The proposed Prince George's County budget for fiscal year 2026, is currently under consideration by the County Council and your Council Members need to hear from you about your priorities. To meet a drastic budget shortfall, tough choices have been made. The current proposal eliminates all funding for the Rain Check Rebate Program, which was established “for the purpose of providing property owners the incentive to invest in stormwater management to improve the quality of life in our communities with green stormwater retrofits and to help Prince George's County meet its obligations under the Clean Water Act to reduce stormwater pollution in its rivers and streams.”
As specified in the county code, this Stormwater Management and Residential Resilience Retrofit Program uses money from the County's Stormwater Management Tax, which county property owners pay along with their property taxes, to provide rebates for eligible climate resilience and stormwater management expenditures. Eligible projects have included rain gardens, rain barrels, cisterns, and more recently, conservation landscaping, urban tree canopy, pavement removal, permeable pavement, and green roofs.
The county code specifies that, “For the Fiscal Year 2014 and for each fiscal year thereafter, the County shall appropriate $3.0 million in Stormwater Management District Funds to the Program, as provided for in the County's approved current expense budget.” However, the funds actually appropriated to the program have been much less—about $260,000 in FY2025. For FY2026, the proposed appropriation is zero.
Yes, it's bad year for budgets all around. Our County decision makers face many uncertainties and many competing priorities. The Department of the Environment is taking on new responsibilities with implementation of the Climate Action Plan, establishing a new Climate and Energy division and a new Community Engagement and Beautification division. We can hope that the recently-hired climate officer and the incoming administration will ensure future programs that help property owners make our communities more resilient through installation of more of the nature-based solutions that the Rain Check Rebate program currently supports.
Still, even during difficult times of transition, taxpayers should be able to trust that their stormwater management tax money actually goes to the stormwater management programs that are specified in the county code, including the Rain Check Rebate program.
It is hard to see how elimination of this program is in the county’s best interest at this time. Even as the federal government abandons programs that address climate change, our climate vulnerabilities persist and worsen. We depend on our local and state governments to stand firm in support of programs that improve our ability to withstand the heavy precipitation events and the periods of excess heat that have become our new normal.
To improve our community resilience in this changed world, we need many property owners changing what’s on their own land, to slow down and soak up the stormwater and augment the cooling effects of trees and other native vegetation. The resources provided by the Raincheck Rebate Program are essential for helping to make this happen.
The small businesses that want to install these nature-based solutions are already stressed by economic uncertainties related to upheavals in lives of our local federal workers who would otherwise hire local businesses for outdoor improvements. Homeowners who find themselves suddenly between jobs might now have time to plan a rain garden or a conservation landscaping project; however, more than ever, they need the rebate to make it economically feasible for them. Even people who have the necessary resources to embark on a project in these uncertain times need access to the information provided through the Chesapeake Bay Trust about suitable native plants, best practices, and certified contractors.
Especially in these uncertain times, we need our county government to support community-wide efforts to improve our climate resilience through nature-based solutions.
The Acting County Executive’s budget proposal now awaits approval by the County Council. Please take a moment to write to your County Council representatives to urge them NOT to eliminate the Rain Check Rebate program for FY 2026. Be sure to write to At-Large Council Members Jolene Ivey and Calvin Hawkins as well as the representative from your district . Your input is especially important if you have used the program in the past or if you have plans to make improvements to your outdoor space but need some help to make it happen. Tell them about your experience and why this program is important to you. Send before and after pictures if you have them!
The county council hearing about the MNCPPC budget is on April 22 at 6 PM.
There are two public hearings about the county budget: April 28 at 6 PM and May 6 at 6 PM. Comments have more impact if they are received earlier.
Sign up to speak in person or submit written comments at the hearings at https://princegeorgescountymd.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
Note: For Bowie residents, the City of Bowie’s Treebate program is still up and running. |
