D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray has warned that he has to close a $115 million budget gap for the coming fiscal year, and on Friday, he’ll roll out a budget proposal that is poised to avoid tax hikes but might threaten social service programs with more cuts.
Even though the District recorded a $240 million surplus in 2011, lean revenue forecasts and inflation are confronting Gray with another fiscal challenge as he prepares a budget likely to dole out more than $6 billion.
One mayoral aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly about internal deliberations, said Gray is looking to bridge that gap with budget cuts, not tax hikes.
“This is not going to be a revenue-based budget,” the aide said. “You’re not going to see income tax increases.”
But since federal law requires the District to have a balanced budget, Gray has to look for savings elsewhere in city government.
Last year, also faced with a shortfall, Gray proposed slashing the District’s budget by $187 million — with about 60 percent of the cuts in social service programs.
While the Gray aide would not confirm similar cuts are coming, the person would not rule them out.
“Social services make up a very large portion of the District’s budget,” the aide said. “You’ve got to look for cuts where the money is spent.”
But Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry, who represents the city’s poorest ward, warned that although he allowed some cuts to move forward last year because Gray was newly installed in the mayor’s office, the chief executive shouldn’t expect the same treatment this year.
“Vince Gray had only had the budget for three months before he submitted it, so I cut him some slack … but 2013 is going to be totally different,” Barry told The Washington Examiner. “I think the majority of us are not going to stand another cut in social service areas.”
He said African-American residents are depending on Gray, who is also black.
“Vince Gray received 83 percent of the black vote, and we need programs that affect this community,” Barry said.
