|
This year’s budget includes a Public Life Study and streetscape designs for Mount Pleasant Street and central Columbia Heights. The sidewalks and public spaces are decades old and in need of a significant refresh to support the vibrancy of these neighborhoods. More below.
|
|
|
|
|
Hello Neighbors:
I expected I would use this newsletter to update you on the Mayor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025, starting Oct. 1, 2024, but we haven’t received it yet. We now expect to see the budget on April 3.
So buckle up! It’s going to be an even busier budget oversight season than usual. And it’s going to be a tight budget year. We can expect to see cuts – perhaps significant cuts – in the Mayor’s budget, and I’ll be working to preserve some of the programs and projects from the current year’s budget (fiscal year 2024) that require ongoing funding, making sure that we don’t lose momentum on projects that enrich Ward 1.
This seems like a good time, then, to look at some of the key investments I made throughout Ward 1 in this year’s budget and how some are being implemented.
- Added funding for two traffic control officers at the corner of 14th & Irving streets to keep bus and bike lanes clear and moving. They started their work in December and are on site Monday – Friday 12-6 pm.
- Added nearly $4.5 million to bolster the violence prevention program for Columbia Heights, Park View, and LeDroit Park, and to introduce these services to the vicinity of 14th & V St.
- Expanded the Shaw Clean Team service area to the 1900 block of 8th Street NW.
- $200,000 for grant funding for a pilot program to provide substance use disorder and behavioral health services around the 600 block of T St., with a focus on opioid use intervention. The grant has been awarded to HIPS and outreach has recently begun.
- $750,000 for repairs and maintenance of the fountain/splash pad at Columbia Heights Civic Plaza and 14th and Girard. The Department of General Services is preparing to procure a vendor.
These are only a few of the many programs and projects in the fiscal 2024 budget that are now becoming reality. Read more.
|
|
|
|
|
Start of Budget Oversight Season, Take Two
We expected the Mayor to roll out her budget March 20, but due to some last-minute negotiations over stabilization funds with the chief financial officer, the budget is now expected next Wednesday, April 3. This means that budget oversight hearings that were previously scheduled have been moved.
If you are planning to testify – and I hope you are – you can view the schedule of all committee hearings or the schedule of hearings in the committee I chair, Public Works & Operations Committee, and info
about how to testify or submit testimony.
The first hearings in Public Works & Operations are Tuesday, April 9 (Department of Public Works) and Wednesday, April 10 (Office of Administrative Hearings).
|
|
|
|
|
Truancy, Youth Outcomes, and Public Safety
Young people in the District face big challenges. Truancy rates are high, and the impact of gun violence trauma is evident. In the past month, I have joined my fellow councilmembers in co-introducing legislation to provide young people with the support they need to keep them safe and stay on the path to a promising future.
Data from D.C.’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education shows that three in five District high school students are chronically absent, a risk factor for involvement in the criminal justice system. This week, I joined Councilmember Charles Allen to co-introduce a bill to keep students in school by focusing resources on the school communities with the highest rates of absenteeism.
The Chronic Absenteeism and Truancy Reduction Act of 2024 will provide principals of schools with high rates of absenteeism with more staff and resources, require D.C. Public Schools to intervene after five missed days in a marking period, and mandate that schools with high rates of truancy have a safe passages program to help students make it to the classroom safely.
I also joined Councilmember Robert White to co-introduce a package of bills that seeks to prevent youth violence with youth opportunities. The three bills included in the ‘Safer Today, Safer Tomorrow’ package expand career and technical education, provide mentorship opportunities for young people, and support schools in intervening to help students who are chronically truant.
Each of these bills are violence prevention measures, recognizing that ending crime and violence requires a comprehensive, holistic strategy.
|
|
|
|
|
Creating an environment of quality housing, healthy music, and harmonious neighborhoods
|
|
|
|
|
Last week, I introduced a bill that will protect the vibrant musical and cultural history of our neighborhoods while also giving relief to the residents who have lived or moved here and appreciate that culture. The Harmonious Living Act Amendment of 2024 sets soundproofing standards for new residential construction and aims to improve public spaces to make them more amenable to music and public performances in ways that reduce residential disturbance.
|
|
|
|
|
First Phases of Safety Updates for the 11th Street Corridor
The D.C. Department of Transportation recently announced its intention to bring long-desired safety updates to the intersections of 11th Street and Rhode Island Ave and 11th Street and Vermont Ave. Protected bike
lanes, new signage, signal improvements, and additional updates will help establish 11th Street as a core component to the District’s growing network of all-ages bike facilities. Construction also started this month on 11th Street downtown, a separate project that will add dedicated bus lanes along with protected bike infrastructure and improved pedestrian crossings. Soon enough, that safe and protected infrastructure will extend from Pennsylvania Avenue all the way through Columbia Heights.
Residents have made clear with their voices and their existing travel patterns the importance of 11th Street. I have been a strong advocate for this project, alongside your commissioners representing ANC 1A and ANC 1B, and I am thrilled to see this project move forward for the benefit of everyone in Ward 1 and across D.C.
|
|
|
|
|
I joined Beloved Community Incubator to connect with our fantastic local vendors in Columbia Heights. It's an exciting time as we gear up to launch the new street vending zone, which will improve the experience for customers, residents, and vendors. The Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection has been helping vendors get their licenses and will soon announce the new vending zone manager contract. I can't wait to see this community continue to thrive together.
|
|
|
|
|
Fun morning in the classroom with students and educators at AppleTree in Columbia Heights. Thank you for inviting me to be your guest reader!
|
|
|
|
|
Great to meet with the advocates working to protect the Pay Equity Fund at the Wilson Building this week.
The Pay Equity Fund is essential: it has raised wages for thousands of hard working early childhood educators, many of whom are Black and Brown women. We must keep our promises to the District’s educators, parents, and children and protect this program in our FY25 budget.
|
|
|
|
|
Apply for emergency rental assistance
The D.C. Department of Human Services will re-open the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) application portal on Monday, April 1 at 12 noon. The portal will remain open until 8,500 applications are received. In January, submissions were cut off within a few hours, so be sure to be ready to apply as soon after noon as you can.
If you need technical assistance to submit your application, DHS will be holding a workshop at MLK Library. Details can be found in the graphic above.
If you are able to apply without technical assistance, you are encouraged to submit your application online at erap.dhs.dc.gov when the portal opens.
You must submit the following documents with your application:
- Proof of residency (lease, letter from landlord)
- Photo ID for all adults in the household (current government-issued ID such as a driver’s license, or passport)
- Desired documents: Providing these documents will make completing your application easier, however they are not mandatory if you complete the self-certification.
- Proof of income for the last 30 days (pay stubs, SSI, SSDI, unemployment benefits, retirement, child support, TANF). If you don’t have income, you will need to sign a zero-income statement.
- Proof of resources or benefits (bank statements from the last 30 days for all accounts, SNAP)
- If applying for First Month/Security Deposit: proof of rental agreement, such as an approval notice for the new unit you applied for and documentation of need for assistance such as homelessness verification, notice of eviction, or voucher for the new unit.
- Documentation needed from landlord: You, as the tenant, may submit this information as well.
- Updated rental ledger that shows the amount of past due rent
- W-9 signed and dated
- Management agreement or business license if payment is to be made to an entity other than the owner of the unit
- For private landlords: Copy of ID and proof of Social Security Number
Residents who need assistance but who are unable to attend the workshop can call the ERAP Hotline at 202-507-6666 for help completing their application. Residents who have general inquiries or questions about submitted applications can call the hotline.
|
|
|
|
|
Department of Public Works Community Conversation
Do you have questions or concerns about parking enforcement, trash collection, or other D.C. Department of Public Works services?
D.C. DPW will hold a virtual community conversation on Wednesday, April 24. Residents are encouraged to submit questions ahead of time by the newly extended deadline of Tuesday, April 2.
Register
|
|
|
|
|
District E-Bike Incentive Program
The District E-Bike Incentive Program helps residents buy electric bicycles (e-bikes). The application window will be open from April 1 – April 15. Applications may be submitted at any time during this window. DDOT will open the first application window to Preferred Applicants only. A Preferred Applicant is a District resident enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, or the DC Healthcare Alliance.
Apply
|
|
|
|
|
Robust Retail Grant Program
Applications are now open for the Department of Small and Local Business Development's 2024 Robust Retail Grant Program. This year, 48 businesses will be awarded funding through a lottery selection process. The program is accepting applications from local businesses through Monday, April 15.
Small and independent retail businesses with fewer than 25 full-time employees are eligible for the $10,000 grants. Grant funds can be used for the reimbursement of business expenses that cover employee wages and salaries, insurance, rent, utilities, inventory, cleaning supplies, and more.
Apply
|
|
|
|
|
Free E-waste Recycling
On Saturday, April 6, an e-waste collection vehicle will be parked on the corner of Georgia Ave NW and Howard Pl NW (near Banneker Community Center) from 10 am to 2 pm. Residents can recycle certain electronic equipment free of charge.
More information
|
|
|
|
|
Legislative Meeting
Tuesday, April 2, 12 pm | in-person and online
Briefing on the Mayor's FY25 Budget Proposal
Wednesday, April 3, 11 am | in-person and online
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1C
Wednesday, April 3, 7 pm | online
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B
Thursday, April 4, 6:30 pm | online
Committee on Facilities & Family Services Public Hearing
Friday, April 5, 9 am | in-person and online
The Committee on Facilities & Family Services will hold a public hearing on Councilmember Nadeau’s bill, the Early Childhood Facilities Preservation and Expansion Act of 2024. The legislation will allow the District to purchase the Rosemount Center property or negotiate a lease agreement.
Committee on Public Works & Operations
Tuesday, April 9, 12 pm | in-person and online
Committee on Public Works & Operations
Wednesday, April 10, 9 am | in-person and online
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1A
Wednesday, April 10, 7 pm | online
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1E
Wednesday, April 24, 7 pm | online
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1D
Tuesday, April 30, 7 pm | in-person and online
|
|
|
|
|
