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WARD 1 UPDATE
Hello Neighbors:
I sometimes refer to the Committee on Public Works & Operations as the “nitty gritty city committee,” a playful recognition of our attention to some of the most mundane and daily necessities of city life. In this budget process, we dove into the weeds, found inefficiencies and waste, and applied those savings to areas of need to keep our city clean and safe and support the rights, health, and wellbeing of residents.
The Committee I Chair is committed to crafting a budget that supports all D.C. residents, not just the wealthiest few. In the budget recommendations we approved on Wednesday, the Committee met that commitment by investing in the critical work done by the agencies the Committee oversees and transferring funds to other committees as necessary.
Here are some of the highlights:
Keeping our City Clean and Livable
We will improve community cleanliness by funding more than 250 new public litter and recycling cans and significantly expanding composting services in the city – expanding curbside composting services from 9,000 to 12,000 households and adding 10 additional “smart bins” throughout the city for 24-hour food waste drop-off.
We will maintain and expand the standalone public restrooms pilot program with an investment to support six existing and four new standalone Throne restrooms, thanks in part to funds from Councilmembers Zachary Parker, Charles Allen, and Brooke Pinto. The new units will be located at Ellington Plaza (near 7th & T St NW), Watkins Recreation Center, Starburst Plaza at Bladensburg and Benning, and Marvin Gaye Park. We also will support the restroom at Walter Pierce Park in Adams Morgan by transferring funds to the Committee on Facilities.
Enhancing Public Safety, Including Road Safety
We will provide support to people living with substance use disorders and create safe and vibrant public spaces in Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant, U Street, and Lower Georgia Avenue by maintaining and enhancing the Ward 1 community navigators program through a transfer of funds to the Committee on Health.
We will prioritize the most dangerous driving behaviors for enforcement by DPW’s booting and towing teams, by implementing the already-passed vehicle infraction points system. And improve road safety by finally giving DPW the tools to identify and immediately tow and impound vehicles with counterfeit license plates and temporary tags, implementing legislation that I introduced. The owners of these vehicles have escaped accountability for too long.
Supporting the Rights, Health, and Wellbeing of Residents
The rollbacks in the budget presented to the Council by the Mayor would have turned the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program back to the draconian policies of the 1990s that were proven to be ineffective and condemned by a DHS-convened working group. The Committee’s budget undoes this significant rollback of reforms and threats to the program by transferring $1.3 million to the Committee on Health and Human Services.
We will expand access to healthcare and social services by providing funds to home visiting for expectant parents, and we will expand access to healthy food across the District through a transfer from the Committee on Health to fund implementation of the Farmers Market Support Amendment Act of 2025.
We will restore funding to the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children in collaboration with the Committee on Youth Affairs, an office that is critical to safeguarding children and families.
When we first received the Mayor’s proposed FY2026 budget, I called it a “budget of 1,000 cuts”, and I committed myself to the work of reversing the harmful reductions that would significantly impact the lives of residents in every ward across the District. Yesterday the Committee passed a budget that moves us in the direction of a path to prosperity for all, not just for our wealthiest residents. This budget restores funding to critical programs, ensures agencies have the resources to deliver the high-quality services residents deserve and expect, and supports our residents, businesses, and communities.
There is still more work to be done. Our Committee recommendations are not final. They will be incorporated into a revised Council budget that reflects the work of all the committees, which will then come before the full Council for review and a series of votes. The Budget Office has a helpful overview of the process if you’d like to learn more.
I encourage you to continue to contact me and your five other councilmembers (four at-large and the Chairman) to voice your opinion on the budget as we move to the next stage in the process.
Read my full remarks before the Committee on Public Works & Operations and find a link to the Committee’s report.
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