Council’s Proposed FY 2018 Budget is Released

Statement from the Office of the Budget Director

The proposed Fiscal Year 2018 Budget and Financial Plan makes significant investments in the areas of education, housing, human support services, infrastructure, and workforce development. You will find a comprehensive summary of all the Council’s modifications to the budget in the Local Budget Act (LBA) report; I recommend that you begin your review with that document.

With this budget, the Universal per Student Funding Formula (UPSFF) will increase by 3% so that every public and public charter school student is supported with a baseline $9,972 in foundation funding. The increased UPSFF will provide DCPS with $11.5 million and DCPCS with $7.2 million more than the Mayor’s proposed budget. Additionally, an increase of $4.5 million to OSSE to increase the value of child care vouchers will expand access to high quality childcare for low-income District families.

At a time in which the increase in housing and rental prices in the District far outpaces rises in income, the Council’s budget commits to making the District a more affordable place to live for low- and moderate-income residents. This budget will put homeownership within in reach for thousands of District residents by lowering the deed recordation tax for first time homebuyers. The Council’s budget will expand the capacity of the Office of the Tenant Advocate; invest $3.4 million in project and sponsor-based Local Rent Supplement Program (LRSP) vouchers for units targeted at very low and extremely low income residents; and direct $4.5 million towards ensuring that all tenants facing eviction have adequate legal representation.

The Council is committed to making homelessness in the District a brief, rare, and non-recurring event. To this end, the Council proposes directing an additional $8.77 million towards housing and supportive services for homeless individuals, families, and unaccompanied youth through a variety of programs, including Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), Targeted Affordable Housing (TAH), and the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).

The Council’s budget directs an additional $2.2 million to the reforms within the District’s TANF program to create a two-generational policy that both protects child well-being and offers the resources needed for parents to secure and maintain paid employment. Funding a $2.9 million increase to behavioral health and substance abuse rehabilitative service providers’ reimbursement rates will provide service providers with the resources necessary to stabilize operations. Providing transportation to adult learners will enhance the District’s commitment to assisting adult learners with achieving their educational goals, leading to better jobs to support themselves and their families.

Finally, the Council makes a significant investment in the future by increasing pay-go funding for the capital projects budget. The budget also accelerates the modernization of seven public and public charter schools and funds the infrastructure requirements of a paid family and medical leave program.

Committee Report for Bill 22-241, the “Fiscal Year 2018 Federal Portion Budget Request Act of 2017”
Committee Print for Bill 22-241, the “Fiscal Year 2018 Federal Portion Budget Request Act of 2017”
Committee Report for Bill 22-242, the “Fiscal Year 2018 Local Budget Act of 2017”
Committee Print for Bill 22-242, the “Fiscal Year 2018 Local Budget Act of 2017”
Committee Report for Bill 22-244, the “Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Support Act of 2017”
Committee Print for Bill 22-244, the “Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Support Act of 2017”