At the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, we get really excited when DC budget day rolls around! So we are eager to find out Thursday how Mayor Bowser proposes to spend the city’s resources next year, in her budget for fiscal year 2017.
And we think you should be excited, too! Decisions over the budget have an impact on all of us. How much will money will go to make our schools better? To improve health care? To create affordable housing? To support public safety?
The mayor’s budget submission is just the start of a roughly three-month process where residents can weigh in, the Council conducts its own review, and then the Council adopts a final budget. Now is a great time for you to get involved in shaping the most important legislation the city considers each year.
There are many ways to stay informed and get involved:
- DCFPI’s next-day analysis: This Friday, look out for DCFPI’s initial analysis of the mayor’s budget proposal
- Agency briefings for the public: A number of DC government agencies, like the Department of Human Services and the Child and Family Services Administration, have agreed to hold briefings for the public, to explain what’s in their budgets and take questions. It is a great way to figure out what all tables in the budget add up to. Those briefings start on April 4. Look to the DCFPI Budget Toolkit for more information, starting this Friday
- Council oversight hearings: The DC Council will hold hearings on the overall budget on April 4, and then on each agency’s budget at hearings through April.
- DCFPI’s Budget Toolkit: Over the next weeks, DCFPI will roll out various analyses of key elements of the budget, like health care and housing. Check back in the week of April 4.
Happy Budget Day! We hope you get what you wanted — and if not that you advocate like crazy with the DC Council to get it from them.
