Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
County environment department warns of large enterprise fund deficits; committee questions service cuts
Summary
Prince George's County Department of the Environment presented a proposed FY2026 budget that officials say includes a projected combined enterprise fund deficit and program reductions; committee members pressed department leaders on solid waste tipping fees, stormwater funding, the rain-check rebate pause and landfill methane capture.
The Prince George's County Department of the Environment (DOE) presented its proposed fiscal 2026 budget to the Transportation Infrastructure Energy Environment Committee and outlined a series of structural funding challenges the agency says will require service prioritization and program cuts.
"The proposed budget for the Department of the Environment for fiscal year 2026 is $265,200,000," Alex Hertel, the county's legislative budget and policy analyst, told the committee. Hertel said that represents a $5.6 million increase over the prior year and that enterprise funds make up roughly 94.6% of the department's funding. He also told members the department requested a $571,900 supplemental for FY2025 for overtime at the animal shelter and other costs.
Hertel and DOE staff described three enterprise funds with pressure: solid waste, stormwater and local watershed protection. Hertel said the combined enterprise funds for those services are "expected to exceed a combined deficit of $327,000,000 in fiscal year 2026," a figure he and other officials said is driven by higher operating costs, landfill…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
