By Dr. Deborah Bailey
AFRO Contributing Editor
At the Jan. 21 budget listening session in the Calverton/Beltsville area of Maryland a variety of local residents came out to hear from County Executive Aisha Braveboy, budget director Angela Fair Baker and the county’s senior budget team.
Budget listening sessions in Fort Washington, Md., Calverton/Beltsville and Largo, Md. brought out a variety of local residents eager to hear from the county leadership.
Braveboy started by explaining that the county was financially secure, but admitted that there are significant issues to be addressed.
“Prince George’s County is financially stable,” said Braveboy.
She explained to the residents gathered that there was a disproportionate impact suffered in Prince George’s County after multiple waves of federal shutdown and layoffs in 2025. In spite of the instability caused by the federal situation, she expects growth to continue in the county. Braveboy said her focus will be on commercial growth and development.
“We understand the need to balance our budget a little bit better than we have in the past,” she said.
Residents expressed concerns about a wide variety of needs, including county maintenance, gaps in social services, animal services, the status of county schools, public safety and fire department services. Additionally, concerns were raised at all three listening sessions about potential residential costs related to data centers proposed for the county and the health of the county’s economic sector.
“You say that we are stable, but I don’t feel stable,” said Tamara Johnson, a small business owner.
“I’m always trying to take up for Prince George’s County when others are talking down about us,” she said. “Our schools are outdated. Small businesses are suffering. We need grants. Highway maintenance is not good,” she added.
Others wanted to know how county officials would better support elders in the area.
“There no services for services for patients with Alzheimer’s,” said Robin Baker, a 30-year resident who spoke on what she believes is a lack of robust services for seniors in the county.
Herbert Jones and several other residents expressed concern about the county’s plan for data centers.
“We have to protect residents from infrastructure costs related to data centers– both water and electric. We have to think it all the way through and use best practices from other states to make sure we are not making the same mistakes,” said Jones.
The meeting also addressed hiring in the area and pay for firefighters.
Braveboy said that there is competitive hiring still occurring in the county’s public schools and no current vacancies for 911 positions.
One resident posed a question about pay for the people responding to emergency situations.
“Our firefighters trail teachers and police in starting salaries,” said Grant Walker, president of Prince Georges County professional firefighters and paramedics association.
Walker said the county loses firefighters when they move for higher salaries in adjoining districts that offer higher pay.
“We may not be able to make wholesale changes overnight. But we can work toward a better structure for our firefighters,” Braveboy said in response.
On the topic of the county’s 311 call system, a one-stop shop for residents to request government services, has been over-run with unanswered calls.
“When I started there were over 28,000 unresolved 311 complaints.” Braveboy said. “We decided we would go after some of those nuisance complaints; the trash, debris, the lots that were overgrown.”
Braveboy said the County has worked to clear hundreds of properties, but it is a consistent issue that deserves attention.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the county executive ensured residents knew that the concerns discussed did not fall on deaf ears.
“This is an ongoing conversation,” she said. “We will be more open and transparent than in previous years.”