Alexandria City Council

News

UPDATE: Alexandria police union decries current officer pay as collective bargaining reaches impasse

By James Cullum
Alexandria Police Department cruisers on Nov. 7, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Updated at 1 p.m., Dec. 9: An earlier version of this story included a previous offer from the city on pay compensation in its collective bargaining negotiations with the Alexandria Police Department. The city’s most recent offer increases starting pay for police officers 17.21% from $63,988 a year to an annual salary of $75,000; a 21% increase for sergeants from $72,300 to $87,500 and police lieutenants 15% from $89,800 to $106,900.

With collective bargaining at a standstill, the Alexandria Police Department’s union is calling for increased salaries as the department’s pay has fallen behind other Northern Virginia localities.

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Around Town

VIDEO: See Del Ray’s annual Christmas Tree and Menorah lighting

By James Cullum
The Del Ray Christmas tree was lit on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The weather was crisp and cool as hundreds of revelers sang holiday carols at the annual lighting of the Del Ray Christmas Tree and Menorah on Sunday night.

The 36-foot-tall tree is the tallest ever in Del Ray. It was donated by “Mango” Mike Anderson and Bill Blackburn of the Homegrown Restaurant Group.

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News

Facing financial decline, Alexandria releases new draft plan for economic growth

By James Cullum
A 'Shop Local' sign in the 200 block of King Street in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

Facing a decline in job growth, a struggling commercial real estate market and a climbing population, today (Friday) Alexandria released the draft of its first economic development strategy in nearly two decades.

The 63-page ALX Forward draft plan makes a number of recommends to reverse negative trends, including leveraging economic opportunities in Old Town North, Eisenhower East, the West End, and Potomac Yard; retaining local businesses and attracting high-growth industries like artificial intelligence firms; and strengthening support for the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

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News

LaPluma cafe gets more seating and longer hours in Old Town, after neighbors rally support

By Katie Taranto
LaPluma Coffee and Wine offerings (via LaPluma/Facebook)

Alexandria leaders have approved an Old Town cafe’s request to expand its outdoor seating and extend Sunday hours, after several neighbors spoke in support of the measure.

The City Council green-lit LaPluma Coffee & Wine’s special use permit application to increase outdoor seating capacity from 28 guests to 40, and to remain open until 10 p.m. on Sundays, as opposed to 6 p.m.

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News

Increased disability transit fares and food truck enforcement up for Council review tonight

By Katie Taranto
DOT is the City of Alexandria's paratransit program, which is a specialized transportation service for residents and visitors who cannot use fixed routed public transit due to their disability. (via City of Alexandria)

City Council will consider fare increases to its disability transit program and changes to food truck parking enforcement at a meeting tonight (Wednesday).

Up for vote is a resolution that would increase some paratransit fares by $1 and create a new $2 “peak-hour” surcharge for some trips. The Council will also complete a first read of an ordinance that would shift how the city enforces parking for food trucks.

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News

Rosemont nursing home seeks extension on stalled project, citing increased construction costs

By James Cullum
Woodbine expansion plans (image via City of Alexandria)

Citing strenuous financial conditions, a nursing home in Rosemont is asking the city for a three-year extension to break ground on its stalled expansion plans.

Woodbine Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center has yet to begin construction on its plans for a 31,909-square-foot addition, which received city approval in 2022. In a new extension request, the facility attributed delays to market conditions that “have substantially declined” since the plan was first greenlit.

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News

Alexandria plans budget cuts across all departments amid economic uncertainty

By James Cullum
The Alexandria City Council budget retreat, Nov. 1, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Faced with uncertainty from the government shutdown and federal layoffs, Alexandria City Manager Jim Parajon says the city is facing a relatively flat Fiscal Year 2027 budget.

Parajon is asking all city departments for a 1% budget cut and 1.5% in growth for Alexandria City Public Schools. During Saturday’s annual City Council budget retreat, he said the city is “not in a negative situation” — but rather, aiming to adjust its sails in turbulent economic times.

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News

Alexandria City Council unanimously backs expansion of parking enforcement pilot

By Ryan Belmore
A parking meter in Old Town Alexandria on King Street

Alexandria City Council unanimously expressed support Tuesday night for expanding the city’s parking enforcement pilot program after data showed substantial improvements in citation rates, response times, and revenue collection since contractors began supplementing city staff in December 2023.

The pilot program, which deployed contractors to enforce parking along King Street and adjacent blocks in Old Town, has increased monthly citywide citations by 61%, from approximately 5,000 to nearly 8,000, according to a presentation by Deputy City Manager Yon Lambert at the Oct. 28 council meeting.

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News

Alexandria City Council approves $513,000 for paratransit program after staff presents cost-saving measures

By Ryan Belmore
DOT is the City of Alexandria's paratransit program, which is a specialized transportation service for residents and visitors who cannot use fixed routed public transit due to their disability. (via City of Alexandria)

Alexandria City Council unanimously approved the release of $513,055 in contingency funds for the city’s DOT Paratransit program on Tuesday night after staff presented a comprehensive package of cost-saving measures and efficiency improvements.

The council had placed 25% of the paratransit program’s funding in reserve at the beginning of fiscal year 2026, directing staff to identify ways to improve performance and reduce costs before releasing the money.

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News

Alexandria braces for SNAP transition as state announces emergency food program

By Ryan Belmore
SNAP in Virginia (Courtesy photo)

Alexandria residents receiving food assistance will see their benefits shift to a new state-funded program next week as federal SNAP funding lapses amid a government shutdown.

The Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance Program will begin Monday, providing weekly payments to the nearly 6,000 households and approximately 12,000 individuals in Alexandria who currently receive SNAP benefits, city officials said Tuesday night.

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