Alexandria City Council members gathered for their first town hall of 2025, addressing resident concerns ranging from school funding to infrastructure projects and the city’s economic challenges.
The first City Council town hall of 2025 brought together Mayor Alyia Gaskins, Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley, and all council members to field questions from residents on a wide range of topics affecting Alexandria.
The two-hour Del Pepper Community Resource Center session focused heavily on budget concerns, with multiple questions about school funding and the city’s financial outlook amid potential federal cutbacks.
“We are dealing with a lot of uncertainty, and we’re dealing with a lot of things that we just don’t know about,” Mayor Gaskins said, addressing concerns about the city’s financial position.
Council members repeatedly emphasized the challenging fiscal environment, noting the city has cut over $6 million from this year’s budget and over $30 million across the last five budgets.
School funding emerged as a significant concern, with multiple residents asking about teacher pay increases and special education staffing. Councilman R. Kirk McPike explained that while the city manager’s recommended budget increases school funding at a higher rate than other departments, the council faces difficult choices.
“The schools is the largest part of the Alexandria city budget. It’s over $300 million and hundreds of millions of dollars CIP spending over the next 10 years as well,” McPike said.
Councilman Canek Aguirre added context about teacher compensation: “Our teachers, their salary is very competitive right now. Even if we’re not able to do this, collective bargaining which is coming down is going to be a large financial lift for the city is going to make them even more competitive.”
The council also addressed concerns about potential federal funding cuts under the Trump administration. The city receives approximately $51 million directly from the federal government, which could be at risk.
“If the cuts that Trump and Musk are talking about occur to federal workforce, Alexandria’s unemployment rate will be around 10%,” McPike warned.
Mayor Gaskins outlined the city’s preparations: “We have an interdepartmental work group comprised of staff. They’re monitoring the situation on the federal level. We also set aside emergency funds in this budget in anticipation of any downturn.”
Infrastructure questions included concerns about the Landmark Mall development, with Vice Mayor Bagley confirming plans for a “world class hospital with a helicopter pad” on half the parcel, while the other half will feature housing with retail and commercial spaces plus significant green space.
Residents also asked about the long-delayed Holmes Run Trail restoration, with Bagley expressing cautious optimism: “There are literally pile driving happening out on the trail and portions of the trail… I am cautiously optimistic that it will reopen this year in significant portions if not all of it.”
Transportation issues were prominent, including a proposal to have high school students use DASH buses instead of school buses. Vice Mayor Bagley explained the potential benefits: “Would it be an economic gain, would it be an efficiency, would it be a reliable efficiency? Are there efficiencies and improvements to be gained by having high school age students only using DASH in lieu of high school specific yellow bus routes?”
Mayor Gaskins noted that safety presentations show “there were less incidents involving youth on a DASH bus than there has been on the school bus,” though the proposal remains under study.
The council also fielded questions about short-term rentals, with McPike explaining recent regulations requiring Airbnb hosts to provide guests with information about noise ordinances and trash pickup, as well as having an agent on call who can respond to neighborhood concerns.
On homelessness and crime, Councilman John Chapman emphasized the need for affordable and transitional housing: “We are going to have to have opportunities for that. I think we are also calling the state saving the number of localities are as well to help provide funding for additional transitional housing.”
The town hall format itself drew some criticism, with one resident suggesting allowing constituents to verbalize their own questions rather than having them read from an index card by the mayor. Gaskins defended the approach, noting it allows the council to address more questions efficiently.
Throughout the session, council members stressed their commitment to community engagement, with Aguirre highlighting the city’s expanded outreach efforts: “The city really has changed the world as engagement… doing pop ups at laundromats, at bus stops, at grocery stores. We never used to do that type of stuff before.”
The council plans additional town halls and engagement opportunities throughout the year as they navigate the city’s fiscal challenges and community concerns.
