Here\u2019s an example of finding the latest version of the DC Income Tax Filing Form D-40. Type D-40 into the DC.gov homepage search box; you\u2019ll get this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sorting by date is not much better. A GSS makes it easier:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Google<\/strong>, type: D-40 site:DC.gov<\/strong>, you\u2019ll get this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Google\u2019s engine, you can, for example, click Tools and limit your search to one year or use Advanced Search. Want to find a phrase or name? Put it in quotes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One thing you can do with GSS is see everything that\u2019s on a website. For example, here\u2019s all that\u2019s on the Council\u2019s site<\/a>. If you wanted to know everything that\u2019s been put up on DC.gov<\/a> in the last 24 hours, in Google<\/strong> type site:dc.gov<\/strong> and use Google\u2019s tools to look at the past 24 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ___________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some more specific terms and links:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Beta DC.gov.<\/strong> DC.gov<\/strong> has an incredible array of resources covering hundreds of governmental subjects, programs, and rules. However, it\u2019s not so much a guide to using city resources as an umbrella hiding fiefdoms, blind alleys, third-party apps, and forgotten forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bowser administration has recognized the many shortcomings of the site and is testing a new version, beta.DC.gov<\/a><\/strong>. I\u2019ve tried it a couple of times with mixed results. I\u2019m afraid it\u2019s not a reworking of DC.gov so much as just a new front end on the old mess. For example, even though it lists DCDot as an agency my search for bike or bike lanes got no result. I\u2019ll say this for the test site: when you reach a dead end, it asks for your comment. That\u2019s certainly more than you get now. You can sign up for progress reports, but so far nothing’s happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Buildings.<\/strong> If you want to find DC buildings and other facilities, you’re almost in luck. The Open Data DC system has a map-based tool<\/a> for just that. You can hone in on the map. It won’t tell you which agency owns the building, or its address or use, but it will give you its square and lot, which you can look up here<\/a>, which allows you to search by neighborhood as well as by address. Sadly, there is no way to say find all DC public libraries or pools without searching their agencies. You can use Google Maps <\/a>to find them. Perhaps day DC.gov will too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Budget Tutorial. <\/strong>Trying to figure out the DC Budget? The Council’s Budget Office has a tutorial<\/a> for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Contracts<\/strong>. The Office of Contracting and Procurement has a portal<\/a><\/strong> where you can search for contracts. You don\u2019t have to fill in all the fields. For example, to find those in FY26, click Fiscal Year and click it. You\u2019ll get a whole bunch. You can download what you find. You\u2019ll also find a lot of omissions and typos. Oh, well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Controller Source Groups AKA Budget Categories.<\/strong> You don\u2019t really need a Ouija board to figure out when a DC agency budget refers to its Controller Source Groups, but these may help:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Crime Stats.<\/strong> Want to know the latest on nefarious activities? Use Crime Cards. <\/a>It\u2019s MPD\u2019s oddly named crime statistics portal with practically up-to-the-minute data on what\u2019s happened where. Here’s a sample,<\/p>\n\n\n\n DC Agencies.<\/strong> Here\u2019s a list of, I hope, all DC agencies<\/a>. This list is part of the Open Data DC<\/a> project. If it\u2019s a bit much, you can download it in CSV form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DC Code.<\/strong> The Council\u2019s website<\/a> has a link to the DC Code, which is well done. It\u2019s pretty easy to find a topic, and the codifier has done a fine job of giving you background information. Its search engine, however, has a notable bug. Putting a phrase in quotes doesn\u2019t work as you\u2019d expect. Instead of showing the quote, it shows you everywhere the words in the phrase appear. So, if you search for \u201cpolice chief,\u201d you get everything that has the phrase plus this,<\/p>\n\n\n\n The workaround for this is a Google Site Search like this: “police chief” site:code.dccouncil.gov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Department Heads.<\/strong> Having a hard time with a department? Call the boss here<\/a>. Click a header like Last Name to get an A-Z list. You can download this list, too. You can send a question to the agency director on this list, but I don\u2019t know if you\u2019ll get an answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lab. Buried in a Deputy Mayor\u2019s office, The Lab<\/a> does interesting studies on a host of topics. Worth a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grants<\/strong>. Despite Elon Musk\u2019s great efforts, the Federal Government still makes grants to state and local governments. Want to know just what DC gets and from whom? So does the City Administrator, Kevin Donahue<\/a>. Last November, his FY2026 Performance Plan<\/a> had this project <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, the April 2026 FY2027 Performance Plan<\/a> is mum on the project. In fact, it\u2019s mum on any and all projects. Previous Plans had a section on projects, but this year they\u2019ve disappeared. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve got a yen to know more about grants, you might be interested in the Grants Management webpag<\/a>e and the CA\u2019s Grants Manual<\/a>. There\u2019s also the City Administrator\u2019s Citywide Grants Manual and Sourcebook, which agencies will refer to, but it\u2019s not available to mere mortals. There\u2019s also a Grants Management Division Conference, but it\u2019s also closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laws<\/strong>. The Council publishes the DC Code<\/a>, which is nicely done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Laws That Ain\u2019t.<\/strong> The Council\u2019s job is to pass legislation to improve DC\u2019s lot. Sometimes its ambitions get ahead of its wherewithal. That happens when it passes laws but fails to fund them. It does that a lot. Keeping track of what\u2019s a law and what pretends to be a law takes effort. Each quarter, the Council\u2019s Budget Office<\/a> puts out a report on what\u2019s not and why<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People<\/strong>. The District used to publish an alphabetical list of its employees and their salaries. Alas, that stopped about five years ago<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Performance Plans.<\/strong> Mayoral agencies must show how they are functioning for the public. Each year, they have to give detailed reports on their benchmarks and their plans for the next year. Each agency\u2019s budget used to show these plans, but they were dropped a few years ago. If you\u2019re curious, you can find the reports and plans on the City Administrator\u2019s website<\/a>. No fair noting how they change or don\u2019t change year to year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Finding things on the DC.gov website is not for the faint-hearted. The site is a warren of dead ends, blind alleys, and old stuff. 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