Mayor Vincent C. Gray today released his Fiscal Year 2014 Proposed Budget and Financial Plan. The $10.1 billion budget leverages the District’s strong financial position to make major investments in expanding affordable housing, strengthening education and workforce development, and safeguarding public safety without raising new taxes or fees.
“After two years of sometimes-difficult decisions made to strengthen our fiscal health and hard work to grow our economy, we are now in the position to begin investing for tomorrow and funding our priorities at a higher level,” Mayor Gray said. “This budget makes significant investments that will boost the quality of life for all District residents — including a historic investment in the expansion of affordable housing.”
The plan’s priorities include funding for affordable housing, school construction and modernization, expanded library hours and construction, bringing the Metropolitan Police Department to 4,000 officers, and investments in streetcars and bicycle infrastructure.
The budget has three overall goals consistent with the Mayor’s One City Action Plan: 1) Grow and Diversify the District’s Economy; 2) Educate and Prepare the Workforce for the New Economy; and 3) Improve the Quality of Life for All.
Improve the Quality of Life for All
The Mayor’s budget reflects $100 million in investments over Fiscal Years 2013 and 2014 to produce or preserve 10,000 units of affordable housing by 2020. These include:
· $86.9 million in the Housing Production Trust Fund – including $66.9 million in FY 2013 and $20 million in FY 2014;
· $13.1 million to fund the other recommendations of the Comprehensive Housing Strategy Task Force;
· A commitment to dedicating 15 percent of the District’s deed-recordation and -transfer taxes to the Housing Production Trust Fund on a recurring basis.
The budget also funds other initiatives to improve the quality of life for District residents, including:
· Fully funding 4,000 sworn officers for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD);
· $7.2 million for MPD and $8 million for the Fire & Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) Department in FY 2013 for vehicle-fleet replacement initiatives;
· Replacing $27.9 million in lost federal funds to continue reforming the District’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program;
· The beginning of a $400 million, six-year investment in the District’s streetcar program and a $6.2 million annual operating subsidy – including completion of the District’s 1st streetcar line (Minnesota Avenue to Georgetown), completion of the engineering for the Anacostia Line and a study on adding additional north-south lines;
· A $16 million investment in the District’s bicycle infrastructure, including new bike lanes and trails, continued bike-friendly improvements to streetscapes, and the addition of 10 new Capital Bikeshare stations;
· A multi-million dollar investment in expanding, improving and renovating the District’s parks and recreation facilities and programs;
· Expanding hours and days of service to seven days a week at all the District’s public libraries, and investing in a major, $103 million renovation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library as well as construction or renovation of libraries in Cleveland Park, the Palisades and Woodridge;
· Investing $15 million in the One City Fund, which will provide competitive grants of up to $100,000 a year to non-profit organizations in education, job training, health, services for seniors, the arts, public safety, and the environment;
· And pay raises for District employees – union and non-union alike – including, for most, the first raise they’ve had in between four and seven years.
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