The District of Columbia’s elected leaders are facing an economic slowdown as they head into their fiscal year 2009 budget deliberations next week, though it is unclear whether they will respond by reigning in spending.

Though he anticipates an $80 million surplus at the close of the current fiscal year — fiscal 2007 closed with $248 million in unanticipated revenues — Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi has warned the mayor and council repeatedly that 2009 is when the slowdown will hit home.