Dear Neighbor,

Yesterday, the DC Council passed our Fiscal Year 2025 Budget! I am very proud of the many investments we made that put the future of the District in a stronger and more stable direction through initiatives that will:

• Improve public safety,
  
• Revitalize our downtown,
  
• Support our small and local businesses,
  
• Expand education and youth opportunities,
  
• Support housing and health initiatives, and
  
• Ensure thriving senior and LGBTQ+ communities.
  

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I want to thank the thousands of residents, businesses, stakeholders, and partners who have made their voices heard, advocated for change, and fought alongside us to protect and fight for critical investments that will strengthen our communities.

FY25 Budget Investments

This budget took weeks of collaboration and hard work, and I'm pleased we were able to approve a budget that invests in the needs of neighbors in all 8 wards.

I have been working extremely closely with the Chairman, all of my colleagues, and members of the community to make our priorities clear and ensure important investments were included that will support our government agencies, nonprofits, and partners to appropriately meet resident needs and ensure our communities can thrive.

Here are some of the investments I fought hard for and that I am thrilled to share are included in the budget:

I specifically want to highlight a few critical wins I helped to secure for Ward 2 schools.

• School Without Walls High School: I moved an amendment that the Council passed to restore critical teaching positions for theater and Chinese language.
  
• Hardy Middle School: The Council restored two teaching positions during the first budget vote for PE/Health and World Language.
  
• Duke Ellington School of the Arts: The Council enhanced its budget by $800,000.
  
• Ross Elementary School: The Council restored three general education teacher positions that had been cut.
  
• Stevens Early Learning Center: The Council enhanced its budget by $60,000.

Thank you to the students, parents, teachers, and community members who consistently reached out to my colleagues and me on behalf of our students.

Sustainable and Responsible Budget over the Long Term

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, while I am disappointed that three new taxes were included in this year’s budget, I want to highlight that, through close work with the Chairman, the taxes that were included are much less aggressive than alternative proposals that had been contemplated.

Here is how they work:

• 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%.
  
• The Property Tax: Currently, each residential property is subject to a taxation rate of 85 cents for every $100 of assessed value. Under the new proposal, properties would still be taxed at $0.85 for every $100 of assessed value for up to the first $2.5 million of assessed value. Then, for every $100 of assessed value above $2.5 million, the property will be taxed at a rate of $1 per $100 of assessed value. If your home is $2.5 million or less, you will not see a change.

• The Sales Tax: Currently, the District has a 6% sales tax. Over the course of two years, this budget will raise the sales tax by a total of 1 percent – in Fiscal Year 2026, the rate will raise to 6.5%; then in Fiscal Year 2027 and thereafter, the rate will raise and stay at 7%.

I also want to explain the removal of the out-of-state municipal bonds tax exemption. Currently, District residents who hold District or other state and municipal bonds can exclude interest gained from those bonds from their gross income on their DC tax return. The new budget removes this exclusion for bonds from other states and jurisdictions. While this policy change brings the District’s tax policy in line with all other states but one (Utah), I am very concerned about the fairness of this proposal and particularly the impact that this may have on low- and middle-income residents and seniors. I am continuing to work with my Council colleagues over the next two weeks to try to mitigate the impacts of this proposal.

Next Steps for the Budget

While I am very proud of the investments we were able to make, I know that many of our residents are hurting right now, and many of the programs and resources that serve as an essential safety net still need to be bolstered from where we are today.

The work continues to ensure the District can better support housing needs, respond to high rates of truancy for our kids, and improve safety in and for our schools.

The Council will likely hold its final vote on the Budget Support Act (BSA) on June 25th. The BSA is the corresponding legislation that explains how the monetary investments we finalized should be used.

Lastly, I want to invite you to join me and my team for my next office hours on Wednesday, June 26th at The Little Gay Pub from 5-6:30pm. I would love to see you and hear about your priorities for the neighborhood and District.

Yours in Service,

Brooke  

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

• Speak at the unveiling of Sam “The Man” Burns Way at 18th & M St NW to honor his incredible contributions to the house music scene and the community in DC as a DJ, mentor, and friend.

• Meet with the Gallery Place/Chinatown Task Force to continue developing and moving forward targeted strategies to reimagine and bolster the vibrancy of the future these Downtown neighborhoods.

• Speak with Friends of Volta Park to share updates on budget season and express gratitude to the residents and community organizations who stay engaged and advocate for needed investments that help to cultivate thriving neighborhoods.

• Celebrate at the annual Doll Gordon Alley Party and present the official “Gordon Way” street renaming in honor of her late husband’s contributions to DC and the Logan Circle neighborhood.

• Join my colleagues and the community for the Pride Flag raising ceremony at the John A. Wilson Building; in DC, we welcome, honor, and CELEBRATE everyone for who they are and who they love.

• Unveil the naming of “Annie’s Way” on 17th Street, honoring the legacy of Annie Kaylor at Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse, which has celebrated and cherished our LGBTQ+ neighbors since its inception.

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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 related to several civil law issues, including on the rules governing trusts, probate administration, and a proposal to create civil protections for people who receive nonconsenual lewd images.

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.  

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• Watch: NBC4: DC Council unanimously approves next year's budget, closing $700M gap. “The Council’s final budget vote restored funding for two of Bowser’s big projects: a youth indoor recreation center on the RFK Stadium campus, and planning and construction for a new jail, which Councilmember Brooke Pinto worked to fund. 'I'm grateful that we were able to work with colleagues, work with the chairman to ensure that that funding is back in place and the project can continue moving forward as anticipated,' she said. 'The residents at the jail deserve it, and our entire public safety goals of our city rely on having a jail that is setting people up for success upon reentry.’”
  
• The Washington Post: D.C. Council votes on 2025 budget, opening mobile sports betting market. “Some lawmakers, led by council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), expressed concerns about reducing money for the truancy program, noting that fewer students would be helped as city officials aspire to keep more children in the classroom. ‘Sixty percent of our high school students are now chronically absent or truant. That is a crisis. That is absolutely unacceptable,’ Pinto said.”  

• The Washington Informer: Collins Council Report: Second Budget Vote (FY 2025). "Capital enhancement funds in Mendelson’s ANS include $22 million to renovate the Central Cell Block in the Henry J. Daly Building on Indiana Avenue in Northwest, along with $463 million for a new correctional facility. D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto heralded these investments as paramount, especially amid the string of deaths at D.C. Jail. ‘D.C. Department of Corrections has a fundamental responsibility to protect residents,’ Pinto told The Informer. ‘It’s something we work with them on regularly… at every hearing. It’s why it’s urgent for them [to have] additional check points. In the budget, it’s important for a new jail, renovation of the Central Cell Block and funds for additional guards.’”
  
• Watch: WUSA9: ‘This means everything!’ | Council includes funding for Jelleff Community Center Boys & Girls Club in proposed budget. “’Our community came together to ensure that the [Boys & Girls Club] at Jelleff can continue to provide critical after-school and summer programming for kids from all 8 wards,’ [Councilmember Pinto wrote on X], ‘I fought to secure funding in our Council budget for [the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington] – Thank you to all of the neighbors who made your voices heard.’”
  
• Washington Blade: Mayor Bowser leads LGBTQ Pride flag raising ceremony at city hall. "Joining Bowser at the ceremony and who, like the mayor, spoke at the event, were [D.C. Council members including] Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2). ... Each expressed strong support for the LGBTQ community and the city’s annual Pride events.”
  
• Watch: NBC4: Annie’s Way: Street sign honors pillar of DC’s LGBTQ+ community. “After years of advocacy, D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) and four colleagues introduced the Annie’s Way Designation Amendment Act of 2023, allowing the sign to be placed at the restaurant’s current location. The council and Mayor Muriel Bowser approved the bill in April. The timing of the sign installation is especially meaningful because it went up in time for Pride Month. ... The honor was bestowed in recognition of a gay rights pioneer whose activism in D.C. and in the national gay rights movement began in the 1960s.”

• The Georgetowner: ‘Georgetown Is Hot!’ Mayor Tells Friends of Volta Park. “There was much to celebrate for more than 125 park supporters who gathered at the [Friends of Volta Park annual fundraiser] to hear from Mayor Bowser, Council member Brooke Pinto and Friends of Volta Park board president Saraya Arnold about the state of the city, Georgetown and the park. Bowser discussed a range of news including that Washington, D.C.’s sports teams are staying downtown, the pandas are coming back, tourism is once again on the rise, crime is down, and businesses are flocking to Georgetown, while Council member Pinto updated the packed room with the latest from the District Council.”

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• The NATO Summit will be coming to the Convention Center July 9-11. In the days leading up to, during, and immediately following the Summit there will be increased local security measures in place. Major traffic, parking, public transportation, bike lane and pedestrian impacts should be expected downtown and around the Convention Center between 6th St. NW, 11th St. NW, I Street NW, and O Street NW. While residences and businesses inside this affected area will be generally accessible, vehicles and pedestrians may be required to undergo security screening prior to entering. Updates on traffic plans, street closures, and parking restrictions will be available at https://mpdc.dc.gov/NSSE in the weeks to come. Text NATODC to 888-777 for live text updates. Please plan ahead.

• 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.

• 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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