THE MAYOR GRAY REPORT
February 6, 2013
Mayor Gray Proposes $100 Million Investment in Affordable Housing to Build and Preserve 10,000 Affordable Housing Units
Taking center stage at the State of the District address at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, Mayor Gray proposed a major investment of $100 million of the District’s “prosperity dividend” – expected additional Fiscal Year 2013 revenue – to build and preserve 10,000 units of affordable housing.
“Since coming into office, my administration has completed the construction of nearly 1,500 units of affordable housing and broken ground on an additional 1,700 units. Last September, I announced $35 million in financing to create and preserve additional affordable housing. But we have to do more. And that’s why tonight I’m proposing a major affordable-housing initiative that will invest $100 million in building and preserving 10,000 units of affordable housing. This investment, on top of our existing and other planned affordable housing investments, will go a long way towards ensuring we remain the type of compassionate, inclusive city we want to be.”
In his address, Mayor Gray also announced his intent to provide raises to District employees who have gone years without an increase – some as many as seven years – as well as create the One City Fund, a $15 million investment fund that will allow non-profits to compete openly and transparently for one-year grants of up to $100,000 to help advance key city goals. Additionally, the Mayor announced that he will work with his Education Cabinet to articulate a clear education vision for the District while also tackling procurement reform to streamline the way the District buys goods and services.
Read the full text of the Mayor’s speech here or watch it here.
Mayor Gray and CFO Gandhi Announce $417 Million Surplus and Sustained Growth in City’s Fund Balance
Mayor Gray and DC Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi announced that the District’s financial health continued to improve through Fiscal Year 2012, with one of the largest surpluses in recent history bringing the city’s savings account to its second-highest level ever.
Announcing the results of the District’s Fiscal Year 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), conducted by independent auditing firm KPMG, Mayor Gray said the District ended the year with a structurally balanced budget and $417 million more in revenues and savings than expenditures. This has increased the city’s Fund Balance to $1.5 billion over the $1.1 billion in the fund at the end of FY 2011. The FY 2012 CAFR shows a $277 million increase in revenue, $50 million in underspending for a total of $327 million Local surplus. Additionally, it displays a $90 million surplus in Special Purpose Revenues.
The District is now within striking distance of the two-months-of-cash-on-hand goal set by District law for the Fund Balance. Once the District hits this benchmark, it is free to spend future surplus funds.
“This is affirmation that our economic development strategies are working and shows that we are one of the nation’s most financially sound jurisdictions,” said Mayor Gray. “We believe we have a tremendous opportunity to save the surplus this year while spending anticipated new Fiscal Year 2013 funds to make important and significant new investments in social programs that we have long wanted to make, but for which we did not previously have the funds. We are confident that these new funds will be certified by the OCFO shortly. This scenario would represent the best of both worlds.” Read more here.
Mayor Gray Announces Partnership between the Mayor’s Office of GLBT Affairs and the U.S. Attorney’s Office
Mayor announced a partnership between the Mayor’s Office of GLBT Affairs and the US Attorney’s Office (USAO) that will enhance USAO’s ability to bring criminals to justice in cases where hate or bias might have been a factor in a crime committed against an individual from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
Mayor Gray made the announcement at a memorial service for Deoni Jones, a transgender woman who was stabbed to death on February 2, 2012, at a bus stop located on the corner of East Capitol and Sycamore Streets NE.
“While this partnership will not bring Deoni back, it will give the LGBT community more power to affect the sentences handed down to violent criminals, helping to keep them off our streets,” Mayor Gray said. Read more here.
Mayor Gray and Councilmember McDuffie Announce Ward 5 Industrial Land Transformation Task Force
Mayor Gray and Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie announced the formation of a 13-member task force charged with developing a strategic plan for the modernization and adaptive use of the industrial areas in Ward 5.
Building on the goals of the Mayor’sOne City Action Plan, the District’sFive-Year Economic Development Strategy and theSustainable DC initiative, the Ward 5 Industrial Land Transformation Task Force will develop a strategic and forward-looking plan to transform these industrial areas into a magnet for green and creative businesses that can help diversify the District’s economy, create jobs for different skill levels and provide the amenities and services desired by Ward 5 residents.
“With the creation of this task force, we are signaling the start a new day for these often neglected and underused industrial areas,” said Mayor Gray. “We can find better and smarter ways to make them productive not just for Ward 5, but for the entire District’s economy by leveraging the demand for green, technological and creative services in our city.” Read more here.
District’s Rate of Public-School Enrollment Goes Up For Fourth Consecutive Year
Student enrollment in the District of Columbia’s public schools increased 5 percent for the 2012-2013 school year, according to final audited data released by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). The final results indicate an overall increase from 76,753 last year to 80,230 students enrolled statewide this year, and represent both DC Public Schools (DCPS) and DC Public Charter Schools (PCS).
This year, DCPS’ enrollment increased by 1 percent, from 45,191 to 45,557 (366 students), and PCS’ enrollment increased by 10 percent, from 31,562 to 34,673 (3,111 students).
“For the fourth year in a row, parents are voting with their feet and choosing to place their confidence in District schools,” said Mayor Vincent C. Gray. “As we commit to improving educational opportunities for all students in our city, I hope that the numbers will continue to rise.” Read more here.
New Report Tracks District’s Progress in Helping Youth Succeed
Raise DC, a citywide partnership focused on raising educational outcomes for District youth, released a new Baseline Report Card that highlights five citywide goals aimed at helping children and young adults succeed academically and professionally.
The Raise DC Baseline Report Card, underwritten by the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, pinpoints core indicators that will track the city’s progress toward those goals and provides a baseline measurement of the District’s current performance.
“Instead of dispersing resources in an uncoordinated manner in the hopes that it will have an impact somewhere for some child or family, we now know exactly what we need to focus on if we are going to achieve significant gains in our educational and workforce readiness outcomes,” Mayor Gray said. Read more here
Mayor Gray Helps Launch 1776 Startup Accelerator
Mayor Gray announced that the District has provided a $200,000 grant to support 1776, a new initiative designed to convene and accelerate startups in the heart of the District of Columbia. The initiative held its official “hard hat” launch event at the soon-to-be-opened 1776 Campus located just blocks from the White House.
The campus aligns directly with Mayor Gray’s recently released Five-Year Economic Development Strategy, which defines technology entrepreneurship as a key to the city’s economic diversification. Leaders of 1776 have partnered with the city to create a space for convening and collaboration for the District’s startup ecosystem. In addition, 1776 will provide training for unemployed District residents, work with incubators in underserved areas and provide quarterly tours for DC youth to expose them to tech careers.
“I am proud for the District to support and invest in 1776, which will catalyze our efforts to diversify our economy and ready our residents for emerging career paths,” said Mayor Gray. “The commitment of such illustrious local, national, and international stakeholders to this project demonstrates that the District is a vibrant hub of innovation that welcomes entrepreneurs who want to change the world.” Read more here.
Mayor Gray Announces DC Re-Entry Initiative and Re-Entry Resource Center for Returning Citizens
Mayor Gray announced that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed between local and federal agencies to improve reintegration of the District’s previously incarcerated population. Christened the DC Re-Entry Initiative, it will be the cornerstone of the District’s re-entry strategy and will be coordinated through the Office on Returning Citizen Affairs (ORCA).
As part of the Initiative, the District will open the One City Re-Entry Resource Center for Returning Citizens. The Resource Center, a national best practice utilized by few jurisdictions, will provide critical services to the District’s men and women returning from incarceration with the aim of reducing recidivism, increasing public safety and saving taxpayer dollars.
“No one can deny that incarceration has had a major impact on our community both socially and economically, with tens of thousands of District residents who have been involved in the criminal-justice system at some point,” noted Mayor Gray. “Reintegration and social connectivity are keys to a safer society. We must do everything possible to ensure that every individual seeking an opportunity to turn their lives around after incarceration has a place to come and begin the process. This resource center will be a place where returning citizens can learn the skills that will enable them to make a fresh start.” Read more here.
District’s Central Detention Facility Awarded Full Accreditation by the American Correctional Association
Mayor Gray and DC Department of Corrections (DCDOC) Director Thomas N. Faust announced that the American Correctional Association’s (ACA) National Commission on Standards and Accreditation awarded full accreditation to the District’s Central Detention Facility, located in Southeast Washington. The ACA serves all disciplines within the corrections profession and establishes standards for the safe and effective operation of state, county, federal and private correctional facilities.
“The DC Jail’s accreditation is an especially noteworthy milestone given that, across the country, only 7 percent of more than 3,300 local jail facilities have been nationally accredited,” noted Mayor Gray. “It takes a strong and consistent commitment to excellence for jurisdictions to operate and maintain facilities in compliance with the ACA’s standards. Safety and security are paramount to the mission of our correctional facilities, and we are dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of offenders in the District’s custody.” Read more here.
Mayor Gray Announces January Grade.DC.gov Agency Grades
Mayor Gray has released the January grades for the District’sGrade.DC.gov program and announced that five additional District agencies have joined the program. The agencies are the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, the Department of Employment Services, the Department of Health, the Department of Small and Local Business Development, and the Office of the State Superintendent for Education.
Created last summer, the innovative customer-service initiative is designed to provide the best possible analysis of service delivery and customer care by participating District government agencies.
The January grades for the pilot program agencies range from an A-plus (FEMS) to C (DPW). The Office on Aging (DCOA) logged its fourth straight A this month. See the complete list of grades here.
The Mayor Gray Report is the weekly report to key stakeholders, community leaders, and opinion makers of the important steps the Gray Administration is taking to move the District forward. As this information frequently goes unreported by the mainstream media, feel free to share this report with others so that the progress can be more broadly known. Help spread the word! If you wish to be taken off the distribution list, would like additional people to receive it, or would like to suggest topics, projects, or initiatives to be profiled in future editions, please email Sheila Bunn.
Sheila E. Bunn
Deputy Chief of Staff
Executive Office of Mayor Vincent C. Gray
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW – Suite 310
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 442.8160 – office; (202) 727.8527 – fax
Bates Area Civic Association 