February 28, 2019
The Honorable Muriel Bowser
Mayor of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20002
Re: Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Proposal
Dear Mayor Bowser:
As you prepare your Fiscal Year 2020 (“FY20”) proposed budget, I
would like to highlight a few Ward 5 priorities and request that
you consider funding them in FY20.
Last year, your Fair Shot budget made critical investments
essential to Ward 5 residents such as supporting $20 million in
funding for a new Lamond-Riggs library; $500,000 for new Main
Streets and Clean Teams along South Dakota/Riggs Road and
Bladensburg; and $300,000 for the design and creation of a statue
of native Washingtonian and civil rights leader, Charles Hamilton
Houston.
Our Ward 5 FY20 budget is about making the District equitable and
inclusive for all. From investing in affordable housing to keep
residents in their homes to expanding behavioral health and trauma
informed services, together, our Ward 5 FY20 budget requests moves
the District towards real achievable and equitable results.
Further, our Ward 5 budget represents feedback gathered from
residents during my Ward 5 Budget Engagement Forum, and
consideration of over 300 hours of Advisory Neighborhood Commission
(ANC) and civic association meetings.
- Affordable Housing
Affordable housing remains one of
the highest priorities of Ward 5 residents. With your leadership
and the support of the Council, we have made critical investments
in the Housing Production Trust Fund, adjusted amounts for HPAP,
and other important steps to ensure housing affordability. However,
the Washington
Post just reported that “[i]ncome inequality is rising
so fast… that data can’t keep up”. Therefore, we must do more to
address the city’s affordable housing shortage.
The Schedule H Homeowner and Renter Property Tax Credit is a
critical tool to help low-, moderate-income, and senior residents
cope when they face substantial tax burdens. In fact, the last time
the Council made adjustments to Schedule H (2013-2014), the
benefits were immediate, with the number of households claiming
Schedule H tripling. Therefore, I am requesting that you
increase the maximum Schedule H credit from $1,000 to $1,500,
increase the income eligibility to $50,000, and simplify the
application process.
- Education Resources
- STEM Funding for McKinley Tech; Behavioral Health; and
Trauma Informed Services
A significant number of Ward 5
residents reported education as their top budget priority. I
am requesting that you prioritize funding to support additional funds
to expand McKinley Tech’s Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM) Program. By 2020, 50 percent of all new jobs
will require at least a bachelor’s degree or above, and nearly 60
percent will require at least some form of education and training
beyond high school. However, 60,000 adult African American DC
residents have not finished high school.
McKinley Tech is one of five specialized secondary schools in the
District. McKinley is the only STEM high school in the District. As
such, the school is in dire need of additional funding to support
and expand its Biotechnical, Engineering, and IT and programs and
to encourage participation by investing in scholarships in STEM
fields. Just last year, five graduates from McKinley made national
headlines by gaining acceptance into Morehouse College and
receiving scholarships from the United Negro College Fund. These
students intend to major in computer science and hope to bring more
people of color to STEM-related fields.
I am requesting that your FY20
budget include funding to ensure every DCPS school has adequate
mental health supports and trauma-informed training for both
students and teachers, staff, and administrators. Black students
are nearly seven times more likely to be suspended compared with to
their white counterparts [1]. What is needed is not more discipline
but a comprehensive approach to help students with challenges faced
both inside and out of school. Funding would be used to train
school staff in trauma-informed and restorative practices, provide
students with access to trained mental health professionals such as
Trauma Informed Coordinators, within their respective schools, and
ensure every school is equipped with high-quality, evidence-based
social emotional learning programs. I am also requesting that you
invest in social emotional learning (SEL) approaches within every
school in DCPS.
- Transportation and
Infrastructure Improvements
I request significant investment
in transportation resources including funding for sidewalk repairs
and renovations, expanded bus service, and bike lanes. I am
requesting that you prioritize reliable, frequent, and expanded bus
service particularly for the B8/B9; H6; 83 and 86. We have heard
from numerous residents including representatives from the Bicycle
Advisory Council requesting funds for more protected bike lanes,
particularly across New York Avenue, North Capitol Street, and
Rhode Island Avenue. I also heard from many residents requesting
that funds be prioritized to improve safety on the MBT through
investing in improved lighting, working call boxes, and the
installation of cameras.
For decades, the intersection of
Florida Avenue and New York Avenue, commonly referred to as “Dave
Thomas Circle” has posed a traffic nightmare for residents and
visitors alike. It is no secret that this is a failing intersection
that is unsafe for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. Therefore,
I am requesting funds to cover the cost of eminent domain,
engineering, and final design phases that addresses pedestrian and
bike space and slowing automobile traffic on New York Avenue.
- Decking Over of North Capitol Project
I am requesting an initial
investment of $40 million to support an initiative to deck over
North Capitol Street from V Street to Seaton Place with a
pedestrian and bike-friendly greenway. Many Ward 5 residents noted
pedestrian safety as their top infrastructure-related
concern. The Catholic University of America Graduate School
of Architecture and Planning conducted a corridor study titled,
“The New North Capitol Street,” which examined the prospective
connectivity, public realm, and neighborhood character improvements
that would bridge together the Stronghold, Bloomingdale, Eckington,
and other nearby neighborhoods.
North Capitol Street is a major artery in DC that runs North to
South, and provides key access to Union Station and the Capitol
building. Like many arteries in DC, urban planning changed the
makeup of North Capitol Street during the 1960s and 1970s, creating
scars along the landscape as portions of the streets were
suppressed below the ground plane to surpass east and west
connectors. This left a neighborhood with unfriendly pedestrian
access through service roads, minimized sidewalk widths, and
unattractive disruptive views to the Capitol. This led to many
parts of the corridor being neglected and segregated from the
overall cities vision of public space and connectivity.
The neglect and segregation have resulted in divides over the past
few decades affecting zoning and business development. While
specific areas within the aforementioned neighborhoods have
experienced intense gentrification, the goal is to promote stable
growth while creating an identity that does not threaten existing
residents. The decking-over project would promote “stable,
inclusive, multi-racial/multi-cultural neighborhood, and build
community identity and sense of place through civic engagement,
neighborhood history, and design. [2]
I request that your FY20 proposed
budget includes $500,000 in funds to fully establish a dedicated,
rapid bus line along New York Avenue from the NoMa-Gallaudet
University Metrorail station to the Shops at Dakota Crossing, which
would include stops at the Union Market area and Ivy City/Hecht
Warehouse area. The New York Avenue corridor has evolved into a
vibrant area with new housing and businesses, including retail,
restaurants, and distilleries. While residents living around Union
Market and neighborhoods such as Ft. Lincoln, Woodridge, Arboretum,
Ivy City, and Eckington enjoy the new amenities, they frequently
lament about the challenges of accessing the area. The lack of
public transportation options along New York Avenue limits
residents’ ability to commute to and from work as well as restrict
opportunities for visitors to patronize area businesses. As you are
aware, the businesses are doing their best to continue operating,
but will have a very difficult time continuing to do so without
help from the District to create reliable transportation to and
from this area.
- Arboretum Bridge and Trail Project
I request significant capital
investment in the Arboretum Bridge and Trail Project. The Arboretum
Bridge and Trail Project is a key route being designed as part of
the Anacostia River Trail (ART) network, which will be 28-miles
long once fully developed. Funds will be used to provide the
missing passageway between the Anacostia waterfront and the U.S.
National Arboretum, which garners over 500,000 annual visitors.
Ultimately, this investment will be ADA compliant and will improve
access for users including pedestrians, bicyclists, kayakers,
canoers, rowers, fishers and wildlife observers.
- Funding for Direct Bus Transportation for
Lamond-Riggs Students Traveling to the New North Middle School
Ward 5 students living in the
Lamond-Riggs neighborhood are zoned for Ward 4 schools, including
the New North Middle School that will open on the Coolidge campus
in the 2019-2020 school year. Parents at LaSalle-Backus Education
Campus have been advocating to make sure students in the
neighborhood will have direct bus access to the new middle school
campus that will be approximately 1.5 miles away. We know that
students at other schools such as Deal Middle School have a special
bus that provides public transportation for that school. Likewise,
when McKinley re-opened, 9th graders were bussed from the metro to
the school, and we know that students in schools that are in swing
spaces are also bussed. Accordingly, there is ample precedent for
prioritizing the safety of the city’s young students. Without this
option, parents may look for other school options in the
neighborhood that are safe and accessible, and the New North Middle
School will not receive the robust support from in-bound residents
that it should. Therefore, I am asking for the support in providing
funding to make sure there is safe, affordable, and direct bus
access for Ward 4 and 5 students in Lamond-Riggs to the New North
Middle School.
- Funding for Implementation of the Fort
Totten Access & Mobility Study Recommendations
DDOT completed an access and
mobility study for the Fort Totten metro station in 2011. This
study set forth a number of useful recommendations to improve
pedestrian/bicycle assess to and vehicular traffic around Fort
Totten metro station.
A tremendous amount of development has taken place in the
neighborhood since 2011. I request that funding be allocated for
DDOT to develop a public implementation plan in the next fiscal
year for the recommendations provided in this study and that it be
updated to the extent necessary to reflect development in the
neighborhood.
- Environmental
- W Street Trash Transfer Station
In discussing top budget
priorities around the environment, many residents identified environmental
clean-up as their top priority. Closing the W Street Trash Transfer
Station has long been a priority for Ward 5 residents, particularly
those living within the Brentwood neighborhood. This past fall,
with your support, the Council took important steps towards
addressing this environmental justice issue by moving emergency
legislation so that the District can complete the acquisition and
construction of the new facilities before the District runs out of
storage space. Acquisition of the W Street Site will allow the
District to construct and operate a facility or multiple facilities
to warehouse and store the equipment, records, property and
supplies of numerous District agencies in a District-owned
facility. I request $80 million in funds be allocated in your
FY20 proposed budget for the acquisition, construction, and
operations of the future facility.
- Funding for Ward 5 Environmental Studies
I am requesting funding to support
the funding of air quality survey and a storm water
management/hydrology study. Given the abundance of industrial uses
throughout Ward 5 in neighborhoods such as Woodridge South,
Brentwood, Ivy City, Gateway, Ft. Lincoln, Arboretum, V. Street,
Eckington, and Langdon, neighbors frequently complain of paint
particles, the decrease in air quality due to fumes from the
aforementioned industrial uses, and the high incidents of asthma
rates throughout the ward. Ward 5, particularly Woodridge and Ft.
Lincoln have suffered constant flooding due to poor drainage and
other issues.
- Capital Improvements/Investment
in Parks and Rec., Centers
- DCHA Park at WV Ave & Mt. Olivet
Ward 5 residents identified park
improvements as a priority for capital improvements. The small park
at the corner of West Virginia Avenue and Mt. Olivet Street is the
only existing resident-scaled park space in Ivy City. This park is
at a key location between two communities and has the potential to
be a significant place that is not only a green amenity but also a
bridge between the two neighborhoods. Although the park is owned
and maintained by the District of Columbia Housing Authority
(DCHA), only limited access is permitted.
These two spaces are critical to providing open and green amenities
for Ivy City. As such, investments to enhancing programming and
quality must be prioritized. Therefore, I am requesting funds be
allocated in FY20 to activating the park by increasing access by
improving pedestrian connections, fencing, and landscaping.
Please provide funds to support
the installation of new lighting at Langdon Dog Park. At 11,500
square feet, Langdon Dog Park is among the largest dog parks in the
District. The Dog Park provides a convenient and accessible place
for these many dog-owning neighbors to meet, build relationships,
and strengthen their communities.
- Harry Thomas Rec., Center Redevelopment and
Theodore Hagans Cultural Center
I request significant capital
investment in Ward 5 educational resources including funding for
renovations of the Harry Thomas Recreational Center. I would also
like to ensure that funding for Fort Lincoln Park and Theodore
Hagans Cultural Center remains on track. This includes ensuring
that the $5 million to renovate Fort Lincoln Park and the $13
million for modernization of the existing facility slated for the
projects in FY19 remains available.
- Thurgood Marshall Elementary School
The next request represents an
intersection of community concerns across several high priority
areas including public safety, health and human services, and
education. I am requesting funding for the Department of General
Services (DGS) to properly secure the Thurgood Marshall Elementary
School, located at 3100 Fort Lincoln Road. On January 7, I wrote to
Keith Anderson, Acting Director of DGS outlining my concerns about
the site being vacant and unsecured. Not only is the site an
eyesore, it has also become dangerous, unsafe, as well as a public
nuisance in the Fort Lincoln community. I indicated that I
had received numerous complaints from residents regarding
individuals entering and removing government property from the
school as well as homeless individuals seeking shelter and setting
up living quarters inside the school. Until a more permanent
solution is implemented, I requested that DGS complete the
following tasks:
- Ensure that all individuals have exited the
property;
- Collaborate with the Department of Human
Services (DHS) to identify safe housing for homeless
individuals;
- Secure the site by locking doors and
placing a fence around it; and
- Posting “No Trespassing” signs prominently
around the building.
On February 5, 2019, I received a
letter from Director Anderson indicating that DGS conducted a sweep
of the school as well as welded shut all unsecured doors. Further,
DGS committed to coordinate with the Metropolitan Police
Department, the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, and
Department of Human Services (DHS) to monitor the site in order to
connect homeless individuals with safe housing services. However,
DGS has indicated that fencing and “No Trespassing” signage is not
funded in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget. Consequently, I request that
you reprogram FY 19 funds to DGS to complete these important tasks.
Ensuring the completion of these tasks is important to maintaining
safety for residents and homeless individuals seeking shelter
there.
- Public Safety
- Office of Neighborhood, Safety, and
Engagement
Safety is a top concern of Ward 5
residents. As such, I am requesting that you fully fund the Office
of Neighborhood, Safety, and Engagement (ONSE). Significant
investment is needed to expand the number of program participants
and geographic areas. I am hopeful that these funds will add
much needed resources to neighborhoods such as Hanover, Benning
Road, and Brentwood, for example, however, I am happy to discuss
specific communities with your office. Funding would also go to
support programmatic efforts by expanding available resources for
rapid response, and to expand wrap around service offerings through
service providers.
Earlier this year, Deputy Mayor Kevin Donohue reported that
homicides in the District were up forty percent in 2018. To date,
homicides are already up sixty-four percent from 2018. As you know,
the NEAR Act, which I ushered through with the full support of my
colleagues, promotes an evidence-based, community-focused and
public health-intervention and prevention model to reduce instances
of crime in the District of Columbia.
I am hopeful as we are beginning to see some positive results as
programs are fully implemented and operationalized. However, the
frequent appeals by residents, as well as testimony of Executive
Director of the ONSE, Del McFadden, and that of Attorney General
Karl Racine brought to light the urgent funding needs of the
office.
- Health
Investing in equitable and
improved health outcomes is a priority for Ward 5 residents.
Therefore, I am also requesting that your FY20 budget fund
medically supported treatment for addiction, recovery, and
intervention.
- Equitable Access to Midwife Services
I am asking that you expand
health/Medicaid coverage for District residents to include midwife
services for pregnant beneficiaries. The Center for Disease Control
noted that Black women are 243 percent more likely to die from
pregnancy-or childbirth-related causes. Investing in preventative
services has the potential to ameliorate equity concerns while
improving care and reducing the costs of childbirth and would align
the District with other jurisdictions such as Oregon and Minnesota.
[3]
In March 2014, the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine argued
that, “Published data indicate that one of the most effective tools
to improve labor and delivery outcomes is the continuous presence
of support personnel, such as a midwife.”
- Legislation
I am requesting that your FY20
proposed budget fully fund the following bills:
Enacted
- B22-0686, the “Senior Strategic Plan
Amendment Act of 2018”
i. As introduced, this bill
requires the Office on Aging to develop a comprehensive ten-year
strategic plan that shall serve as a long-term blueprint for the
District. The plan includes an assessment of the data currently
available on the District's senior population, the senior
populations' needs, and the growth and decline in diversity of the
senior population, among other things; and
ii. This law is subject to
appropriations and to-date, is not funded. I am requesting $220,000
in funding for FY20 and $1.245 million to cover the cost of 3 FTEs
over the plan.
- B21-0021, the “Enhanced Penalties for
Distracted Driving Amendment Act of 2015”
i. B21-0021 was passed unanimously
in November of 2016 and became law in February of 2017.
ii. B21-0021 imposes enhanced
penalties for multiple distracted driving offenses within an
eighteen - month period and eliminates the penalty waiver for first
- time offenders who purchase a hands-free device; and results in
the suspension of the license and registration of the driver for at
least 30 days, but not more than 90 days;
iii. The District will also
suspend the offender’s vehicle registration for at least 30 days,
but not more than 90 days if the offender is a District resident.
- B22-0944, the “Sports Wagering Lottery
Amendment Act of 2018”
i. B22-0944 was introduced in September
of 2018 and is projected to become law in May of 2019;
ii. Only amendatory sections
316(d) and (e) of section 2(e) of B22-0944 are subject to
appropriations;
iii. The aforementioned sections
establish the “Sports Wagering Small Business Development Program”
and creates a training and capacity building program within the
Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD); and
iv. Requires the ODCA to prepare a
study to evaluate the performance of the DC Lottery sports betting
platform.
v. I am requesting $400,000 in
recurring funds to cover reporting costs and the implementation of
the “Sports Wagering Small Business Development Program.”
- B22-0904, the “Clean Energy DC Omnibus
Amendment Act of 2018"[4]
i. This bill places the District
of Columbia as a national leader in the fight against climate
change;
ii. The Committee added important
provision that would support workforce development and created the
Sustainable Energy Infrastructure Capacity Building and Pipeline
Program, which would prepare Certified Business Enterprises,
including women- and minority-owned businesses, with the tools to
compete for and win contracts in renewable energy; and
iii. This legislation is projected
to generate approximately $59 million in special purpose revenue. I
am requesting $21 million in FY20.
Introduced
- I plan on re-introducing, B22-0346, the
“Charles Hamilton Houston and Other Diverse Washingtonians
Commemorative Works Amendment Act of 2017”
i. This bill would direct the
Commemorative Works Commission to erect statues in each of the
City’s eight wards that highlight native Washingtonians who are
women or minorities. This bill is designed to memorialize them,
educate residents and visitors about them, honor their legacy, and
increase representation of native Washingtonian women and minority
historical figures lauded throughout the city;
ii. FY 19’s Budget Support Act
contained Subtitle
M. Commission on the Arts and Humanities Grants which
included $300,000 for the design and construction of a Charles
Hamilton Houston statue. I would like to thank you for your
leadership on this important issue and I am honored to serve as
co-chair for the Charles Hamilton Houston Commission;
iii. This subtitle will make the
inaugural statue a memorial to honor Charles Hamilton Houston, a
native Washingtonian and graduate of Dunbar High School. As native
Washingtonians, you and I know that the District of Columbia has
been the birthplace for many unsung figures who had an impact on,
not just the District of Columbia, but the entire nation; and
iv. This request for FY20,
specifically asks that funding be provided for the design and
construction of seven additional statues.
I welcome the opportunity to
discuss the budget requests and appreciate your thoughtful
consideration of each of them. For your convenience, I have
directed my staff to gather estimates for each of my requests. I am
happy to share these estimates with the staff you deem appropriate.
My staff also has more detailed requests gathered from Budget
Engagement Forum participants. I am happy to share those requests
if needed. Should you have any questions, please contact my
Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs, Brian McClure, at bmcclure@dccouncil.us or 202-724-8028.
Sincerely,
Kenyan R. McDuffie
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