Prince George’s County says it’s owed more than $8 million from the bicounty Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
But that amount, and about $31 million more the county’s budget requires from the commission, is held up in court.
Prince George’s County Circuit Court Judge Krystal Alves issued an initial ruling in June in a lawsuit challenging the transfer of $39 million from the bicounty commission, a separate body overseen by the state, to the county government.
Alves temporarily halted the transfer, meaning the county could end up with millions less than it budgeted for fiscal year 2027, which began July 1.
It remains unclear how large a budget hole Prince George’s could face if Alves permanently blocks the transfer.
But, as of early August, the county had incurred $8.1 million in costs on the commission’s behalf, according to the Office of Management and Budget. The county expects to be reimbursed for those expenses, said Brian Fischer, spokesperson for County Executive Aisha Braveboy.
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Fischer said the county hasn’t adopted supplemental spending plans in light of the court’s temporary ruling, but he declined to comment on what a permanent injunction might mean for the county’s budget.
Fischer said the ruling hasn’t disrupted the delivery of services.
“Because this matter remains before the court, it would be inappropriate to speculate on hypothetical outcomes,” Fischer said in a statement. “The County remains hopeful for a favorable resolution that protects the interests of Prince George’s County residents.”
Fischer declined to name specific services included in the $8.1 million for which the county expects reimbursement.
Budget documents show the county expected to use commission funding to pay for planning and zoning functions, tax collection, and permitting and inspections, among other programs and services.
Calista Black, a spokesperson for the commission, declined to comment, citing the active lawsuit.
Belinda Moore, custodian of records for the county’s budget office, said the remaining $31 million in the paused transfer pays for items in the county’s multibillion-dollar operating budget.
She said, if the court rules against the county, that amount would “need to be addressed through one or more fiscal actions.” She suggested cuts could be on the table.
Of the $39 million total, more than $18 million appears to pay for county programs and services, budget documents show. The rest comprises funding for municipal projects and potential reimbursements for local nonprofits.
“Depending on the specific program or expenditure, this could require that certain planned expenditures not occur,” Moore said in a statement.
Leaders of the County Council have defended the transfer in the face of pushback from the court.
Council Chair Krystal Oriadha has said, “We will fight for the principle that taxpayer dollars should be directed towards serving the public, not expanding bureaucracy.”
Neither she nor Vice Chair Eric Olson responded to requests for comment.
The transfer at issue is part of a decades-old program through which organizations and municipal governments can apply to the park and planning commission for expense reimbursements known as “project charges.”
Since taking leadership roles on the County Council, two members — Oriadha and Edward Burroughs — have come under scrutiny for pushing to divert millions of dollars in project charges to their preferred organizations, including one run by a close friend of Oriadha.
Two other council members, Sydney Harrison and Jolene Ivey, have requested an independent audit and a state investigation into their colleagues’ use of the program.
The county’s latest budget removes the park and planning commission from the decision-making process for project charges by transferring funding for the program to Braveboy’s budget office.
Moore said, for some items, such as $700,000 for Prince George’s Community Television, the county would have to identify “other funding sources” for the program.
She added that, because litigation is ongoing, Braveboy and her team haven’t made final decisions about specific program cuts or “alternative funding strategies.”
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission administers parks and planning programs in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, and the recreation department in Prince George’s.
The planning boards for the two counties combine to serve as the commission’s governing body.
The commission’s budget is made up of county property tax revenue, but state law determines how the money can be spent.
The commission sued Prince George’s County over the $39 million transfer in June, alleging it violated state law and the county’s charter.
In her initial ruling, Alves questioned whether it was “fiscally responsible” of the county to rely on money from the commission, a separate body, to pay for its programs.
She also said the county took “extraordinary steps to obtain” the funding.
The county and the commission are set to return to court Sept. 21.
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