As an intern with DCFPI this semester, I have diligently read the District’s Dime blog each day, finding it an excellent way to gain insight into the key issues and debates surrounding DC’s budget. Yet, it wasn’t until recently that I noticed the District Dime’s subtitle: “Going Beyond the Budget Book.” The concept of “going beyond the budget book” is a great descriptor of the work I have seen DCFPI accomplish over the past semester ‘ and of what it takes to understand the real meaning of cuts in the DC budget.
Take these facts and figures, for example: The budget book tells us that the DC Public Library has had $6 million cut from its budget since 2008, while the Department of Public Works has lost one-fourth of its funding. These cuts seem serious, but as isolated budget book statistics, it is unclear what they have actually meant for District residents.
Exploring cuts to areas such as the DC Public Library and the Department of Public Works reminds us that funding losses during the recession have impacted the city’s ability to provide fundamental services that all residents rely upon. (Of course other cuts highlighted by DCFPI this spring, in areas such as disability services and cash assistance, have affected the ability of many DC residents to meet their most basic needs.)
Public Works Statistics: The Department of Public Works lost one-fourth, or $29 million, of its overall funding, between 2008 and 2011.
Public Works “Beyond the Budget Book:” In the fall of 2010, DPW ran out of 32-gallon garbage cans, larger Supercans, and recycling bins, affecting 4,400 District residents who submitted requests for new or replacement containers. Due to its tight budget, DPW will now charge residents for the 32-gallon cans and recycling bins, which used to be free. In addition, the number of workers who collect trash has been scaled back drastically, with 200 fewer full-time positions now than there were in 2008. With resources for DPW spread thin, the agency has had to make tough choices that impact its ability to provide services to residents and keep the city clean.
The DC Public Library Statistics: $6 million has been cut from the Library’s budget since 2008.
The DC Public Library “Beyond the Budget Book:” The Library’s summer reading program served 27,674 pre-school and elementary school students in 2009 but only 9,440 in 2010. Budget shortfalls also led the Library to halt its Teens of Distinction Program, which provides teens the opportunity to work in the library, cultivate customer service skills, and receive training in college prep, money management, and resume writing. This past summer, budget cuts led to 40 layoffs within the library system. The same budget cuts caused Library hours to be reduced twice in the past three years, and the FY 2012 budget calls for the only library in the District open on Sundays ‘ MLK ‘ to be closed as well that day.
It is increasingly clear that budget shortfalls caused by the recession have affected all public services, both those which people rely on to survive and those which make DC an attractive city to live in. While facts and figures like a one-third cut here and a 50 percent reduction there tell an important story, the human impact of the cuts adds a necessary dimension.
As I’ve learned through my experience this semester, “going beyond the budget book,” a task that DCFPI accomplishes here in its blog and through its work every day, is essential for informing the public and shaping debates about the District’s budget.
Thanks for a great semester, DCFPI!
