Committee of the Whole Hearing on Real Property Taxation Bills – July 10, 2026

The Committee of the Whole, chaired by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, held a public hearing on Friday, July 10, 2026, at 10:22 AM in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building. The hearing considered ten bills related to real property taxation, covering exemptions for seniors, disabled veterans, non-profit organizations, and religious institutions, as well as reforms to the property tax assessment and appeals process. Witnesses included representatives from non-profits, veterans, senior advocacy groups, real estate industry, the Archdiocese of Washington, developers, and government officials from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) and the Real Property Tax Appeals Commission (RIPTAC). The record will remain open until 5:00 PM on Friday, July 24, 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Food and Friends (B26-564): CEO Carrie Stoltzfoos testified in support of a permanent 100% property tax exemption for the organization's property at 219 Riggs Road NE. She explained that a former billboard lease had led to 3% of the property being taxable; the billboard was removed in 2023. The current temporary exemption (97%) expires September 25, 2026. The 2026 annual tax of $247,511.94 would fund approximately 27,810 meals. She requested the permanent bill also be enacted on emergency and temporary basis to ensure continuity.
• Archdiocese of Washington Parishes (B26-641): Mary Rhodes (Senior Counsel), Jeff Gelman (attorney), and two pastors testified in support. They argued that parishes are the true beneficial owners of properties purchased with parishioner funds and held in the archbishop's name due to historical legal restrictions. They requested the ability to record supplemental confirmatory deeds to retitle properties to parish corporations without recordation or transfer taxes. They stated OTR rejected recording despite emergency/temporary legislation, causing administrative burdens and tax bills. Gelman distinguished the Columbia Realty case as inapplicable.
• Reservoir District (B26-700): Emily Alexander and Ruth Hong (Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners) testified in support, urging passage as written to align rent assumptions with HUD multifamily tax subsidy project income limits rather than inclusionary zoning rates. They said a $14–$126 per unit rent gap would make the project economically infeasible. They opposed adding affordability covenant requirements, stating the tax abatement is already codified. Robert Vinson Branham (DC Federation of Civic Associations) supported the bill.
• Senior Tax Aggregation (B26-360): Deborah Cuevas Hill (Legal Counsel for the Elderly) and Nikitia Burko (Legal Aid DC) testified in support. Hill provided the example of the Johnson family, where two senior sisters inherited 25% each and faced $15,000 in taxes and foreclosure; aggregation of their interests would allow the senior tax deduction. Burko also supported the disabled veterans exemption and requested removing the 50% ownership threshold entirely.
• Disabled Veterans (B26-476): Gary Kelts (100% disabled veteran) and Benjamin Fallon (permanent and total disabled veteran) testified in support. Kelts said he lived in Maryland due to lack of exemption in DC. Fallon purchased a home in DC and asked the District to honor veterans. Robert Vinson Branham recommended extending the exemption to all service-connected disabled veterans regardless of disability percentage. The Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors (Tony Mancuso) supported.
• Assessment/Appeals Bills (B26-252 and B26-484): Multiple witnesses opposed B26-252, including Scott Kreider (Wilkes Artis), Tanya Castro (Castro Haas), Joe Riley (property manager), Grant Steinhauser (Ryan LLC), Eric Jones (AOBA), and Rassan Bernard (WC Smith). They argued the bill compresses timelines, does not address root problems (inaccurate valuations, overreliance on CAMA, lack of transparency), and would overwhelm RIPTAC. They recommended reforms such as access to worksheets, use of independent appraisals, and consolidation of multi-year appeals. Support was mixed for B26-484; many favored its provisions (multi-year LOAs, electronic delivery, elimination of 5% rule) but RIPTAC and OCFO raised concerns about increased caseload and code citation errors.

Discussion Items

• B26-360 – Senior Tax Aggregation: OCFO (Basil Fashina) testified that as drafted, the bill could allow a senior with a tiny ownership share to qualify, and suggested language to require aggregate ownership of seniors to be at least 50%. Chair Mendelson noted the intent is to allow aggregation to meet the 50% requirement.
• B26-476 – Disabled Veterans: OCFO (Robert McKeon) provided suggested language to clarify the exemption for surviving spouses. No policy objection.
• B26-564 – Food and Friends: OCFO noted the property does not qualify for administrative exemption because less than half of clients are DC residents, but the bill is acceptable as a policy matter.
• B26-641 – Archdiocese: OCFO (Basil Fashina) stated that transfers from the archbishop corporation sole to parish corporations are not supplemental deeds under tax law, citing a recent Court of Appeals decision. He offered suggested language to deem the deeds as supplemental for tax exemption purposes, but cautioned against using tax concepts for non-tax purposes. Chair Mendelson acknowledged the parishes' desire for recognition of unchanged ownership and noted the OCFO's alternative language.
• B26-686 – Alpha Omega: OCFO noted property already denied exemption by OTR and Superior Court; the bill would provide a specific exemption and retroactive tax forgiveness (including before foundation ownership). OCFO did not object to form but flagged the retroactive provision.
• B26-700 – Reservoir District: OCFO (Basil Fashina) testified the bill amends affordable housing requirements for the existing tax abatement, specifying use of HUD multifamily tax subsidy project income limits.
• B26-252 – Assessment Schedule Revision: OCFO supported, stating it would allow OTR to use the most recent income/expense data. Industry witnesses countered that the bill does not fix systemic assessment errors and would compress already strained timelines. RIPTAC Vice Chair Robert Cooper noted that compressing timelines without more resources would worsen delays; only 59% of decisions were issued by February 1 deadline.
• B26-484 – Fairness and Accuracy: OCFO raised concerns about the code citation for LOAs (should amend Title 47, not Uniform Power of Attorney Act) and the elimination of the 5% rule, which RIPTAC said could increase frivolous appeals. RIPTAC also worried about changing the decision deadline to March 1 and electronic submission strain. Many private witnesses supported the bill's provisions, with the suggestion to limit 5% rule elimination to commercial properties.

Key Outcomes

• No votes were taken; this was a public hearing to receive testimony.
• Record open until July 24, 2026 at 5:00 PM for additional written comments.
• Chair Mendelson expressed interest in working with the Archdiocese on supplemental deed language and with OCFO on clarifying senior aggregation, disabled veterans, and other bills.
• Councilmember Bonds raised issues about senior property tax burdens, the need for meaningful assessment reforms, and requested further discussions with RIPTAC and OCFO.
• RIPTAC Vice Chair Cooper highlighted that 93% of appeals are sustained, but the commission is understaffed (6 full-time commissioners, 2 administrative staff) and needs additional resources to meet deadlines.
• OCFO offered suggested amendments for B26-360, B26-476, B26-641, and B26-484 to address drafting concerns.
• Next steps: The Committee will review testimony and proposed amendments before marking up the bills for consideration by the full Council.