From the Office of Council Member Tom Dernoga April 2026

Council Member Dernoga and District VI PGPD Major Saul Serpas at the March District 1 Community Conversation. 

District 1 Community Conversation with CEX Aisha Braveboy

Please join County Executive Aisha Braveboy and me for a Town Hall Meeting focused on the Proposed Budget and other issues. The Town Hall will be held on Thursday, April 9, at 6 PM at the BAPS Mandir, 4320 Ammendale Road, Beltsville, MD 20705. This is a great opportunity to learn about the County Executive’s vision for the budget so that you can support key items or make requests for changes. In addition, the County Executive will have representatives from numerous agencies, and she and I will take questions. Register to attend at tinyurl.com/CEXConvo2026. Find the proposed budget on the County website: princegeorgescountymd.gov.

County Council Budget Hearings

The County Council will hold a public hearing on the MNCPPC (Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission) Budget and two public hearings on the County Budget. The MNCPPC Budget hearing is Monday, April 27, at 6 PM, and the County Budget hearings are Tuesday, April 28, and Monday, May 4, at 6 PM. All of the budget hearings are in the Council Hearing Room, Wayne K. Curry Building, 1301 McCormick Drive, Largo, MD 20774. You may submit comments in writing.

District 1 Community Conversation with 21st District Delegation

Also, on Wednesday, April 22, I will be co-hosting a Community Conversation with our 21st District Delegation (Senator Jim Rosapepe, Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, Delegate Ben Barnes, and Delegate Mary Lehman). Our State representatives will discuss highlights of the 2026 General Assembly Session. This will take place at the Laurel-Beltsville Senior Activity Center, 7120 Contee Road, Laurel, MD 20707, at 6 PM. Register to attend at tinyurl.com/D21Convo2026.

Upcoming Legislation: At-Large Council Seats

Does the County Council need At-Large Seats? When the County Council proposed changing the Charter in 2016 to expand the Council to 11 members by adding two At-Large Seats, I was one of the leaders of the unsuccessful effort to defeat the Charter amendment. The wording on the ballot was confusing and misleading, and I believe that this was intentional. The opponents believed that adding At-Large seats was a blatant effort to circumvent term limits, a waste of tax dollars, and that, due to the substantial amount of campaign funds needed to run a County-wide campaign, the seats would be controlled by special interests.

As we approach the third term with At-Large seats, I feel that the opposition’s original concerns have been demonstrated to be correct. Therefore, I will be proposing legislation to place a Charter amendment on the ballot to eliminate the At-Large seats as of the 2030 election. The seats cannot be eliminated for this election because the Charter amendment first needs to be approved. To place a Charter amendment on the ballot takes eight votes, and it may be difficult to get these many votes from Council Members. I would appreciate your support. Please let me know your thoughts.

Updates on the Subregion 1 Minor Plan Amendment & Sectional Map Amendment

Very important! The Subregion 1 Minor Plan Amendment & Sectional Map Amendment process is coming to a head. After a preliminary Town Hall Meeting on July 28, 2025, a Listening Session on November 24, 2025, and an Open House on January 21, 2026, MNCPPC planners are getting ready to release their proposed amendments to the 2010 Subregion 1 Master Plan. The schedule is to release the proposed amendments (Initiation) on April 14, 2026. Then, a public hearing must be held within 60 days (scheduled for June 8, 2026), with the record open for two weeks afterward for additional public comments. I want to make sure everyone knows this well in advance so they can block out time for reading and commenting. Over the summer, the Park and Planning Staff will review and address public comments with the intent of presenting the final version to the County Council for adoption in October.

To keep in touch and stay informed, please sign up for our District 1 eNewsletter at tinyurl.com/D1eNewsletterOptIn, email councildistrict1@co.pg.md.us, or call 301-952-3887.