Dear Neighbor,

This week, the Council held its first vote to approve our Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Budget. I’ll walk through some of the considerations we made to balance the importance of maintaining a responsible and sustainable budget over the long-term with the need for critical investments that allow our communities to thrive.

There are two notable tax increases in the budget, neither of which I support: one for employers to pay into and one for residential property taxes for homes valued over $2.5 million. I provide more information on this below; however, despite my opposing these taxes, the amounts the Chairman included in his budget prevented a potentially larger increase that some of my colleagues were contemplating.

Specifically, I'll share with you:

• Critical investments in the budget supporting:
  • Public safety,
  • Downtown and small businesses,
  • Education and youth,
  • Affordable housing, and
  • Our senior and LGBTQQIA+ communities;
• Maintaining a responsible budget over the long term;
• Priority issues before the next vote on June 12th; and
• Community events, upcoming hearings, news articles, and announcements.

Critical Investments Included in the FY25 Budget

With each decision in this budget cycle, I am advancing a vision for the District that provides fundamental safety for our residents in every neighborhood; ensures DC is a competitive and opportunity-rich location to do business with a thriving Downtown; and invests in and supports our residents across all ages and incomes so that everyone can prosper.

Following the investments I made through the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, I worked extremely closely with the Chairman and my other Council colleagues to restore, find, and protect funding for public safety needs, downtown investments, small business supports, education and youth initiatives, affordable housing, and seniors and LGBTQQIA+ community supports. I am very proud of the progress we have made to invest in each of these areas.

To improve public safety, we:

• Funded critical components of my Secure DC Omnibus to prevent crime, ensure accountability when crime does occur, and improve government coordination;

• Funded more sworn officers for MPD to promote safety and ensure our communities have timely and consistent engagement with our officers;

• Fully restored Access to Justice grants to provide low-resource residents with legal services and protections during crises, including for housing and unemployment issues;‍

• Funded Victim Services to ensure survivors of crime can access needed resources and supports through a continuum of care;

• ‍Established Nonprofit Security Grants to ensure organizations can seek safety and security supports in the wake of increased hate crimes and violence;

• ‍Funded additional staffing in the Juvenile Section at the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) to manage the influx of juvenile cases;

• Funded critical violence interruption programs to support community-driven strategies that interrupt cycles of violence and lay the foundation for a future merger of the District’s violence intervention programs; ‍

• Protected staffing at the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) to ensure our justice-involved youth receive appropriate care, attention, intervention, and supports; and

• Funded critical safety and enforcement provisions of the STEER Act to promote accountability for dangerous drivers.
  

To revitalize our Downtown, we:

• Funded office-to-housing and -mixed-use conversions from my bill the RECOVERY Act to transform vacant office spaces into more productive uses and bring residents, visitors, and businesses downtown;
  

• Created grants for Chinatown businesses to support long-term lease agreements for existing and new businesses, maintaining and enhancing the cultural heritage of Chinatown;
  

• Provided continued funding through my Retail Recovery grants program, which I established last year, to activate vacant spaces in our Downtown;
  

• Created a new pop-up permits pilot program to encourage artists to reimagine and repurpose vacant spaces into creative uses;

• Started a new Public Restrooms Pilot in Downtown and Dupont Circle to ensure residents, visitors, and unhoused neighbors have easy access to public restrooms; and‍

• Enhanced funding to WMATA to prevent service reductions that would have been devastating for workers, residents, and businesses and promote affordable and reliable transit across the District.
  

To support small businesses, we:

• Funded my bill the BEST Act to completely revamp and streamline our business licensing process and make it easier to start and maintain a business;
  

• Doubled the Small Retailer Property Tax Credit and increased the revenue eligibility limit to provide relief for our small business communities and ensure they can thrive;
  

• Increased funding for our Main Street programs and established a new Foggy Bottom West End Main Street to provide marketing and administrative supports for small businesses; and
  

• Increased wages for our Clean Teams to honor their critical work to keep our commercial corridors safe and clean.
  

To support education and ensure our youth can prosper, we:

• Funded the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund to ensure our early childcare educators receive adequate and dignified compensation for their vital work;
  

• Provided literacy training and coaching for our kindergarten teachers to ensure our educators have the tools they need to teach our kids how to read and improve literacy outcomes. This implements the recommendations of the Early Literacy Education Task Force, which I funded in the 2023 budget;
  

• Restored critical truancy programs, including the ATTEND program under OAG and Show Up Stand Out, now part of OSSE, to ensure our kids have the supports they need to get to and stay in class;
  

• Restored the TANF Fund at OAG to maintain its child support program for custodial parents;
  

• Enhanced funding for Safe Passage programs to ensure our kids can safely get to and from school with consistent supports from trusted adults;

• Restored funding for the Boys and Girls Club at Jelleff Recreation Center to provide kids from all eight wards access to safe, enriching after-school and summer programming - It’s critical that neighbors continue to voice their support for this funding ahead of the next budget vote;
  

• Restored the increase in the DC Earned Income Tax Credit to support working families and individuals;
  

• Established a local DC Child Tax Credit to support families with young children earning up to $192,000 for single and head of household filers and $240,000 for joint filers; and

• Provided funding for MacArthur High School to build a new cafeteria and auditorium.
  

To support housing and health initiatives, we:

• Funded 368 Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) vouchers and additional staff to administer the additional vouchers. I worked hard to secure these investments and will continue to look for additional housing support;
  

• Enhanced the Local Rent Supplement Program (LRSP) by $2 million to provide supports for residents exiting the Rapid Rehousing (RRH) program - I will continue to seek solutions to address the forced exodus from RRH;
  

• Funded $26.9 million for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program to support low-income residents experiencing crisis situations that impact their ability to pay rent;

• Funded immediate repairs at the Aston, which will provide noncongregate bridge housing.

• ‍Funded investments to support our ANCs to deliver services to the community;

• Funded my Prior Authorization bill to remove barriers for residents seeking critical, quality care and improves the volume and efficiency of processing prior authorization requests;

• Supports funding for Health Home Visits and the Nurse Family Partnership for first-time parents; and ‍

• Funded home assistance programs for low- and moderate-income residents and first responders.
  

To support our senior and LGBTQQIA+ communities, we:

• Secured funding to build a new Ward 2 Senior Wellness Center to provide community, resources and programming that support our senior communities;

• Increased funding for our Senior Villages, including Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom, and Georgetown;
  

• Secured funding to provide programming at the new LGBTQQIA+ Community Center in Shaw to ensure residents have a safe and welcoming space for community and resources;
  

• Maintained Violence Prevention and Response Team grants through the Office of LGBTQQIA+ Affairs to provide resources and supports to violence and crime survivors; and

• Provided funding to host World Pride 2025 for the planning, programming, and government services required to put on this global event that celebrates our LGBTQQIA+ community and will bring millions of visitors and hundreds of millions of dollars in tourism revenue.
  

I am extremely proud that despite a challenging budget year, we were able to secure so many investments to support Ward 2 communities and priorities.

Maintaining a Responsible Budget over the Long Term

As the legislative body for the District of Columbia, we have a responsibility to balance the needs of our residents in every neighborhood while remaining conscientious of the burden we are asking of our taxpayers and our competitive position in the region.

We must keep our eye on the long-term, responsible stabilization of our budget while we weigh the hundreds of choices before us to support our social safety net, education and literacy, affordable and accessible housing, and fundamental safety across the District.

According to our own budget office analysis, the District has the most progressive tax system in the country. I do not support adding new taxes for our residents or businesses. It is critical that we ensure the District continues to draw and keep businesses and residents of all incomes and establish its regional and national competitive edge.

There are two notable tax increases in the budget, neither of which I support. Here is what these new taxes do:

• First, the payroll tax: Each employer pays payroll taxes for their employees, which covers costs associated with the District’s universal paid leave program and other programs. Currently, employers pay a tax of 0.26% of the wages of each of its covered employees. Under the Mayor’s proposed budget, the Mayor increased this payroll tax to 0.62% of wages, and the Chairman’s proposal increased this slightly more to 0.75%.
  
• Second, the residential property tax: Each residential property is subject to taxation at a rate of 85 cents for every $100 of assessed value. The increase will be applied to residential properties valued at over $2.5 million. Under the Chairman’s proposal, properties that are valued at more than $2.5 million will be taxed at the current rate of 85 cents per $100 of assessed value for the first $2.5 million, and then for every $100 above $2.5 million, the property will be taxed at a rate of $1 per $100 of assessed value.

Additionally, to address our Chief Financial Officer’s (CFO) concern about the District’s future cash flow in 2028, the Council will require that any new or unexpected revenue over the next 6 months be automatically added to the District’s reserves, or “rainy day fund,” and that the reserves be fully replenished by 2026. These requirements create an important backstop to ensure the responsible protection of our reserves and help to ameliorate some of my concerns about how we are using this fund.

While I don’t agree with everything in this first iteration of the Council’s budget, I do believe that we strived to accomplish a sustainable budget that meets the needs of our communities.

Priority Issues Before the Final Budget Vote

Over the next few weeks as the Council finalizes the budget, I will be focused on many outstanding priority issues, including but not limited to:

• Increasing Funding for Victim Services: While we were able to substantially restore funding for these programs, I will be working to find the additional $1.2 million needed to maintain their baseline need.
  
• Adding Housing Vouchers and Supports: I am extremely concerned about the decision to exit families from the rapid rehousing program––removing their housing supports––before they can afford rent or be matched with other longer-term housing assistance. This, combined with a reduction in new housing vouchers available, will result in thousands of families facing homelessness. I will be working with colleagues on short-term and long-term solutions.
  
• Restoring funding for the DC Jail Annex and important renovations at the Central Cell Block: These vital projects have already seen substantial delays, and it is a mistake to put them off longer. I will be fighting to restore the funding my Committee supported. It is critical that we move forward these essential renovations.  
  
• Restoring funding to our Downtown investments: $13 million was cut from office-to-housing and multi-use conversions and $2.5 million was cut to the Vitality Fund, a critical tool to attract employers to the District. These tools are central to our downtown recovery strategy, and I will be fighting to preserve these investments.
  
• Farragut Park: I am working with stakeholders to restore funding for the Farragut Park renovations, part of our downtown recovery plan to attract families and new residents to the neighborhood.
  
• Maintaining the Circulator Route Service: since all Circulator bus routes were cut in the Mayor’s proposed budget, I am working with WMATA to ensure Metrobus covers all of these routes.
  
• Ward 2 Schools: I am concerned by the cuts to Ward 2 schools that have resulted in program and staff cuts and will continue to fight to restore that funding.
  

There are other projects that I will continue to champion, and this should all be done by moving funds from other sources as opposed to introducing or supporting new revenue raisers.

I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to ensure this year’s budget appropriately balances the needs and livelihoods of our communities and the long-term financial stability of the District.

Yours in Service,

Brooke

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In the last few weeks, Councilmember Pinto and Team Pinto have been out and about in Ward 2 and across the city, including to:

• Join Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin and gun violence survivors for the unveiling of Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg’s powerful interactive exhibit “alienable right to life” honoring those lost to gun violence.

• Partner with Kappa Alpha Psi to host their 3rd Annual Legislative Day at the Wilson Building to discuss the value of mentorship, programming, and career readiness to prepare our DC youths for enriching futures.

• Celebrate another year of service to our seniors by Georgetown Village and honor the exceptional contributions of Dr. Kuno at the Georgetown Village Gala. Dr. Kuno has long helped ensure aging residents have wonderful spaces to gather in community and activity.

• Attend the DC Building Industry Association 38th Annual Achievement Awards to recognize the contributions of the real estate development industry and underscore the significance of downtown for all of DC.

• Team Pinto attended a rally in support of Jelleff Community Center Boys and Girls Club, which provides vital after-school and summer programming for kids from all eight wards as we championed the funding to be restored.

• Team Pinto participated in Bike to Work Day and joined the Franklin Park Pit Stop, the largest in the District put on in partnership with the DowntownDC BID.

• Team Pinto attended the groundbreaking of DC Water’s Potomac River Tunnel Project designed to clean the Potomac River.

• Team Pinto attended a 14th Street NW road safety audit walk with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to identify and discuss solutions around road safety concerns.

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On June 17th, the Judiciary Committee will hold a public roundtable and a public hearing. The public roundtable will begin at 10:30am regarding the nomination of William “Clint” Osborn as the Director of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. He currently serves as the Interim Director. The public hearing will begin at 11:30am or following the close of the roundtable, and the Committee will hear from witnesses about seven bills pertaining to trusts.

Both the hearing and the roundtable will be hybrid, and you may watch the hearings in-person at the Wilson Building and virtually on YouTube. You can find information on all upcoming hearings at the Council and sign up to testify here.

Witnesses who anticipate needing language interpretation, including sign language interpretation, are asked to inform the Committee of the need as soon as possible but no later than five business days before a hearing during registration or by contacting Ms. Aukima Benjamin, Committee Manager to the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, at (202) 724-8058 or via e-mail at judiciary@dccouncil.gov.  

Hearings Recap

On May 16th, Councilmember Pinto attended the RLYA hearing to discuss the bill she introduced last year, B25-0477, Expanding Community Access to Safe and Clean Recreational Space Act of 2023. The bill aims to establish a partnership between the Department of Parks and Recreation and the DC Public Schools to expand safe and sanitary community access to recreational facilities in every ward outside of the hours in which facilities are in active use by schools and students. The bill is modeled after a pilot the Council funded last year at Banneker High School and Garrison Elementary School to provide security and custodial services on nights and weekends.

During this hearing, Councilmember Pinto asked Director Freeman for updates on the implementation of this pilot program, since the funds were released last year and the MOU between DCPS and DPR has not yet been finalized. It’s critical that neighbors have expanded community access to safe and clean recreation space in all eight wards. Learn more about the bill here. More details about the hearing can be found here.

On May 30, Councilmember Pinto held a hearing discussing the first three title of Mayor Bower’s bill, B25-791, Utilizing Partnerships and Local Interventions for Truancy (UPLIFT) Amendment Act of 2024. The bill would require families of youth charged with certain dangerous crimes to meet and develop a rehabilitation plan with the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, would limit the use of diversion for youth charged with certain dangerous crimes, and would limit the use of consent agreements, deferred disposition agreements, and deferred adjudication agreements for youth charged with certain dangerous crimes. Learn more about B25-0791 here. More details about the hearing can be found at here.  

• The Washington Post: Opinion written by Councilmember Brooke Pinto and SBOE Representative Allister Chang | Invest in D.C.’s kids. “By investing in reading education, we can show D.C. kids that we believe in them, that they deserve every opportunity and that adults will give them the foundational tools they need to realize their dreams. We have the blueprint to help guide our students toward opportunity and enriching futures, and now we must act.”
  
• Watch: WJLA: DC councilmembers focus on crime, services for children in budget. "'I was really focused on making sure we have ample investments in public safety, in our Downtown, and ensuring our residents and families across the city can thrive and that our most vulnerable residents have the resources and supports that they need,' Pinto said. 'There are a lot of major things that we funded today: funding my Secure DC Omnibus, funding supports for access to justice and victim services, ensuring our violence prevention efforts have what they need.'"
  
• Watch: WUSA9: DC Council votes on budget that restores social program, raises taxes. “'I’m very concerned about and do not support raising taxes on our residents and businesses,' said Pinto."
  
• Watch: WUSA9: ‘We can NOT lose this program’ | Jelleff Community Center Boys & Girls Club future could be in jeopardy. “Councilmember Brooke Pinto, who represents Georgetown, wrote on X, ‘I am deeply concerned about the [budget] cuts that’d prevent [Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington] from providing vital after-school programming for kids from all 8 wards. I’m committed to restoring these critical funds to our kids can access these programs, even as Jelleff Rec Center soon undergoes renovations.’”
  
• Watch: NBC4: ‘A safe place’: Boys & Girls Club pushes DC leaders to restore community center funding. “DC Councilmember Brooke Pinto’s office says she will fight to fund the center while the city finalizes its budget ... ‘[The councilmember’s office] will continue to work tirelessly to make sure that this funding is restored for this coming year.’”
  
• Listen: WTOP: Georgetown Boys and Girls Club claims DC mayor defunded the program in proposed budget. “At the demonstration, Linn Groft, the legislative director for Council member Brooke Pinto, said Pinto plans to push for the money to be added back to the budget. ‘We really think of the work that the Boys and Girls Club does here at Jelleff as a gold star standard for the kind of programming that we should be offering for our students,’ Groft said.”
  
• GW Hatchet: CAT announces program manager selected to run The Aston. “Linn Groft, the legislative director for Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto, said the D.C. Council’s Housing Committee recognizes the need to fund repairs to the Aston’s roof and will call on DHS to find funding for the repairs in the budget for fiscal year 2025.”
  
• Watch: WJLA: D.C. Councilmembers react to House passage of DC CRIMES act. “'It is extremely frustrating and disappointing that they took this action ... We all need to work collectively together to make sure that the Senate does not pass this irresponsible bill.'”

• Watch: DC News Now: House passes controversial DC crime bill, threatens council’s sentencing power. “'It is a hypocritical bill... It is a gross overstep of our autonomy in D.C. This is my and my colleagues’ job, we are accountable to the residents and voters of D.C,' said Pinto."
  
• Watch: WUSA9: ‘This is not acceptable’ | DC Attorney General takes aim at crime with new bill focused on youth services agency. “'Clearly, efforts to provide comprehensive, individualized, and robust follow-up supports to facilitate rehabilitation are failing ... The outcomes for our youth are critical to the District’s goals to improve safety, and we must provide better supports and opportunities for rehabilitation to ensure that justice-involved youth have what they need to safely thrive in our communities when they come.'”
  
• Washington Post: D.C. Council raises taxes, reverses some cuts in first budget vote. “Among the biggest changes by the council to Bowser’s proposal: An increase to real property taxes on homes worth more than $2.5 million; An additional increase on the tax businesses must pay toward the Paid Family Leave program, on top of what Bowser proposed; Reallocating $25.4 million from D.C. Public Schools central office to individual schools; Restoring the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund; An overhaul of the city’s sports gambling program – using its future proceeds to pay for the baby bonds program that offers trust funds for children of low-income families. In housing, the council approved: 477 housing vouchers; An additional $6.7 million for emergency rental assistance, bringing the total to $26.9 million; Bringing the Housing Production Trust Fund up to $80 million. ... The budget will probably change further in the coming weeks as lawmakers aim to direct funding toward remaining priorities and areas of concern.”  

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• June is Pride Month!! DC Check out this page for the abundance of events happening each week to celebrate Pride Month, including the upcoming Pride Parade on June 10.  

• The District’s primary election is taking place on June 4. For more information on locations and hours of voting centers, check this link.

• Attend the 3rd annual Jazz in the Park on Thursday, June 6 at Logan Circle from 5 to 8:30 PM. The event is open to everyone with music by Carly Harvey and Also Chosen. Additionally, New Columbia Swing will be performing and hosting a free community class!

• Metro is holding a public hearing to get feedback on the 2025 Better Bus Network. There are a variety of hearings, both in-person and virtual, that anyone can attend! Information on the hearings can be found below. For more information on Better Bus Network, visit wmata.com/betterbus.

• Late Night Hype events are back! Every Friday from June 7 to August 23 Late Night Hype events will be held at different locations throughout the city, including at Kennedy Rec Center on June 14. Late Night Hype features music, food, video games, and other entertainment. The events are welcome to the entire community! For more information such as location and future dates, visit this link.

• The Department of Buildings has released their newly-updated Illegal Construction Inspection Request Form. Enhanced with a more user-friendly interface and new features that allow for shorter wait times and more efficient requests. To file a complaint visit this link.

• Trying to keep rats away from your home? DC Health will be hosting a 2-day Rodent and Vector Control Academy. The free, on-site event will cover the most current rodent control principles and practices. Participants will have the opportunity to meet with directors and representatives of relevant agencies; specifically, DC Health’s Senior Deputy Director Arian Gibson will give opening remarks. The Academy will take place Wednesday, July 10 and Thursday, July 11 from 8:30 AM to 5 PM at the George Washington University Student Center Continental Ballroom. The event will be limited to 100 participants so make sure to register soon.

• The Annual Citywide Truck Touch will be taking place this Saturday June 1 from 8 AM to 2 PM. The free family festival will feature city vehicles and activities for children of all ages. The event will take place at Lot 8 of the RFK Stadium (2400 E Capitol St SE). For more information and tickets visit this link.

• Starting June 17, the Department of Public Works will be taking the Great Graffiti Wipe Out to Ward 2. For a week, DPW will work on power washing, painting, and removing graffiti markings, illegal posters, and stickers from public places.  

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