Update 4/1/2026: Following publication of this post, DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson announced that the hearing schedule will in fact be revised. A new schedule will be released later this month.

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Original Post

Starting April 6, 2026, Council committees will hold hearings on proposed agency budgets.

The FY2027 budget hearing schedule and instructions on how to participate through either oral or written testimony are available at the link: DC Council FY2027 Budget Oversight Hearing Schedule.

This is the current schedule. It may be adjusted because of delays with the mayor’s budget submission.

Sign up to testify orally or provide written testimony on the DC Council Hearing Portal website.

Once again, elected officials have been warning about a tight budget year. That said, I personally would like the city to put more investment into UDC’s Lamond-Riggs campus. The campus houses the community college program and one of the university’s food hubs. The food hub is run by UDC’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES). The campus is supposed to be undergoing renovation and expansion as outlined in the approved 2023-2033 Lamond-Riggs Campus Plan.

See UDC 2023-2033 Lamond-Riggs Campus Plan Fact Sheet.

See UDC 2023-2033 Lamond-Riggs Campus Plan.

I mentioned during ANC 5A’s February meeting that UDC President Maurice Edington stated during the university’s recent oversight hearing that they have engaged a consultant to look at the feasibility of moving the community college from the Lamond-Riggs campus to the Van Ness campus. They expect a report in May.

Apparently, during last year’s budget fiasco, between Congressional Republicans’ fooling around with DC’s local funding, and the mayor’s desire for public money for the RFK stadium, UDC lost capital funding that had been approved for Phase 1 renovations of the Lamond-Riggs campus. So President Edington said he took that loss of funding to rethink the vision for the campus entirely. He said that he wants to build a “world-class” community college and that he does not think the Lamond-Riggs campus is the place for that. He said that a large building at Van Ness is undergoing renovation and should be complete by 2028. He also stated that he has asked the consultant to look at other areas of the city as well.

I have long said that the city treats the Lamond-Riggs campus as an afterthought. I think rather than disinvesting in this important city and neighborhood asset, the city should actually invest more in the campus and give the university back the money that was already approved for Phase 1 and approve Phase 2 funding as well. UDC’s budget hearing is currently scheduled for April 23.

The budget hearings are the time to let the Council know what you support and would like to see funded. Even if it does not get funding this time, it is important to have a record of the ask, so ask!