A RESOLUTIONbyTHE WARD 6 DEMOCRATSWhereas, the current economic climate forces the District of Columbia to make difficult choices todevelop a fair budget for FY2011; andWhereas, a fair budget requires all residents to shoulder some share of the burden to maintain cityservices and priorities, including both revenue increases and reductions in spending; andWhereas, the budget of the District of Columbia is a document that not only reflects the citys finances,but also reflects the citys shared vision and priorities; andWhereas, the District of Columbia has already made difficult choices to reduce services to vulnerablepopulations in the previous budget; andWhereas, the budget of the District of Columbia should support improvements to residents quality of life, including public safety and public education, as well as support small business growth,neighborhood-based development and job creation.Therefore, be it resolved, that the Ward 6 Democrats find that the proposed FY2011 budgetshould be amended to better reflect the citys needs and priorities and recommends that the Council of the District of Columbia take the following actions:To create a fair budget that asks something of all residents and protects and enhances servicesto vulnerable populations, new revenue should be generated by increasing the income tax rateon high income households; andTo better reflect our service-based economy, the Districts sales tax should be updated toinclude more services, excluding complementary medical services, and create greater equitywith consumer goods; andTo remove the undue burden placed on homeowners that leave their homes temporarily formilitary deployments, contract employment, medical rehabilitation, relocation of seniors withhealth-related issues, vacation or when placing their home on the real estate market, the vacantproperty registration proposal should be amended to eliminate blighted property inneighborhoods but not place unnecessary registration requirements on residents and theirproperty; andTo support efforts to clean up the Anacostia River as outlined in the Anacostia River Cleanup andProtection Act, the Cleanup Fund should be restored with its full funding for its intendedpurposes; and