Homeland Security budget rises as office prepares to take on DPIE code‑enforcement work

The Office of Homeland Security is proposing a $61,300,000 budget for fiscal year 2027, a figure David Williams, Budget and Policy Analysis Division, told the Public Safety, Health and Human Services Committee represents a 30.5% increase from the prior year.

"The fiscal year proposed budget stands at $61,300,000 marking a 30.5% increase from the previous fiscal year," David Williams said during the committee briefing. He said roughly 95% of the agency budget comes from the general fund and about 5% from grants, with the grant package totaling approximately $3,038,000.

Director Katina Gomez told council members the office will soon be responsible for a new code‑compliance division transferred from DPIE and that the agency anticipates adding roughly 91 positions to handle the expanded enforcement workload. Gomez described operational priorities for FY27 that include security assessments of county buildings, a pathway program with Prince George’s County Public Schools, and upgrades to public‑safety radio infrastructure.

Gomez cautioned the committee that while the current proposal provides a starting point, the agency will analyze the demands of the transferred work and may return with adjustments: "So right now, I would say the budget will suffice, but moving forward, it may show that we might have to increase the budget or, I don't know, decrease the budget. So we would just have to continue to analyze and see what we're working on now." The office also outlined pilot options for extending inspector hours and coordination with public‑safety partners to support inspectors in the field.

Why it matters: shifting DPIE’s code‑enforcement duties into Homeland Security changes the scope of the agency’s work and is a driver of the proposed budget increase. The committee heard specific staffing and IT requests tied to the transition and asked that staff present follow‑up analyses on the budget assumptions and contract impacts.

What’s next: the briefing was informational (no vote due to lack of quorum). Committee members asked the agency to return with more detailed cost and staffing projections as the county finalizes FY27 appropriations.