budget | ALXnow

Morning Notes

Published February 16, 2021 at 9:00AM

Virginia Launching Statewide Vaccine Pre-Registration System — “The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) will launch a statewide system to help citizens pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine. The new system will supersede the Alexandria Health Department’s own pre-registration form. It will be operational on Tuesday, Feb 16 at 8 a.m.” [Zebra]

Alexandria Firefighters Oppose Collective Bargaining Agreement — “Employees and labor unions within the City of #Alexandiava attempted to sit down with the City Manager to come up with fair Collective Bargaining agreement. He ignored the employee’s voices and made a management friendly agreement.” [Twitter]

News

City Working to Close $41 Million Budget Gap While Schools Request $5 Million Increase

By Vernon Miles

Published February 2, 2021 at 11:30AM

Alexandria City Hall (staff photo by James Cullum)

The annual showdown between the City Council and School Board over funding could be exacerbated this year by the lingering fiscal impact of coronavirus.

At the tail end of a joint work session between the two bodies last week, City Manager Mark Jinks outlined the dire fiscal situation as the city heads into its budget season.

News

Mayor: Alexandria Faces $41 Million Budget Gap from COVID-19

By Vernon Miles

Published January 8, 2021 at 11:45AM

For the second straight budget cycle, the pandemic is rearing its ugly head in Alexandria.

In a virtual town hall last night, Mayor Justin Wilson offered a look at the behind-the-scenes back and forth between local, state and federal agencies as the city works to get some assistance to help cover an estimated $41 million shortfall.

News

Director of Finance: Full Economic Recovery From COVID-19 Shutdown Likely Two Years Away

By Vernon Miles

Published July 8, 2020 at 2:15PM

Alright, which of you went to a movie in April?

At the height of the pandemic, when nearly everything in the city was shut down, the city’s latest revenue report shows that the city still collected $2 in admissions tax. The city’s finance officials ran the numbers and said that meant that four people bought tickets at movie theaters in Alexandria while nearly everything in the city was shut down.

News

Poor Business Revenue Amid Shutdown Leaves Alexandria Government With Empty Pockets

By Vernon Miles

Published July 7, 2020 at 12:00PM

Alexandria City Hall (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria businesses struggled with poor sales during the shutdown, and now that drop in revenue is coming around to leave the City of Alexandria with little commercial tax support for an already strained budget.

According to information shared by Mayor Justin Wilson, the city faced a dramatic drop off in business taxes in April and May.

News

The High Cost of Combating COVID-19 in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published May 8, 2020 at 2:00PM | Updated May 8, 2020 at 2:26PM

A young boy is tested for COVID-19 at a Neighborhood Health testing facility outside Casa Chirilagua in Arlandria (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria has spent $5 million on new expenses to combat COVID-19 related problems, and in a town hall last night, Mayor Justin Wilson said he expects that number to double by the end of the pandemic.

“[We’ve] spent $5 million on COVID expenses,” Wilson said. “That’s things like hotel rooms for quarantine, hazard pay, things like that; a lot of emergent expenses.”

News

City Council Passes ‘Hunker Down’ Budget With ‘Dreams Deferred’

By Vernon Miles

Published April 30, 2020 at 11:40AM

At the end of an exhausting emergency budget cycle, the City Council praised the work of staff for throwing together a $753.3 million fiscal year 2021 operating budget that fills a steep funding shortfall without curtailing city services.

In a 45 minute Zoom meeting, the City Council unanimously approved the budget with little discussion, following a week without any additions or deletions.

News

City Council Approves Potomac Yard Entrance and Moves Forward on Budget

By James Cullum

Published April 20, 2020 at 11:35AM | Updated April 20, 2020 at 6:05PM

There will be no tax increase on the city manager’s proposed fiscal year 2021 budget, as the City Council swept through its budget public hearing on Saturday, paving the way for approval next Wednesday, April 29.

Council also unanimously approved the plan for the construction of the southern access to the Potomac Yard Metro station. The access will be a bridge that connects to the northern entrance, and will open at the same time as the station in March 2022.

News

COVID-19 Leaving City With $1 Million Affordable Housing Funding Loss in New Budget

By Vernon Miles

Published April 17, 2020 at 11:30AM

Tying affordable housing funding to meals tax seemed like a safe bet in 2018, but with restaurants facing a dramatic loss in revenue due to coronavirus, affordable housing is out $1 million in the new budget.

According to the budget:

News

City Council Moves Into Accelerated Budget Process

By Vernon Miles

Published April 15, 2020 at 11:50AM

The City Council reviewed a substantially cut-back $753.3 million fiscal year 2021 operating budget at its meeting Tuesday night, and are now working through a months-long process that must be approved by April 29.

There were few budget surprises at the meeting, as the information was presented last week. The budget is 5.8% lower than the $800 million operating budget Jinks proposed before the COVID-19 pandemic, and includes $46.6 million in cuts to the operating budget and $140.6 million in the capital budget.

News

Budget Cuts Push Back T.C. Expansion and Waterfront Redevelopment

By Vernon Miles

Published April 8, 2020 at 10:30AM | Updated April 8, 2020 at 1:53PM

Alexandria City Hall (staff photo by James Cullum)

(Updated 1:10 p.m.) As expected, this year’s $753.3 million city government budget will be significantly cut down — with a $46.6 million reduction from the operating budget and $140.6 million in the capital budget put forward in April.

City Manager Mark Jinks called the new document “Budget 2.0,” representing the possibility that its contents are subject to change at next Tuesday’s (April 14) City Council meeting and throughout the budget process. Jinks said the total projected revenue loss for the 2020 and 2021 fiscal year is $92.2 million, and that the sharp reduction in the budget is due to a deferral of the 2 cent tax residential tax increase initially proposed and a steep drop off in commercial tax revenue.