Budget Crisis Action Alert: Invest in Our Community!

Washington DC is facing a major economic crisis. The latest revenue forecast shows an $800 million shortfall next year.

Tough decisions will have to be made in the coming months. The easy thing to do would be to slash funding. But many services are necessary to keep communities stable and the local economy strong.

Mayor Fenty will release his proposed budget in two weeks. This Thursday, concerned citizens across the city will write to him, urging a sensible approach.

CITYWIDE WRITE-IN DAY
Contact the Mayor: mayor@dc.gov

Here are our key principles:

• You can’t balance the budget with cuts alone. Given the latest budget forecast for the District, it's even more important now to be considering sensible revenue increases.


• Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. We know that cuts in basic services will make our city dirtier, less healthy, and broken down. And cutting safety net programs will destabilize families and increase need for costly emergency services. Meanwhile, with smart investment on the City’s behalf, we can maximize the effect of the stimulus. For example, every dollar of food stamps used in DC will generate approximately $1.73 of economic activity. By supporting programs that support the most vulnerable communities, DC will be paving the way to a broad recovery.


• Use every available penny of stimulus funding: The federal stimulus funds should be used to balance our budget, help residents in need, and invest in job creation for our community.

The Coalition for Community Investment represents over 160 diverse organizations and individuals committed to public investments that expand economic opportunity for our neighborhoods and families, and support a fair and transparent budget process. To learn more, visit the Coalition's website.