DC Government

New Estimates Show $140 Million Revenue Boost for FY 2012

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user JoshBassettPhotography

From a press release:

Mayor Vincent C. Gray welcomed new estimates from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) that show the District government taking in $139.5 million more in Fiscal Year 2012 than expected.

Significant growth in employment among District residents and robust economic growth were the biggest drivers of the revenue boost. The estimates show that individual income tax withholding increased by $51.2 million, and the sales fueled by higher earnings yielded an additional $22.8 million in sales taxes.

However, Mayor Gray noted, OCFO’s estimates for Fiscal Year 2013 revenues remain flat due to the threat of federal sequestration – currently scheduled to take effect in January – and its anticipated effect on the local economy. “The District’s fiscal future looks far bleaker if Congress and the President do not act quickly to prevent what everyone agrees is a completely unacceptable and destructive means of reducing the federal budget,” he said. “It also underscores the urgency of diversifying the District’s economy and reducing dependence on the federal government for our economic success.”

MPD to Resume District’s Breath Alcohol Testing Program September 28

By Prince Of Petworth

From a press release:

Mayor Vincent C. Gray, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) announced that the District is scheduled to resume its Breath Alcohol Testing Program this Friday, September 28. When processing an arrest for impaired-driving offenses, a trained MPD operator will administer tests to measure breath alcohol content. Standard field sobriety tests will continue to be conducted at the scene. Urine testing equipment will remain available at all patrol districts.

“Ensuring we are doing everything possible to protect public safety is a priority for this administration, and I am extremely grateful that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provided a $150,000 grant to help resume the program,” said Mayor Gray. “I am also pleased with the teamwork that has been demonstrated by the MPD, OCME and OAG to ensure that the new software would be compatible with the new legislation.”

OCME will provide oversight of the proper use, maintenance and certification of the evidentiary equipment. MPD decided to suspend its breath alcohol program in 2010 and worked with OCME and OAG to develop state-of-the-art software for Intoximeter instruments. During the development process MPD continued to rely on urine tests, and OAG continued vigorous prosecution of impaired-driving cases.

As of August 1, the District started to get tougher on drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs under the Comprehensive Impaired Driving Act of 2012. The law provides for higher penalties for first-time drunk drivers and more severe mandatory minimum sentences for repeat offenders and drivers with very high breath alcohol scores. It also gets tougher on drivers of commercial vehicles and vehicles for hire and people who drive while impaired with children in the vehicle.

Harrison Rec Center Playground and Basketball Courts Closed for Renovations

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I saw this sign today at Harrison Rec center (1330 V St, NW). Do you know what renovations they’re doing? The playground could really use some TLC!”

The Friends of Harrison Recreation Center update in an email:

“Washington Gas will be doing some upgrades to the building and grounds (new energy-efficient appliances, a solar panel, some painting and landscaping) in the coming weeks.

DPR is still assessing whether Harrison will be eligible for new playground equipment in FY13 (centers who have the highest need will be identified).”

Friday Question of the Day – Was the City Right to Make the Pug Remove “The Ward 8 Special – Marion Berry’s Dirty Asian Summer Punch”?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo tweeted by @mikedebonis

Folks have been talking a bit about this in the rant/revel section but I’ve gotten a few requests to start a separate thread on it. For those who missed it, The Washington Post’s Mike Debonis wrote:

The punch, a fruity vodka concoction, was whipped up by the H Street NE bar’s owner, Tony Tomelden, as an admittedly crude but satirical tribute to D.C. Council member Marion Barry’s controversial comments this year criticizing Asian shop owners and Filipino nurses.

On Thursday, the Office of Human Rights delivered a letter to Tomelden calling the sign “racially offensive” and requesting that it be taken down and “Dirty Asian Summer Punch” be taken off the menu.

Tomelden was given 72 hours to remove the “Dirty Asian Summer Punch” sign, lest the agency pursue a “formal charge” against him with the Commission on Human Rights. A commission proceeding can result in a cease-and-desist order and civil fines of up to $10,000 for a first-time offender.

Read the full story here.

Did the the Office of Human Rights do the right thing? Or, whether you found the sign offensive or not, do you think it should have been protected under freedom of speech?


Mayor’s Task Force on Bloomingdale Flooding Announces Short-Term Relief Measures

By Prince Of Petworth


1st and Rhode Island Ave, NW taken by @BoundaryStoneDC

From a Press Release:

Mayor Vincent C. Gray today announced three short-term measures to lessen the impacts of flooding in the Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park neighborhoods. DC Water, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) will implement these solutions as part of their work on the Mayor’s Task Force on the Relief of Flooding in Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park.

The two neighborhoods have suffered from overland flooding and sewer backups on multiple occasions this summer because of heavy rains and outdated sewer infrastructure. In response, Mayor Gray formed the task force to identify short- and long-range solutions to the flooding problem. The Mayor named City Administrator Allen Y. Lew and DC Water General Manager George Hawkins as co-chairs of the task force.

The short-term measures include:

· Analyzing the effectiveness of, and installing additional, storm drains in affected areas;

· Installing stormwater-retention features in the affected area to lessen runoff due to heavy rains; and

· Assisting residents in the neighborhood with installation of rain barrels to collect runoff from rooftops during storms, thereby decreasing the stormwater loads that the sewer system must handle.

“DC Water has been busy analyzing the causes of the problem, working with affected homeowners and doing long-term planning,” said Mayor Gray. “These three mitigation efforts represent the first tangible results from the Task Force, which brings DC Water together with other agencies and neighborhood residents. This is a good first step toward some much-needed relief.”

The stretches of road most susceptible to flooding have been the 500 and 600 blocks of Florida Avenue NW and the 100 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW.

“The District is coordinating all appropriate agencies to address this issue as quickly as possible,” said Lew. “The immediate goal is to intervene and redirect some of the overland water flow that caused the flash flooding and prevent it from threatening the homes in these neighborhoods.”

Continues after the jump (more…)

Marion Barry Getting Fired Up at DNC Convention

By Prince Of Petworth

Welcome from MultoMedia on Vimeo.

@marionbarryjr has been quite active tweeting from the DNC today. CM Barry tweets:

“During slavery, some chose to stay on the plantation.Some chose freedom.What do you choose? Plantation days in DC are numbered. It is time.”

and

“Some accept the crumbs from the table of democracy from which all other Americans dine.NOTHING less than full democracy is acceptableNOTHING”

Aux Armes, Citoyennes?

Dear PoPville – Flooding Hurting Shaw Residents Too

By Prince Of Petworth

Dear PoPville,

Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park have been getting a lot of attention for their flooding, and deservedly so, but the problem with the antiquated sewer systems goes beyond just there.

I live about a mile to the west in Shaw, and here the issue is as much with large condo buildings as it is with English basements. My building (The Rhapsody at Florida and Vermont) just had its second flood of the ground level units this summer. (It’s also the third in two years.) This one was particularly devastating, with nearly every unit on the ground floor affected. Other buildings nearby have also had multiple, destructive incidents. The ground level of the Floridian had a sewer backup on Sunday as well (it was mentioned on NBC 4). And the Beauregard at 11th and V has had multiple floodings of its garage this summer.

Much as in Bloomingdale, the sewer and drainage systems can’t handle the additional wastewater generated by a denser population in these areas. Yet the new systems in these buildings were built to code, and apparently signed off on by city inspectors.

In any case, it’s nearly impossible to sue DC Water for such instances. They’ve basically got to admit their own negligence before you can sue them. And it’s unclear how their backflow preventer rebates will apply to large buildings.

Anyone else outside of Bloomingdale/Ledroit been affected by recent flooding?

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