Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the DC Circulator bus will be free from now on during her annual State of the District address on Monday night. During the speech Bowser said, “Over the past weeks, workers … have stopped me at the checkout counters, at dinner, telling me how much they appreciate the Circulator being free,” The mayor's announcement comes after WMATA failed to meet the deadline for fully restoring late-night service and continues to see ridership decline as a result of decisions to focus almost exclusively on commuters. Unlike WMATA, the DC Circulator is fully controlled by the District government making it easier to unilaterally change routes and add service. There are limited Circulator routes in the northeast and southeast DC, however, and the announcement serves to underscore the importance of adding additional options in under-served areas of the city. In his 2019 budget request letter, Cm. Kenyan McDuffie requested funds to establish a dedicated, rapid bus line along New York Avenue from the NoMa-Gallaudet University Metro station to the Shops at Dakota Crossing, which would include stops at the Union Market area and Ivy City/Hecht Warehouse area which are part of ANC 5D. The details of this route have not yet been finalized and Comm. Sydelle Moore, 5D05 has advocated for the potential inclusion of Bladensburg Rd. NE as part of the route to better connect Carver/Langston to the retail options available at Dakota Crossing. The mayor is scheduled to publish her budget on March 20, which triggers a series of budget oversight hearings at the Council. During each hearing, the agency's proposed budget is examined. The public is invited to testify at those hearings, and I strongly encourage residents to do so. You can view the full list of budget oversight hearings on the Council's website, and I look forward to seeing Ward 5 residents out in force.
The District of Columbia offers eligible property owners a number of tax relief programs that can lower their tax bill.
Property owners may qualify for programs such as:
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