[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6607519,"mediaKeyId","2952705-46e01520a41b9dd9f4e44d5106ec1b92","parentId",2952705,"title","County IT seeks $66.65 million for FY26; OIT outlines AI guidance and 311 improvements","audioSeconds",763,"startMs",1649780,"endMs",2413210,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2952705-46e01520a41b9dd9f4e44d5106ec1b92&start=1649&end=2413","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2952705-46e01520a41b9dd9f4e44d5106ec1b92/thumbnail_1649780.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6607519/Prince-Georges-County/Maryland/County-IT-seeks-6665-million-for-FY26-OIT-outlines-AI-guidance-and-311-improvements","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6607519-da21cc947aa202cbe5b5b35df26e2360/orig.mp4?Expires=1771164107&Signature=iKyhYb-7CQeDYUWnMq5T7h06kkHWYd16PH9UfUEMcp2CHw0YPzxjXXrRhwaHw6ImtooSHB4qKAOLpwIOEDvkuuHtlf~c-sa7TFtjVxfPtQGnG9iMoEQfC-48a7-FHdqS7wNzQ1Hw3YDJeYkRjvI83nK7i1neH0rdH~iF1a~PjHtM~GvJ5TjpRJKjS2aWBhEF-Arj9MGSvdXBknhZG08orhd9aB6kJtm3Y6Mbno8P0lTB3394pE734vieLMLNMeF6ScvrfC-UQH10yCdcwkS5A058wjf5ru3jpnt2O1JDa3X84ZwAE1jnv6UZAy001aUDL5hTLirYwZZwRa0MZliK2w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Prince George","date","2025-04-10T00:00:00Z","article","The Office of Information Technology told the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee on April 10 that it seeks $66,649,800 in its proposed FY26 internal service fund budget and described several technology initiatives including an AI administrative procedure, enhancements to 3-1-1 and a planned transparency dashboard rollout.

Roger Benagas, the analyst who presented the OIT packet, said the FY26 proposed budget of $66,649,800 represents a 9.1% increase over FY25, driven in part by operating contract support for applications, network systems and cybersecurity. Benagas said compensation resources in the FY26 request fund 75 of 76 authorized full-time positions and one part-time position; as of March 12, 2025, OIT had filled 67 of 75 authorized full-time roles and reported eight full-time vacancies (10.7% vacancy rate).

Acting OIT Director Dwayne Prophet described steps the office has taken on artificial intelligence governance and digital services. \"We have not started the AI task force. We have started the work that we were already, in process of,\" Prophet said, explaining that an administrative procedure (AP) governing AI use was finalized about three months earlier and that training aligned to that AP had been rolled out. Prophet said the task force itself has not been convened but a memo was circulated to select agencies to begin naming members.

Prophet and Benagas discussed 3-1-1 improvements. Prophet said the county currently uses Salesforce with a capsule overlay and that the county added SMS features to 3-1-1 roughly six weeks before the briefing. He said funding timing drives the addition of AI components to the system and that the county is planning transparency dashboards to show project pipelines and service-level performance; Prophet said he expects an internal transparency dashboard within about three months.

County Council members pressed the agency on contracting with county-based small businesses (CBSBs). Benagas and Prophet said staff-augmentation contracts use CBSBs for roughly 75% of that work; the remaining 25% of staff-augmentation vendors are required contractually to subcontract 40% of work to CBSBs. For software purchases they cited about 50% CBSB participation, noting that some enterprise and proprietary software requires larger national vendors.

Benagas also listed planned FY26 IT initiatives that include case-tracking for the administrative charging committee, enhancements to energy cap systems, and replacement work related to treasury tax and billing systems. The office reported implementing the first phase of a zero-trust cybersecurity strategy and launching a new cloud-hosted county website on Amazon Web Services to standardize agency web presence.

No formal council action was taken during the briefing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Prince George - Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee - Budget Work-session: Personnel Board, Law, Office of Information Technology - Apr 10, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Office of Information Technology presented a proposed FY26 internal service fund budget of $66,649,800, outlined an AI administrative procedure and training rollout, and discussed plans to improve 311 responsiveness and publish transparency dashboards within months.","taxTitle","Prince George's County, Maryland","taxId",3378,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6607523,"County Office of Law outlines budget cuts, staffing shifts and reduced enforcement backlog",883,729490,1612890,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2952705-46e01520a41b9dd9f4e44d5106ec1b92&start=729&end=1612","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2952705-46e01520a41b9dd9f4e44d5106ec1b92/thumbnail_729490.jpg","/articles/6607523/Prince-Georges-County/Maryland/County-Office-of-Law-outlines-budget-cuts-staffing-shifts-and-reduced-enforcement-backlog","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6607523-7b7922eaee18e180484f8af6788e7097/orig.mp4?Expires=1771164107&Signature=owvpkfQfSdc9YbokSnvyDyU2xABTA18rSl~Ot2Zq1L9hSRcoO8D57O92UPA2n-YycM~0Gj8K1ELWU~NcGC6ez1z7idmBRHEpPAp0aV9hL4VbjANSFcf4bwiu5JIicxPezIiym8fhQmd3oJa50WsAfD6Aaddw6iXlxxr3iWEO2LIRqRLZ3WB9SOXFvBZxqbeTawWWHyS7Iyt5l-955vKonkrbji8xUUNlpYc9qHgLRORHnVFs~kw16zH~RBJ01-0iML8OP6ehFUV~mjqMlHJHm3fPnTLmJtvwJziYKgd7S6J~2buVtzPlk7dCAAwJSJTUkyUyd8kf2-SvUBdbVLOn-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee received an overview April 10 of the Office of Law's proposed budget and workload, including a reported decline in the unit's backlog of enforcement cases stemming from court closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

David Williams, budget and policy analyst, said the Office of Law's total proposed FY26 budget is about $4.9 million, a decrease of approximately $403,900 (7.6%) from the prior year. Williams said the office expects to add one full-time position even as it continues to report consistent vacancies in both transaction and litigation teams, with an overall vacancy rate near 10% and an attrition rate cited earlier in the presentation.

County Attorney Rhonda Weaver told the committee the office has reduced vacancies to four as of the briefing and has reorganized some attorney and paralegal positions to reduce costs and improve efficiency. \"We have done a lot to decrease our vacancies,\" Weaver said, noting three attorney vacancies and one recently opened administrative vacancy that had just been posted.

Weaver described steps to improve efficiency, including converting two attorney positions to paralegal roles and creating a dedicated transparency division that handles Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) requests; she said the transparency unit now has three full-time attorneys and three paralegals focused on MPIA work. Weaver also said the office has dedicated staff for rent stabilization matters and that those resources have improved handling of recent laws in that area.

Deputy county attorney Joe Ruddy told the committee the enforcement backlog that emerged when courts closed during COVID has been \"dramatically decreased,\" and that the office is now getting code-enforcement and problem-property cases into court within roughly 60 to 90 days. Ruddy said the office works with the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) on inspections and that, for problem properties, the office seeks injunctions and court orders when necessary to abate violations.

Committee members asked about abandoned properties and why enforcement sometimes appears slow; Ruddy and Weaver said some of the earlier backlog resulted from court scheduling constraints and that the office is in continuing discussions with the courts about adding dockets as needed. Weaver agreed to provide a list of abandoned properties when the committee requested it so the office could explain where cases are in the enforcement process.

Weaver said turnover has been driven in part by pay disparities in the legal market and that county classification changes and regrading of attorney positions should improve career progression and retention.

Williams and Weaver also noted investments in case management and other technology: the office intends system updates and reported a project cost for a case-management upgrade, and Weaver described training and revised MPIA policies signed by the acting chief administrative officer on April 3.

No formal committee action was taken during the briefing.","The Office of Law presented a proposed FY26 budget decrease and described steps to reduce enforcement backlogs, dedicate staff to rent stabilization and strengthen transparency/MPIA capacity while noting ongoing vacancy challenges.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6607527,"Personnel Board seeks $493,600 in FY26 budget; two staff to continue hearings",691,43910,735490,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2952705-46e01520a41b9dd9f4e44d5106ec1b92&start=43&end=735","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2952705-46e01520a41b9dd9f4e44d5106ec1b92/thumbnail_43910.jpg","/articles/6607527/Prince-Georges-County/Maryland/Personnel-Board-seeks-493600-in-FY26-budget-two-staff-to-continue-hearings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6607527-535dc556b90700c5e2a96b4ff6f43451/orig.mp4?Expires=1771164107&Signature=kLkqSicvvEGHlpP9vq7xEELHyBhWBHGvH-Vb-CjXHD5ywT2ZOUqXht8rXdPgw3sG~jwLgSaCYLy3RofFsOHpRlL5xhz7N-ewwvZwLDQ3vI445gZfoMQcAqs1PechI6Psp33SGrEnbUeXTnaAtpuywsSEmweZk~jKnDDrEyFrgHH9d9gOUYiyr2j2KjdFXO4NYIfNh8XcawkQCj7zM6B-a~sG5hKtgFODbxmvV7i13WDYfmLSCtEDWo~sLWoQNkNRcQpnOj-4M4ZBQi-YGdO3ShIo~LxGyGG8gQOdSlxCpQeewOSRikwmsdji5iTAWRd2GnaBKCn9~ufGVlQHL9ToUg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee on April 10 reviewed the Personnel Board's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget of $493,600 and heard that the board will continue to operate with two staff members.

The Personnel Board's manager, Carol Rubino, asked the committee to consider the FY26 request. Alex Hertel, legislative budget and policy analyst, presented the budget overview, saying the proposed amount represents a $33,500 (7.3%) increase over FY25 and that all funding comes from the county general fund. Hertel reported compensation of $301,700 (a 9.2% increase), operating expenses of $104,000 (a 0.2% increase) and noted fringe benefits will rise roughly 9.8% from the prior year.

The board's mission, Hertel said, is oversight of the county's classified merit system to ensure fair and equitable treatment under applicable employment laws. The board has five members whose terms expire Dec. 7, 2026, and the board's FY26 strategic focus is to keep the number of board decisions overturned in court at zero by presiding over efficient, impartial administrative hearings.

Rubino described the board's adjudicatory role and staff support. She said the board hears administrative appeals of human capital issues, primarily for nonunion employees on adverse actions and grievances, and for union employees only when the issue is not covered by a collective bargaining agreement. \"The board hears administrative appeals of human capital issues, primarily nonunion employees issues, regarding adverse actions, and grievances,\" Rubino said. She clarified that the board is not investigatory but is the highest administrative board in county government, and that the next step after a board decision is a petition for judicial review in the circuit court.

Rubino and Hertel outlined the appeals process: grievances typically begin with a first-line supervisor, proceed to the department head, then to the personnel director and may be appealed to the personnel board after administrative remedies are exhausted; adverse actions affecting pay or employment status can be filed directly with the board. Rubino said the board has one professional staff attorney and one paraprofessional who manage dockets, conduct prehearing conferences and support virtual hearings.

Hertel noted the board expects to request a FY25 supplemental budget because of higher-than-anticipated operating costs for telephone allowances, supplies, and cost-of-living and merit adjustments. He also reported that the board has continued to use alternative dispute-resolution methods such as prehearing conferences and remote (Zoom) hearings.

No formal committee vote on the Personnel Board budget occurred during the April 10 briefing.

The committee hearing then moved on to other agencies on the agenda.","The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee reviewed the Personnel Board's proposed FY26 budget of $493,600, with staffing unchanged at two and continued reliance on virtual hearings and alternative dispute resolution.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

County IT seeks $66.65 million for FY26; OIT outlines AI guidance and 311 improvements

County Office of Law outlines budget cuts, staffing shifts and reduced enforcement backlog

Personnel Board seeks $493,600 in FY26 budget; two staff to continue hearings