Two days after signing a massive anti-crime bill, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she may not provide funding for the entire legislation, including one of the more controversial parts.
She also said she isn’t ruling out a tax increase in the next budget.
On Monday, Bowser signed Secure DC, surrounded by council members and the District’s police chief. But many of the provisions in the bill come with a price tag–estimated to be more than $40 million over four years.
On Wednesday, the mayor said she may not fully fund the bill, including the controversial provision that would allow the government to collect DNA samples from suspects before they are convicted of a crime.
“I doubt that we will fund every part of it, but it’s also entirely possible there are a couple of elements that were added that we’re still waiting on the financial impact for,” she said.
The DNA collection is one of them.
“I’m not sure what the cost is yet, but my team has it and we’re working on it, and it’s very important to the council member. It’s important to us,” she said.
Bowser has also acknowledged that budget cuts are likely unavoidable. Last week, D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson told reporters that tax increases are also likely.
Now that the Secure DC crime bill is signed, changes are on the way for several areas in the District. On Thursday, the Metropolitan Police Department will begin enforcing three drug free zones. News 4’s Walter Morris reports.
The mayor has remained noncommittal on any type of tax increase, saying she “can’t rule out anything.”
Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie also would not rule out a possible tax increase for D.C. residents or businesses.
“The reality, I think, is starting to set in with residents about some of the tough choices that we’re going to have to make as a government,” McDuffie said. “I’m not going to say that it has to mean that we’re going to have some tax increases, but we’ll see what the mayor does in her budget.”
The mayor was also asked about D.C.’s Office of Migrant Services, which was created to handle the influx of buses from Texas and Arizona carrying thousands of people, many seeking asylum.
The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the office is scaling back services, and that D.C. hasn’t had any migrant bus arrivals since November of last year.
Bowser said she is committed to keeping the office operating and would include funding in her next budget, but would not say if the agency could face budget cuts.
She will present her budget to the council in a week.
