On March 23rd, Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced his priorities for the upcoming year with the release of his fiscal year 2013 budget. By law, the DC Council has 56 days to review, tinker and tweak, but by May 15 ‘ when the Council has scheduled its vote on the package ‘ the budget must balance. Gray’s proposal offers a balance of cuts and revenue to close a $172 million gap and compensate for reduced federal funding. But an initial analysis shows the cuts are weighted toward programs in housing and human services, as happened last year. As part of his budget package, Mayor Gray included a $120 million “wish list” that would restore many of these cuts, including funding for services for homeless families, if the District experiences an unanticipated revenue boost over the year. An overview of the mayor’s proposal is in this month’s Numbers.