Question: Please provide a summary of the City Council’s final decisions for budget adoption.
Response:
City of Alexandria, Virginia
MEMORANDUM
DATE: APRIL 22, 2026
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER
FROM: MORGAN ROUTT, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
SUBJECT: FINAL DECISIONS OF THE FY 2027 BUDGET ADD/DELETE
This memorandum summarizes the consensus achieved by City Council at the Tuesday, April 21, 2026, Add/Delete Work Session for changes to be included in the final approved FY 2027 operating budget and Capital Improvement Program (CIP) to be adopted on Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
In accordance with Council Resolution 3334: Establishing the Process to be Used for FY 2027 Budget Adoption, “If Council reaches a consensus during the preliminary add/delete work session, the final add/delete work session will become optional.”
As City Council achieved consensus at the Tuesday, April 21 work session, the final add/delete work session scheduled for Monday, April 27 2026 work session is cancelled, and City Council will adopt the following changes, as well as the technical adjustments included in Budget Question #065, to the FY 2027 proposed operating budget and CIP on Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
OPERATING BUDGET
The following items are added to the City Manager’s proposed FY 2027 General Fund operating budget as ongoing or permanent adjustments through the add/delete process and will continue to be funded into FY 2028 and future years:
ONGOING ITEMS
Funding increase for arts grants with a focus specifically on visual and performance arts +$30,000 to come from the revenue re-estimate -$30,000 (Budget Work Session #5, Budget Questions 61 and 65)
- Funding to reinstate the Secret Shopper program in multiple languages +25,000 to come from the revenue re-estimate -$25,000 (Budget Questions 60 and 65)
- Funding to increase the frequency of DASH Line 32 +$619,920 contingent upon general fund WMATA contribution savings -$619,920 (Budget Question 21 and 86)
- Funding increase for the Rental Assistance program +$558,500, of this amount $458,500 will be funded by additional revenue from the Business, Professional & Occupational License (BPOL) financial services rate increase and $100,000 will come from the revenue re-estimate - $100,000 (Budget Questions 02, 25, 65, and 39). As part of the add/delete work session discussion of this item, City Council indicated that in future years this funding may be used for strategies related to advancing housing opportunities that include but are not limited to rental assistance.
The following items are added to the City Manager’s proposed FY 2027 General Fund operating budget as one-time adjustments through the add/delete process and will be removed from the FY 2028 base budget:
ONE-TIME ITEMS
- One-time funding to support the Healthy Homes Action Plan +$83,000 to come from council contingency -$83,000 (Budget Question 62)
- One-time funding to support technology upgrades in Juvenile & Domestic Relations courtrooms +$139,200 to come from council contingency -$139,200 (Budget Question 44). This total includes $116,000 for installation and $23,200 in maintenance funding and will be transferred to the existing courts technology project within the Capital Improvement Program (CIP).
In addition, City Council assigned funding to the Contingent Reserve for staff to prepare and present recommendations on the following items:
CONTINGENT RESERVE ITEMS
Contingency funding to evaluate and address pay disparity for Alexandria Animal Control Officers +27,000 to come from the revenue re-estimate -$27,000 (Budget Question 77 and 65)
- One-time support for a Jail Operational Efficiency Study +$200,000 to be funded by a transfer from the Alexandria Sheriff’s general fund operating budget -$200,000 (Budget Work Session #3, Budget Questions 20, 34, and 83)
- Contingency funding for Out of School Time (OSTP) staffing, with an emphasis on therapeutic recreation seasonal staff +$123,480 to come from the revenue re-estimate -$123,480 (Budget Question 87 and 65). Staff is asked to assess space and staffing needs that remain unmet within the program and return to the Council with a plan for space and staffing model options.
- The FY 2027 proposed budget included an increase in parking citation fines from $40 to $50, an increase in parking meter rates from $1.75 to $2.50, and the implementation of Sunday parking meter hours. City Council directed the City Manager to address a potential revenue $726,844 shortfall should the Sunday parking ordinance not be adopted. During the Preliminary Add/Delete work session on April 21, the City Council decided not to implement Sunday parking meter hours and came to consensus on the following option to address the potential revenue gap:
- Increase existing parking meter rates (Monday through Saturday) by $0.25, from the proposed $2.50 per hour to $2.75 per hour, generating approximately $605,900 in additional revenue; and
Increase parking citation fines by $5, from the proposed $50 to $55, generating approximately $450,000 in additional revenue.
This option, referred to as Option E, closes the $726,844 revenue gap and generates an additional $329,056, which staff will allocate to contingent reserves for future use.
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (CIP)
The following items shall amend the City Manager’s proposed FY 2027- FY 2036 CIP:
- Reallocation of $350,000 in previously appropriated one-time funding from the Waterfront Flood Mitigation project to support improvements to the 200 Block of King Street (Budget Question 06 and 76)
- Reallocation of $427,000 in one-time funding within FY 2032 of the Athletic Fields Improvement project from Chinquapin Field to general maintenance to upgrade Chinquapin Field as a natural field instead of synthetic surface and set aside the savings for the potential addition of a second natural field within the Chinquapin Park loop. (Budget Question 14 and 81)
Attachments:
Attachment 1: Add/Delete Proposals
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