We know our District Dime readers have spent the last few days poring over the budget books ‘ okay, maybe not all of you ‘ trying to figure out the impacts to programs and services you care about in the proposed fiscal year 2014 budget Mayor Gray released last week. In addition to DCFPI’s Budget Toolkit (which should be out by April 11th), Citizen’s Guide to the DC Budget and DC’s Revenue, there will be several budget briefings and/or information sessions held over the next month or so to help you understand what is in the fiscal year 2014 budget.
- Mayor Gray’s budget town halls. Starting April 10th, Mayor Gray will visit every ward to present his fiscal year 2014 budget and answer questions about changes included in it. Click hereto see the complete schedule of his budget town halls by ward.
- DC Council Committee on Education hosts “FY 2014 Budget Open House.” Starting at 10am on April 4th, stop by room 119 of the Wilson Building for an open house on the education budget in fiscal year 2014. Education committee staff will be on hand to answer questions for the public, with a brief presentation at 3pm and 6pm in room 123.
- DC Agencies hold Public Budget Briefings. Several agencies will be holding budget briefings to help the public understand how the fiscal year 2014 budget impacts the programs and services the agency delivers. These briefings are held after the Mayor’s budget is released, but before an agency’s budget oversight hearing in order to give the public a chance to learn more about the budget and ask questions that may help them prepare their testimony. Below is a listing of the currently scheduled briefings. DCFPI will send out updates through the blog as more are scheduled.
| Agency | Date & Time | Location | RSVP required? |
| Department of Health Care Finance | April 3, 1:30pm | Department of Health Care Finance (899 North Capitol St. NE) | Due to limited time, it is strongly encouraged for people to submit questions in advance by 10:00 am on Monday, April 1st. Questions may be submitted by emailing dcbehavioralhealth@gmail.com. |
| Department of Behavioral Health (formerly Department of Mental Health) | April 5, 12:30pm | Department of Behavioral Health (64 New York Avenue NE) | Due to limited time and space, people are asked to RSVP in advance and strongly encouraged to submit questions in advance by 5:00 pm on Monday, April 3. Questions may be submitted by emailing dcbehavioralhealth@gmail.com.
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| Child & Family Services Agency | April 8, 4:30-6pm | Child & Family Services Agency (200 I Street, SE) | Please RSVP to Racheal Streeter at CFSA, racheal.streeter@dc.gov; to submit questions in advance, contact Beth Tossell, Children’s Law Center, etossell@childrenslawcenter.org
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| District Department of the Environment | April 11, 10am-11:30am | District Department of the Environment (1200 First St. NE) | |
| Department of Human Services | April 17, 11am | Department of Human Services (64 New York Avenue NE | |
| Department of Housing &Community Development, DC Housing Authority, and Housing Finance Agency | April 18, 12-2pm | Housing Finance Agency (815 Florida Avenue NW) | Yes, please register by going to the following website: http://www.cnhed.org/news-events/monthly-meeting-registration/ |
Stay tuned to the District’s Dime this week for more fiscal year 2014 budget news and analysis.
