Fiscal Overview, Budget Consideration Town Hall Meetings Sharpen Direction

Story and Photos By Raoul Dennis

Prince George’s County Office of Management & Budget Director Stanley Earley

County growth has been a thing of great news over recent years. But like many things, the good sometimes comes to an end.

In this case, it comes to ‘cautious optimism.’

The Prince George’s County Council and County Executive Angela Alsobrooks held consecutive town hall style budget hearings the week of February 25 to present a financial overview of the county and to get feedback from residents regarding fiscal year 2020.

County Office of Management and Budget Director Stanley Earley presented the financial overview at both sessions. “The county’s overall fiscal outlook is cautiously optimistic,” the report states and was reiterated by Earley at the sessions.

The director said the county’s growth continues as it has in 2018 but projects a slower pace of growth across the board, including jobs and home sales.

“We are still growing but at a slower rate,” Earley said.

“We have not returned to pre-recession growth rates,” the report outlines. “The slow pace of our economic recovery combined with our long term fiscal challenges requires us to continue to exercise fiscal prudence.”

Residents shared requests for considerations to the budget across a number of areas including mental health, school resources and staffing, non-profits, family housing and more.

Residents (including Godwin French, Kinda Thompson of the Glenn Dale Citizens Association and Paul E. Rowe of the Prince George’s Housing Authority) addressed the council introducing a range of issues and budget concerns ranging from funding for housing families, combating the aftermath of sex trafficking, schools buildings repair, homelessness and even historic buildings and former slave quarters.

The County Executive’s scheduled budget hearing was moved to Feb 27 (from Feb 20) due to inclement weather and residents gathered at Flowers High School. Residents there raised similar concerns to those expressed at the county council hearings – but included a strong interest and call for greater funding for mental health counseling and resources at county schools.

Grace Williams spoke on behalf of her two adult twin daughters, both of whom have developmental issues and are members of The Arc of Prince George’s. The Arc is a non-profit organization committed to the welfare of people with developmental disabilities and their families. It provides daily services and programs that give support to member families.

“The quality of my children’s lives depends on non-profit organizations like the ARC,” said Williams. “I support the wage increase to supplement the incomes of developmental professionals.”

Parents, educators and counselors addressed the what they called a greater need for funding for counselors and mental health workers and resources.

Along with over a dozen other parents, educators, counselors and mental health professionals, Williams represented a steady drumbeat of county stakeholders seeking more support for challenged and non-challenged youth and adults who would be aided by the $3.5 million increase among others.

“I see on a day to day basis the quality of care and the quality of staff,” Williams said. “These are not minimum wage jobs – like McDonald’s. They require special training and resources.”

The caregivers consistently spoke of being overwhelmed by the demands ranging from students considering suicide over a romantic break up to sexual orientation-related emotional issues to developmental problems that snowball to other matters. They say they are constantly tabling one set of issues in order to put out the fires of immediate issues because they are underfunded and understaffed.

“There are too many students and cases and not enough teachers and counselors,” they said.

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Theresa Dudley of the Prince George’s Educators Association called on County Executive Alsobrooks to add to salaries and to increase focus on teachers because the county is losing talent to other jurisdictions. “If we don’t, we will come closer to being the department of educraziness,” Dudley said making those remarks directed at U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

Other discussions included retraction of rulings that “discriminate” against pit bulls, support for the resourceful non-profit Community Forklift and youth poetry and cultural programs.

Said Patrick Washington, an emergency dispatch worker in the county who is better known as ‘The Teaching Poet”: “We create leaders but it’s not magic. We need funding.” Washington works with youth in teaching poetry and culture.

Paul Rowe spoke of the rental assistance program in the county at the Prince George’s County Housing Authority. He sought $5.9 million request to aid 7,200 households on their waiting list for rental assistance.

Her first budget hearing as county executive, Angela Alsobrooks listened to all comments and referred some residents to connect with aides to follow up.

The FY2020 budget presentation will be made the week of March 11.