The Connection

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.

“We’re dealing with a revenue shortfall as a result of the federal government not spending to the level they have for the last five years,” said Mayor William Euille. “That’s impacting revenues and trends in the city. But that’s something we’ll get through.”

Euille said that, with the budget process, the council will be forced to have a tough discussion on funding priorities.

“We’re a growing city, a very diverse city, and we have a lot of big ticket items from budget to transportation,” said Euille. “Those were all issues we dealt with in 2014 and those will be pretty much the same issues in 2015.”

“Some of the biggest challenges we had last year we face again this year,” said Vice Mayor Allison Silberberg. “The budget continues to be very tight and we need to grow our commercial base. We need to do what we can to support our existing businesses as the country comes out of the recession. The issues of 2014 will be the same challenges of 2015, especially with the budget and the debt.”

The budget process takes up much of the City Council’s focus in January and February, with the upcoming fiscal year budget typically proposed by the city manager at the end of February. This process is complicated in 2015 by the recent resignation of Alexandria City Manager Rashad Young.

“The City Council will have to deal with finding a replacement for the city manager, but right now we’re happy and pleased with Mark Jinks as acting position,” said Euille. “I’m hopeful we’ll be able to bring closure and bring a final decision later in the process.”

“I’m looking forward to continuing the work we’ve started on major projects like waterfront improvements, a new Potomac Yard Metro Station, Eisenhower West planning, and more,” said acting City Manager Mark Jinks in an email. “I’m also committed to developing a budget for next year that makes the best use of limited resources.”

As the 2016 budget process starts, there’s a quiet conflict looming in City Council over a potential tax increase. Last year, the council voted to raise property tax by one half-cent. In November, the council was split over whether to authorize the city manager to consider tax increases. Ultimately, the council voted to allow tax increases to be taken into account in the budget calculations.

While tax increases could be dangerous in an election year, it would help alleviate the funding concerns recently raised by Alexandria’s law enforcement and public schools. For Alexandria Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Alvin Crawley, funding will be crucial to accomplishing the schools’ 2015 goals.

“Fifteen of our 16 schools are accredited, but four of them are accredited with warning in one or more of the four core areas of instruction (reading, math, science and social studies),” said Crawley in an email. “We can also see that many of our students with disabilities and students who live in poverty are underachieving.”

Crawley said the schools needs to focus on raising expectations across the board in 2015 with better feedback and goal setting, particularly with interventions individualized to meet the needs of struggling students.

“We will also continue to explore social services and supports that will assist families in addressing needs that impact their student’s success,” said Crawley. In 2015, Crawley added that he hopes to reduce the number of assessments administered during the school year and reduce suspension rates while increasing student participation in Advanced Placement classes. One of the larger projects the schools are looking into is the development of “world language instruction” at an elementary level.

“We are making good progress on meeting these goals,” said Crawley. “We have reduced the number of tests by 40 percent and instead, will be developing more performance-based and project-based assessments … [and] we are seeing positive trends in the reduction of short term suspensions across the division.”

According to Euille, moving forward with the Waterfront Plan is going to be one of city’s biggest projects of 2015. However, with the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision in November to hear an appeal by three Alexandria residents challenging the city’s approval of hotels along the waterfront, the issue is not entirely settled.

“We need to continue discussions on the Waterfront Plan, and the things that are built in Old Town along the waterfront deserve our special attention,” said Silberberg. “Is it appropriate? Is it to scale? We’re going to have to look at these things with Robinson Terminal North. When we build new, are we taking into consideration the neighborhood? How does it fit in?”

While the developments along the waterfront are a priority, Euille said the council cannot lose focus on affordable housing issues in the city.

“Affordable housing is always of concern,” said Euille. “I think we’ve used all of the tools we have in our toolbox, but that doesn’t mean there’s not something out there that will become available. This is a national issue. No matter where you go in this country, you’re going to hear mayors and city councils talking about affordability.”

Euille highlighted the anticipated 64 new affordable apartment units in development at Potomac Yard. According to Euille, a large part of the success of the Potomac Yard development hinges on the city being able to work with Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority to get a new metro station installed nearby.

“We need to make a decision no later than April regarding the new metro station in Potomac Yard,” said Euille. “It is vital to the economic progress of Potomac yard and it’s been an item in the forefront of each year.”

The Alexandria City Council’s first meeting of 2015 will be on Jan. 13 at 7 p.m.