A RESOLUTION

by

THE WARD 6 DEMOCRATS

Whereas, the current economic climate forces the District of Columbia to make difficult choices to
develop a fair budget for FY2011; and

Whereas, a fair budget requires all residents to shoulder some share of the burden to maintain city
services and priorities, including both revenue increases and reductions in spending; and

Whereas, the budget of the District of Columbia is a document that not only reflects the city’s finances,
but also reflects the city’s shared vision and priorities; and

Whereas, the District of Columbia has already made difficult choices to reduce services to vulnerable
populations in the previous budget; and

Whereas, the budget of the District of Columbia should support improvements to residents’ quality of
life, including public safety and public education, as well as support small business growth,
neighborhood-based development and job creation.

Therefore, be it resolved, that the Ward 6 Democrats find that the proposed FY2011 budget
should be amended to better reflect the city’s needs and priorities and recommends that the Council of
the District of Columbia take the following actions:

To create a fair budget that asks something of all residents and protects and enhances services
to vulnerable populations, new revenue should be generated by increasing the income tax rate
on high income households; and

To better reflect our service-based economy, the District’s sales tax should be updated to
include more services, excluding complementary medical services, and create greater equity
with consumer goods; and

To remove the undue burden placed on homeowners that leave their homes temporarily for
military deployments, contract employment, medical rehabilitation, relocation of seniors with
health-related issues, vacation or when placing their home on the real estate market, the vacant
property registration proposal should be amended to eliminate blighted property in
neighborhoods but not place unnecessary registration requirements on residents and their
property; and

To support efforts to clean up the Anacostia River as outlined in the Anacostia River Cleanup and
Protection Act, the Cleanup Fund should be restored with its full funding for its intended
purposes; and
 To create the next generation of public transportation connecting District neighborhoods, full
funding for implementation of streetcars on the H Street and Benning Road, NE route should be
supported; and

To support the growth of neighborhood-based business and commerce, the burden of fees and
assessments placed on small businesses should be reduced whenever possible; and

To enhance service delivery, find efficiencies through better coordination and agency
cooperation; and

To support the rights of working men and women in the District, the staffing and offices
responsible for labor relations, including the Public Employees Relations Board, should be
preserved; and

To improve the impact and evaluation of tax abatements, the Council should require a fiscal
analysis of any proposed tax abatement be made by the Chief Financial Officer and made public;
and

To ensure improved transparency and accounting of public dollars, no earmarks should be

included within the budget, and any grant dollars should be allocated and awarded through a
competitive process.

Approved by the Ward 6 Democrats by a unanimous vote on Tuesday, April 27, 2010.