Photo via DC Vote.

Last year, the D.C. Council got into a big fight with then-Mayor Vince Gray over the legality of the District’s budget autonomy referendum, but now the fight is over and the referendum is safe (at least for now).

Despite 83 percent of D.C. voters voting in favor of the Budget Autonomy Act, which gives the city the right to spend locally raised funds without Congressional approval, Gray and Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey DeWitt said they’re refusing to implement the act, because it violates federal law.

The Council then sued the mayor over the act, but, now that Bowser is mayor and on the side of the Council, she requested to withdraw that lawsuit and today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted Bowser’s motion to dismiss the case’s appeal.

“I’m delighted with the Court of Appeals’ ruling today,” she said in a statement. “Budget Autonomy will free the District from much of the uncertainty of the current appropriations process. For decades we have been subject to the whims of Congress and delays on Capitol Hill that have threatened the day-to-day operations of the District. Today’s victory marks a significant milestone in our continuing fight for self-government.”

Now that Bowser’s appeal has gone through, the budget autonomy act could take effect as soon as this year. The Council’s lawsuit has been on appeal since last year when a federal judge ruled that he’s “powerless” to grant D.C. budget autonomy.

“Today is a good day for democracy in the District,” DC Vote said in a statement. “It shows the promise of what’s possible when we all stand together. The will of District voters, to control our local tax dollars, is the law. After a long, hard fight, District residents finally have a huge victory that affirms democracy in America. We look forward to the D.C. Council and the Mayor spending our local tax dollars on our local priorities just like every other jurisdiction in America.”

But even with the victory today, the budget autonomy act still isn’t safe. As they’ve done many times before, Congress can try to block or overturn the autonomy referendum. Not on D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton’s watch.

“I will continue my efforts to prevent any efforts by Congress to block or overturn the budget autonomy referendum, including during the upcoming appropriations process,” Norton said in a statement. “This decision should once again shed light on the urgent need for Congress to pass our D.C. budget autonomy bill, which has bipartisan, bicameral support in Congress and from the President.”