Legislators only want to approve special election funding
D.C. Council members are balking at Mayor Vincent Gray’s requests to spend more money this year than already has been budgeted and are expected on Tuesday to only approve a fraction of the new $79.5 million emergency request before them.
In a meeting on Monday, most members expressed frustration with the chief financial officer’s “pattern” of asking for more money during the year to fix agency budgets that have incurred unexpected expenses. At the same time, CFO Natwar Gandhi proposes using largely extra revenue found in the current year’s budget to compensate for the shortages.
Meanwhile, the city is facing a $115 million budget shortfall in 2013, according to the mayor’s office.
“This occurs over and over again,” said Ward 3 Councilwoman Mary Cheh, adding, “I implore you, mayor, CFO, if there is some doubt about the figures, don’t give us the low-ball … estimate.”
Council members said during the meeting they would likely only vote to fund the special election in Ward 5 on May 15, which is to cost an estimated $318,000.
Others said they wanted more time to consider Gray’s new spending request.
“I [saw] a very slim chance of passing it,” Council Chairman Kwame Brown told his colleagues during the meeting Monday. “We didn’t get a lot of time.”
A spokesman for the mayor said Gray will “continue to work with the council” and that the potential shortfalls “must be addressed to ensure we maintain our good financial standing.”
The emergency request arrived in members’ offices Friday and was nearly double the last request Gray submitted in January to supplement the city’s $9.6 billion total operating budget. That request to spend an additional $44.7 million in order to shore up potential shortfalls, was not taken up by the council.
Brown added that the CFO was scheduled to issue another revenue estimate in June that might paint a rosier picture.
“The idea is what do we need to fund right now,” the chairman said.
Among Gray’s new spending requests are $9 million for the Unemployment Compensation Fund and $19.9 million to pay back city employees furloughed last year. Most members said they’d rather hold public hearings on the proposals.
“Particularly in the environment in which we operate, I think it would be foolhardy to do anything without a hearing,” said Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans, alluding to the heightened scrutiny of the council.
Last week, a grand jury issued subpoenas to most members, seeking campaign finance documents connected to Jeffrey Thompson, one of the city’s most prolific donors.
