The Alexandria City Council will start its annual budget deliberations with a retreat in the West End on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Council will meet with city departments and get a revenue forecast, expenditure overview and other preliminary budget gap information. Alexandria City Public Schools, for instance, takes up nearly 30% of the city’s budget and faces a $17 million budget gap and is working toward a collective bargaining agreement the School Board wants approved before the next fiscal year starts on July 1, 2027.
This time last year, the city faced an uncertain economy, and City Manager Jim Parajon asked for budget reductions across all departments.
In the current $979.1 million FY2027 budget, City Council circumvented a tax increase with $9 million in citywide cuts, eliminating 43 positions and increasing metered parking rates, parking fines and the stormwater utility fee. City Council also added a 5-cent increase to the city’s Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) tax.
After the current budget passed, Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley said that Alexandria might not get so lucky with the FY2028 budget.
“Alexandria was hardest hit, I think, in the country in terms of federal job loss and impacts,” Bagley said. “And yet, we didn’t have to raise taxes here, and that’s a pretty significant accomplishment for our staff, but we may not be so lucky next year.”
This Saturday’s meeting will be held in-person in the first-floor community conference room of the Del Pepper Community Resource Center (4850 Mark Center Drive) from 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
The meeting can be accessed via Zoom with the webinar ID 958 7833 3938 and passcode 599935.
City Council will adopt the budget on Wednesday, April 28, 2027.
Below is the meeting schedule.
- 9-9:05 a.m. — Mayor Alyia Gaskins makes introductions
- 9:05-9:10 a.m. — City Manager Jim Parajon makes opening remarks
- 9:10-9:30 a.m. — Presentation by John Ruthinoski, chair of the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee
- 9:30-10:15 a.m. — ACPS operating budget presentation by School Board Chair Chris Harris, Acting Superintendent Grace Taylor and Chief Financial Officer Dominic Turner
- 10:15-11 a.m. — Presentation on budget planning and a finance revenue forecast with the city’s finance chiefs
- 11-11:40 a.m. — Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority board and staff members will present to Council
- 11:40-11:50 a.m. — Break
- 11:50-12:30 p.m. — Staff presentation on budget guidance, the budget process and ACPS budget transfer resolutions
- 12:30-1 p.m. — Update on state regulations and local sales tax
- 1-1:15 p.m. — Wrap-Up/adjourn
