Prince George’s County Council to focus on public safety after approving 2025 budget

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. ( DC News Now ) — Prince George’s County Council approved a $5.46 billion budget for the fiscal year 2025 on Thursday.

The budget reflected the council’s focus on public safety, allocating $200,000 toward the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) in 2025.

“Public safety is really important to all of us,” council chair, Jolene Ivey said. “We want people to feel safe and comfortable to live in our community, to visit our community.”

The council also gave the Prince George’s County Fire Department (PGFD) an influx of 150 new firefighters. PGFD has been faced with a staffing issue according to the council, leading to workers have to clock in for more hours than desired.

“We’re going to have roughly 25 firefighters ordered into work to cover the Kenny Chesney concert,” according to Grant Walker, the president of the Professional Fire Firefighters and Paramedics Association of Prince George’s County.

The staffing shortage has caused some firefighters to miss out on time with families.

“They’re not able to leave or they’re being forced to stay,” Ivey said. “We’re trying to alleviate that kind of situation and make sure that people can go home to their families.”

The council also added 100 new positions for the PGPD.

“They are taking a first step to fixing this issue. But it can’t stop today,” Walker added.

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