COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20004

 

MEMORANDUM

 

TO:                  Nyasha Smith, Secretary to the Council

               

FROM:            Phil Mendelson, Chairman

                                 

DATE:             April 24, 2024

 

RE:                  Request to Place Measures on the Agenda of an Additional Legislative Meeting on April 29, 2025

 

            The following measures are placed on the agenda of an Additional Legislative Meeting on April 29, 2025:

 

§  Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Submission Requirements Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2025

§  Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Submission Requirements Emergency Approval Resolution of 2025

 

The Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Submission Requirements Resolution of 2024, adopted on December 2, 2024 pursuant to the Home Rule Act, set the date as April 2, 2025 for the transmission of the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget to the Council.  However, the Mayor did not meet that date. 

 

The February 28, 2025 revenue estimate upon which the Mayor’s proposed budget is to be based included significant slowing of revenue growth, requiring reductions in recurring programs as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.  In addition, Congress has excluded a standard appropriations provision when adopting the Federal Fiscal Year 2025 continuing appropriations resolution that has forced the District to revise its Fiscal Year 2025 spending levels to levels appropriated in Fiscal Year 2024, a cut of over $1 billion from the current year budget.  

 

Approval on an emergency basis of the change in the date of the budget transmission is necessary to provide the Council and the public certainty as to schedule for the Council to complete action on the revised Fiscal Year 2025 budget and the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, and will allow the Council to move forward with setting a revised schedule of Committee meetings, markup, and adoption of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.. 

 

The draft measures are attached.  The exact date (which I hope will be May 7^th) is unspecified in the draft because, as of the date of this notice, (1) I am awaiting more certainty from the Mayor as to when they will be “pencils down” on the Fiscal Year 2025 supplemental they have chosen to pursue, as well as (2) a better understanding from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer how long they will need to process the supplemental (they already have the FY 2026 proposal) and how flexible they will be as to when they issue newly revised revenue estimates.  As you know, ordinarily the next revenue estimate issues after the Council completes its work on the budget, but the Mayor’s delay means that this year the revenue estimates will issue during our consideration.  I have asked the CFO to issue the estimates no later than 10 days after budget submission.  Please call me or Evan Cash if you have any questions at (202) 724-7002.

 

 

 

cc:        Members, Council of the District of Columbia

            Council Officers