Mayor Bowser Presents Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Proposal

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser presented her Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Budget and Financial Plan to the Council of the District of Columbia as part of the District’s annual budget process. The $19.7 billion FY24 budget includes investments that are strategic and focused on ensuring a strong and equitable comeback for Washington, DC.

“The Fiscal Year 2024 Fair Shot Budget is being delivered at a critical juncture for our city. This budget reflects many tough choices, but we are also fortunate that even in tight times, the District remains well-resourced and able to continue delivering world-class programs and services,” said Mayor Bowser.  “As I have said before, when we work together, there is nothing that we cannot take on. The FY 2024 Budget makes the necessary investments to promote and sustain the District’s comeback by unlocking the full potential of our residents, our neighborhoods, and our businesses.”

Below are highlights of investments and initiatives in Mayor Bowser’s FY24 budget proposal.

DC’s Comeback

What we’re doing now:

• $3.4M Small & Medium Business Growth Fund
• $4M Commercial Property Acquisition Fund 
• $10M Vitality Fund 
• $1.4M Business retention, expansion and attraction 
• $598K in recurring funds for participating businesses in Creative and Open Space Modernization (COSM) 
• $1.5M DC Family Fun Destinations 

New investments in FY 2024: 

• $3M for Great Streets and Small Business Fund 
• $1.5M in additional funds for participating businesses in Creative and Open Space Modernization (COSM) 
• Increase the available Housing in Downtown abatement from $6.8M to $41M in FY28 
• $79M to unlock Fletcher Johnson, Poplar Point, and bring a full-service grocery to East Capitol Gateway 
• $9.8M to fund improvements at Farragut Square 
• $6M for the Commercial Property Acquisition Fund 

Education

What we’re doing now:

• $2B in funding from the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula (UPSFF) towards public and public charter schools 
• $18M to support schools in weathering the effects of the pandemic through the Mayor’s Recovery Fund
• $14M for preventative maintenance of schools' heating and cooling systems 

New investments in FY 2024:

• $145M to support a 5.05% increase to the foundation of the UPSFF
• $20M to continue supporting schools feeling the effects of the pandemic through the Mayor’s Recovery Fund
• $116M to support raising the wages of teachers in both public and public charter schools
• $5M to begin planning and implementing “My Afterschool DC,” an online central hub for parents to access afterschool opportunities for their children within the District 
• $1.6M to begin planning and implementing a Teacher Apprenticeship Program to train future teachers in the District 
• $6.8M in the Special Education Enhancement Fund to fund dedicated childcare slots for infants and toddlers with disabilities and out-of-school time slots for children with disabilities and a referral system
• Raising the eligibility for the childcare subsidy from 250% of the federal poverty line to 300% of the federal poverty line

Major Capital Investments

• $110M to turn the old Banneker school into the new Center City Middle School 
• $77M to renovate and expand the new MacArthur High School in Ward 3
• $35M to renovate the Winston Education Campus 
• $31M to add 3 new PACE school modernizations – Excel Academy, Beers Elementary, and Bruce Monroe @ Parkview Elementary
• $2.1B to continue the modernizations or expansions of 40 other schools including PACE and non-PACE projects, including cafeteria renovations or buildouts for Plummer Elementary School, Hardy Middle School, and Coolidge High School
• $90M over six years for DCPS to preserve and maintain school facilities through small capital investments in HVAC, life safety needs, athletic field repairs and upgrades, and ADA compliance $34M over six years DCPS to improve information technology systems within schools for improved bandwidth and connectivity, complete our refreshment of smart board technology systems in classrooms, and upgrade school data interfaces for families 
• $6M to support strengthening schools’ classroom safety hardware

Recreation

What we’re doing now:

• $14.2M for Recreation for A.L.L. and Urban Park and Roving Leaders to reimagine the way our residents play and have fun 
• $2.1M in enhanced recreation opportunities for underserved areas and communities experiencing upticks in crime and underserved areas, including late night operating hours and afternoon recreational programming for children ages 3-12

New investments in FY 2024:

• $750,000 for the conversion of four underutilized tennis and basketball courts into pickleball courts
• $2.95M for summer recreation activities and accelerated learning opportunities for students recovering from the impacts of the pandemic 
• $400,000 to create 360 additional summer camp slots across sports and aquatics programs for children & youth with disabilities
• $1.1M to support operations at DPR facilities set to open in the fiscal year, including McMillian Community Center, Joy Evans Therapeutic Recreation Community Center, Stead Park Recreation Center, and Anacostia Recreation Center
• $932,000 for enhanced security services at DPR priority sites

Staying Safe and Cool:

• $1.9 million to support extended pool hours at Ballou High School for the public and provide janitorial services for all outdoor and DCPS pools
• $5M “Splash Pad Blitz” to renovate the outdoor splash pads at 14th and Park in Columbia Heights and at the Takoma, Hillcrest, Fort Stevens, Palisades, Watkins, and King-Greenleaf Recreation Centers
• $6M in additional funding for Walter Reed Pool 
• $5.7M to replace Rosedale Pool
• $12M for the Rumsey Aquatic Center modernization 

Legacy Initiatives & Public Housing

What we’re doing now:

• $1M for Heirs Property Services
• $2.2M for Single Family Residential Rehab
• $10M for Black Homeownership Fund

New investments in FY 2024:

• $31M to fund the Housing Production Trust Fund at $100M
• $1.5M enhancement for Heirs Property Services
• $2M to increase available funds for Single Family Residential Rehab
• $8M to increase available down payment assistance through HPAP
• $1M to expand Strong Families, Strong Futures
• $13M to support 600 families in Career Map

Expanding and Improving Public Housing:

• $139M for New Communities Initiative at Barry Farm, Park Morton, and Northwest One, including 735 new public housing replacement units
• $115M to rehabilitate and modernize public housing units managed by the DC Housing Authority 
• $68M for comprehensive rehabilitation of housing properties in alignment with independent needs assessment
• $25M to prioritize urgent repairs in areas such as electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and roofing
• $8.4M to enhance fire safety systems, including detectors, alarm systems, and suppression 
• $3.7M to enhance security systems
• $2.1M for focused mold remediation and other efforts to reduce childhood asthma risk
• $7.4M for staffing to maximize the effectiveness of these new investments

Public Safety

What we’re doing now:

• $4.5M for ONSE Pathways Program Expansion
• $7.7M for ONSE Violence Interruption Programs
• $2M for DYRS Violence Prevention Initiatives
• $9M for Safe Passage Programming—now under DMPSJ

New investments in FY 2024:

• Funding the Second Chance Amendment Act criminal record sealing
• $6.7M for grants for victims of sexual assault and other victim services, including crisis intervention and advocacy
• $4M to support high-quality education services of DOC inmates with special education needs
• $1.2M to launch a new DC Paramedic School
• $29M in FY 2024 to replace Fire and EMS emergency response vehicles, including ambulances and ladder trucks, as well as $1.2M and 2 dedicated personnel to support the maintenance of these critical apparatus
• $277M to build a new annex to the Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF)
• Repealing the removal of School Resource Officers from our schools

Maintaining a Strong MPD:

• Continue investments in recruitment and conversion bonuses for new hires ($5.4M) and expanded educational incentives ($1.2M).
• $2.1M and 18 additional staff to support civilianization efforts, reducing the need for sworn officers to cover civilian roles and duties. 
• $1.4M for 6 staff and programming for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), as well as employee wellness and wellbeing, to help retain officers.

Transportation Safety and Mobility

New investments in FY 2024:

• Maintain the $7.4M to install 342 new automated traffic cameras and add $13.3M to support DMV’s increased ticket processing and adjudication responsibilities
• $258M to redesign dangerous roadways and improve traffic safety
• $19M a year to deploy temporary and permanent traffic calming measures, including $3.6M a year for improvements around schools and $5M to create a TSI 2.0 program, geared towards a more equitable TSI approach
• $148M for new or rehabilitated trail segments
• $36M to continue building more protected bike lanes and $15M to continue expansion of Capital Bikeshare, including adding more than 1,000 new e-bikes to the Bikeshare fleet
• $114M to continue building bus-only lanes and other bus priority treatments to make bus travel faster and more reliable

Mayor’s Task Force on Automated Traffic Enforcement Equity and Safety
Chaired by the Chief Equity Officer and Deputy Mayor for Operations and Infrastructure, the task force will study and make recommendations to:

• Maximize the efficacy of the ATE program in reducing the frequency and severity of crashes and traffic fatalities;
• Mitigate against the potentially inequitable effects of flat fines on individual of varying household incomes; and
• Clarify, simplify, and streamline the payment processes associated with traffic ticket fines and penalties, including delinquent debt, to lessen administrative burdens to the public. 

$2M has been set aside in FY 24 to begin piloting strategies and ideas from the task force.

Health and Human Services

What we’re doing now:

• $43M for Emergency Rental Assistance
• $146M for Permanent Supportive Housing and Local Rent Supplement Program
• $6.9M to provide 24-hour low barrier shelter operations

New investments in FY 2024:

• $900,000 to buy down $90M of medical debt for approximately 90,000 residents
• $42M to support rental assistance through the Family Re-Housing Stabilization Program
• $24.4M to provide increased Medicaid rates for services in the behavioral health sector
• $2.2M to support homeless prevention programming and outreach
• $1.7M to support housing case management services for behavioral health service clients
• $1M to increase the eligibility for the Safe at Home program
• $744,600 to increase personal needs allowance for individuals with disabilities
• $550,000 to provide free dental services for seniors
• $340,500 to distribute tablet devices to seniors for improving wellness activities, telehealth, and socialization

Government Services

What we’re doing now:

• $14M for HVAC preventative maintenance in schools
• $4M for specialized maintenance at 5 additional schools
• $2.7M for expanded fire and life safety improvements at District facilities

New investments in FY 2024:

• $2.5M to create a new recruitment and retention fund for hard to fill DC government positions such as 911 call takers and social workers
• $4.5M to expand HVAC preventative maintenance to non-DCPS facilities
• $6.9M in new dedicated work order response funding
• $4.5M for a new one-stop web portal for resident services
• $3.4M to begin replacing residents’ “Supercan” trash cans, with the goal of replacing every can over the next eight years
• $4.2M to enhance cybersecurity protections through enhanced device security and proactive vulnerability remediation
• $70K for DMV to automatically register voters when the agency issues IDs to new residents

Visit budget.dc.gov to view the Mayor’s FY24 Proposed Budget.
 

Social Media:
Mayor Bowser Twitter: @MayorBowser
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