DC leaders announce details on FY2024 Green Book amid shoplifting, crime trend

WASHINGTON (7News) — D.C. leaders on Thursday unveiled the Fiscal Year 2024 Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Opportunity Guide, or Green Book, announcing a plan for record-breaking spending amid recent shoplifting and crime trends.

In its 9th iteration, the guide offers essential data for small and local businesses, with district agencies and offices outlining resources available to support local companies. This year, Mayor Bowser announced a spending goal of $1.2 billion, with a large portion of money available in the areas of construction and maintenance, and healthcare.

Watch the press conference in the media player below:

Information on real-time opportunities for SBE's will be available on the Green Book DC website for the fourth year in a row, allowing businesses to sort opportunities by agency and product category, according to a statement.

“The Green Book is one of our best tools for leveraging the District’s procurement power to support and grow local businesses. When local businesses get a fair shot, our residents get a fair shot too. Local businesses hire DC residents, grow DC neighborhoods, and represent DC’s values and culture,” said Mayor Bowser. “We want businesses to check out the Green Book, work with DSLBD to get their certifications, and then find and go after their fair shot.”

The district's record-breaking spending goal unfortunately comes as businesses express frustrations with recent crime trends, resulting in many businesses closing their doors.

As of December, 52 D.C. restaurants have closed their doors, an average of one per week, compared to 48 closures in 2022.

Back in November and December, 7News reported on two businesses in the H Street corridor that shut down after citing the rise in violent crime.

The D.C. Council has proposed several plans to combat the issue.

RELATED | Southeast DC shop owner at odds with city officials over crime near his store

During the Thursday announcement, Mayor Bowser was asked how she is going to encourage businesses to stay in the District.

“We need people to come to work,” Bowser said. “It’s real simple. We need people to come to work. And we don’t think that we will have a 2019 downtown. But we think we will have more people coming to the office than we do today. We don’t expect everybody to be in five days a week all the time. But we need most people coming to their offices most of the time.”

7News On Your Side took small business owners' concerns and questions directly to the mayor on Thursday.

"We've done a number of stories over the year with small businesses who are concerned about the crime, burglaries, theft. How are you going to solve DC’s current crime problem?" 7News Reporter Nick Minock asked Bowser.

"We're certainly focused on every aspect of our public safety,” Bowser said. “We've advanced as you know, some pretty significant legislation to the council. We're working with the council to make sure we have the right number of police officials that we need. And we're also very supportive of prosecutors and judges. Being very aggressive with people who commit crime."

RELATED | DC restaurant, bakery announce closures due to surging crime, economic challenges

Businesses sent 7News on Your Side several questions about crime and the high cost of doing business in DC.

One business owner had this question for the mayor:

“If the Monument Sports deal falls through in VA, and they have to stay in DC, can you give them $300 million instead of $500 million? Give the $200 million to local small businesses?”

“We have a proposal on the table issued to council. I don’t expect that will change,” Bowser answered.

7News emailed the following questions from business owners to Mayor Bowser's office:

• “Coming off a record year of restaurant closures in DC and the slowest openings of new restaurants, do you have a plan to reverse initiative 82?”
• “Will you consider enacting a property tax freeze on restaurants and retail-zoned property as taxes have outgrown rent?”
• “Will you stipulate that service charges are not subject to sales tax?”
• “Have you written off the current businesses? You seem to be putting all your focus on attracting new business rather that sustaining and growing the current ones. What will you do differently to keep the new batch from falling victim to the same pitfalls as the last?”
• “Property tax and high rents are some of the big financial problems. A slow and often inefficient bureaucracy that is often held captive by the Office of Tax and Revenue makes it very difficult to open a small biz in DC. How can you Improve the bureaucracy and create a more flexible Office of Tax and Revenue?”

Outside of CVS in Columbia Heights, there are street vendors that sell products you’d think you’d find at CVS, but you can’t because the shelves at CVS have been wiped out.

On Thursday, Bowser was asked if a city agency can ensure the products street vendors are selling are from legitimate locations and not stolen merchandise.

"The council has decriminalized vending,” Bowser said. “What would they do? Illegal vending is decriminalized right now. I'm glad you raised that because it has to change. And we have an opportunity to do exactly that.”