Alexandria City Manager Jim Parajon is asking City Council to approve paid parking on Sundays and an increase in parking meter rates.
The initiatives are included in Parajon’s proposed $977.3 million Fiscal Year 2027 budget and have gotten mixed reviews. If approved by City Council, the measure would make Alexandria the only locality in the region with parking meter enforcement on Sundays. Additionally, Parajon is proposing to increase parking violation fines from $40 to $50.
City-managed parking meters are concentrated around King Street and surrounding streets in Old Town, along with select streets in Carlyle and Potomac Yard.
According to Parajon’s proposed budget, under the revenues summary:
The Department of Transportation and Environmental Services will receive the following additional revenues:
- $2,544,538 in revenue from Parking Meter Fees as a result of an increase in the hourly rate from $1.75 to $2.50 to more closely align with off-street parking rates and other jurisdictions ($1,817,694) and the addition of paid parking on Sunday ($726,844).
- $900,000 in revenue from Parking Citations as a result of an increase in parking violation fines from $40 to $50.
Parajon’s proposed budget is a 2.2% increase from the current FY 2026 budget and keeps the real estate tax rate of $1.135 per $100 of assessed value.
City Councilman Canek Aguirre said he is not in favor of paid parking on Sundays.
“I’m not too inclined to charge for parking on Sundays,” Aguirre told ALXnow.
Former City Councilman Frank Fannon, who is running as an independent in the City Council special election on April 21, also opposes the proposal.
“Sundays have traditionally been a day where families and visitors can enjoy our city without the added burden of parking fees,” Fannon said. “I don’t support these added fees because they could discourage visitors and further affect our small businesses that have enjoyed free Sunday parking to their customers.”
Independent council candidate Alison O’Connell said she understands the decision in a lean budget year but argued the funds should instead come from the sheriff’s office budget, citing Sheriff Sean Casey’s practice of turning inmates over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“I worry about the impact this will have on service industry workers who drive to their jobs,” O’Connell said. “I would prefer we find this monty by meaningfully cutting the Sheriff’s Office budget.”
Democratic candidate Sandy Marks found it encouraging that Parajon is looking at options other than raising property taxes.
”We’ve made a long list of promises to residents to fund programs that matter to them, and we’re in difficult economic times,” Marks said. “So, of course we need to explore every available way to diversify revenue sources. I’d need to see the data on who utilizes our parking and hear from local businesses before weighing in on this, but I’m open to new ideas and outside the box thinking.“
ALXnow has reached out to Parajon’s office and all City Council members and candidates in the special election for comment.
Northern Virginia localities with free metered parking on Sundays include Arlington, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County, Falls Church, Fairfax City and Manassas.
Localities with paid Sunday parking include the resort area of Virginia Beach, which enforces metered parking 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and limited high-traffic areas in Richmond near VCU Health and City Hall.
City Council will adopt its FY 2027 budget on April 29.
Image 2 via Google Maps
