DC Council Chair expects 'substantial cuts' from mayor's budget

WASHINGTON (7News) — D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson expects “substantial cuts across the board” from the mayor’s budget proposal, he told reporters during a news briefing Monday.

He believes the only potential exceptions would be education and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Mendelson believes the mayor’s budget will be right at its cap.

Last month, Mayor Muriel Bowser said her budget is focused on three key pillars: public schools, public safety and investments in the downtown area.

Her budget proposal is set to include $515 million over three years for improvements to the Capital One arena. Councilmembers are set to vote on that bill Tuesday, after initially approving legislation in December for $500 million in improvements.

Mendelson said councilmembers were briefed by the budget director Wednesday about the confidential negotiations ahead of the announcement of the finalized deal. He said he didn’t violate the District’s Open Meetings Act by organizing the briefing.

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“I believe we followed the council’s rules,” he told reporters. “There was no business taken, there was no intention for any business to be taken.”

The mayor’s budget is also expected to include up to $200 million to address a WMATA budget shortfall.

When it comes to the mayor and BID teams’ $400-million dollar pitch to revitalize downtown, Mendelson said a proposal hasn’t been brought before the council.

“I doubt that there’s just $400 million in additional capacity,” he told reporters, “But there could be choices made between different projects.”

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Mendelson said revitalizing downtown is essential to bringing back revenue. He said the district is struggling this year because the commercial property tax has dropped considerably.

“There’s no question in my mind that we need to maintain and enhance our economic activity downtown if we want to get back to the days of gangbuster revenue growth,” he said.

Mendelson is prioritizing short-term actions to revitalize downtown versus longer-term to help raise revenue now.

“The downtown is the economic engine that enables us to pay for all of these social justice programs," he said.