Prince George's County chair reallocates $5.6 million in FY25 non‑departmental grants; council and nonprofits clash

Prince George's County Council Chair Edward Burrows said on May 13 that he had reallocated roughly $5.6 million in FY2025 non‑departmental grants after finding the prior distribution skewed toward three council members' priorities.

"This pool of money, non departmental grants, is about $5,600,000," Burrows told colleagues in a lengthy explanation on the council floor, saying he had reviewed council members' submitted priorities and concluded three members received nearly 70% of the fund under the prior allocation. "There is no the value of children and seniors and programs in one part of the county is not superior than any other part of the county," he added.

The chair said the reallocation was intended to produce a fairer distribution across districts. He invited any council member who opposed his action to move to overturn it; the only formal motion to rescind the changes, made later by Council Member Ivey, failed for lack of a second.

Why it matters

Council members and dozens of nonprofit leaders told the council the decision had immediate, tangible impacts on programs that provide food, youth mentorship, senior services, health care and other direct services to residents. Dozens of speakers during the public‑comment period — including directors and staff from youth organizations, health providers and community groups — urged the council to restore funding the organizations were told they had tentatively been awarded in fall 2024.

"When we receive an award letter, and it does say tentative, but it does say tentative contingent upon completion of documents that we completed. And so we book it, and it becomes — and it's crucial for us to be able to count on that money," said Chris Dwyer, co‑executive director of VineCorps, which runs youth programs across the county. "We just ask you to please honor that commitment that was made to us in the fall so we don't have to go back on commitments to our young people."

Public testimony and council debate

Speakers from Districts 7 and 8 — where council members and community leaders argued the prior allocations left urgent needs unmet — described seniors without lawn services, youth programs canceled or scaled back, and clinics lacking capacity for HIV testing and other public‑health services. "I have a list that I presented to the councilwoman about 15 — I've never seen senior citizens put out on the street," said Elsie Jacobs, president of the Suitland Action Team. Patricia Monroe of District 8 said she almost cried when she saw the allocation chart.

Representatives of youth organizations described programmatic disruption if tentative awards were rescinded. "We were devastated when we opened a letter and got the email last week that our funding was totally cut," said Gerald Jordan of Jacob's Ladder Youth Foundation. VineCorps staff and alumni described students who had already been recruited or scheduled for summer programming. "We were specifically relying on this funding during the summer," VineCorps' Diana Acosta told the council.

Several council members defended the chair's decision as a correction to prior inequities. Council Member Olson acknowledged the distribution had been "inequitable" and said he would work with the chair to restore funding where appropriate. Vice Chair Oriada and others described high levels of need in districts they represent and said the reallocation was intended to address those gaps.

A formal motion and votes

Council Member Ivey moved to rescind the chair's changes to the non‑departmental grant allocations; the motion failed for lack of a second. Later procedural and legislative votes at the meeting addressed other items on the agenda (see "Votes at a glance" below).

Related state legislation

Separately, the council debated a separate item: whether to convey a position on House Bill 1470 (HB1470), a Maryland General Assembly bill that would change how the county may enforce environmental violations by creating a 90‑day window to record liens for certain tree‑cutting or Chesapeake Bay critical‑area violations. Council members expressed concern about potential financial liability to the county if liens were not recorded within the statutory window.

Council Member Wanika Fisher proposed instructing staff and the council's General Assembly team to convey opposition to the bill in its amended form and to work with delegates to seek changes; that motion passed 6–1 (Council Member Ivey voted no). The council did not send a formal letter at that meeting but recorded its opposition to HB1470 as amended and authorized staff to pursue the matter with the county's legislative team.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to rescind chair's reallocation of FY25 non‑departmental grants — mover: Council Member Ivey; second: none; outcome: failed (no second). - Motion to convey council opposition to HB1470 in its amended form and authorize staff to work with the General Assembly team — mover: Council Member Fisher; second: Council Member DeNoga; outcome: passed 6–1 (Ivey voted no). - Adoption of the consent agenda (various routine items listed on the meeting agenda) — moved by Council Member Watson; seconded by Council Member Fisher; outcome: adopted 7–0. - CR 46‑2025 (supplementary appropriation of federal, state and other funds totaling $15,061,198 to incorporate grants into FY2025) — moved/seconded in committee; council vote: adopted 8–0. - CR 47‑2025 (authorization for Public Works & Transportation to apply for FY26 federal and state transportation grants) — moved by Council Member Watson; seconded by Council Member Olson; outcome: adopted 7–0. - CR 56‑2025 (extension of temporary appointment as acting director of Information Technology) — motion to suspend rules and adopt; outcomes: suspend rules passed 8–0, resolution adopted 8–0.

What the chair said next and next steps

Burrows told colleagues he would not "politicize" the fund going forward and promised a fairer distribution in FY26. "I will not use this fund to reward loyalty or punish dissent," he said. He also invited colleagues to bring motions if they objected to his action.

Multiple nonprofit speakers asked the council to restore tentative awards to organizations that had already planned programs for the summer. Several council members said they would work with the chair and with staff to review specific cases and try to mitigate harms to direct‑service providers while the administration determines final allocations.

The council convened a lengthy public‑comment period that produced a sustained chorus of organizations asking for restoration of funding and pledging to meet with staff and council members about how to stabilize the county's nonprofit funding processes. The council also directed its General Assembly team to press for amendments to HB1470 that would limit county financial exposure.

Ending

The reallocation illustrates the competing priorities county leaders face when balancing countywide programs and district‑level needs. Council members left the meeting divided on the method used to correct perceived inequities, and nonprofit leaders left urging restoration of awards they said had already been promised. The council instructed staff to pursue follow‑up with organizations and to press the county's legislative team on HB1470; individual council members signaled plans for continuing negotiations in the coming weeks.