College Park, Maryland · FY2027 Proposed

Your city budget,
in plain English.

$31.5 million. 34,000 residents. One place to see where the money goes and what the council is deciding right now.

Proposed · open for public comment until May 31

$927

per resident / year

33.5¢

per $100 — half the county avg

5

council items this month

~40,000

UMD students · the largest constituency that rarely votes locally

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City Budget · FY2027 Proposed

Where your $927 goes

College Park's FY2027 proposed budget is $31.5M — roughly $927/resident/year, up 5.6% from FY26. Property tax rate stays at 33.5¢/$100 residential (38.5¢ commercial) — half the PG County average of 63.27¢/$100. Source PDF ↗

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Capital Projects$6.2M in FY27

One-time investments in infrastructure, separate from the operating budget. Total 5-year CIP through FY31: $19.7M.

Complete & Green Streets

$2.2M

FY27 funding for the next phase of pedestrian and bike infrastructure. Cumulative project total: $9.0M through FY31.

Pavement Management Plan

$925K

FY27 paving and street resurfacing across the city. Cumulative project total: $14.5M through FY31.

North College Park Community Center

$1.3M

New community center facility for North College Park. Most spending is in FY26 ($1.25M) with $250K continuing in FY27.

Town & Gown

College Park is two cities sharing one zip code. Here's how the budget serves both.

Two budgets, one zip code

$2.98B vs. $31.5M

UMD operates on a $2.98B FY26 budget within city limits — roughly 95× the city's $31.5M FY27 proposed budget. Source

Who pays city property tax

~50% renters

Roughly half of College Park households are renters. Students in dorms don't pay city property tax directly; off-campus renters pay it indirectly through rent. The tax base depends on residents who often don't realize they're contributing.

Police coverage isn't uniform

3 neighborhoods

UMPD has concurrent jurisdiction in parts of the city but not Oak Springs, Daniels Park, or College Park Woods. Those areas rely entirely on the PG County Police contract — up for renewal this month. Source

What's new in FY27

New

5 new positions: Emergency Support Specialist, Housing Project Manager, Recreational Coordinator, Engineering/GIS Tech, plus a part-time bus driver

New

3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for all employees, per new union contract

New

Stop-sign camera enforcement adds an estimated $655K in fines & fees revenue

Unchanged

Property tax rate unchanged: 33.5¢/$100 residential, 38.5¢/$100 commercial

Removed

No appropriated fund balance in FY27 (vs. $106K from FY24 surplus used in FY26)

City Council

This week at City Hall

Recent and upcoming items from the College Park City Council — in plain English.

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