A growing economy gave Mayor Gray the first opportunity as DC mayor to propose a budget to the DC Council that didn’t have to address a significant budget gap. Mayor Gray’s proposed general fund budget is $7.15 billion, an increase of 4 percent after adjusting for inflation, which allowed him to propose new investments in a wide array of city services, including affordable housing, public safety, libraries, education, public works and human services.
How did Mayor Gray propose to spend the additional funds? How is funding proposed to change between FY 2013 and FY 2014 across DC 
government? Today, DCFPI released its budget toolkit to help you answer these questions and more. Our budget toolkit contains an analysis of the entire proposed FY 2014 DC budget, as well as in-depth looks at a number of key areas: affordable housing, education, health care, homeless services, workforce development, revenues, homeless services, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Interim Disability Assistance, and energy assistance.
The largest increases in the FY 2014 budget would address rising enrollment in some publicly funded schools, payments on funds borrowed for school modernization and other construction projects, rising Medicaid enrollment, pay raises for DC government employees, the need to replace federal dollars that will not be available in FY 2014, and other priorities discussed the budget overview.
Despite these program enhancements, many DC residents have not yet felt the benefits of the recovery, and a number of programs aimed at helping these residents remain strapped. For example, the District’s Interim Disability Assistance Program, which helps residents who are unable to work and who are waiting for determination of eligibility for federal disability benefits, is funded wellbelow pre-recession levels. Provisions to help Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients who are facing severe barriers to work remain unfunded.
To learn more about what is in Mayor Gray’s FY 2014 proposed budget, click here.
To print a copy of today’s blog, click here.