In an effort to help low income residents, the Prince George’s County Council repeated a mistake it made years ago — though once again the Council is adamant it will fix the oversight.
On Tuesday, amid the flurry of bills the Council passed was one to index the Maryland county’s minimum wage to the rate of inflation beginning in January 2026. When that kicks in, it would increase the minimum wage in the county above the state’s minimum.
That prompted concern in the disability community about the impact it could have on the ability of nonprofit groups to hire and retain caregivers who work with people with developmental disabilities, as well as senior citizens who need help at home.
That’s because the biggest source of revenue for those nonprofits is the state aid, which reimburses at the level of the state minimum wage. The county also provides a lesser subsidy to those nonprofits, so that the workers make above the minimum wage.
Right now that comes to about $16.50 per hour for most caregivers, said Rob Malone with The Arc Prince George’s County, a nonprofit that works with hundreds of adults and children who have physical and intellectual disabilities.
By increasing the minimum wage even by the .50 cents or so that it would go up under inflation, it might make jobs that pay less, but also demand much less, a little more appealing.
“We simply have to work with what we are given,” said Rob Bayard, who chairs the Prince George’s Provider Council, a coalition of nonprofits. “A minimum-wage increase in the county will not result in the state increasing our rate.”
The same problem was brought up in 2016 when the council raised the minimum wage.
It’s an industry he said has already been struggling to employ enough people to meet the needs of those who need help.
“We’ve seen numerous people lose access to services simply because the organizations tasked with providing the support are not able to hire and retain staff to provide those services,” Bayard added.
“One of the most impactful factors with our workforce crisis has been that the wages we are able to pay are not commensurate with the required work of a direct support professional.”
Parents of those who are served by various nonprofits around the county also said they are worried about losing the caregiver who helps their child live a more independent life, or even offers up enough assistance so they can go to work without worrying about their child.
“Service providers, including The Arc, would be forced to again struggle to fully staff the programs that my daughter needs to live a healthy and independent life,” said Lisa Shames, who said she has a daughter living in a group home with caregivers. “Since the county’s disability supplement was so beneficial, I ask you to increase that disability supplement and raise the minimum wage at the same time.”
Another parent, Jim Stockton, discussed the anxiety he goes through every time there’s a change in staffing that impacts his daughter.
“It takes new staff a fair amount of time to understand each child’s complications or requirements for support,” Stockton said. “It is extremely frustrating to our children and exacerbates behavior problems.”
An oversight
As advocates for the disabled were criticizing the bill, they were also saying they support an increase in the minimum wage. Near the end of the discussion, Council member Tom Dernoga, the lead sponsor of the bill to index minimum wage to inflation, admitted this was a legitimate issue and an oversight.
But it was also too late in the process to amend the legislation by the time that was realized. Instead, he said it’ll be a top priority when the Council begins the 2025 legislative year.
“This will be the first thing coming up in January,” Dernoga said. “Then we can try to work out those details.”
That brought reassurance from some on the Council, knowing the effort to tie the minimum wage to the rate of inflation won’t begin until January 2026, and allowing the bill to get the six votes needed to pass. It goes to the county executive’s office for a signature, which at this point has not expressed opposition to the bill.
