In This Edition

This presentation is scheduled for Thursday April 3rd at 6:30 PM. It is being hosted at Beatley Library.

The City is now launching a Spring Pothole Campaign from now until the 21st. 

Please report any potholes to the City using Call Click Connect.. 

Saturday the 12th will be the portion of the City west of Quaker Lane. 

With activities for all ages, the event brings together our population in the cause of environmental sustainability. 

The last day of school will remain June 20. 

It has been a little over a month since the City Manager presented his proposed FY 2015 Operating Budget and his proposed FY 2015 - FY 2024 Capital Improvement Program.

The Council has engaged in a series of work sessions and public hearings as the community made their views known on a variety of aspects of the proposed budget. 

As I discussed last month, while the real estate market shows modest growth, our consumption-based taxes are creating very anemic revenue growth overall. To produce an operating budget in line with the Council's guidance requiring no increase in the real estate tax rate, the City Manager proposed significant and in many cases unpopular, reductions to spending. 

The very first decision that the Council must make in any budget process is the "advertisement" of a real estate tax rate. Under the Code of Virginia, the Council must advertise the highest possible rate that it will consider. When it eventually adopts the budget on May 1st, the Council may choose a lower rate, but it cannot go higher. 

On March 11th, the Council voted 5-2 to advertise a half-cent increase in the real estate tax rate. I voted no. While I believe that there are important needs in our community (particularly in our schools) that this budget does not provide for, my view is that those needs can be addressed using the revenue available to us. You can watch the City Council's discussion and vote online. 

Last year, on average, single-family homeowners saw 3.6% assessment increases coupled with a 4% tax rate increase, resulting in a 7.5% tax increase. Our condo taxpayers had a 4% assessment increase with the 4% tax rate increase, creating an 8% tax increase.

This year, even without a tax rate increase, our single-family homeowners will pay 3.6% more and our condo homeowners 4.5% more due to assessment increases.

Late last year, we learned that as a region personal income in the DC area grew at the LOWEST rate of any large metropolitan area in the country. Most dramatically, the wages paid to Federal civilian workers in the DC region decreased by a half percent. This is even more dramatic when you consider that for the previous decade, these wages increased by an AVERAGE rate of 6.8% per year. 

Our residents are not seeing income growth, and I believe that the City's government should be cognizant of our residents' capacity to pay additional taxation.  We need to make some difficult choices. 

While last year we used the budget process to address long-deferred capital needs, I believe this budget is where we right-size our operating spending to the new trajectory of modest revenue growth. 

If we miss this opportunity, we are signing the City up for more service cuts, and more tax increases in the near future. 

Last year I wrote about my view that the City should evolve towards multi-year operating budgets. In a nod to that push, our City Manager has proposed that we instead construct a five-year financial plan. The five-year financial plan would not contain the rigor and detail of an actual multi-year budget, but it will give the City the long-term view that I believe is required. 

The first step in this direction is the updated version of the City's Forecast Scenarios. The bottom line of this forecasting effort is to suggest that even under a "medium growth" scenario, the City is heading for another $13.2 million of cuts or revenue increases next year, and $16.4 million the year after. This scenario assumes relatively healthy growth in tax revenues with modest increases in costs. 

The next few weeks are critical in the development of the City's budget, as we continue to receive public input and begin to craft our amendments to the City Manager's proposed budget. 

As individual members of the City Council explore areas of the budget, the City's Office of  Management & Budget (OMB) prepare written Budget Memos that detail specific areas. These documents are available for review on the City website and are a useful insight into the Council's budget process and deliberations. 

If you wish to learn more, the City Manager will be presenting the budget to the community on Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM at Beatley Library.

Please continue to let me know your thoughts. 

Over the past year, I have written many times about the City's efforts to implement the approved Waterfront Small Area Plan.  Specifically, the City has worked extensively to realize the vision of a waterfront that provides public access and expands accessible open space, as well as a waterfront protected from flood. 

For decades, the City has been engaged in negotiations over the future of the Old Dominion Boat Club parking lot behind the existing Mai Thai Restaurant. 

In June of 2013, the City made a formal offer for settlement of the impasse. When that was not successful, in November the City Council voted to launch an intensive 90-day negotiation period designed to be a final effort to avoid the use of eminent domain. 

The 90-day negotiation period employed the use of a mediator and ultimately concluded last month. The negotiations managed to develop two options acceptable to the City for consideration by Old Dominion Boat Club membership; a "Stay in Place" option and a Move option.  

In the end, the membership of the Old Dominion Boat Club overwhelmingly voted for the Move Option. 

While there are many specific details, the deal provides the City with ownership of the existing Old Dominion Boat Club parking lot, as well as the Club itself for the use as a new park and for flood mitigation efforts.

In exchange the Old Dominion Boat Club will get the site of the old Beachcomber building at the base of Prince Street to build a new Club as well as $5 million from the City to assist that effort. 

Most importantly, this deal ends decades of litigation and allows the City and the Old Dominion Boat Club to rebuild a working relationship to work together for the betterment of our City and in particular, our precious waterfront. 

After some significant delay as the City navigates the Federal Environmental Impact Statement process, the effort to bring a new Metrorail station to Potomac Yard is back on track.

The process continues to evaluate three alternatives for the location of the station. 

In March, the Council received a revised schedule for the remaining planning processes and the ultimate construction. 

Under the revised schedule the draft Environmental Impact Statement will be released in the fall. Subsequent to that release and the public comment period, the Council will adopt our preferred location in January of next year. 

With the site selected, the City would begin the design and construction, with a scheduled completion near the end of 2018. 

The Council's decision to prioritize new regionally generated transportation dollars for the Metro reduces the risk of this project and makes it easier to advance during difficult budget times. 

So much of our City's future economic growth depends on the successful completion of this station. We are pushing for a more expeditious completion of the planning efforts.

The City's DASH Bus system celebrated its 30th Anniversary last month. In 30 years the system has grown significantly and now carries 4.2 million passengers a year with 79 buses. 

With the adoption of the City's Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), the DASH system is working to expand.

In a few days, the DASH Board will be voting on the creation of a new cross-town route, the AT9. 

As proposed, this new route will provide connections from Potomac Yard to the new Washington Headquarters Service (WHS) building at Mark Center, by way of Parkfairfax, Shirlington, and much of the length of King Street. 

The route, as proposed, will bring transit to new communities and create new connections for our population. 

If approved, the route will begin operating in late June.

During a budget process in a community such as ours, it can frequently be challenging to determine the relative merit of the many demands on City resources.

Only occasionally are the loudest voices emanating from those advocating for the most significant needs. 

Yet ultimately, the most basic of responsibilities that a City has is the safety of our residents and the safety of those men and women who provide this protection for our residents. 

In 2008 the City received an after-action report on the City's response to a 2007 fire at Alexandria Knolls West.  Six firefighters were injured during the response to this incident. One of them spent significant time in intensive care recovering. 

The report provided a road-map for how the City might better protect the safety of our residents and the safety of those that ensure it. Since that time, the City has been engaged in a long-term effort to improve the capacity and safety of our Fire Department. 

One of the most important recommendations was that the City bring the Alexandria Fire Department in line with our neighbors in providing a minimum staffing level of 4 firefighters to an apparatus. Our previous requirement was 3.