Dear Neighbor,
I wanted to send you a quick Fiscal Year 2025 budget update, following yesterday's Council vote. Guided by the principle of avoiding cuts that could harm residents and increase long-term costs for taxpayers, my Housing Committee team and I secured funding for 619 additional housing vouchers. The Mayor's proposal included none.
I’m proud that the FY 2025 budget includes budget reforms I fought for to find and eliminate wasteful spending, redirecting those funds to effective programs. We can't keep passing higher budgets and tax increases year after year. These reforms will make our government smarter, more efficient, and more effective.
Although the budget we voted on yesterday is a major improvement from the mayor's proposal, we have not filled all the gaps. I did what I could with the budget we had in our committee and the support we got along the way. While the whole process isn’t done yet, I want to thank Chairman Mendelson, as well as Councilmembers McDuffie, Nadeau, Henderson, and Bonds who supported various housing and human services needs with money from their committees. Continue reading, below, for a rundown of the additional changes I was able to make to the FY 2025 budget. The work continues* and I will keep you updated.
Sincerely,
Robert
|