Council Passes Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Including Ward 5 Priorities Championed by Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie
Washington, DC – On Tuesday, May 28, 2019, the District of Columbia Council held its second vote on the Fiscal Year 2020 District of Columbia budget. The budget reflects priorities raised by Ward 5 residents through months of engagement, including public hearings, meetings with advocates and stakeholders, and the Ward 5 Budget Engagement Forum.
Ward 5 Priorities:
- Allocates funding to create a Biotechnology Academy within McKinley Technology High School.
- Enhances the District’s Clean Team program with an expanded Fort Lincoln Clean Team, a new residential clean team in the Trinidad neighborhood, and a roving Ward 5 clean team.
- Adds an additional $3.5 million in funding for the Arboretum Recreation Center, which will include a new half-court gym and multipurpose room.
- Identifies $250,000 for lighting at the Langdon Park Dog Parklong sought by the community and supported by ANC 5C.
- Protects $19.7 million in funding for renovation of the Langdon Park Recreation Center, set to begin in Fiscal Year 2023.
- Retains $4 million in funding for improvements to Fort Lincoln Parkand $13.18 million to renovate the adjacent Theodore Hagans Culture Center.
- Keeps modernization of Browne Education Campuson track with nearly $40 million in modernization funds that will become available in Fiscal Year 2023.
- Invests $2.6 million in the Brentwood Recreation Centerin Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021.
- Funds reconstruction and redesign of the intersection of Florida Ave NE and New York Ave NE(“Dave Thomas Circle”), including acquisition of the private fast food restaurant located at the Circle.
- Funds an additional $6.9 million in renovations for Burroughs Elementary School, set to begin in Fiscal Year 2025.
- Includes $600,000 for replacement of the playground at Bunker Hill Elementary School.
- Funds replacement of the football field shared by McKinley Technology High School and Middle School.
- Continues funding for planning, design, and building of the Arboretum Bike and Pedestrian Bridge,to connect the U.S. National Arboretum to the Anacostia River Trail on the east side of the river.
Representation:
- Commissions a statue of a native Washingtonian woman, to memorialize and reflect the District’s diverse population.
Support for Small Businesses:
- Supports small businesses and neighborhood retail through expansion of the Main Streets program, including new main street organizations for U Street and Upper Georgia Avenue.
- Enhances funding for the DC Anchor Partnership, an innovative demand-driven initiative to connect DC’s universities and hospitals with District-based small businesses.
- Funds Dream Grants, which support the growth of micro-businesses in Wards 7 and 8.
Violence Prevention:
- Funds $3 million to support violence prevention and intervention initiatives using the NEAR Act’s Cure Violence modelwithin the Office of the Attorney General. This funding, secured by Councilmember McDuffie, will allow the public health-based approach to violence prevention program to build on its early successes.
- Protects victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse, or stalking,as well as their family members against discrimination by employers or labor organizations.
Education and Health:
- Increases the at-risk weightof the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula.
- Fully funds a new building for Banneker High School; the District’s highest performing high school.
- Supports healthy development for babies and toddlers by funding the Birth-to-Three for All DC Act.
Supporting Seniors, Families, and Vulnerable Citizens:
- Funds Aspire to Entrepreneurship Program which trains returning citizensthrough a specialized curriculum on topics including financial literacy, marketing, and business management and development.
- Funds implementation of the Senior Strategic Plan, a comprehensive ten-year plan to serve as a blueprint for the District’s senior community.
Affordable Housing:
- Directs $24.5 million in reserve funds from DC’s convention authority, Events DC, to make much needed repairs to the District’s public housing stock.
- Expands funding for Schedule H vouchers, which assist low- and moderate-income residents who face high property taxes or rents compared with their income.
- Increases funding for Permanent Supportive Housing, which provides long-term housing and intensive case management to individuals experiencing homelessness.
Protecting Our Environment:
- Funds a study to identify and map District springs and streamsthat likely have been covered or piped underground but still produce or carry water. The report will also discuss the benefits and feasibility of returning these springs and streams above ground.
- Funds implementation of the Clean Energy DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018, which puts the District on the path toward 100% sustainable energy by 2032 and includes strong provisions for workforce development and support for certified business enterprises (CBEs).
- Maintains funding to close the W Street Trash Transfer Stationby eminent domain, putting it on the path to closure and providing Brentwood residents with relief from its detrimental impacts.