Prince George’s County panel questions DPIE’s capacity as FY2026 budget holds services steady

Prince George’s County officials reviewed the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement’s (DPIE) proposed fiscal 2026 budget during the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee meeting on April 21, 2025, and asked whether the department has the staff and systems to meet existing and new enforcement responsibilities.

Alex Hertel, the county’s legislative budget and policy analyst, told the committee the proposed DPIE budget is approximately $32,300,000, a decrease of about $45,300 (roughly 0.1%) from the prior year, and that the department requested a supplemental $2.2 million for merit and cost-of-living adjustments tied to an engineering classification study. “The proposed fiscal year 2026 budget for DPIE is approximately $32,300,000,” Hertel said.

The nut of the discussion centered on the department’s operational capacity. Hertel said DPIE has 321 authorized positions and 305 filled roles as of March 2025, with an annual attrition rate of about 3.62%. He also called out several stress points: suspension of the contracted clean-lot program in the proposed budget, continuing low collection rates on fines and liens, and the upcoming workload from the county’s permanent rent-stabilization law (CB 55-2024). Hertel noted DPIE included funds for Momentum, the county’s permitting and licensing system, and requested…