LARGO, Md. — It's time for some belt-tightening in Prince George’s County, according to County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
Alsobrooks, who’s also running for U.S. Senate, says there is now a hiring freeze in most county departments, and budget cuts are planned to cover a $171 million shortfall expected next year.
Police and schools will both get a modest boost in spending next year under Alsobrooks' proposed budget. However, nearly every other department is going to have to come up with something to trim Alsobrooks said.
"To cover our projected $171 million deficit we've made some very difficult decisions," Alsobrooks said.
Prince George’s, is coming up short on money thanks to a cool real estate market, according to county figures. Higher mortgage rates have slowed down real estate transactions resulting in nearly $30 million less in the collection of transfer and recording taxes.
Also, federal grant money that flooded Maryland during the COVID pandemic has now dried up, which has dramatically slowed the county's ability to grow spending.
Alsobrooks' proposed 2025 budget is $5.4 billion. It’s 1% more than the current year's spending.
Schools and police will still manage to get modest increases in spending, with an additional $29.3 million going to schools and $7.6 million more to police.
Police funding includes money for 100 additional officers.
It’s a contrast to the situation in Montgomery County, the state’s biggest jurisdiction, where Thursday County Executive Mark Elrich announced a proposed $7.1 Billion dollar budget, which he described as "comfortable".
One difference in Montgomery County is a nearly 5% hike in property taxes passed last year, providing more revenue.
Property owners across Maryland are expected to pay more in property taxes thanks to continuing growth in assessed property values, according to the State Department of Assessments and Taxation.
About 96.6% of Maryland homes assessed this year saw an increase in property value.
As a result, the average homeowner across all counties is likely to pay 23% more in property taxes, according to state estimates.
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