Between the DC Council’s first budget vote on June 9 and its second earlier this week, its proposed spending jumped by $50 million — ultimately exceeding by nearly $500 million Mayor Muriel Bowser’s initial proposal.
That add-on may not seem significant when measured against a Fiscal Year 2027 Budget and Financial Plan that totals $21,876,189,466. The local portion of the budget is $12,242,673,131, according to documents posted on the council’s website.
However, the legislature’s multimillion-dollar increase is tangible proof that it is unable or unwilling to control its spending addiction — despite the fact that councilmembers acknowledge the fiscal challenges facing the District.
Equally egregious, legislators — following recommendations of Council Chair Phil Mendelson — used one-time funding to temporarily extend services for critical recurring programs like housing vouchers, pay equity for early childhood educators, childcare subsidies, and school mental health services. They will have to scramble around when determining how to continue those services or programs in FY 2028 when money is expected to be even tighter.
“No matter what, [Mendelson] just keeps spending,” said Jack Evans, former Ward 2 councilmember who is considered an expert on District finances and financial management.
“The council missed a real opportunity. [Members] could have shown what we call a profile in courage,” Evans added during a telephone interview with me on Tuesday not long after lawmakers took their second budget vote.
Layering their recklessness, legislators also used $150 million from one of the city’s reserve accounts — despite DC Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee having warned in a letter to Mendelson that taking such action would mean, in Lee’s view, that the budget is unbalanced. That could mean trouble when the District’s budget legislation is sent to Capitol Hill for congressional approval — a process essential not just to local funding but also to needed sign-off on federal appropriations for the District.
“As you are aware, pursuant to the Home Rule Act, the Council is required to approve a balanced budget in which expenditures do not exceed available resources,” Lee wrote.
“I again urge the Council to pass a balanced budget and four-year financial plan that does not reduce the local reserves, which are essential for District liquidity.”
During their pre-vote administrative meeting on Monday, Mendelson and his colleagues created a contingency list with more programs, including the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) and the Credible Messengers mentoring intervention program, that would receive additional funding if revenues become available later in the year.
Call that a SMH moment.
Some legislators, who later became part of the go-along-get-along-crew, expressed concern about queuing a fight with the CFO. “Have we explored other alternatives?” asked Ward 5’s Zachary Parker, a sometimes pragmatic progressive who recently won his Democratic Party primary renomination bid. Currently, he has no opposition in the general election.
“The politics aren’t in our favor,” added Parker, who had joined Monday’s meeting virtually.
