; no testimony. Enacted by a vote of 9–0 (Absent: Burroughs, Fisher).
  • CR-042-2026 (PILOT Agreement – Herman Apartments) – Sponsor: Harrison. Approves a PILOT agreement between the County and Community Housing Initiative, Inc. for a 145-unit affordable rental community with a total development cost of $51,863,611. Committee of the Whole recommended favorably (6-0). Adopted 9–0.
  • CR-043-2026 (HITF Allocation – Holly Place) – Sponsor: Harrison, Fisher, Oriadha, Adams. Allocates $2,500,000 in Housing Investment Trust Fund (HITF) funds to the Holly Place project, a 72-unit affordable rental community for seniors aged 62+ at 4500 St. Barnabas Rd., Temple Hills. COW recommended favorably (6-0). Adopted 9–0.
  • CR-044-2026 (PILOT Agreement – Holly Place) – Sponsor: Harrison, Hunter, Adams, Fisher, Oriadha. Approves PILOT for Holly Place Limited Partnership, a 72-unit affordable rental community for seniors earning ≤60% AMI. COW recommended favorably (6-0). Adopted 9–0.
  • CR-045-2026 (HITF Allocation – Herman Apartments) – Sponsor: Harrison, Hunter, Adams, Fisher, Dernoga. Allocates $2,500,000 in HITF funds to the Herman Apartments project for gap financing. COW recommended favorably (6-0). Adopted 9–0.
  • CR-071-2026 (M-NCPPC Appointment and Geographic Balance) – Sponsor: Blegay, Ivey, Adams, Hunter. Confirms Gloria Gary Lawlah’s appointment and addresses geographic balance requirements under state law. The Council suspended the rules (9–0) and adopted the resolution (9–0).
  • CR-066-2026 (Temporary Moratorium on Hyperscale Data Centers) – Sponsor: Oriadha, Dernoga. Establishes a two-year moratorium on the operation of hyperscale qualified data centers. After a robust Committee of the Whole discussion with public testimony both for and against, the COW recommended the resolution with amendments (7-1-3). The Council substituted Draft 2 for Draft 1 (7–0) and then adopted the resolution (7–0–1, with Council Member Hunter abstaining and Council Members Burroughs, Fisher, and Ivey absent).

Key Outcomes

  • Confirmed Gloria Gary Lawlah to the Prince George’s County Planning Board (11–0).
  • Enacted CB-039-2026 (Election Day Administrative Leave) and CB-040-2026 (Human Trafficking Awareness Notice).
  • Adopted four resolutions authorizing PILOT agreements and HITF allocations for affordable housing: CR-042, CR-043, CR-044, CR-045 (all 9–0).
  • Adopted CR-071-2026 confirming the planning board appointment and geographic balance (9–0).
  • Adopted CR-066-2026 establishing a two-year moratorium on hyperscale data centers (7–0–1).
  • Note on CB-074-2026 sponsorship: The agenda listed Council Member Adams-Stafford as sponsor, but due to her absence, Chair Oriadha presented the bill and was recorded as sponsor in the minutes. All votes had the necessary quorum.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. We are now sitting as the county council. Today is Tuesday, July 7th. Madam Clerk, can you please have a roll call? Good morning, Chair Orieta. Here. Mr. Adams. Present. Mr. Denoga. Present. Miss Blagay. Present. Mr. Harrison. Morning, President. Miss Hunter. Present. Ms. Ivy. Here, Vice Chair Olsen. Here. Motion. Eight members present at roll call. Thank you. Now we'll have the invocation. Welcome our pastor to the front and ask if there are any special intentions for my colleagues. Seeing no special intentions, the floor is yours. There's a button. Can you help them, Shelly? Thank you. Good morning, and let us pray. Almighty God, creator of all people and giver of every good and perfect gift. We come before you with grateful hearts for the privilege of living and serving in this county. As the county council today begins its work, we pray that you would grant each member wisdom, discernment, and courage to make decisions that serve the common good, not any personal interest. May every discussion be marked with civility, mutual respect, and integrity. We pray for the families of Prince George's County, for our children and our seniors, for our educators and our public safety professionals, for our local businesses, and for all who labor every day to make this county a place where every person has the opportunity to thrive. God, we pray that you would bless the work of this council as it seeks to provide safe neighborhoods and excellent schools, affordable housing, and economic opportunity, responsible stewardship of the public's resources. Give them the wisdom to balance today's needs with tomorrow's responsibilities. Always remembering that behind every budget, every policy and every decision, the lives of the people they have been elected to represent. Our young people searching for hope and direction and our neighbors who feel unseen or unheard. We pray that you would help this council, this governing body to be an instrument of justice, compassion, and opportunity. May your peace and your presence rest upon this chamber. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Now we'll have the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilmember Adams. Thank you. Now we'll have requests from the general public to speak.

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