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Committee keeps Working Families Income Supplement match intact, declines executive increase
Summary
Committee declined the County Executive’s proposed 4% increase to the county match for the Working Families Income Supplement and elected to keep the county match at 56% for FY27; staff noted the executive’s alternative—reducing the county match to 0%—would have added $33M in one‑year savings but would cut a key anti‑poverty program.
The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee opted not to reduce the Working Families Income Supplement (WIFAS/WFIS) county match and declined the County Executive’s recommended 4% increase to the match.
Committee members emphasized the supplement’s role as an anti‑poverty tool: staff (S11) explained the county’s current match is 56% of the state EITC (combined county+state ~78% of the federal EITC) and that the County Executive’s FY27 recommendation would add $3.0M to raise the match to 60% plus an additional $1.7M for state billing alignment. The council president’s memo included a proposal to reduce the county match to 0% to offset progressive‑tax revenue shortfalls, but the committee declined that approach and instructed staff to keep the match at 56% for FY27 while managing the reconciliation list accordingly.
Why it matters: the Working Families Income Supplement targets low‑income households, including non‑filer and ITIN filers, and committee members said preserving the supplement helps residents who are not captured by income‑tax adjustments. Committee staff and members agreed the program is an effective anti‑poverty tool worthy of preservation during the FY27 budget process.
