The proposed Fiscal Year 2020 Budget and Financial Plan makes significant investments in the areas of housing, education, and early childhood supports. You will find a comprehensive summary of all the Council’s modifications to the budget in the Local Budget Act (LBA) report; I recommend that you begin your review with that document. All budget documents are posted at www.dccouncilbudget.com/fiscal-year-2020-budget.
The Council offers $13.6 million in enhancements to fund a 3.0% UPSFF increase and a 0.225 at-risk student weight in FY 2020.
The Council is dedicated to expanding and coordinating access to early childhood services and supports, with special attention to equitable access to opportunity regardless of race, ethnicity, or zip code. In the FY 2020 budget, the Council proudly builds upon its prior investments and directs $8.5 million to partially fund the “Birth-to-Three for All DC Act of 2018.”
The Council continues its investments in the Cure the Streets program with an enhancement of $3.9 million in FY 2020. Further, the Council enables the OAG to capture an additional $3 million per fiscal year in its non-lapsing Litigation Support Fund for crime prevention purposes.
The Council dedicates $20.5 million in housing and housing supports, including $7.9 million to create approximately 389 new units of housing for extremely low-income families and individuals through the D.C. Housing Authority’s Local Rent Supplement Program (LRSP). The Council is proud to make this critical investment while preserving the integrity of the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF). The Council was able to achieve this important goal without redirecting any dedicated taxes or funds from HPTF.
The Council shifts the closing of the United Medical Center to January 2023, ensuring residents of the East End continue to have access to hospital care. Additionally, the Council includes labor protections to ensure our workforce is not adversely affected by UMC’s closure.
The Council includes funding for an Expenditure Commission, modeled on the well-regarded Tax Revision Commission, to review and analyze the District’s current budget structure and its expenditures for the current and previous 5 fiscal years, and make recommendations for improving the District’s budget.
In addition to these highlights, the LBA report describes the significant changes that the Council made to the Mayor’s proposed budget and explains how these adjustments make the District a better place for its residents and businesses.
Finally, I just wanted to give a special thanks to the outstanding team in the Budget Office: Angela Joyner, Anne Phelps, Joe Wolfe, Averil Carraway, Jason Kim and Susanna Groves. Without them, there would be no budget.
As always, my staff and I are available to answer any questions you may have. Thank you again for your assistance and support,
Jen Budoff