Resource Testimonies/Comments
Resource
2025-26 Oversight Testimony: Department of Buildings
Policy Attorney Patrick Cothern testified before the Committee of the Whole for the performance oversight hearing for the Department of Buildings (DOB). Our testimony highlights four areas where improvement is both necessary and achievable: use of the nuisance abatement fund, code enforcement adjudications, coordination with partner agencies, and relationships with District tenants. Our suggestions in each of these areas would each remove a specific barrier DOB faces in converting their authority to abatement of code violations, ultimately improving DOB’s performance.