ANC 5A held a special meeting on May 12, 2021. Commissioners present: Damion McDuffie, Sr. (5A01); Charles Lockett (5A02); Emily Singer Lucio – Secretary (5A03); Ronnie Edwards – Chair (5A05); Sandi Washington – Treasurer (5A07); Gordon Fletcher – Vice Chair (5A08)

The ANC ended up packing a lot into this special meeting. Traffic calming on 10th Street NE on the border between ANC 5A03 and ANC 5B05 was on the agenda. Commissioner Lucio announced at the start of the meeting that that item was removed from the agenda so that she and ANC Commissioner Colleen Costello (5B05) can work on a joint resolution after meeting with DDOT and MPD. If you live in Commissioner Lucio’s single member district and did not receive notice of a separately scheduled meeting on this topic, email Commissioner Lucio at 5A03@anc.dc.gov to be added to her distribution list.

ANC Business

Work on the ANC 5A website continues. A resident asked if meeting notices and links could still be posted to the website as the work continues. I would recommend emailing Commissioner Lucio, who is the secretary of the commission, at 5A03@anc.dc.gov to be added to ANC 5A’s distribution list in order to receive meeting announcements.

Capital Guardian Youth Academy

The Capital Guardian Youth Challenge Academy, a residential, quasi-military academy run through the DC National Guard for youth ages 16 to 18 who have left high school before graduating, is accepting applications. For information, contact admissions staff Gerard Waluyn at gerard.waluyn@dc.gov or Hector Lamas at hector.lamas@dc.gov.

Mayor’s Budget

There was some confusion about why a representative from the mayor’s office, Chris Murray, was present to ostensibly discuss the mayor’s budget proposal. It sounded like ANC 5A Chair Edwards wanted the representative there to discuss Crummell School. (At the April meeting, the ANC voted to support a resolution from ANC 5D regarding community use of the former school). Mr. Murray stated he could not discuss specific budget items before the mayor presents her budget, but he did say that Crummell School is on the mayor’s radar. Other than that, Mr. Murray discussed the general timeline for the budget process, which has been delayed to account for receipt of funding from the federal government. The mayor will present her budget to the DC Council on May 27. The Council will hold budget hearings during the month of June and vote in July. (See budget schedule at https://www.dccouncilbudget.com/schedules). Commissioner Lockett asked about opportunities for resident or ANC input on the budget. Besides the budget hearings held by the Council, Mr. Murray stated that the mayor’s office accepts input year-round and also conducts budget engagement forum exercises to get input from residents.

Residential Parking Permit Fee Increase

The initial reason for even having this special meeting in the first place was to discuss the fee increase for residential parking permits (RPP). The ANC discussed during the April meeting that, beginning June 1, the RPP fee schedule will increase from $35 per vehicle. The new rates will be:

1. $50 for the first vehicle
2. $75 for the second vehicle
3. $100 for the third vehicle
4. $150 for each vehicle beyond the first three vehicles

There is an exemption for one resident 65 years of age or older per household. Exempted residents will pay a $35 annual RPP fee for the first vehicle registered at a legal mailing address. The fee for each subsequent vehicle registered at a legal mailing address will be identical to the tiered rates noted above.

There was some confusion about who was responsible for getting a District official to the meeting to discuss the fee increase, so there was no one there from District government to talk about this issue. The commissioners ended up voting to draft a “letter of concern” about the fee increase. When asked what the concerns were, Commissioner Lucio responded that she was concerned about the fee increase generally. Commissioner Washington responded that she was concerned about the timing of the fee increase given that the District is still under a public health emergency and some residents are still out of work or just returning to work. She would recommend suspending the effective date of the fee increase until the public health emergency is over.

The commission is accepting resident input on this issue. I recommend sending an email to all of them. Their email addresses can be found here.

Chair Edwards asked for the MOCR’s assistance in getting someone from District government to the ANC’s regularly scheduled May meeting on May 26 to discuss the fee increase. Commissioner Washington also asked if someone from DDOT could discuss the digital visitor parking pass pilot program that was recently announced for two ANCs in Wards 1 and 6.

Catholic University

Catholic University officials attended the meeting to apologize for the lack of notice regarding the end-of-year fireworks celebration that caught some residents by surprise. The university did send notice out, but not as widely as they had planned.

The university’s nursing school expansion plan was approved by the Zoning Commission (zoning case number 12-01D).

The DC Board of Elections has certified a vacancy for ANC 5A04, which covers Catholic University. University officials have identified a potential candidate. The petition circulation period ends May 17, 2021. Interested candidates should consult the vacancy notice.

Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie Report

Silas Grant, Senior Advisor to Councilmember McDuffie, noted that CM McDuffie has introduced legislation to provide a publicly-funded trust fund for babies born in the District to families with an annual household income of $132,000 or less (see press release). This initiative is sometimes referred to “baby bonds.” An initial payment of $1,000 would be provided for newborns, supplemented by an annual payment of up to $2,000 depending on household income. When the child turns 18, the money can be withdrawn for specified uses, such as education, starting a business, or buying a home. Mr. Grant said CM McDuffie introduced this legislation to address the racial wealth gap.

Next Meeting

The regularly scheduled ANC 5A meeting will be on May 26, 2021.