The Prince George’s County Council spent more than $3,000 on dinners at a picturesque dining spot and $6,000 on hotel rooms during its retreat on the Eastern Shore in January. The final cost of the council’s two-night stay in Cambridge was about $13,000, according to new financial records.
The county also paid $3,698 for meeting room rentals, breakfasts and lunches. Another $34 was shelled out to reimburse Councilwoman Andrea Harrison, D-Springdale, for valet parking.
Community activists criticized the retreat, saying less expensive council orientations have been held before on county-owned property.
The county is facing a $77 million budget deficit. County Executive Rushern Baker has proposed a fiscal 2012 spending plan with cuts to most agencies. A
hiring freeze would continue for county employees under his budget and employees would not receive cost-of-living adjustments or merit salary increases.
The purpose of the event at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa & Marina in Cambridge was to provide orientation to new council members, officials said.
The council on Jan. 10 and 11 spent $3,093 for two dinners at Waters Edge Restaurant, where the “chef only purchases the freshest fish of the day so the choice varies from night to night,” according to its website.
Karen Zavakos, a legislative officer with the council, said 26 people, including Baker, attended a dinner meeting at the restaurant on Jan. 10.
The council also spent $6,074 on 39 hotel rooms, Zavakos said.
The financial documents were first disclosed by the “Prince George’s County D9 Politico Blog” and obtained through an open records request.
Council Chairwoman Ingrid Turner, D-Bowie, has defended the retreat by saying a thorough outing was necessary because five council members were recently elected and needed the training. Leaving the county helps avoid distractions, she said.
The county overpaid the Hyatt Regency, and they were reimbursed $1,256 for rooms that weren’t used, the records show.
Turner had estimated in January that the retreat would cost between $10,000 to $15,000.
