(Washington, DC) – Today, the Council of the District of Columbia unanimously approved Mayor Bowser’s Fiscal Year 2024 spending plan – the District’s 28th consecutive balanced budget. Following the Council’s vote, the Mayor released the following statement:
“I thank the Council, our budget teams, as well as our agency directors and their teams for all the work that has gone into delivering a budget our community can be proud of and that invests in the future of DC. The fiscal constraints of waning federal dollars combined with increased costs and the prolonged impacts of telework, including reduced commercial property tax revenues, created the most challenging budget in more than a decade. Over the years, our prosperity has allowed us to weather difficult moments while investing in a fair shot for all DC residents. This year, our focus was on preserving our robust social services and ensuring we can build on them for years to come. I’m proud that this budget allows us to move big ideas forward to ensure a strong comeback.
“This is a budget that reflects what we know to be true about the next few years: the key to our city’s comeback is in our people. We’re going to bring more people – residents, visitors, and workers – downtown. We are investing in our workforce and city services, especially our public safety teams and teachers. We are staying true to our commitment to fund affordable housing and the programs that support our neighborhoods across all eight wards and keep DC families in DC.
“I appreciate the Council’s partnership on this budget, especially between the first and second votes. We will continue working together to ensure we are creating and funding sustainable programs, budgeting responsibly, and preparing for the spending pressures we will need to address in next year’s budget.”