Fiscal Year 2026 Revised Local Budget Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026

26th Council Period (2025-2026) Introduced by Phil Mendelson

Allows immediate adjustments to FY2026 appropriations to balance the budget and maintain services in response to revised revenues and changed costs.

Approved with Resolution Number R26-0422

Purpose and intent

The bill proposes a resolution to declare an emergency for purposes of adjusting appropriations within the Fiscal Year 2026 Local Budget Act of 2025.

The stated goal is to allow the Mayor and Council to address revised revenue estimates, increased costs, and other changed budget conditions to ensure the budget remains balanced and aligned with revenue, continuing to meet residents’ needs.

Key provisions and changes

Declares an emergency in order to adjust certain appropriations from the FY2026 Local Budget Act of 2025 (the original balanced budget approved October 23, 2025, under DC Law 26-51; 72 DCR 9797).

Bases the emergency finding on:

Revised revenue estimates issued by the Chief Financial Officer for FY2026.
Emergent or changed costs since the budget was approved.

Authorizes adjustments to appropriate additional resources, address budget pressures, and realign the budget and financial plan to balance the budget and continue service delivery.

The emergency declaration is to enable the FY2026 Revised Local Budget Emergency Act of 2026 to be adopted after a single reading (not requiring multiple readings for this emergency action).

The resolution takes effect immediately upon adoption.

Who/what is affected

The District of Columbia government’s FY2026 budget framework and appropriations.

City departments and programs that rely on the FY2026 Local Budget Act appropriations, including any areas facing revised costs or changed revenue projections.

Residents of DC are the implicit beneficiaries, as the adjustments are aimed at maintaining service levels and balancing the budget to meet community needs.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Introduced: April 14, 2026.

Action history indicates:

The measure was retained by the Council with comments from the Committee of the Whole on April 21, 2026.
It is intended to be adopted after a single reading due to the emergency nature.

Effective date: Immediate upon adoption (as per Sec. 4).

Context (from accompanying materials)

The accompanying budget framework (Grow DC) emphasizes addressing economic changes post-COVID, revenue pressures from telework, and federal job shifts, and sustaining the city’s programs and services while pursuing economic growth.

The emergency declaration is presented to facilitate timely budget adjustments without procedural delays to respond to evolving fiscal conditions.

Bottom line

PR 26-0640 is a targeted emergency resolution authorizing adjustments to FY2026 appropriations in response to revised revenues and new or changed costs, ensuring the city’s budget remains balanced and able to fund essential services without awaiting a longer legislative process. It takes immediate effect upon adoption and allows for swift budget realignments within the FY2026 framework.

Bill