DC Government

14 DC Businesses Pledge a ‘Living Wage for All’ Their Employees

By Prince Of Petworth

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Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

From a press release:

“Tommy Wells was joined by business owners, labor and social justice advocates at a press conference in support of his “Living Wage for All DC” legislation. The press conference was held at the DC Brau Brewing Company where owners, Brandon Skall and Jeff Hancock, showed their support for the “Living Wage for All DC” legislation by announcing they would increase their employees’ salary to $10.25 an hour starting this month. Thirteen other DC businesses joined in the commitment to paying their employees the “Living Wage for All, ” including: BicycleSpace, Inspire BBQ, The Pug, Union Kitchen, Blind Dog Café, Toscana Café, Al Tiramisu, Bike Rack, Big Bear, Chocolate City Brewing, Right Proper Brewing, Law Office of C. Thomas Chartered, and 3 Stars Brewing. (more…)

“Project consists of a 19-foot-diameter tunnel running under First Street from Channing Street to Rhode Island Avenue, NW”

By Prince Of Petworth

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Photo by PoPville flickr user JoshBassett|PHOTOGRAPHY

From a press release:

“DC Water selects Skanska/Jay Dee Joint Venture to build First Street Tunnel, a measure to reduce localized flooding in NW DC

The DC Water Board of Directors yesterday approved the construction contract to build the First Street Tunnel, a key medium-term measure to address localized flooding in the Northeast Boundary neighborhoods including Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park. Constructing the tunnel was one of the recommendations of the Task Force on the Prevention of Flooding in Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park created by Mayor Vincent C. Gray after a series of floods last year.

Skanska/Jay Dee Joint Venture was selected based on technical score and cost proposal. The $157 million bid is for design-build, a contract type DC Water has been pioneering in recent years. Design-build allows for more contractor innovation and greater coordination with the contract owner. Design-build teams also assume a portion of the design responsibility.

This project consists of a 19-foot-diameter tunnel running under First Street from Channing Street to Rhode Island Avenue, NW. Slated for completion in 2016, the tunnel will store eight million gallons of stormwater, capturing it before it can make its way to the combined sewer system. The stormwater will be stored in the tunnel during rainstorms and pumped into the sewer system once the storms subside. This should help alleviate some of the sewer backups and overland flooding experienced in the low-lying neighborhoods; however, relief during the more severe storms will come in the final phases of the DC Water Clean Rivers Project. (more…)

October 1st Also Begins Extended Library Hours

By Prince Of Petworth

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Photo by PoPville flickr user ewilfong

More good October 1st news from the DC Library:

“Starting Oct. 1, all DC Public Library locations will be open on Sundays and until 9 p.m. four nights a week. The District’s fiscal year 2014 budget increased the library’s budget by 25 percent, restoring library hours citywide for the first time since 2009 when a budget cuts ended Sunday hours at neighborhood libraries and reduced hours citywide.

The new hours will be:

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
Sunday: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday: 9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Tuesday: 9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Thursday: 9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday: 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Neighborhood libraries
Sunday: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday: 9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Tuesday: 9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Thursday: 1 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday: 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.”

DC Sales Taxes Going Back Down to 5.75% Starting October 1st

By Prince Of Petworth

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Thanks to a reader for sending. Sales tax originally was increased from 5.75% to 6% back in 2009.

When the decrease was voted on earlier this year, the Washington Times had reported:

“An amendment introduced by council member Tommy Wells, Ward 6 Democrat, that would have swapped the sales tax reduction for increased deductions on residents’ income taxes was struck down in an 8-5 vote. Mr. Wells and Mr. Evans are running for mayor next year.”

Which would you have rather had – a reduction in sales tax or increased deductions on income taxes?

Open house and presentation of the draft recommendations for the Mid City East planning area

By Prince Of Petworth

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Map courtesy Mid City East

From an email:

“Please join the DC Office of Planning and the District Department of Transportation on September 26, 6:30-8:30 pm at the McKinley Technology Educational Campus Auditorium, for an open house and presentation of the draft recommendations for the Mid City East planning area. The draft recommendations to be presented, are informed by extensive research, analysis and community feedback that has taken place over the past few months. We look forward to your continued participation and hope to see you there!

Location: McKinley Technology Educational Campus Auditorium at 151 T Street, NE

The Mid City East communities of Bates-Hanover, Bloomingdale, Eckington, (portions of) Edgewood, LeDroit Park, Sursum Corda, and Truxton Circle lie almost exactly one mile north of the U.S. Capitol. These architecturally interesting and culturally vibrant urban neighborhoods are rich with community, but wrestling with concerns – heavy traffic volumes, aging sewer systems, and increasing needs for diverse, affordable and convenient housing, retail and transportation options. The Mid City East Initiative will strive to improve mobility, enhance commercial corridors, promote safety, preserve historic resources, green infrastructure, and cultivate development opportunities.”

Dear PoPville – How Much Notice is Required before posting an Emergency No Parking sign?

By Prince Of Petworth

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“Dear PoPville,

Last night I luckily walked by my car parked on 15th St NW and saw that an Emergency No Parking sign that had been posted requiring me to move my car today. My car is in a non-street sweeping zone, so I planned to leave it there for weeks and check periodically for no parking signs (about weekly) since it’s a few blocks from where I live. I had just walked by on Saturday night and there were no signs.

But this sign showed up at most 3 days before (with one day being a sunday). I know there have been posts about these signs before, but is there a requirement for how far in advance No Parking signs must be posted? Are people really required to check their car’s location every 2-3 days for such signs? And thus never allowed to leave it on the street if out of town for a few days for personal or business reasons, home sick, godforbid in the hospital, or a range of other reasons? In this case it’s the city doing work on 15th street putting up the sign with very little notice.”

From DDOT:

“District law requires that signs be posted 24 hours in advance at metered spaces and 72 hours in advance at non-metered spaces.”

Do you think that’s a reasonable amount of time?

Mayor Gray Introduces Phoenix CFO Jeffrey DeWitt as Nominee to Become District’s New Chief Financial Officer

By Prince Of Petworth

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Photo courtesy @mayorvincegray

From a press release:

“Today, Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced that he was nominating Jeffrey S. DeWitt, who has served since 2009 as the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Phoenix, Ariz., as the District’s next Chief Financial Officer. If confirmed by the Council, DeWitt would head up the independent Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), which works with the Mayor and the Council to manage the District’s finances.

“After an exhaustive nationwide search, I believe we have found in Jeff DeWitt everything I’m looking for in a new Chief Financial Officer for the District,” said Mayor Gray. “He has a sterling track record in municipal finance. He has extensive experience in working with the Wall Street credit-rating agencies to maintain and improve a large city’s bond ratings. He is a skilled manager and leader. And he has proven experience working collaboratively with the executive and legislative branches of government to ensure that residents are served well and served fairly.”

DeWitt was one of several candidates recommended to the Mayor by a search committee he appointed earlier this year, naming former Mayor Anthony Williams and former U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Dr. Alice Rivlin as its leaders. Other search committee members included affordable-housing advocate and Manna, Inc. Founder and Board Chair the Rev. Jim Dickerson; AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust Executive Vice President and former Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Eric Price; FedEx Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and former D.C. Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Gina Adams; PNC Bank Regional President Mike Harreld; and BET Networks Chairman and CEO Debra Lee.

DeWitt will replace Dr. Natwar M. Gandhi, who is stepping down after more than a decade as the District’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). (more…)

Update on Visitor Parking Pass Program – Current Pass Will Remain Valid Through December

By Prince Of Petworth

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From DDOT:

“The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced the following updates regarding the Visitor Parking Pass (VPP) Program:

· The current 2012/2013 VPP will remain valid through December 2013.

· Residents that do not have a VPP may obtain a parking pass at a police station or substation in the ward in which they reside.

The 2013/2014 VPP will be made available free of charge and only one pass will be provided per household.

About the Parking Pass Program

The VPP program is designed to allow guests of District residents to park for more than two hours on RPP zoned blocks. A VPP is only valid during the hours of RPP enforcement and in the same RPP zone and ANC boundary as the residence.

Please Note:

District residents cannot use a VPP in lieu of registering their vehicles with the District Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). If residents who receive a pass have guests that stay overnight frequently, then the visitor should register their vehicle through the Registration of Out of State Automobile (ROSA) program once a Warning Citation is issued by DPW parking enforcement personnel.”

Mayor Gray Explains His Decision to Declare All District Government Operations Essential during Federal Shutdown

By Prince Of Petworth

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Photo by PoPville flickr user philliefan99

From a press release:

“Today, Mayor Vincent C. Gray explained his decision to declare all District government operations as essential during a potential shutdown of the federal government.

“I have determined that everything the District government does – protecting the health, safety and welfare of our residents and visitors – is essential,” said Mayor Gray. “It is ridiculous that a city of 632,000 people – a city where we have balanced our budget for 18 consecutive years and have a rainy-day fund of well over a billion dollars – cannot spend its residents’ own local tax dollars to provide them the services they’ve paid for without Congressional approval. Congress can’t even get its own fiscal house in order; they should be taking lessons from us rather than imposing needless suffering on us. I will not allow the safety and well-being of District residents to be compromised by Congress’s dysfunction.”

A copy of the letter that Mayor Gray sent to the head of the federal Office of Management and Budget making his determination is attached.”

9-25-13 Gray Ltr to OMB re 2013 shutdown

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