Susie Cambria, MSW

Public Policy Consulting

Budget Highlights from members of the City Council

(Updated 6/12/09)

Council Chair Vincent Gray (At-large)

I was delighted to spearhead the increase in funding for Pre-K services that keeps us
moving toward having a slot for every three and four-year old by 2014. Our budget will
permit adding 1,000 additional slots for next year while also funding professional
development for child care workers along with support for program upgrades. Funding for
the “Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Amendment Act” will total over $16 Million next
fiscal year. This is an exciting win for our children.

CM Jack Evans (Ward 2)

This week the Council finished deliberations on the FY 2010 budget, in what was a
particularly challenging year as the Mayor and Council faced down a $770+ million revenue
shortfall. We voted earlier this month on the “numbers” of the budget, and this week
finalized the changes in the law necessary to implement that budget. Our work was made
somewhat easier by the federal “American Reinvestment and Recovery Act”, aka, the
“stimulus money”. Since the introduction of the budget in March and through our votes this
month the Council has addressed a number of problems in the budget, such as eliminating
the controversial “streetlight maintenance fee”, and resolved a dispute with the school
system over $27 million in funding. I am very glad the Council and Chancellor Rhee came
together to address that.

I was also glad to work with the Mayor and my colleagues to help identify funding for a
variety of important projects, among others as well:
• $1,000,000 each for the NIF target areas in Shaw and Logan Circle
• $250,000 to Bread for the City to support their work in Shaw
• $250,000 to Friends of Kennedy Recreation Center
• $500,000 to the DC LGBT Center for a capital facility campaign
• $250,000 for the Earned Income Tax Credit outreach campaign
• $150,000 for Shaw Main Streets
• $75,000 for Historic Dupont Main Streets
• $100,000 for the Mid-City Business Association
• $500,000 for streetscape work on lower Connecticut Avenue
• $250,000 for the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival
• $350,000 for Rachel’s Women’s Center for capital improvements
• $1,000,000 for capital projects at the Phillips Collection
• $325,000 for the Textile Museum for capital improvements
• $250,000 for the DC Jewish Community Center
• $150,000 for Language ETC’s immigrant education and literacy efforts
• $250,000 for the Capital Breast Care Center and their efforts with low-income
women
• $25,000 to the Dupont Circle Village for their work with seniors

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CM Jim Graham (Ward 1)
Now that the FY10 budget has Council approval, I am pleased to report on my citywide and
Ward One specific achievements as chairman of the Committee on Public Works and
Transportation.

I authored:
• Elimination of the proposed “streetlight user fee” - $12 million
• Improvement of dangerous roads and intersections including on 16th Street
between Columbia Road and Colorado Avenue - $4.5 million
• Affordable housing programs that help low-income families. (Low income rent
supplement, TANF, HPAP and Housing First) - $5 million
• Pre-kindergarten programs - $4 million
• Restoration of 40 DPW jobs for ex-offenders and creation of 10 new ones.
Those jobs are full-time with benefits. - $2.5 million
• Restoration of a proposed cut in school crossing guards - $1.2 million
• Green Teams cleaning Georgia Avenue, 14th Street, and U Street - $800,000
• Citywide Coordinating Council on Youth Violence Prevention to continue
working with MPD and DYRS on gang intervention strategies - $1 million
• Restoration of tax standard deductions - $2.9 million
• Restoration of cuts in the Office of Aging - $800,000
• Full funding of police at late night bar closing times - $400,000
• New taxi inspectors for illegal out-of-state cabs - $260,000

CM Muriel Bowser (Ward 4)

Other legislative session matters:
• The Council passed the FY2010 budget, which will include many initiatives
that will help to secure the District’s economic vitality and the betterment of
our residents.