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FY 2010 Budget
On June 1st, the County Council
passed the FY2010 budget. This was not an easy budget year as
the County juggled declining revenue due to the economy as well as
fewer resources from the State. Below are some key items
in the budget:
· The tax rate for unincorporated areas of
the County will remain at .96 cents per $100 of assessed property
value. In municipalities, this rate varies depending on the
overlap of services between your municipality and the County.
Please check with your municipality for your specific County tax
rate.
· The County will be cutting 55 positions and
current employees will be forgoing merit increases, costs of living
adjustments, and will be taking a 10-day furlough. As I
mentioned in my May E-News, I will also be forgoing my cost of living
adjustment and will be returning the equivalent in pay of the 10-day
furlough.
· Budgets for most agencies have been reduced by
10%.
· I worked with my colleagues to
identify nearly $12 million in additional cuts, which enabled
the County Council to minimize the reductions to the School
System. Originally, there was a proposed billing
of $23.6 million to the School System.
· Park and Planning will be shifting roughly $30 million
in each of the next two years to assist the County with its operating
budget expenses. While this action has helped minimize more
dramatic cuts to the County’s operating budget, it is a short-term
solution that may affect the ability of Park and Planning to fund
future projects as easily as they have in the past.
Items
Of Interest
3rd Annual
Green County Picnic and Award Ceremony
Join
Council Members Eric Olson, Tom Dernoga, Andrea Harrison, and Will
Campos for the 3rd Annual Green County Picnic at the Kentland
Community Center Park Shelter (2411 Pinebrook Avenue in Landover) on
Sunday, June 7th. Grilled foods and drinks will be
provided. Attendees are welcome to bring salads, and side
dishes. The event starts at 2:00pm rain or shine. Please
RSVP to Alex Hirtle at (301) 952-5349 or ajhirtle@co.pg.md.us.
Local Code
Enforcement Office Now in District 3
The
Prince George’s County Department of Environmental Resources &
Property Standards Group now has a satellite office in District 3 at
5008 Queensbury in Riverdale Park at the Riverdale Park Town
Hall. This office can assist citizens living in Council
District 3 with their concerns about Housing, Zoning & Commercial
Properties. Resident walk-ins are welcome. Hours of
Operation are Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 - 12:30 p.m.
Support Local Youth—June Jam Concert At Six Flags
America
Join Colours and Lyrical Storm
in their annual June Jam at Six Flags America in Largo, MD. All
day ticket to the park as well as the concert is only $21 per
person. Go to www.sixflags.com/america
(promo code JUNEJAM) to order online or call 301-867-0275.
Colours (www.colours.org) is a local
musical program based at Northwestern High School and Lyrical Storm
is poetry group based at Parkdale High School.
Riversdale
Free Summer “Jazz on the Portico” Series Kicks Off
As the
sun sets, bring a blanket or lawn chair to Riversdale’s beautiful
grounds (4811 Riverdale Road) and enjoy the grass under your toes and
the jazz wafting through the air. Bring a picnic basket or, if you
like, purchase dinner on the grounds courtesy of the Calvert House
Inn. The concerts are FREE. The following performers will
appear from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm on these dates:
Sandra Johnson
Quintet
Wednesday June 24
Jazz
standards by all the greats; come enjoy Sandra’s classy, smooth,
vocal styling!
Apothecary
Wednesday July 29
Instrumentals
featuring an electric violin with inspiration from folk, jazz,
classical jam-rock and Celtic music. Come on and enjoy the
ride!
MSG – The Acoustic Blues
Trio
Wednesday August 26
A
stripped down blues combo that plays songs with meaning, fullness of
heart, and sometimes, humor. Featuring Riverdale Park’s own
Miles Spicer!
The
concerts take place rain or shine. In the event of rain, everything
moves inside.
Riverdale
Park Farmers Market Open—Every Thursday
The
Riverdale Park Farmers Market is starting early this year with even
more produce, arts, and food vendors as well as local
entertainment. The market is open every Thursday until Nov. 19,
from 3pm to 7pm at the Riverdale Park Town Center adjacent to the
MARC station. To find out more about the location of the market and
all of the vendors, please visit rpfarmersmarket.org . To
subscribe to the market’s weekly list of vendors and find out about
special events, which can help you plan your visit, please visit Market List
to subscribe.
College Park
Farmers Market Open—Every Saturday
The
College Park Farmers Market is also now open on Saturdays and will
continue service until November 21, 2009 in the parking lot of the Herbert
Wells Ice Rink (5211 Paint Branch Parkway in College Park). The
farmers market operates from 7:00am-12:00noon every Saturday.
For more information please visit College Park Farmers Market
or contact Phil Miller at (301) 399-5485.
Internet
Access to Crime Data in the County
Interested
in knowing more about crime in your community? Visit www.crimereports.com to see a
map of your community with details on incidents in your
neighborhood. Note: The easiest way to use the system is to
type in your zip code.
Real Estate
& Job Recovery Expo
Join
the Prince George’s Real Estate Professionals for Change and the
Saint Paul Community Development Center on June 6, 2009 for an expo
tailored to assist individuals with refinancing, loan modifications,
foreclosure counseling, job assistance, etc. This event will be
held at the Saint Paul Senior Development Center (1207 Addison Road
in Capitol Heights) from 10:00am to 3:00pm. For more
information please contact Ruth Wright at (301) 390-0477.
Prince
George’s Arts Council Grant Deadlines
Deadlines
are approaching to apply for the Artists in Residency and the
Organizational Development grants provided by the Prince George’s
County Arts Council. These deadlines are June 10, 2009 and June
17, 2009 respectively at 5:00pm. To download applications
please visit www.princegeorgesartscouncil.org
or call (301) 277-1402.
Berwyn
Heights Town-wide Yard Sale
The
Berwyn Heights Recreation Council will host a town-wide yard sale on
Saturday June 13, 2009 at various locations in Berwyn Heights from
8:00am-12:00noon. Please call Trinity Tomsic at (301) 474-6350
for more information.
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