Alexandria City Council members have submitted their proposed additions — and one deletion — in their Fiscal Year 2027 budget deliberations.
The proposed additions to the budget include a 5-cent increase to the city’s Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) tax; $200,000 for a jail operational efficiency study; and $350,000 for improvements to the pedestrian zone in the 200 block of King Street.
After more than 1,200 bills passed in the Virginia General Assembly, Gov. Abigail Spanberger has signed the first set of bills tackling several areas of affordability.
The governor’s action marks the first major set of bills signed from the 2026 General Assembly session. Spanberger had previously signed voter referendum legislation allowing mid-decade congressional redistricting to go before voters on April 21. The signed bills address housing, health care and energy.
Alexandria’s City Council set a one-cent ceiling for the city’s real estate tax rate on Tuesday night.
City Councilman John Taylor Chapman made the motion to increase the ceiling, which is not the final adopted tax rate. While City Manager Jim Parajon’s proposed $977 million Fiscal Year 2027 budget has no tax increase, the one-cent ceiling gives the city more options in crafting the budget, which is set for a final council vote on April 29.
The gap between Alexandria’s residential and commercial tax bases continues to grow, with residents shouldering more of the city’s tax burden, according to the city’s released real estate tax assessments.
As of Jan. 1, Alexandria’s overall tax base increased by 3.4% in value, or nearly $1.7 billion, to reach $51.4 billion in 2026. The city’s residential tax base increased by 4.4% in value, or $1.4 billion, while the commercial tax base gained $334.8 million in value, up 1.9%, and the non-locally assessed tax base declined by $20.5 million, dropping 2.8%.
Northern Virginia’s local and legislative leaders are preparing for a full-court press — and perhaps an uphill battle — in wringing additional transit funding out of the General Assembly.
Aimee Seibert, a lobbyist for the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, said at the commission’s Dec. 4 monthly meeting that four different bills, two in each house of the legislature, are being prepared for consideration as part of an effort to add nearly a half-billion dollars annually in regional transit funding.
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.
For Sen. Adam Ebbin, the task of securing dedicated revenue streams for Northern Virginia transit is now 50% complete, as the region’s transit subcommittee approved a new spending package proposal this week.
In conversations with the Northern Virginia Growing Needs of Public Transit Joint Subcommittee, Ebbin (D-39) successfully shepherded near-unanimous support for the package, which calls for $400 million annually in new spending.
Personal property taxes, also known as car taxes, are due early next month in Alexandria, and penalties can make late payments expensive.
If vehicles are located in Alexandria in 2025, personal property tax payments are due by Oct. 6, according to the city.
It’s about to get more expensive to have fun at city-owned properties in Alexandria.
On Wednesday, April 30, the City Council will consider approving rental fee increases for several of the city’s Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities programs.
As it deliberates its Fiscal Year 2026 budget, the Alexandria City Council, on Tuesday, will set the ceiling for a tax rate increase.
This time last year, Council set a 4-cent tax ceiling, eventually deciding on a 2.5-cent real estate tax increase.
If you’re an Alexandrian making less than $67,000, you can skip TurboTax this year and get help directly from the City of Alexandria.
Qualifying residents can receive support from Community Tax Aid, Inc., a non-profit based out of DC that helps to ensure taxpayers apply for all applicable credits and reductions, like the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit.
