The Prince George’s County Council will spend thousands of dollars on an out-of-town retreat in Fells Point in Baltimore starting Monday.
Council members and their staff plan to spend Monday and Tuesday at the historic Admiral Fell Inn in Baltimore, where a two-day conference package for three dozen people, complete with overnight accommodations, costs roughly $11,000.
Local activists criticized the retreat, which comes as the cash-strapped county faces a $125.7 million budget shortfall heading into the fiscal 2013 budget cycle.
While less expensive retreats have been held on county-owned property, the current council chose again this year to travel out of Prince George’s for its annual retreat. Last year, the council went to Cambridge, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
The council instead should be trying to cut costs wherever possible, according to Bob Ross, president of the Prince George’s County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
“Residents are tightening their belts right now, and the council needs to tighten theirs,” Ross said. “Or it’d be nice if they at least kept the business and tax dollars in Prince George’s County. They could have a wonderful retreat at the National Harbor.”
The Baltimore location allows the council to focus in a setting away from potential distractions inside the county, according to spokeswoman Karen Campbell. Some of those attending will not spend the night, although rooms have been reserved for the nine council members.
In comparison, the County Council in neighboring Montgomery County, which faces a $134.5 million deficit, is taking a more conservative approach with its retreat, scheduled to be held in a conference room at the Rockville Memorial Library for several hours Thursday.
The council spent about $13,000 last year for a two-night stay at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa & Marina in Cambridge. The bill included more than $3,000 for dinners and more than $6,000 spent on 39 hotel rooms at the resort.
Detailed financial records of the Baltimore trip will be made available after the retreat, Campbell said.
County Executive Rushern Baker plans to travel to the retreat on Monday afternoon to meet with the council, according to spokesman Scott Peterson. Baker won’t spend the night in Baltimore, he said.
The council soon will begin budget negotiations with Baker, who is preparing a proposal to close the $125.7 million gap.
Because of the gap, Prince George’s County employees who haven’t received a raise since fiscal 2009 can expect to go another year without pay increases, according to Thomas Himler, the county’s deputy chief administrator for budget, finance and administration. Baker has said cuts will be made at all agencies, with the exception of public safety and education expenses.
