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June 18, 2018
Dear Friends,
A few weeks ago, the Transportation, Housing and Environment Committee reviewed two pieces of legislation I proposed. The first is to improve
noise regulation in the County and the second aims to increase
business recycling.
 While those committee hearings were taking place, the County celebrated an incredible milestone:
$1 Billion in private investment in the County thanks to the Prince George's County Economic Development Incentive Fund (EDIF)!
The primary goal of the EDIF is to expand the County's commercial tax base; retain and attract jobs; support small and local businesses; and promote development and redevelopment opportunities, including transit oriented development and the growth of key industry sectors. A total of
$36.5 million of EDIF funding, awarded to 44 projects since the implementation of the incentive fund by County Executive Rushern Baker and the County Council in 2012, has led to $1 Billion in private investment! It has also created or retained over
12,000 new jobs, a big part of the County leading the state in job growth for five quarters in a row.
Investments from the EDIF and strategic and targeted County incentives, which some may call "developer giveaways," have made the crucial difference in bringing quality projects in District 3 and the entire County. These investments and incentives have created local jobs; supported County entrepreneurs; grown minority businesses; brought quality restaurants and retail to the County; provided affordable housing for those in need; and enabled development around our Metro stations. Learn more about some of these incentives through a Public Safety and Fiscal Management Committee I requested last year as Chair of that committee. Watch the September 2017 presentation here.
I am incredibly proud that the County Council fully funded the Fiscal Year 2019 Board of Education budget request when we adopted the FY2019 budget in late May.
The Council also appropriated funding for the second phase of the on-going
PGCPS Comprehensive Audit
. Last year, the County and PGCPS completed the first comprehensive audit of PGCPS in 18 years and the Council is committed to continuing this review.
 While the FY2019 Capital Improvement Program budget funds crucial school construction projects including the full replacement of William Wirt Middle School and building the new Glenridge-area Middle School (near Glenridge Elementary) to relieve overcrowding, we simply do not have the CIP funding necessary to keep up with the massive overcrowding currently in, and projected for, northern area schools and others across the County.
During the budget adoption session, the Council also passed an important resolution,
CR-33-2018, to establish a
P3 Alternative Financing School Infrastructure Work Group. This Work Group will explore a Public Private Partnership Alternative Financing School Infrastructure Program for public school construction and replacement projects in Prince Georges County. Thanks to Senate Bill 92, which passed in the General Assembly, we have the opportunity to create a new method of co
nstructing, financing, maintaining, and operating public school construction and replacement projects without overburdening the County in terms of resources. I am eager to being this work.
 After more than a decade of work, our new hospital -- University of Maryland Capital Region Health -- is rising from the ground! If you haven't been in Largo recently, you can watch the progress via the site's
construction cameras
.
So much is happening in the healthcare arena across the County. Please take some time to
watch
the most recent edition of my Council Connection show, which features
a discussion on healthcare in Prince George's County with Dr. Michelle Gourdine, Sr. VP, Population Health and Primary Care, UMMS and Joseph L. Wright, MD, MPH, Board of Health Consultant. I was also pleased to attend an incredible forum hosted by a coalition of County health providers on June 7, "Transformative Change -- Our Role in Achieving Health Equity in Prince George's County." More than 80 state and local elected officials and agency representatives, leaders in the medical and business communities, as well as the CEOs of each federal qualified health center in the County gathered for this day-long wide-ranging discussion.
In the FY2019 Budget, the Council authorized funding for a Health Needs and Human Services Blueprint for the County to develop key strategies to address the health and human needs of County residents, and the strategic financial investment needed to address behavioral health and social determinants of health challenges in the County.
 I urge all residents to take the time to vote in this year's Primary Election. Both the Democratic and Republican primary elections will take place on Tuesday, June 26. Polls will be open that day from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Voters who are registered as anything other than Democrat or Republican may still vote in the Primary Election for non-partisan offices such as Board of Education. On June 26, voters may only vote at their voting precinct. If you do not know your voting precinct, you may look it up
here.
Early Voting is open daily through Thursday, June 21, from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. at 11 sites across Prince George's County. During Early Voting, you may cast your ballot at any of the early voting locations in Prince George's County. The closest locations for most District 3 residents include:
College Park Community Center
5051 Pierce Avenue
College Park, MD 20740
VFW Post 8950, Hansen Hall
9800 Good Luck Road
Lanham, MD 20706
Find a full list of Early Voting locations
here.
View your Primary Sample Ballot
here
.
 Many thanks to all those who have provided comments on the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite legislation. Lots of information on the legislation, history, and process can be found on the Council's ZOR portal. The draft Zone Conversion Table was uploaded just last week. Please stay involved in this process and submit comments any time here.
As always, don't hesitate to reach out to a member of my staff or me if we can assist you in any way.
Together Strengthening our Community,
P.S. I'm active on social media! If you are, too, please engage with me on
Facebook or
Twitter.
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