Alexandria City Council members reached consensus Tuesday night (April 22) on a series of budget adjustments for fiscal year 2026, including a $1 million transfer to Alexandria City Public Schools and funding for several community initiatives.
Alexandria City Council members submitted numerous budget proposals for consideration. They were first heard and discussed at a FY 2026 Budget Add/Delete Public Hearing on April 8. This add/delete work session allowed council members to propose final changes to City Manager James Parajon’s proposed budget before final adoption on April 30.
Actions Taken on Budget Add/Delete Submissions
The council will vote on the final budget adoption, which includes these additions and deletions, on April 30.
The council agreed to provide $1 million in one-time funding to Alexandria City Public Schools to support services for the physical, social, and emotional well-being of youth and their families.
After an extensive discussion, the council preserved funding for the Office of Climate Action while allocating $200,000 from its budget to contingency. The office will need to return to the council by early October with both plans and evidence of spending.
“I think we need to have a greater conversation about an office that we frankly want to have go get grants, but be able to have money as a backstop,” Councilman John Chapman said. “What happens if we don’t need that money that needs to be leveraged?”
Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley expressed support for the compromise, saying, “I love the fact that we’re having an extended conversation about climate action during our budget process. I think that’s a credit to the fact that we created this office, we funded it, and we prioritize it.”
The council agreed to $76,800 in ongoing funding for four therapeutic recreation specialists to support the Out-of-School Time Program. The positions will help accommodate students with special needs and expand enrollment at two West End sites.
Councilman Abdel-Rahman Elnoubi, who sponsored the proposal, said the funding “will help us to better accommodate our students with special needs who are in the out-of-school or after-school programs in those sites.”
The council also agreed to allocate $45,000 for the City Clerk’s office to support education, training, operations, and public notices, with funding split between the Del Pepper shuttle program savings and INOVA contingency funds.
A $60,000 ongoing increase for parking garage staff contracts received approval to raise wages to $18 per hour. Councilman Canek Aguirre, who sponsored the proposal, noted that “with inflation, those costs are going up as well.”
The Capital Area Food Bank will receive a one-time contribution of $25,000 to support refrigeration and storage needs. Mayor Gaskins explained that the food bank supplies food to Alexandria nonprofits, including ALIVE!, Mother of Light, Alexandria Food Pantry, Grace Episcopal Church, and Northern Virginia Community College.
The council agreed to $100,000 in ongoing funding for the Rental Pilot Subsidy Program, which will support 10 additional families with affordable housing. The program pays the difference between what households can afford and the rent that is affordable for their units.
A proposal to place $513,055 (one quarter of the budget) for the DOT Paratransit program in contingency reserves was agreed to. Staff will return after evaluating methods to improve the program’s performance and efficiency.
“The concern with this particular contingency is not necessarily the planning of the money expenditure,” Chapman said. “One of the issues is about how we’re spending as we look at the. There’s a lot of planning on, but how is the actual spending of dollars happening?”
The council agreed to $155,000 to align the city’s Supplemental Retirement Plan retirement eligibility with that of deputy sheriffs under the VRS Enhanced Hazardous Duty Plan, which Vice Mayor Bagley says will “improve recruitment, retention, and morale.”
A $25,000 contingency for small business support in Old Town was agreed upon. Councilman R. Kirk McPike explained this will help “foster economic vitality in Old Town.”
The Healthy Homes Initiative will receive $120,510 in one-time funding through a contingency for the Health Department. Councilwoman Jacinta Greene explained the program “implements strategies to improve healthy living conditions amongst our economically disadvantaged Alexandria residents.”
DASH Line 32 between Landmark and Van Dorn Metro will receive $240,000 to increase service frequency from every 60 minutes to every 30 minutes during weekday midday and evening hours, contingent on WMATA savings.
The council also directed $410,000 in WMATA savings to be used for cash capital to help with debt payments.
Vice Mayor Bagley noted that despite the lengthy discussions, the changes represent a small portion of the overall budget.
“This is poking around the edges really. I mean, it’s a million and a half dollars on a nearly 900 million dollar budget that didn’t raise taxes that, you know, maintain core programs and services,” Bagley said.
“I just want to appreciate the way everybody approached this conversation,” Mayor Alyia Gaskins said. “I think this was a thoughtful conversation. I think everyone should be proud of what’s up there, and I think everyone’s priority is represented in some way.”
The council will vote on the final budget adoption, which includes these add/delete proposals, on April 30.
