Alexandria: City Council Passes Budget
After two months of City Council work sessions and public hearings, the council voted to approve the budget with little of the debate that had defined previous meetings.
Alexandria: Mayoral Standoff
First debate in race for mayor focuses on failing infrastructure.
Differences between incumbent Mayor William Euille, current Vice Mayor Allison Silberberg, and former Mayor Kerry Donley emerged during a debate as the three took turns directing blame for Alexandria’s current problems on each of the other two during the first mayoral debate. The debate, held in Douglas MacArthur Elementary School on April 23, primarily focused around issues of parking and city infrastructure.The shifting blame became most apparent during the candidates’ discussions on BRAC-133.
Alexandria: Add/Delete Budget Drama
Council members spar over last minute additions.
A preliminary discussion of the City Council’s Add/Deletes from the budget led to a heated exchange between council members during their April 28 meeting.
Alexandria Mayoral Standoff
First debate in race for mayor focuses on failing infrastructure.
Differences between incumbent Mayor William Euille, current Vice Mayor Allison Silberberg, and former Mayor Kerry Donley emerged during a debate as the three took turns directing blame for Alexandria’s current problems on each of the other two during the first mayoral debate.
Alexandria: Battle of Robinson Terminal South Ends
Council approval yields compromises amidst unyielding opposition.
In a 5-1 vote, the City Council approved EYA’s redevelopment of Robinson Terminal South. In many ways, the City Council public hearing on April 18 was largely a repeat of the April 9 Planning Commission and a number of committee hearings before that. Many of the same voices from the audience voiced the same concerns or showed the same support.
City Hall Briefs: April 15
In his State of the City address on April 14, Mayor William Euille reflected on recent Potomac Yard and waterfront development milestones.
Alexandria: Planning Comission is Considering Reducing Parking Options
Planning Commission updates policy on residential parking spaces.
A proposed text amendment to the Alexandria Parking Standards will decrease the amount of parking spaces residential property developers will be required to provide.
Alexandria: Compromise on Waterfront Barging
After a long tug-of-war between local residents and waterfront property developer EYA, acting City Manager Mark Jinks announced an agreement with EYA to use barging instead of trucking to transport materials to and from the South Robinson Terminal development.
Alexandria: Negotiation for Budget Funds
Schools and city clash over continued budget gap.
The deadline for proposing a tax rate increase for fiscal year 2016 passed on March 17 without any update from the city, meaning the funding in the current budget is all of the funding that will be available. For Alexandria police officers and city employees, that means a pay increase and additional career opportunities inside their departments. For Alexandria public schools, who were hoping a last minute decision to raise the tax rate might be enough to cover the $3 million gap between the school’s budget and the city manager’s proposed budget, the news means budget discussions between now and May are going to be tense.
Hunting Potholes: If residents call, city will fix them.
How To Help: Call Click Connect hotline at 703-746-4357 to report potholes.
As many Alexandrians would likely attest, 2015’s February was the coldest the city has faced since 1979.
Alexandria Budget Winners and Losers
Acting city manager presents budget proposal to City Council
When Acting City Manager Mark Jinks presented Alexandria City Council with the $647.9 million proposed budget, the generally positive reception was tempered with the knowledge that many departments would not be receiving the funding they had requested.
Separate But Equal Amenities for Alexandria
Class-segregated pool at proposed housing complex dampens council enthusiasm for affordable housing project.
A proposal for a mixed-use housing complex in Alexandria swiftly became an argument on classism when the developer revealed the pool would be off-limits to residents of the affordable housing section.
Alexandria Budget Looms Over 2015 Plans
Alexandria city officials discuss goals and funding for 2015.
For Alexandria City Council, 2015 kicks off with a continuing discussion of the budget and the city’s priorities. With an anticipated decrease in federal spending, city officials are preparing for a difficult budget process.
Council Notebook
Should Prince Street and Cameron Street have bike lanes? That's a question that city officials will be asking city residents starting Sept. 30. That's the date of the first community meeting on a proposal that would add bike lanes to the two major Old Town corridors, one eastbound and the other westbound.
Potential Rivals Circling Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille in Advance of Democratic Primary
Kerry Donely and Vice Mayor Allison Silberberg consider primary challenges.
Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille's poor performance in the congressional primary to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8) is calling into question his ability to lead the city, opening the door to talk about former Mayor Kerry Donley challenging Euille in next year's Democratic primary. That possibility has encouraged talk about Vice Mayor Allison Silberberg possibly entering the race as a candidate who would oppose the kind of large-scale development that Euille and Donley both support.