The budget proposed by D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray increases spending of local dollars by $300 million even as Gray talks about the tough choices he’s made in proposing cuts to human services spending and raising taxes on the wealthy. “To suggest there’s a world of pain being imposed on people is an absolute joke,” at-large D.C. Councilman David Catania said Wednesday during a council hearing on Gray’s proposal. The majority of council members praised Gray for presenting a balanced budget without “gimmicks,” a veiled reference to the budgets proposed by former Mayor Adrian Fenty that often relied on one-time revenue sources, fee increases and use of the city’s savings. But the other council members’ attitudes didn’t sway Catania.
“All the hugging and self-congratulations that’s going on over the tough choices that are being made — they’re not being made,” Catania said.
Gray’s proposed fiscal 2012 budget slashes spending in some areas by $187 million and raises taxes and fees to generate $127 million. Human services were cut by $113 million.
Those cuts, however, were made as overall spending in the proposed budget rose. The current budget spends $5.624 billion from local revenue sources. Gray’s proposal for next year is $5.924 billion.
Gray didn’t respond to Catania’s verbal attacks directly, but said via Twitter: “budget hike due mostly to shifts from capital budget to operating, increase in dedicated taxes, increase in [federal] funding.”
D.C. Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi explained further during Tuesday’s hearing that the primary drivers in raising the city’s proposed spending were a change in federal Medicaid assistance that required the city to spend nearly $78 million of local dollars on health care and a boost to student enrollment that has the mayor wanting to send an extra $67 million to the schools. The police department’s $26 million raise, an extra $16.6 million for the city’s juvenile justice agency and $31.4 million for repaying loans and interest also added to the increase, Gandhi said.
But Catania pointed out other areas in Gray’s proposal where spending had increased.
Spending for the Office of Motion Picture and Television Development rose 22 percent in the mayor’s proposal. Budget documents show a job with a $125,000 annual salary was shifted from the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development’s Office, causing the spike. The job was filled by Leslie Green, the daughter of Lorraine Green, who has been accused of passing cash to a former mayoral candidate while she was the chairwoman of Gray’s mayoral campaign.
Catania also took issue with a $874,000 proposed cut to the council and an $900,000 increase to the mayor’s office.
“The council does its own budget,” Gray said. “We did not impose any figures and didn’t suggest figures to the council.”
