{"id":25,"date":"2026-04-03T23:36:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T23:36:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/boringdcgovstuff.org\/?page_id=25"},"modified":"2026-07-21T15:22:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T15:22:21","slug":"those-boring-issues","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/boringdcgovstuff.org\/","title":{"rendered":"Those Boring Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\r\n \r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n What's a Few Hundred Million Among Friends?<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
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DC has over $600 million that sits unused in its Unclaimed Property Account<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span> DC could use the money for schools, child care workers, fire trucks, trees, or anything else, but it just sits. For the last several years, I\u2019ve filed Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests with the CFO.<\/p>\n

Each year, the CFO\u2019s office and I go through the same minuet. I file a FOIA request to find out how much is in the fund. His office denies the request. I appeal. The Mayor\u2019s FOIA Office asks the CFO to reconsider. The CFO relents and releases the records. But don\u2019t take my word for it. In February 2025, WJLA<\/span><\/a><\/span> also found the fund. Therein lies a tale.<\/p>\n

The District, like all states, collects abandoned bank accounts<\/span><\/a><\/span>, insurance policies, stocks, and even gift card balances. It puts them in a fund, less what\u2019s returned to owners. Maybe you\u2019ve seen DC\u2019s website<\/span><\/a><\/span> about abandoned property. What\u2019s kept far exceeds what\u2019s returned. At last count, the fund had about $660 million and counting. Maryland<\/span><\/a><\/span> and Virginia<\/span><\/a><\/span> have similar funds, but they use theirs. DC could move it over to its General Fund, but it hasn\u2019t. It just sits.<\/p>\n

And what of WJLA? It found the fund, but spent most of its time on how jurisdictions make it hard to recover your money. Oh well.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/div>\n\n\n

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\r\n \r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n Just Cause Reprogramming\u2019s a Law, Do I Really Have to Follow All of It?<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
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After the DC Budget is approved, the Mayor may ask the Council to move around an agency\u2019s funds<\/span><\/a> <\/span>or funds between agencies<\/span><\/a><\/span> from one program to another due to something that wasn\u2019t expected. These rearrangements are called reprogrammings, and the Council has to okay them if they\u2019re more than $500,000.<\/p>\n

DC Code \u00a7 47\u2013363 Council Approval of reprogrammings says,<\/p>\n

(a)<\/b>\u00a0The Mayor shall submit to the Council for approval a reprogramming request that individually or on a cumulative basis would result in a change to the original appropriated authority<\/b>, along with certification by the Chief Financial Officer of the availability of funds for the reprogramming. The request shall include an analysis of its effect on the budget and on the purposes for which the funds were originally appropriated. [Emphasis Added]<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

So, you\u2019d think if an agency reprogrammed $250,000 from one place to another and then wants to add $250,000 more to the same place, the Council would have to approve it, right? Or, if an agency wants to move $5 million of a grant from one place to another, the Council has to okay it, right? Nope and Nope. The mayor sends reprogrammings to the Council only if they are $500,000 or more and are appropriated by Congress.<\/p>\n

As Amber Ruffin<\/span><\/a><\/span> might say, What? What!?<\/b> Apparently, neither the Mayor\u2019s nor the Council\u2019s budget offices have ever bothered to read the law or chose to ignore it.<\/p>\n

The question about grants is a bit fuzzier. In 2018, DC\u2019s Inspector General issued a report titled OIG Audit of District of Columbia Agencies' Fund Reprogramming Practices.pdf, which said,<\/p>\n

The Reprogramming Approval Policy was Inconsistent for Grants<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

Although the proper authority approved the majority of the reprogramming requests we reviewed, we found that District agencies did not consistently request approval to reprogram grants. The District received grant money from the federal government and private donors during the review period. However, to avoid potential grant lapsing problems, it is important for the District to track and report to the D.C. Council reprogramming involving federal grants in a<\/b> similar manner as reprogramming of local funds. <\/b>Of the 45 reprogramming requests reviewed, we found 5 reprogrammed grants that were not properly approved. Three of the five grants were over $500,000, which required both OBP and D.C. Council approval. The remaining grants were under $500,000 and required only OBP approval. [Emphasis Added<\/b>](Report p. 8)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Specifically, the IG recommended,<\/em><\/p>\n

5. Establish a grant fund reprogramming policy to clarify requirements for reprogramming <\/em>grants.<\/em><\/p>\n

The City Administrator responded,<\/em><\/p>\n

That OCFO and the agency staff ensure these funds are used according to the federal grant restrictions and, therefore, a policy is unnecessary. We note OCA\u2019s position; however, it is important for the District to establish policy to track and report reprogramming of funds involving federal grants to ensure all grants are used efficiently. We request that OCA reconsider its position and provide an updated response within 30 days of receipt of this final report.<\/em><\/p>\n

Since 2018, neither the IG nor the DC Auditor has raised the issue. The CFO reports quarterly to the Council about what he calls Local Funds reprogrammings, including those below $500,000 approved by the Mayor\u2019s Budget Office. This Fiscal Year, for example, the School System reprogrammed $351,934 on November 4, 2025. On December 16, 2025, it reprogrammed another $200,000. Both moved out of the Schoolwide Services Division. In January 2026, the System moved another $247,731. In all, the System moved $799,665 without the Council\u2019s approval. Other examples are easy to find. The Council may deem many reprogrammings small potatoes. After looking at what\u2019s going on, it may want to revise its policies, but first, it has to look.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/div>\n\n\n

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\r\n \r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n The DC\u2019s Municipal Regulations - The Farther Away You Are, the Better It Looks<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
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DCMR looks like a typical law search system, but it\u2019s not. Instead of an organized code, DCMR is a collection of MS Word .doc files. Sometimes it has history notes and cites to DC laws, and sometimes it doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say you want to know if the city\u2019s regs allow you to post your yard sale signs on telephone poles. You figured out you need to look up sign regs on the District website, DC.gov<\/span><\/a>. After duffing around, you find you\u2019ll need to use the Office of Secretary\u2019s reg portal, the DCMR<\/span><\/a><\/span>, or, as the city puts it,<\/p>\n

[T]he official compilation of the permanent rules, statements, and legal documents circulated by DC government executive agencies and departments, the Council of the District of Columbia, and independent entities. The DCMR contains 31 titles and all are available at\u00a0DC Register<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n

So, click DC Register<\/span><\/a><\/span>, and you get this screen,<\/p>\n

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You type \u201coutdoor signs\u201d into the Full Text Search Box, and voil\u00e0, <\/i>you get this list of regs that contain the word sign, your quote marks notwithstanding.<\/p>\n

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You could then try clicking the rows to view the text, but that drill-down doesn\u2019t work. There is no drill-down. To see something, click View Text, and the system will send an MS Word .doc file to your download folder, like this,<\/p>\n

2506 SIGNS<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

2506.1 Any outdoor sign or other form of exterior advertising erected in any district shall comply with the sign regulations in the D.C. Construction Code, 12 DCMR \u00a7 3107A, that govern the erection, hanging, placing, painting, display, and maintenance of outdoor display signs and other forms of exterior advertising within the District of Columbia.<\/em><\/p>\n

SOURCE: \u00a7 7506.1 of the Zoning Regulations, effective May 12, 1958 (renumbered 7605.1 in the April 1981 edition of the Zoning Regulations); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 47 DCR 9741-43 (December 8, 2000), incorporating by reference the text of Proposed Rulemaking published at 47 DCR 8335, 8527 (October 20, 2000); 57 DCR 000126 (2010).<\/em><\/p>\n

If you want to see what comes before or after a section, you\u2019re out of luck. The DC Regs don't work that way.<\/p>\n

If you expect links to referenced areas, nope, none there. You could soldier on down the DCMR rabbit hole, or just try a Google Site Search<\/span><\/a><\/span> for the regs.<\/p>\n

Another way to figure out the DCMRR is Josh Jacobson's<\/a><\/span> website, DC Municipal Regulations<\/a>, which puts an improved front end on the regs. What's really needed, though, is a complete redo putting the regs in a real online code system.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

DC\u2019s regs and rules deserve better than the current mess, so do those who want to know what they say.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/div>\n\n\n

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\r\n \r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/i><\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n A Guide for the Perplexed - DC Search Version<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
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Finding things on the DC.gov<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong> website is not for the fainthearted. The site is a warren of dead ends, blind alleys, and old stuff. Over time, I\u2019ve found some ways to dig into the site and find a few answers. Here are some that I hope can help your search:<\/p>\n

Google Site Search.<\/strong> If you use DC.gov<\/span>'s search engine, you may find what you want. However, I\u2019ve found that using Google Site Search<\/a> <\/strong><\/span>is more direct. GSS lets you use Google on a specific site.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example of finding the latest version of the DC Income Tax Filing Form D-40.<\/p>\n

Type D-40 into the DC.gov<\/span> homepage search box; you\u2019ll get this:<\/p>\n

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Sorting by date is not much better. A GSS makes it easier:<\/p>\n

In Google, type: D-40 site:DC.gov, you\u2019ll get this:<\/p>\n

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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

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<\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/span> If you wanted to know everything that\u2019s been put up on DC.gov<\/span><\/a> <\/strong><\/span>in the last 24 hours, type site:Dc.gov<\/span><\/a> <\/strong><\/span>and use Google\u2019s tools to look at the past 24 hours.<\/p>\n

___________________________________<\/p>\n

Here are some more specific terms and links from the site:<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

Beta DC.gov. <\/b>DC.gov<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/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

The Bowser administration has recognized the many shortcomings of the site and is testing a new version, beta.DC.gov<\/b><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span> I\u2019ve tried it a couple of times with mixed results. I\u2019m afraid it\u2019s not a reworking of DC.gov<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span> so much as just a new front end on the old mess. That\u2019s a shame, but any improvement is welcome. 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.<\/p>\n

Budget Tutorial.\u00a0<\/strong>Trying to figure out the DC Budget? The Council's Budget Office has a tutorial<\/a><\/span><\/strong> for you.<\/p>\n

Contracts<\/strong>. The Office of Contracting and Procurement has a portal<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/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

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

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Crime Stats.<\/b> Want to know the latest on nefarious activities?\u00a0Use Crime\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span>Cards<\/strong>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/a>It\u2019s<\/span> 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

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DC Agencies.<\/strong> Here\u2019s a list of, I hope, all DC agencies<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>. This list is part of the Open Data DC <\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>project. If it\u2019s a bit much, you can download it in CSV form.<\/p>\n

DC Code.<\/b> The Council\u2019s website<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span> 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

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The workaround for this is a Google Site Search like this: \"police chief\" site:code.dccouncil.gov.<\/p>\n

Department Heads.<\/strong> Having a hard time with a department? Call the boss here<\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/span> 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<\/span><\/a>,<\/strong><\/span> but I don\u2019t know if you\u2019ll get an answer.<\/p>\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<\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/span> Last November, his FY2026 Performance Plan<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span> had this project,<\/p>\n

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Unfortunately, the April 2026 FY2027 Performance Pla<\/strong><\/span>n<\/span><\/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

Oh, well, if you\u2019ve got a yen to know more about grants, you might be interested in the CA\u2019s Citywide Grants Manual and Sourcebook<\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Lab<\/strong>. Buried in a Deputy Mayor\u2019s office, The Lab<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span> does interesting studies on a host of topics. Worth a look.<\/p>\n

Laws<\/strong>. The Council has a link to the DC Code<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span> The Code is nicely done.<\/p>\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<\/span><\/a> <\/strong><\/span>puts out a report on what\u2019s not and why<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

People<\/strong>. The District used to publish an alphabetical list of its employees and their salaries. Alas, that stopped about five years ago<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\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<\/span><\/a>.<\/strong> <\/span>No fair noting how they change or don\u2019t change year to year.<\/p>\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

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