City Council | ALXnow

Alexandria and Arlington Fire Department unions say understaffing put people and buildings at risk after Crystal City blaze

Published December 13, 2021 at 11:05AM | Updated December 13, 2021 at 2:25PM

Understaffing within the Alexandria Fire Department put people and buildings at risk during a fire at Crystal City’s restaurant row on 23rd Street earlier this month, according to two unions representing more than 500 Alexandria and Arlington firefighters, medics and fire marshals.

In a sharply worded press release on Friday, Dec. 10, officials from the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2141 and IAFF Local 2800 wrote that AFD’s inability to fully staff their department led to “multiple close calls” at a fire on Saturday, Dec. 4, in the 500 block of 23rd Street. No one was injured in the blaze, which caused $1.8 million in damages.

News

Florence King, City Council candidate and Alexandria Living Legend, dies

By James Cullum

Published December 10, 2021 at 9:30AM | Updated January 14, 2022 at 10:27PM

(Updated on Dec. 23) Florence King, a 2018 Alexandria Living Legend and 2021 City Council candidate, has died.

King, who was in her early 70s, died at her Alexandria home on Thursday morning, Dec. 9, after a brief illness, according to friends. The news was a surprise to many city leaders, activists and friends.

News

Alexandria to promote new plastic bag tax with outreach campaign

By James Cullum

Published December 8, 2021 at 2:15PM

Alexandria is about to embark on a public relations campaign in response to the 5 cent Plastic Bag Tax, which goes into effect next month.

In a meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 14, the City Council will consider the release of $30,000 from contingent reserves to the city’s Department of Transportation and Environmental Services for outreach on the matter.

News

JUST IN: James F. Parajon hired as Alexandria city manager

By James Cullum

Published December 1, 2021 at 6:10PM | Updated December 2, 2021 at 4:51PM

After a five-month-long national search, the Alexandria City Council officially hired James F. Parajon as Alexandria’s next city manager on Wednesday night.

Parajon, the deputy city manager of Arlington, Texas, will start work on Jan. 18 and take over for retiring City Manager Mark Jinks.

News

Alexandria City Council to choose new city manager on Wednesday night

By James Cullum

Published November 30, 2021 at 1:00PM

Alexandria City Hall lit up (staff photo by James Cullum)

After a five-month-long national search, the Alexandria City Council will select a new city manager at a special meeting on Wednesday night (Dec. 1).

“Yes, we will be choosing a city manager,” Mayor Justin Wilson confirmed to ALXnow.

News

With school resource officers back, ACPS and Alexandria Police are hammering out a new memorandum of understanding

By James Cullum

Published November 16, 2021 at 3:30PM

Alexandria police (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria City Public Schools staff and the Police Department are hammering out a revised memorandum of understanding (MOU), and while few details have been released, the school system says that the school resource officer (SRO) program will change next year.

It’s been more than a month since City Council reversed its decision and brought back SROs. The initial decision to defund the officers redirected $800,000 in SRO funding toward mental health resources for students. It created a rift between City Council and the School Board, but after numerous violent incidents with weapons in schools, School Board Chair Meagan Alderton and Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Jr. pleaded for their return.

News

Construction begins for Inova’s massive Oakville Triangle project

By James Cullum

Published November 16, 2021 at 9:45AM

(Left to right) Alexandria Vice Mayor-elect Amy Jackson, Mayor Justin Wilson, Stonebridge Principal Douglas M. Firstenberg and Inova Alexandria Hospital President Dr. Rina Bansal at the groundbreaking for Inova Oakville at Potomac Yard, Nov. 15, 2021. (staff photo by James Cullum)

It wasn’t so much a groundbreaking as it was a wall-breaking, as local dignitaries smashed their way to a new future at the new Inova Oakville at Potomac Yard on Monday (Nov. 15).

After years of development, construction officially began on the $300 million project at the corner of Swann Avenue and Richmond Highway — just down from National Landing and the Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus. The project and includes more than 1 million square feet of residential space dedicated to apartments, a new 93,000-square-foot Inova HealthPlex with a comprehensive emergency room and 55,000 square feet of retail. The facility is planned to open in fall 2023.

News

Alexandria first responder unions question necessity of tax increase to pay for employee raises

By Vernon Miles

Published November 10, 2021 at 3:30PM

Alexandria Fire Department ambulance. (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

In the last few months, a head-long battle between Alexandria’s police and firefighters against city leadership has come to a head as first responders unions say underpayment has left staffing at critical levels.

City staff recently laid out the potential costs to implement a pay raise for first responders, but unions representing those first responders say that sticker shock is less intense in the broader context of the budget.

News

Who’s who of Alexandria will advise City Council on City Manager Mark Jinks’ replacement

By James Cullum

Published November 10, 2021 at 1:00PM | Updated November 10, 2021 at 4:08PM

Alexandria City Hall sign (staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

A veritable who’s who in Alexandria will interview the final candidates looking to succeed retiring City Manager Mark Jinks.

On Tuesday night, City Council approved the formation of three advisory committees that will interview the final candidates selected after a five-month-long national search.

News

City says first responders’ desired pay increase could mean substantial tax rate increase

By Vernon Miles

Published November 9, 2021 at 2:45PM | Updated November 9, 2021 at 4:48PM

(Updated 4:45 p.m.) At the start of a City Council retreat this weekend, acting Human Resources Director Jen Jenkins laid out some numbers behind the ongoing discussion over a pay increase for city employees.

City employees — first responders in particular — have criticized city leadership’s handling of employee pay and lamented that the city is, in some respects, lowest in regional pay. The city has laid out plans for a 1.5% pay increase, which unions representing first responders called an insulting lowball.

News

Alexandria lays out state legislative priorities as ‘house money’ days come to a close

By Vernon Miles

Published November 9, 2021 at 11:00AM

After a few years of somewhat jubilant legislative sessions, the City Council is moving into preparation for a legislative package with a more grim outlook.

The legislative package is an annual list of asks and recommendations from the city to the state government. These sorts of legislative packages are particularly important in Virginia where, as a Dillon Rule state, the authority of the city is limited to only those areas explicitly granted by the state. With Republicans winning control of much of the state government in last week’s election, the all-Democrat City Council’s days of “playing with house money” could be coming to an end.