July 7, 2021

Ward 3 Update: The T&E Budget

Dear Neighbors,

After weeks of budget oversight hearings, meetings, and community advocacy efforts, each of the Council's ten committees have marked up their budget reports and tomorrow the members will engage in a budget work session to discuss and debate the provisions and recommendations in each report. While nothing in the proposed budget is final, and major changes could certainly occur, I strongly encourage residents to take a look at the reports to see where financial investments are being made and how the Council is proposing to spend the District's $17.5 billion budget. We often refer to the budget as a reflection of our values, and it is important to share what those values will actually look like during the upcoming year of economic recovery and social progress.

This newsletter highlights the projects and initiatives funded by my committee, the Committee on Transportation & the Environment (T&E), and will also flag those items of special interest to Ward 3. Committees are always charged with addressing major topic-specific needs, and my committee was no exception. Vision Zero, the District's major road, sidewalk, and bike lane safety initiative, remained unfunded in the budget as proposed by the Mayor. And, while Vision Zero is expensive and requires around $40 million per year, the plan's extensive public safety improvements are essential in the effort to save lives and greatly improve our local transit system.

To fully fund Vision Zero, my committee proposes that the District dedicate 100% of new Automated Traffic Enforcement (ATE) revenue towards funding and implementing Vision Zero. Here's how it will work:

The Mayor's budget proposed adding a slate of over 100 new ATE cameras to the District Department of Transportation's budget. ATE cameras capture those dangerous infractions such as the running of red lights, excessive speeding, and stop sign violations. ATE camera revenue is quite variable and differs based on a camera’s location, driver behavior, and other factors. But, if these new cameras bring in just half of the revenue of the current cameras, then we will have fully funded Vision Zero.

And to put this funding shift into perspective, currently, of the tens of millions in revenue that ATE cameras generate, only $500,000 is required for dedication to Vision Zero efforts. The rest is absorbed by the General Fund. This is why dedicating 100% of new ATE revenue to Vision Zero is so significant. It will provide dedicated funding for continuing infrastructure and safety improvements, road design, sidewalk repair, and so much more. Importantly, we should expect to see that revenue decline over time as the built environment becomes better designed to deter and reduce dangerous infractions. Effectively, Vision Zero will be funded by those who engage in unsafe driver behavior.

Regards,

Mary

Please see coronavirus.dc.gov for the latest District updates & resources on COVID-19

The Public Health Emergency is currently in place through July 25th, 2021

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FY22 Resources from the Council's Budget Office

The Council's Budget Office has put together an excellent budget website as a resource for residents, advocacy organizations, and Council staff on the entirety of the budget process. For the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget site, please click here: FY22 Budget and Financial Plan.

This website includes an overview of what the budget process entails, the upcoming schedule, and individual committee and agency documents. Each committee budget report is available below:

Committee of the Whole

Committee on Business and Economic Development

Committee on Health

Committee on Government Operations and Facilities

Committee on Housing and Executive Administration

Committee on Human Services

Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety

Committee on Labor and Workforce Development

Committee on Recreation, Libraries, and Youth Affairs

Committee on Transportation & the Environment

Budget Highlights:

The Committee on Transportation & the Environment FY22 Budget Report

Below is an outline of the major items funded or enhanced by the Committee on Transportation & the Environment (T&E), Chaired by Councilmember Cheh. This list does not include those funding items that were maintained from the Mayor's original budget, such as the $25 million dedicated to each Ward for street paving.

As you'll see below, the majority of the programs relate directly to the agencies and programs within the committee's portfolio, while other items are funding transfers for important programs not within the T&E Committee's purview:

Ward 3 Enhancement Highlights

• Increases funding over the next four years for the Wisconsin Avenue Clean Team
• Provides $250,000 to support expanded wellness programming for older adults living in Wards 2 and 3
• Funded a $200,000 seed grant for a Main Streets program in the Palisades neighborhood to sustain and revitalize the commercial corridor
• Provides $300,000 to support economic development efforts in Friendship Heights through the Friendship Heights Alliance (with the potential to form a new Business Improvement District in the area)
• Supports a traffic analysis in the area around Hardy Park and MacArthur Boulevard to help inform planning for the two proposed schools in the community
• Provides $2.2 million to support the full design costs of the Connecticut Avenue Reversible Lane study recommendations that will enhance safety along this corridor and increase access for pedestrians and cyclists
• Provides $15,000 for the resurfacing of the skateboard park and $125,000 for the design of a new dog park at the Palisades Recreation Center and Park
• Designates $125,000 for the construction of a covered walkway along the path between Stoddert Elementary School’s main building and the trailer complex

Supporting Environmental Sustainability and Climate Resiliency

• Funds the Zero Waste Omnibus Amendment Act to further the District’s Zero Waste goal of achieving 80% diversion from landfill or incinerator by 2032
• Establishes a new 'Protect Local Wildlife' license plate, with revenues supporting an annual wildlife rehabilitation grant
• Provides, via a transfer to the Committee of the Whole, $40,000 to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to improve the regional food and agriculture system
• Provides grant funding for community-based groups working to remove trash and invasive species, maintain trails, and engage residents in the District’s park lands
• Adds enhancements over the four-year plan to the Office of Urban Agriculture for outreach, infrastructure, and operating support for the District’s urban farming community
• Provides $1,129,000 to strengthen the District’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program to decrease greenhouse gas emissions associated with the District’s food procurement by 25% by 2030 via implementation of the Green Food Purchasing Amendment Act of 2021
• Dedicates funding to equitably expand UDC’s Master Gardener Program
• Provides the Committee of the Whole with $377,000 to fully implement the Electric Vehicle Readiness Amendment Act of 2020, which will incentivize EV adoption by requiring that twenty percent of parking spots in newly constructed or substantially renovated buildings be EV-ready
• Fully funds the Energy Efficiency Standards Amendment Act of 2020, which sets energy and water efficiency standards for fifteen new appliances and fixtures sold in the District
• Provides $428,853 over four years to support the hiring of a full-time staff member for the Commission on Climate Change and Resiliency

Improving Quality of Life for Seniors

• Transfers $820,000 to the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization to support care navigators for persons living with dementia
• Provides funding to the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization for Alzheimer’s support services and programs, with a focus on services, support groups, and activities that provide relief from social isolation and stigma
• Provides, through a transfer to the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization, $200,000 for senior center programming with a focus on serving seniors who speak a language other than English

Making Meaningful Improvements to Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety Infrastructure

• Requires the dedication of all new ATE camera revenue to funding the Vision Zero Enhancement Omnibus Amendment Act of 2020 to ensure the timely implementation of this critical safety legislation
• Provides $1.7 million for the design and implementation of pedestrian and cyclist safety improvements on Georgia Avenue, N.W., one of the District’s most dangerous corridors for the District’s vulnerable road users
• Supports a pedestrian and public space study within the Downtown Business Improvement District to explore how certain public spaces could be repurposed for use by pedestrians
• Provides $580,000 in FY 2022 and $2,320,000 over four years to fund the expansion of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association Trail Rangers Program to ensure our trail network continues to be safe and clean year-round

Investments in Safe, Healthy Homes and Communities

• Funds Section 4 of the Residential Housing Environmental Safety Amendment Act of 2020, enhancing requirements for landlords to remediate lead paint hazards in District homes
• Fully funds B23-0640, which ensures that pipes containing any amount of lead are eligible for replacement through DC Water’s Lead Pipe Replacement Assistance Program
• Establishes a Lead Service Line Planning Task Force to develop an inter-agency plan for the removal and replacement of lead water service lines throughout the District by 2030
• Accepts $250,000 from the Committee on Business and Economic Development to enable DOEE to purchase air quality testing equipment for more rapid response to resident complaints

Invests in Community Infrastructure

• Provides $500,000 to fund a Georgetown Livability study to improve multi-modal transportation and infrastructure in the neighborhood
• Accepts from the Committee on Business and Economic Development $250,000 to support streetscape enhancements and traffic safety improvements in the Langston and Carver Communities in Ward 5
• Accepts from the Committee on Business and Economic Development $500,000 to support streetscape enhancements in the Lamond-Riggs Community in Ward 5
• Provides, through a transfer to the Committee on Recreation, Libraries, and Youth Affairs, $7,000 to support community run or walk event series

Safeguards Taxpayer Funds

• Provides, through a transfer to the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, $535,000 over four years to fund a trial attorney at the Office of the Attorney General to review and intervene, where appropriate, on qui tam false claims brought against those who have engaged in large-scale fraud against the District government

Our Office is Open!

Connect with our staff - While Councilmember Cheh's physical office is closed during the public health emergency, she and her staff are teleworking and will remain accessible for residents.

You may continue to reach us via phone through our main line at (202) 724-8062 with legislative ideas, budget requests, and constituent services requests.

FOLLOW MARY