The D.C. Council on Tuesday gave final and unanimous approval to a $19.7 billion budget for 2024, closing out what most lawmakers said was one of the toughest budget seasons in recent history — but not before they bickered over some last-minute changes to the city’s spending plan.

The majority of the proposed budget remained unchanged from what the council initially approved two weeks ago, when lawmakers increased spending on emergency rental assistance and housing vouchers; directed more money towards increasing pay for charter school teachers; signed off on a package of incentives aimed at reviving downtown D.C.; delayed Mayor Muriel Bowser’s marquee proposal for remaking K Street and rejected her proposal to turn evidence collection responsibilities to the Metropolitan Police Department; and imposed a new 25-cent surcharge on Uber and Lyft rides to help pay for 24-hour service on 13 high-ridership Metrobus routes.

But during a sometimes-testy debate, the council also split on a pair of budget amendments from Councilmember Trayon White (D-Ward 8) that would redirect almost $40 million set aside for road safety projects in his ward to renovate and build new recreation centers and athletic fields. White questioned the price tag of the proposed road safety projects on Wheeler Road and Alabama Avenue SE and said that recreation opportunities in neighborhoods that had experienced violence were a bigger priority.

But some of White’s colleagues expressed concern over his decision to pull funding from the road safety projects, the late-in-the-game request for shifting the funds, and whether the move would ultimately be counterproductive.

“While I understand the need to maintain transportation budgets for streetscape improvements in Ward 8 given the challenges that exist there, I don’t like the feeling of that priority being pitted against one that would bring a sorely needed recreation center to a part of the community that needs it,” said Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (I-At Large).

“If the mayor doesn’t support the project, then by approving this we’re parking money in the capital budget that will not be spent. We are also taking money from these traffic safety projects that the mayor cannot spend. She cannot spend what we take away and she will not spend what we add. It will feel good to vote for this, but meanwhile the $38 million being taken from [road safety projects] can’t be spent either,” argued Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, noting that while the council controls the purse strings, it has less control over how and when the mayor spends allocated funds.

The council ended up approving one of White’s amendments for a new recreation center near Bard High School, while rejecting another one for a recreation center at Fort Greble.

Lawmakers also feuded over a proposed amendment from McDuffie to redirect $5 million from a project to renovate the pier that hosts the municipal fish market at The Wharf to grants for small food retailers and producers in food deserts. McDuffie said the grants support efforts to bring supermarkets and restaurants to low-income neighborhoods, but Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) said any delays to the pier would raise the possibility that part of it would have to close, impacting some vendors. McDuffie’s arguments won the day, though, and his amendment was approved.

Reflecting the reality that lawmakers were not able to pay for what activists said were pressing needs for some low-income residents, the council also approved an amendment from Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) to fund an increase in SNAP food benefits and restore $20 million in financial assistance for workers who didn’t otherwise get enhanced unemployment benefits during the pandemic, like those who are undocumented or in the informal sector. But given that the council had less money to work with than in years past, the amendment only promised that any future revenue above what’s expected would be used for the two programs.

Despite her strong reservations on some of the council’s changes to her proposed budget, Bowser said she was pleased with what was approved.

“The fiscal constraints of waning federal dollars combined with increased costs and the prolonged impacts of telework, including reduced commercial property tax revenues, created the most challenging budget in more than a decade. Over the years, our prosperity has allowed us to weather difficult moments while investing in a fair shot for all D.C. residents. This year, our focus was on preserving our robust social services and ensuring we can build on them for years to come. I’m proud that this budget allows us to move big ideas forward to ensure a strong comeback,” she said in a statement.

The council also signed off on a revised budget for the current fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. Included in that is an additional $33 million in federal funds D.C. received from a pot of unspent COVID-19 aid from other states. The money will be used for emergency rental assistance, given that the current $43 million budget for that program was fully spent within the first six months of the fiscal year.