Council members and committee staff examined proposals that affect downtown activation, public restrooms and the city’s tourism‑marketing funding.

Committee members restored funding for a new program of pedestrianized plazas and semi‑permanent “open plaza” spaces designed to draw visitors from the Mall into downtown commercial corridors. The plan aims to convert short‑term street closures into predictable, recurring plaza spaces that can be used for markets, family activities and community‑oriented events.

Members also restored funding for public restroom pilots and for a small expansion of Open Streets‑style programming, but shifted several open‑street line items into capital and maintenance categories so the initiatives have longer‑term upkeep funding.

A flashpoint was the mayor’s proposal to eliminate the temporary hotel‑tax surcharge that has supported Destination DC, redirecting those receipts into the general fund. Several council members and downtown business advocates asked the Council to preserve at least the majority of those funds for destination marketing and business attraction: they argued the city’s international tourism recovery is still incomplete and that Destination DC’s offices and overseas presence have helped bring conventions and conferences back.

Members asked the executive to provide a breakdown of office‑level performance for overseas offices and asked Destination DC to produce metrics showing how tax‑supported marketing dollars have translated to visits, room nights and taxable economic activity before the Council votes on any shifts.

The committee also approved a package of operational fixes for litter and recycling: consolidating park recycling collection under a single agency, re‑targeting sidewalk and corridor sweeps to match activity patterns and reinstating several seasonal cleanup crews. Several members urged program continuity for community groups that rely on neighborhood commercial corridor grants.

Ending: Council members asked the Mayor’s Office, Destination DC and DPW to return with performance data and a timeline for any proposed repurposing of tourism funds. For plaza and restroom pilots the committee advanced funding but required project plans and maintenance commitments before the Council’s next budget stage.