Committee on Executive Administration and Labor approves FY26 budget report, adds transfers for senior services and Pathways workforce funds

Councilmember Anita Bonds, chairwoman of the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor, opened an additional committee meeting Monday and moved the committee's report and recommendations on the mayor's proposed FY26 operating budgets for agencies under the committee's purview. The committee recommended approval of budgets for the Executive Office of the Mayor, the Office of the City Administrator, the Office of the Secretary, the Mayor's Office of Legal Counsel, the Department on Aging and Community Living (DACL), labor and workforce agencies, and election- and accountability-related offices, and the committee voted to approve the report unanimously with leave for staff to make technical and conforming changes.

The committee's report recommends the Executive Office of the Mayor (EOM) receive a FY26 allocation of $31,700,000 supporting 175 full-time equivalents (FTEs); the Office of the City Administrator, $10,230,000 supporting 64 FTEs; the Office of the Secretary, $5,400,000 and 29 FTEs; and the Mayor's Office of Legal Counsel, $1,800,000 and 10 FTEs. Councilmember Bonds said the EOM increase of roughly 45% from the prior year largely reflects a rebalancing of personnel and shifts in subsidies and grants rather than a pure expansion of operating programs.

On senior services, the committee reported the mayor's FY26 proposal for the Department on Aging and Community Living at $62,200,000, a decrease Bonds described as about 4.3% (roughly $2.8 million) from FY25 funding and supporting about 121.8 FTEs. The committee said it accepted inter-committee transfers and other changes to restore and protect several senior programs: a one-time $200,000 transfer to the Veeder Senior Center; a recurring $350,000 transfer to restore the Dementia Navigators program (implemented by Iona Senior Services) to FY25 levels; $250,000 recurring to support senior villages citywide; a one-time $350,000 capital transfer and a separate $1,200,000 capital transfer to support a new elevator at Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center in Ward 4; and a one-time $150,000 to expand senior-village pilots in Ward 7. Bonds said the committee also added $100,000 in one-time funds to support lead agencies' work with the UDC Senior Companion Program and $200,000,000 in one-time funding for the Club Memory program at Sibley Hospital (the transcript uses "Club Memory"), which the committee said would help restore some proposed cuts to that program.

"The Dementia Navigators Program, implemented by Iona Senior Services, provides critical support to people living with dementia and their caregivers," Bonds said. The committee's report states that the dementia navigators funding will support intensive care management for approximately 100 people with severe dementia and that the Connector Card program has a wait list of about 600 seniors; the committee accepted both operating and one-time transfers intended to reduce that backlog.

On labor and workforce agencies, the committee recommended approval of the Department of Employment Services (DOES) budget at $181,600,000 (noting roughly $15,000,000 in cuts from FY25 levels, about half attributed to projected federal grant losses). The committee accepted a transfer of the workforce-focused portion of the Pathways program from the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety to SEAL; bonds said that transfer consists of $4,500,000 and 19 FTEs and is intended to focus on employment, apprenticeship placements and job retention. Councilmember Matthew Fruman, who chairs the Committee on Human Services and whose committee previously supported dementia navigators and senior villages, said he was "delighted to be in full support of it."

Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, who joined the meeting, said he planned to support the committee report but voiced concerns about moving Pathways funding out of the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONE). "The Pathways program is a core component of ONE's work," McDuffie said, noting the program's coordination of job readiness, transportation, food support and trauma-informed counseling. Bonds said ONE would remain in place and that the portion of Pathways transferred to SEAL is the workforce and job‑placement component; Bonds also said some portion of the $4.5 million is designated for transportation, mental health services and food to support participants in moving into and retaining employment.

Members discussed the city archives proposal. Bonds said prior design and planning work and rising construction costs require a re-evaluation of the mayor's proposal; she said demolition of the current archives site on the UDC campus would be costly because the site sits atop an underground garage and that engineers and DGS have provided estimates that could increase total costs substantially. Bonds said she has proposed convening stakeholders, including Department of General Services staff and advocates, to consider alternatives rather than moving forward with a large capital outlay without broader agreement.

Other agencies the committee recommended for FY26 approval include: the DC Department of Human Resources (DCHR) at $20,800,000 (a reduction of about 4.8% from FY25 levels, supporting ~150.2 FTEs as reported), the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) at $1,400,000 and 8 FTEs, the Office of Employee Appeals (OEA) at $2,500,000 and 14.5 FTEs with committee-secured recurring transfers of $100,000 (through FY28) for staffing and $144,000 over the financial plan for professional training, the Office of Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining (OLRCB) at $3,400,000 and 20 FTEs, the Board of Elections (BOE) with a proposed budget reflecting a decrease (the transcript gives a multi-part figure summarized in the committee's report and notes a $1,160,000 reduction in nonpersonnel costs), the Office of Campaign Finance at $16,800,000 (an increase driven by Fair Elections Program administration), and the Office of Inspector General at $23,400,000 and 121 FTEs.

At the end of the meeting, Bonds moved adoption of the committee report "with leave for staff to make technical and conforming changes." The motion passed unanimously; Bonds declared the measure approved after a voice vote.

Votes at a glance: The committee moved and approved the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor FY26 budget report and recommendations (motion moved by Councilmember Anita Bonds; outcome: approved unanimously; leave granted for staff to make technical and conforming changes).