Dear Ward 5 neighbors,
The annual Ward 5 Awards Ceremony is coming up on April 1, but before we get there, we need you to submit nominations! If you haven’t yet, please take a moment to think about a remarkable community member who makes Ward 5 a better place. If you know someone who has gone out of their way to help neighbors, build healthy communities, and represents the best of Ward 5, please nominate them by March 6 here!
Then, mark your calendar and make plans to join us on April 1 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at Ivy City Smokehouse (1356 Okie St NE) where we will announce the winners! This year’s selection panel will be comprised of last year’s winners. You can RSVP to attend here.
Latest Updates on Decoupling and Current Tax Season
I’ve heard from many of you recently with questions about the current state of the District’s tax decoupling efforts and what that means for tax season. Unfortunately, we don’t have all the answers just yet. DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb released a legal opinion indicating that Congress acted too late to overturn our decoupling for this fiscal year. However, we have yet to see how the District’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will treat this information. We expect to have an update when our original emergency legislation expires on March 3.
In the meantime, one of the most frequent questions I’ve heard is, “Can I file my taxes now?” What the Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) shared with my office is that the tax filing season remains open and they continue to process returns. They will share any additional updates with taxpayers should the situation change. Official updates will be available at otr.dc.gov and mytax.dc.gov.
Per a conversation I had with Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee today, the latest revenue estimates we will receive later this afternoon show that our revenue outlook is materially unchanged, with a slight uptick in expected revenue for the next financial year to the tune of about $75 million.
Reimagining Rhode Island Ave Task Force
Helping revitalize the Rhode Island Ave corridor from 13th St NE to Eastern Ave NE has been a priority for me since entering office. Step one was securing funding for the Office of Planning to conduct a study of the corridor, which was completed last fall. Step two was securing seed funding to provide grants to existing businesses along the corridor. The Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) is pushing out those grants later this year. Step three is securing larger, multi-year investments and zoning changes to help reactivate the corridor.
In support of this work and to ensure neighbors are at the center of all future decision-making, I’m excited to announce the launch of the Reimagining Rhode Island Ave Task Force. If you’re interested in participating, please apply here. We will be in touch with applicants over the coming weeks and plan to kick things off on the task force by the end of March.
Ward 5 Wave Podcast
This week on the Ward 5 Wave, I invited Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, Chair of the Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment to share his perspective on the Potomac Interceptor collapse. We discuss how it happened, the current state of repair, and what remediation will look like in both the near- and long-term. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or click here. You can also find the latest report-out from DC Water on the status of the repair here.
In this Ward 5 Weekly, you’ll also find public safety updates; the final week to complete the Ward 5 Budget Survey; a reminder that the My School DC Lottery for PK3-Grade 8 closes on Monday, March 2; a Pollinator Pathways Webinar on March 7; the Carver Langston Park Community Meeting on March 11; Crummell Community Center Community Meeting on March 17; Harry Thomas Recreation Center Community Meeting on March 19; Notices of Intent modifying traffic/parking requirements in Ward 5; legislative updates in Neferteria’s Nook; updates from the Committee on Youth Affairs; programs to benefit from including the last chance to apply for the Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program (closes March 6); and community events including a Ranked-Choice Voting Lunch & Learn hosted by ANC 5D tomorrow.
