On March 20, I and fellow councilmembers will be joined by the Mayor at MLK library to be briefed on her proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2025, which begins on Oct. 1, 2024.

Last year, we were presented with a challenging budget that included significant cuts. Working together with my fellow councilmembers, we passed a budget that restored many of those cuts and delivered a lot for District residents.

• I partnered with Chairman Mendelson to fund 24-hour service on 14 bus routes, especially useful for late-night workers in the hospitality and other sectors
• I invested $5 million in public safety programs across Ward 1, including a new outreach and intervention program on 7th and T St
• Community input will begin shortly on a new sobering center in Columbia Heights
• We are researching and envisioning streetscape redesign for Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant
• I allocated $16 million for Rita Bright and Park View Recreation centers
• And with colleagues, I added $43 million to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program
• New public restrooms are about to be installed in locations throughout the District, including at Columbia Heights Civic Plaza
• We are building a new middle school at the Banneker Building on Euclid Street

This year’s budget will likely be much tighter, presenting a challenge to existing and planned programs.

As Chair of the Committee on Public Works & Operations, it’s a high priority for me to ensure that our most critical workforce is protected. Last year, I restored more than 50 positions at the Department of Public Works that the Mayor planned to cut. That includes the workers who pick up our recycling and trash, collect leaves every fall, clear snow every winter, and sweep the streets every spring and summer – all essential government functions I know residents will feel acutely if they don’t have the staff needed. In my meetings with the Mayor and her team this year, I have emphasized the importance of preserving investments in these services and workers. That includes the new positions I funded for parking enforcement, booting, and towing – work that has taken on increased importance as the frontline of traffic safety enforcement. (My bill to go after fake license plates also plays an important role here.)

We cannot let up on investments in public safety, including several recent initiatives and legislation. I have three public safety bills before the Council to increase police officer recruitment through our homegrown Cadet program, make fixes to the 911 call center operation, and close more homicides with more robust witness protection. All of these will take money, too.

I strongly support the Mayor’s $200 million commitment to WMATA for this coming fiscal year. Public transit is non-negotiable and must be frequent and reliable. Headways on metro and the bus are better now than they’ve been in years, and ridership is breaking new records.

Along with other fiscal pressures like the sunsetting of federal recovery dollars and inflation, the Mayor will have to contend with a budget gap of as much as $800 million. By law, she must present us with a balanced budget. The question on everyone’s mind is where that money will come from.

Most expect the Mayor’s budget to include some tax increase or other “revenue-raisers.” This is a notable shift from most years when there was a hesitance to proactively increase revenues. Where that revenue comes from and its impact on residents and businesses is critically important.

I have been a consistent champion of progressive revenue-raising policy to support essential programs supporting our residents. In 2021, I led on the Homes and Hearts Amendment Act, which taxed the District’s highest earners for affordable housing for more than 2,000 residents. It also increased pay for early childhood educators.

Progressive policy, fiscal responsibility, and economic growth can be achieved all at once, as long as we have the right approach, do good work, and have some courage.

I strongly encourage you to participate in the budget process. Sign up to testify or give written testimony at the many budget oversight hearings that will be held by committees, including my own Committee on Public Works and Operations.