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MURIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
April 14, 2026
The Honorable Phil Mendelson, Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
On behalf of the more than 700,000 residents of Washington, DC, I am pleased to submit to the Council of
the District of Columbia my Fiscal Year 2027 Proposed Budget and Financial Plan, Grow DC.1 This
budget reflects our resilience, our values, and our continued commitment to building a stronger, safer,
and more vibrant city.
It's worth repeating that Washington, DC is a world-class city, delivering first-class services and
projects to our residents. We have the number one park system in the nation; built 36,000 new homes in
less than five years; lead the nation in office-to-residential conversions; have the fastest improving urban
school district; and have driven down crime to its lowest levels in at least three decades. And last year,
we secured the city's largest private investment with the announcement that our Washington Commanders
would come back home to a new RFK Stadium.
With this budget we remain laser focused on growing our local economy. Before the COVID-19
pandemic, the city's economic growth was predictable. We had a fast-growing population and strong
downtown demand that led to steady revenue growth which allowed us to expand our programs and
services. However, this is not the economy we have today. While our population is still growing-that
growth is happening slowly-widespread teleworking continues to strain our commercial office
market, and federal job losses have impacted thousands of District households, all of which contribute to
slower revenue growth. The Grow DC budget faces these new economic realities head on so that we can
continue growing our economy and delivering world-class city services.
Investing in High-Quality Education
Our years of investing in public education have delivered results our city can be proud of--our highest
ever graduation rate, continued enrollment gains, and great schools in all eight wards. That's why the
1 Included in this submission are the Fiscal Year 2027 Local Budget Act of 2026, the Fiscal Year 2027 Federal Portion
Budget Request Act of 2026, and the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Support Act of 2026. In addition, I am submitting the
following accompanying measures: the Fiscal Year 2026 Revised Local Budget Emergency Act of 2026, the Fiscal
Year 2025 Revised Local Budget Temporary Act of 2026, and the Fiscal Year 2026 Revised Local Budget Emergency
Declaration Resolution of 2026.
GrowDC budgetincreasestheUniformPerStudentFundingFormulaby2.55percent,bringingthefoundationlevelto$15,455perstudent,andsupportsnearly100,000publicandpubliccharterstudents.We areexpandingtheAdvancedTechnicalCenters,whichgiveourhighschoolstudentshands-on
careerandtechnicaleducation,andweareexpandinghigh-impacttutoringtohelpmorestudents
recoverandgrowacademically.
The Grow DC budgetprovidescontinuedsupporttotheDC FuturesProgram?toensureresidents
pursuingdegreesattheUniversityoftheDistrictofColumbia(UDC)canfinishtheirprograms.Our
six-yearcapitalplanincludesmorethan$2billiontomodernizepublicschoolfacilities,upgradetechnology,andsupportimprovementsatUDC,includingfundsnecessarytounlockitsfirst-ever
studenthousingthroughapublic-privatepartnership.
ContinuingHistorieProgressinPublicSafety
We havemadesignificantprogressindrivingdowncrimesinceitspikedin2023,resultingintheJowestamountofviolentcrimeinatleast30years.TheGrowDCbudgetbuildsonthismomentumbyensuringMPD hastheresourcestohire,recruit,andretainofficers,whilealsosupportingfullfunding
fortheFireandEmergencyMedicalServicesDepartment,OfficeofUnifiedCommunications,DepartmentofCorrections,Departmentof ForensicSciences,andothercoreagenciesinourpublic
safetyecosystem.
We areinvestingmorethan$500millioninoursix-yearcapitalplantomodernizepublicsafetyfacilities,purchasenewfiretrucksandambulances,replaceagingandoutdatedequipment,increase
housingcapacityatourjuvenilejusticefacilities,andupgradecriticalcommunicationsandpublicsafetytechnologysoourfirstrespondershavethetoolstheyneedtohelpkeepussafe.
GrowingOurLocalEconomyandMakingItEasiertoDoBusiness
TokeepDC competitiveandensurethecity’sstrongeconomicfuture,theGrowDC budgetreducesthecostofdoingbusinessbyloweringbusiness-relatedfees,supportsmajorredevelopmentprojects
throughtargetedincentives,andcontinuestoinvestingrantprogramstohelpoursmallbusinessesthrive.
We continuetodiversifyoureconomythroughtheVitalityFund’,theTech EcosystemFund‘,andnew
housingtaxabatementstoencourageproductionofmoderate-income,“missingmiddle”housing.WearealsoinvestingsignificantlyintherevitalizationofDowntownandunlockingunderutilizedspaces
citywide—fromHillEasttoPoplarPointtotheRFKcampus.
ExpandingHealthCareAccessandSupportingResidentsinNeed
NearlyfourintenDCresidentsdependonourMedicaid,BasicHealthPlan,orAllianceprograms.TheGrowDC budgetmaintainscomprehensivecoveragewhilealsorespondingtorisinghealthcarecosts.We areaddingnewdentalandvisionbenefitsforBasicHealthPlanandAllianceenrollees,funding
newchipcardsforourSNAPparticipantstohelppreventbenefittheft,andexpandingbridgehousingandhomelessnesspreventionprograms.We arefundingthereplacementofkey shelterfacilitiesandcapitalimprovementsthatsupportresidentsexperiencinghomelessness.Andtosupportourseniors,
2hraps:/www.ude.edu/de-futures/>hitps://dmped.de.gov/page/vitalityfund“https://dmped.de.gov/page/TEF
thisbudgetprotectsprogramsandservicesattheDepartmentofAgingandCommunityLivingand
continuesourinvestmentinanewSeniorWellnessCenterinWard2.
ProtectingCore PublicServices
Residentsneedcleanneighborhoods,reliabletransportation,accessiblerecreation,andresponsiveservices.TheGrowDC budgetmaintainsstrongfundingfortheDepartmentofParksandRecreation
(DPR),DC PublicLibraries(DCPL),DepartmentofPublicWorks,DistrictDepartmentofTransportation,DepartmentofEnergyandtheEnvironment,andDepartmentofMotorVehiclesto
ensurereliablecorepublicservicesforourresidentsandbusinesses.
WecontinuetosupportcommunityprogramsofferedatDCPLandDPR,includingthenewlyopenedFortDupontIceArena,andwearemaintainingtheCleanCorridorsprogramtokeepcommercialareassafeandwelcoming.Tomaintainourinnovativeedge,theGrowDCbudgetfundsthedevelopmentofdigitaldrivers’licenseswhichwillletresidentshavesecure,electronicversionsoftheirdrivers’licensesstoredintheirdigitalwallets.
Majorcapitalinvestmentsacrossthecitywillmodernizerecreationcenters,allpubliclibraries,andfundplanninganddesignworkonthe125-acreKenilworthParkNorth,whichcouldleadtothecreation
ofastate-of-the-artdestinationparkinWard7.Ourcapitalplanalsoincludesnearly$900milliontoimprovemajorbridgesandcontinueourworktomaintainourroads,sidewalks,andalleys.We alsocontinueourtransportationfundingcommitmentstoWMATA,CapitalBikeshare,andexpandedtrails,
andpedestriannetworks.
LookingForward
We havefacedsignificantchallengesoverthepastfewyears.ButWashington,DC,remainsstrong
becauseofourresidentsandbusinessesandbecausewehavebeenstrongstewardsoftaxpayerdollars
overthepastthreedecades.
Today,focusingongrowthismoreimportantthaniteverwasinWashington,DC.Forallthethingsweloveaboutourcity—ourgreatschools,parks,transportation,arts,culture,andrestaurants—theyallrequireustohaverobustrevenuestomakerobustinvestments.Forthat,weneedapro-growthbudgetwhichwearenowdeliveringwithGrowDC.
‘Thankyouforyourcontinuedtrustandengagement.
Sipe
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~~
Chairman Phil Mendelson
at the request of the Mayor
A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to adopt the local portion of
the budget of the District of Columbia for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027.
RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the "Fiscal Year 2027 Local Budget Emergency Declaration
Resolution of 2026".
Sec. 2. (a) The Council is expected to adopt the Fiscal Year 2027 Local Budget Act of
2026 in late June, after which it will be transmitted to the Mayor for the Mayor's review and
approval. The act will then be transmitted to Congress for a 30-day passive review period
required by section 602( c )( 1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code§ l-206.02(c)(l)).
(b) In order for the District government to operate fully and provide necessary services to
District residents, visitors, businesses, and others in Fiscal Year 2027, legislation approving the
Fiscal Year 2027 budget must be effective prior to October 1, 2026, the start of Fiscal Year 2027.
( c) Due to the timing of the submission and adoption of the Fiscal Year 202 7 budget and
the congressional recess schedule, the Fiscal Year 2027 Local Budget Act of 2026 may not
complete the congressional review period before October 1, 2026.
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(d) The Mayor therefore transmitted to the Council the Fiscal Year 2027 Local Budget 31
Emergency Act of 2026, which is not subject to a congressional review period but is limited in 32
its duration of effectiveness, so that an approved budget and financial plan for Fiscal Year 2027 33
may be effective before the start of the fiscal year while the Fiscal Year 2027 Local Budget Act 34
of 2026 completes its congressional review period. 35
Sec. 3. The Council determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute 36
emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Fiscal Year 2027 Local Budget 37
Emergency Act of 2026 be adopted after a single reading. 38
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately. 39