Mayor Fenty’s budget proposed FY 2010 budget has been released, and Council oversight hearings have begun. DC’s budget season moves quickly, so time is of the essence if you want to get involved.
There are two resources we want to point out that can help you understand what’s in the DC Budget:
- The DCFPI “Budget Toolkit” – which will be unveiled by April 6 on DCFPI’s website
- A series of public budget briefings on several key DC government agencies, led by the agency directors and their policy and budget staff
THE DCFPI BUDGET TOOLKIT
DCFPI prepares an online guide to the DC budget every year. This year’s toolkit will include
our analysis of the overall budget and several program areas – such as housing and TANF. It will include links to key budget documents and a spreadsheet that will allow you to compare how agencies have been funded over time. If you’re not already on our email list, sign up here to receive an email alert when the toolkit is published.
BUDGET BRIEFINGS: For the first time ever, at least six DC agencies will hold briefings for advocates and others to learn more about the Mayor’s budget. Not sure whether funding for program you care about has been cut? Confused about how stimulus funding will be used? Join us to hear agency directors and other staff answer your questions about the FY 2010 budget. These briefings, which were organized by a number of advocacy organizations, are a great way to make sense of the budget proposals and prepare for hearings. (See the list of briefings below.)
The first briefing, with the Department of Mental Health, was held on March 25. DMH Director Steve Baron, DMH Chief of Programs Barbara Bazron, and Chief Operating Officer Michael Neff were on hand to answer questions from about 30 advocates. With the closing of the DC Community Services Agency (DCCSA) and the movement of some programs within DMH, the briefing was an important opportunity to get a sense of where the money is going in FY 2010.
There are many opportunities to learn about DC agencies’ budgets over the next few weeks:
Department of Disability Services
March 30, 2009
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library: 901 G Street, NW, Room A-5
RSVP to advocacy@arcdc.net
Department of Healthcare Finance
April 1, 2009
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
825 North Capitol Street, NE, Suite 500
RSVP to reed@dcfpi.org by March 27th
Child and Family Services Administration
April 1, 2009
2:30-4:30 PM
441-4th Street, NW, Room 1114
Register at http://action.voiceshub.org/dcact/events/cfsabudgetbriefing/details.tcl
Department of Housing and Community Development
April 2
2:00-4:30 PM
True Reformer Building, 1200 U Street NW
RSVP to Bettina Myers at bmyers@cnhed.org
Department of Health
April 6, 2009
10:00 AM-12:00 PM
825 North Capitol Street, NE
RSVP to reed@dcfpi.org by April 1st
