DC Council budget vote set for Monday; tipped wage rollback, stadium funding at stake

DC Council budget vote set for Monday

The D.C. Council is expected to take its first vote Monday on the fiscal 2026 budget, a proposal with major implications for tipped workers and professional sports in the city.

WASHINGTON - The D.C. Council is expected to take its first vote Monday on the fiscal 2026 budget, a proposal with major implications for tipped workers and professional sports in the city.

The budget plan, unveiled Sunday, includes a rollback of Initiative 82 — the voter-approved measure intended to phase out the tipped minimum wage. Under the proposal, restaurants would pay tipped workers $8 an hour, down from the current $10, while still guaranteeing a total wage of $20 through tips and employer coverage when tips fall short.

Tipped wage proposal

READ MORE: DC Council budget includes talks of wage increase, RFK Stadium deal

Council Chair Phil Mendelson called it a fair compromise, saying businesses and workers have struggled to implement the original law. But some workers say the plan undermines what voters passed twice and favors restaurant owners.

Stadium funding plan

The budget also keeps intact nearly $1 billion for a potential Washington Commanders stadium at the RFK site — including $500 million for infrastructure and hundreds of millions in bonded funds for garages. Mendelson said he’s working closely with the Commanders, though a stadium deal remains uncertain. The final deal will be negotiated through separate legislation. Public hearings are scheduled later this month.

A final vote on the budget is expected in two weeks.

Further details on the budget can be viewed here. 

D.C. Council poised to consider Initiative 82 repeal

On Monday, D.C. Council will take the first vote in a potential repeal of Initative 82, the voter-supported referendum that sought to eliminate the tipped wages credit for service workers. While backers called it vital for workers to keep up with the cost of living in D.C., restaurants say it has been disastrous to their bottom lines. Jim Lokay speaks with Shawn Townsend from the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, who says keeping I-82 on the books could result in the closure of more than 40% of D.C. restaurants.