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Tuesday, November 8th is Election Day in Alexandria and around our nation. Our polls will be open from 6 AM until 7 PM.
In person absentee voting is available at the Registrar's Office (132 N. Royal Street) each day from 8 AM until 8 PM each day this week, except Friday, when voting concludes at 6 PM.
In person absentee voting is available at Beatley Library (5005 Duke Street) each day this week from noon until 8 PM, except for Friday, when voting concludes at 6 PM.
I'll see you at the polls!
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El Galeón Visits Alexandria
Beginning Wednesday November 9th through Monday November 14th, the ship will be available for tours on our waterfront.
Tickets are available online at the City's visitors center at 221 King Street or at the entrance to the ship at the Marina.
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Leaf Collection Begins
The annual City's leaf collection effort has begun.
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Community Health Fair
Hosted by a variety of community organizations and partners, this fair is designed to provide a comprehensive set of health screens and services to those with difficulty accessing these services.
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Run For Shelter
On Sunday November 20th, Carpenter's Shelter hosts the 6th Annual Run For Shelter road race on Eisenhower Avenue.
With two distances (10K and 5K), this race is for everyone. It begins at the United States Patent and Trademark Office at 600 Dulany Street.
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Run For Turkey
For the 41st Year, Del Ray will host the best Turkey Trot around!
The 41st Anniversary Alexandria Turkey Trot 5 Miler returns to the streets of Del Ray and Rosemont on Thanksgiving morning.
Brought to you by the Del Ray Business Association and DC Road Runners, the race is a regional tradition and last year attracted nearly 5,000 finishers!
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Comment on the Next School Calendar
The Alexandria City Public Schools Calendar Committee is working to develop the academic calendar for the 2017 - 2018 school year.
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With a welcome from the Town Crier and performances of all kinds, this event cannot be missed!
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Real Estate Tax Bills Due
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Request a Bike Rack
Know a good place in the City where we should place a bike rack?
Racks are installed on a seasonal basis and cannot be installed on private property.
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This Saturday, the City Council will hold our annual retreat. We will begin discussing our priorities for the upcoming budget process and working to understand the full scope of the challenges that await us.
Additionally, this month marks the beginning of the holiday season. When you have the means and opportunity, please take the time to support the many Alexandria non-profits. They work to address the needs of our community during this time and all year long.
My best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving.
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Whether the City is dealing with sewers, streets, schools, or municipal buildings, our infrastructure challenges can frequently be traced to a very simple truth: We have an old City with old infrastructure. While our historic nature attracts visitors to our community, it can also confound our efforts to maintain a modern infrastructure.
Primarily, these overhead utilities are an aesthetic concern, with the utility poles and wires as unsightly clutter on our streets. These overhead utility facilities can also impact reliability and safety.
In fiscal year 1992, the City began an effort to conduct under-grounding of utilities in Old Town. This effort provided for cost-sharing with Dominion Virginia Power, with the City installing the conduit and repairing the road and Dominion addressing the remainder of the project.
Year after year, costs escalated for this work. During the FY 2008 budget process, the Council made the decision to shift all of the dollars for this project to other projects effectively shutting it down. At the time, estimates for the cost to complete the project, ranged from $64 million to $100 million, roughly $1 million for each block.
Today, there are typically three scenarios where under-grounding occurs. When redevelopment occurs in an area with overground utilities, the City will typically obligate the developer to underground the utilities. When the City is conducting some sort of public work in the vicinity, the City can include under-grounding of adjacent utilities as part of that effort. Finally, Dominion Virginia Power has advanced underground efforts strategically through the City, usually in areas that are prone to frequent outages.
At the moment, Dominion Virginia Power has six developer-funded under-grounding efforts under way:
- South Union Street/The Strand/Robinson Terminal South
- North Union Street/Robinson Terminal North
- First Street/Giant Food
- St. Asaph Street/Oronoco
- Pickett Street/Cameron Park
- Henry/Pendleton
In addition, there is one effort underway as part of a City-funded project at King Street and Beauregard Street.
Finally, there are four strategic undergrounding efforts initiated by Dominion Virginia Power under way:
- Taylor Avenue
- Trinity Drive
- Saint Stephens Road
- Maury Lane
While the cost makes it highly unlikely that the City itself will pursue any large-scale utility undergrounding initiatives in the near future, we still have opportunities to leverage private resources and discrete public initiatives to advance these efforts.
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Switching Gears On School Capacity
Almost four years ago, the City convened the Joint
Long Range Educational Facilities Work Group. The group was given the essential charge to understand our recent increase in student enrollment, better project enrollment growth in the future, and to decide what to do about it.
The School Board Chair, Vice Chair, the previous Mayor, and I joined a group of community members and staff to steer the effort.
The day after Labor Day, 15,058 students started in the Alexandria City Public Schools. That constitutes a 2.6% increase from the previous year or about 388 additional students.
This year is the tenth straight year of enrollment growth. During that period, ACPS has added over 5,000 students.
We have also worked to understand where the enrollment is coming from. For example, we learned that low-rise apartments generate nearly three times the students as high-rise or mid-rise apartments do. We learned that single family homes generate nearly double the students as townhouses. We know that public housing and other income-restricted units far outpace any other property type for student generation, as that housing is geared for families.
These data points remind us of the need to address this enrollment growth head-on.
In June of last year, the City Council and the School Board adopted the
Long Range Educational Facilities Plan. The Plan is the culmination of the group's work in conjunction with the efforts of
 both ACPS and City staff. The plan looks at each elementary school building in the City, assesses the facility's educational adequacy, and provides a roadmap for increasing capacity and addressing deficiencies.
At this point in the process, purchasing (versus leasing) would now require that ACPS re-purpose a significant portion of their approved Capital Improvement Program. That would mean deferring and redefining projects that have been expected to occur this year. In doing so, there will be implications on future years, as alternate funding for those efforts would need to be identified.
While the potential for owning a building versus leasing is a positive opportunity for ACPS and the taxpayers of the City, this is a substantial amendment to the existing budget. Engagement with the community, commensurate with that of our annual budget process, must occur.
The proposed CIP includes:
- New Swing Space to accommodate 35 classrooms (2018)
- Demolition and rebuild of Douglas MacArthur Elementary (2020)
- Demolition and rebuild of T. C. Williams Minnie Howard Campus (2021)
- Renovation and capacity increase of Cora Kelly Elementary (2022)
- Construction of a new middle school (2023)
- Demolition and rebuild of George Mason Elementary (2024)
- Construction of a new elementary school (2027)
The School Board will be considering this plan over the next few months as they work to finalize the CIP they will present to the Council for the spring budget process.
This plan is quite ambitious, while realistic about what is necessary to address our enrollment challenges.
To fund a plan similar to this, the City Council will require commitment from the taxpayers of this too aggressively tackle these challenges. It will also require ACPS and the City to develop the capacity and capability to execute this plan to maintain that commitment.
We have a lot of work to do! Let me know your thoughts.
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Potomac Yard Metro
For decades, the City has discussed, planned, and just plain hoped for a Metro Rail station at Potomac Yard.
In 2008, along with then-Councilman Rob Krupicka, I proposed a
 new start to efforts to bring Metro to Potomac Yard.
We included language in the City's Transportation Master Plan explicitly calling for a new station at Potomac Yard. We also tied the construction and funding of Metro to the development occurring in the Yard.
The result is
a funding plan for Potomac Yard Metro that not only leverages the development activity in Potomac Yard, but also does so without requiring the contributions of General Fund taxpayers.
Any day now, the Federal Record of Decision should be issued. The Record of Decision is the formal federal document that outlines all of the agreed upon mitigation to any potential impacts that will result from the project.
Along with Councilman Smedberg, I serve as a member of the Potomac Yard Metrorail Implementation Group (PYMIG).
Next year, in advance of the issuance of the procurement agreements, the City Council will finalize the mix of funding sources, as well as consider any changes.
Successful completion of this project is a key component in our efforts to promote a stronger economic future for our City. I am excited to see how far we have come.
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Asking Richmond
Every year, the City Council adopts a
Legislative Package for the upcoming General Assembly session. While the state government is certainly a significant financial supporter of the City's budget, Richmond also sets a legal environment that affects how we provide services to our residents.
Contained in the package are specific pieces of legislation that we would like to see proposed as well as the City's position on legislation that may arise during the session.
 This upcoming General Assembly session is the so-called "short session." The General Assembly alternates between a 45 day session in odd number years and a 60 day session in even number years.
Faced with this reduction of revenue, the state is now forced to dip into its revenue stabilization fund (the so-called "Rainy Day Fund") and defer planned salary increases. With those changes, there is still additional spending to be cut in the upcoming General Assembly session.
The City receives over $46 million in General Fund revenues from the Commonwealth along with another $69 million in non-General Fund revenues. This is not an insignificant portion of our revenue.
The Council will be holding a public hearing on the proposed legislative package on Saturday, November 12th beginning at 9:30 AM. Final adoption of the package is scheduled for Tuesday, November 29th.
- A request for a change to the state's Virginia Preschool Initiative to ensure access to the City's low income children.
- A request for increase to an assessment charged for each civil case filed as a funding source for the City's law library.
- A request for additional funding for the State's crime lab to ensure a backlog in testing Physical Evidence Recovery Kits (PERK) doesn't again develop.
- Support for reforms of the state's redistricting process to ensure fair, less partisan redistricting.
- A request for legislation that provides our local school board with the authority to set the start date of school at their discretion.
- A request for legislation to prevent utility rate increases without the approval of the State Corporation Commission.
- Support for funding of the Department of Juvenile Justice Transformation Plan, including new funding for community programs.
- A request to expand the right of a renter to assign their purchase right during a condo conversion. Current law allows an elderly or disabled resident to assign their right to purchase to a housing non-profit or government agency. I have suggested that we expand this right to families. This is one way we can maintain affordable housing.
- A request for state funding to partner with the City in efforts designed to lower premiums for residents required to purchase FEMA Flood Insurance.
- A request that the state fully fund its obligations to K-12 education.
- A request for legislation to provide the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council with the authority to review local government officials' Statement of Economic Interests, in the same way that they review those filings from state officials.
While it is difficult to get legislation passed in Richmond, my hope is that we will be able to make progress on many of these important issues when the General Assembly gets to work in January.
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Funding Transportation
During the 2007 General Assembly session, a bipartisan compromise was forged to provide new funding for transportation around the Commonwealth. The legislation was signed by then-Governor Kaine.
In addition to statewide and regional funding mechanisms, the legislation created authority for local governments in Northern Virginia to enact an
additional commercial real estate tax to fund transportation efforts. In Virginia, all real estate had previously been taxed at the same rate. This new authority allowed commercial real estate to be taxed at a higher rate.
Fairfax County and Arlington County quickly exercised this new authority and it remains in place today.
Since that time, the TIP has been used to fund new and expanded transportation efforts throughout our City.
This year's TIP funded many important transportation initiatives, including DASH expansion, improvements at Van Dorn Metro station, road improvements throughout the City, and Capital BikeShare.
Left unsaid in that statement from the Board was that WMATA intended to request large increases in operating support from its member localities, and by extension, the taxpayers of Alexandria and the region.
In FY 2016,
the City Manager's proposed TIP devoted 25% of the total funding to the increased subsidy request from WMATA. In order to accomplish this, a number of major projects were removed from the TIP and are no longer funded.
It is my view that this violates the intent and community expectation around the TIP and its funding. The TIP was designed to create and operate "new" transportation services and improvements,
not plug budgetary holes for WMATA.
 In response to those concerns, the City Manager's proposed FY 2017 budget and the City Council's approved FY 2017 budget reduced the impact of WMATA funding on the TIP. In FY 2016, $2.9 million of WMATA funding hit the TIP. In FY 2017, the number was reduced to $811,926.
Yet the funding challenges of WMATA have not subsided, particularly as the ridership impacts of the ongoing SafeTrak efforts are being felt.
WMATA now enters FY 2018 with an estimated $275 million gap.
These service reductions would be unacceptable, and the Board has conveyed that message to WMATA leadership.
- Cut 1,000 jobs and achieve savings from benefits
- Institute headways to 8 minutes on each Metrorail line (this is an improvement for the Blue Line)
- Eliminate Rush+ service
- Increase rail headways during non-peak times
- Eliminate under-utilized bus routes (none are in Alexandria)
- Raise rail and bus fares
- Increase jurisdictional contributions, including an additional $6.5 million from Alexandria
These are very large changes in this proposed budget, at a difficult time for WMATA. As a daily transit rider for over 15 years, it is imperative that the efforts underway restore WMATA to both a state of good repair, as well as a successful system.
We have much work to do as a region.
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The Capacity to Turn Lives Around
In a growing city with changing needs, it can be difficult to properly project infrastructure needs. Particularly when new infrastructure investment requires significant lead-time, that difficulty can be even more challenging.
One such area is our capacity to house those who have been removed from society for the safety of our community.
Due to overly stringent inmate selection criteria, the location, and
 lower crime, the regional jail came to be rarely utilized by Alexandria. Efforts by our Sheriff to sell or lease the City's beds in the regional jail were largely unsuccessful.
Just like the Alexandria City Jail, the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Home has a contract to hold Federal juveniles as well.
This conversation the City is having is very much aligned with similar conversations around the Commonwealth. Driven by lower populations of children committed to the state Juvenile Justice system as well as a desire for better outcomes, the state has worked to reduce capacity as well.
Our changing needs as a community provide opportunities for us to consider alternatives to the ways in which these services have been provided in the past. I'm hopeful we will continue such creative thinking.
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Host a Town Hall in Your Living Room!
My regular series of Town Hall Meetings continue!
You supply the living room and a bunch of your friends and neighbors. I will supply a member of the Alexandria City Council (me) with the answers to any of your questions about our City.
Just drop us a line and we'll get a Town Hall on the calendar! Thanks for the interest!
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Upcoming Issues
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With over 3,000 residents and nearly 10,000 employees,
the area the City knows as "Old Town North" is already an important part of our City. It is blessed with access to the Potomac River. It is fortunate to have two significant arts destinations, the
The Art League and
MetroStage. The area is accessible to a variety of transportation options. There is a large redevelopment opportunity on the site of the now-closed NRG power plant.
A HOT Proposal Returns
At the state level the Commonwealth has been using public-private partnerships to advance transportation projects, including new High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. Through
these arrangements, a private entity finances a portion of the transportation improvement in exchange for the ability to collect tolls from use.
Under Governor McDonnell, there was an effort to create new HOT lanes on Interstate 395/95 to cover the 35 miles from the border with the District of Columbia south to Stafford County.
Both Alexandria and Arlington had concerns over the details of the
proposal. Mainly, what impacts the operation of the new lanes would have on local streets and air quality, as well as potential impacts to private property in order to expand the existing highway right of way.
This proposal does differ from the original HOT Lanes proposal in several key ways. The most important difference is that this new proposal generally sticks within the existing right of way.
I remain skeptical of the merits of this project and the merits of using these types of agreements to develop major transportation infrastructure. Yet, that is a decision for state policymakers not for local ones.
For this project, my focus is to ensure that the City receives the maximum benefit for the impact that this will have on our community. There will be more discussion as the proposal continues to be refined.
Taking Out the Trash In Old Town
About 20,000 residences in the City receive trash and recycling services from City government. Most condominium developments and private neighborhoods contract with private collection companies. Those that do receive City trash removal pay a residential refuse fee on their real estate tax bill.
Yet for the 4,500 Old Town residents who receive City trash services, they put that
 trash to the curb in their own trash can, not in a City provided can.
For the past two years, portions of the residential refuse fee revenue have been set aside to purchase new trash cans for Old Town residents.
Residents can continue to use a private can if they wish, but they now have the opportunity to utilize the standard 65-gallon City trash can which is in use throughout the City.
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