During normal times, the City offers a few real estate tax relief programs to assist taxpayers in need throughout the City. Together, these programs reduce City revenue by $4.6 million.

Yet, these are not normal times. With large increases in unemployment and underemployment, many of our residents are struggling to pay their bills.

To address this concern, last month, the City Council approved a hardship waiver option for the second half real estate tax payment, due on November 16th.

If the pandemic has impacted your ability to pay your real estate tax bill, please e-mail the City's Finance Department before the current due date to make arrangements for a delayed payment.

Leaf vacuuming will proceed to each of the designated zones beginning on the scheduled dates. Each zone will take several days to complete.

Additionally, the City is making up to 15 leaf bags available for each residential household. The bags can be picked up at City Hall, the City's self-service shed at the corner of Roth and Business Center Drive or at Charles Houston, Patrick Henry or Mount Vernon Recreation Centers.

These leaf bags can be placed out for collection on your regulation collection day.

In a season of many tragedies and loss, the loss of a considerable amount of education for our children has been particularly frustrating. Children should be in school learning. Watching some students miss the traditional senior year of high school and others miss the beginning of Kindergarten is a loss that can never be replaced.

Last month, the Alexandria School Board approved a phased reopening plan. This plan calls for a return to in-person learning later this month, beginning with students with disabilities. This process, as currently planned, will take several months assuming staffing availability.

Last month, the Virginia Department of Health posted a new view of the Commonwealth's COVID data that reflects the new "Indicators for Dynamic School Decision-Making" that were issued by the Centers for Disease Control. While this data is not intended to be decisive for policymakers, it does provide a useful input.

Educational policymakers around our nation are in an impossible situation as they attempt to provide a first-class education to our students against the backdrop of an extraordinary pandemic.

For our students and families, our schools serve many important functions beyond educational instruction. They provide child-care, food and nutrition services, health care services, transportation and more. The pandemic has forced a disaggregation of how we provide school. Filling the gaps has required difficult choices and partnerships with various public agencies, non-profits and private providers.

As part of the current VirtualPlus+ plan, there are school-day care available for students from various providers. APCS has provided a list of available alternatives and the City's Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities has also provided a detailing of their programmatic offerings.

While the decision to close schools in March was a difficult one, it was rather binary. Once it was clear school buildings could not remain safely open, they were closed.

The decisions surrounding the reopening of schools in the fall are much more difficult, nuanced and complex. The first building block of that decision-making process is the guidelines, entitled "Recover. Redesign. Restart," that was issued four months ago by the Virginia Department of Education. This 136 page document details how local school divisions in the Commonwealth should undertake a fall reopening.

There is no question that policymakers influencing school decisions want to see our students back in school. As a parent of two ACPS students myself, I share that desire. The health benefits of students being in school together are considerable.

I recognize there are stark realities presented by virtual education. Many of our students cannot learn virtually. Students will fall behind academically, socially and emotionally. Some of our more vulnerable students (lower-income, special education, limited language proficiency, etc) are in an even more precarious situation. I don't believe you will find anyone involved in educational policy-making right now who believes this is optimal.

Yet, I also recognize that the public health challenge we are facing is quite real, exacerbates existing inequality, and requires engagement with all stakeholders prior to committing to a particular reopening approach.

The work of supporting our families is not solely the work of ACPS. The City government, our non-profit partners and our community will need to collaborate to provide the critical services our students and their families require during this time. The City has committed additional resources to our schools, identified facilities and staffing support. Those efforts will continue as long as they are necessary.

While the conditions are clearly sub-optimal, we owe it to our students to support every student during this extraordinary time in their lives.

At various points over the years, I have written in this newsletter attempting to relate the national conversation on policing to our experiences in Alexandria. 

Last month, the City Council received the initial feedback from our staff on Council efforts to explore alternative response techniques, focused on efforts to use non-police response for quality-of-life complaints, homelessness, behavioral health crisis, intoxication and beyond.

In September, the Council received an initial proposal for alternatives to improve civilian oversight. While I was comfortable bringing this proposal to the public for feedback, my colleagues wished to see further alternatives. You can watch the discussion of Council on this matter online. This issue will return to Council later this month.

We have officers that participate in training designed to address implicit bias in policing. 

In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, our Police Department and our Sheriff's Department provided summaries of use of force guidelines, procedures and practices for public review and comment.

The Alexandria Human Rights Commission conducts a review of each police use of force incident. The Commission also reviews internal investigation data to question and provide accountability of the department. 

At the end of April, the City Council approved our FY 2021 - FY 2030 Capital Improvement Program. Included in that budget was a placeholder within the CIP to fund the deployment of body-worn cameras for our police officers. We are now advancing that effort with timing and further updates expected later this year.

In 2017, the City released a first of its kind external study and analysis of five years of Alexandria Police traffic citation data. Conducted by the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy at George Mason University, this effort looked at over 91,000 citations issued from 2011 - 2015.

In February of 2018, the City Council adopted this procedure as policy to ensure that this type of accountability and analysis remains a practice in the future. 

Since that time, the analysis has been conducted annually, with the 2019 data released earlier this year. With the adoption of new legislation during the most recent General Assembly session, our Police Department will work to modify data collection and reporting to comply with new mandates.

To ensure that the conversation does not end here, our Police Chief Michael Brown has appointed a Community Advisory Team to advise the Police Department on these issues. 

Motor vehicles are the largest non-stationary sources of greenhouse gas emissions. One of the City's most significant efforts to reduce emissions and fulfill our obligations in battling climate change are our investments in mass transit. While most of that investment goes to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), for over 35 years the City has run the DASH Bus system to serve our local needs.

In 2011, the City made a decision to purchase hybrid diesel/electric buses to begin replacing the all-diesel fleet of buses that was in operation at that point. At that time, a diesel bus cost $450,000 apiece, and the hybrid buses cost $700,000. Yet it was believed that the combination of the fuel savings and potential maintenance savings would cause the total cost of ownership to be lower over time for the hybrid buses. With reduced emissions, fuel consumption and particulate matter, this switch was in alignment with the City's Environmental Action Plan. 

Two years ago, the Council directed a brief return to diesel bus purchasing in order to retire the oldest (and highest polluting) buses in the DASH fleet. This interim move allowed for DASH to prepare for electrification of its bus fleet.

DASH was the recipient of $5.1 million from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust, which has allowed the purchase of electric buses for its fleet.

Last year, at this time, we were noting a record $859 million of visitor spending, which generated $27.9 million of local tax receipts, easing the burden on Alexandria's local taxpayers.

From February through July of this year, the City has lost over $12 million from the combined impact to our consumption-based taxes. The revenue loss from that period alone is equivalent to the revenue from three cents on our real estate tax rate.

Protecting our taxpayers, protecting thousands of jobs and protecting our quality of life require that we work to save the small businesses that make this City special.

On Tuesday evening, the City Council unanimously approved an additional $1.5M to support these important small businesses. These new funds will allow the City to fully fund all 400 applications for Round 2 of the Alexandria Back to Business Grant Program. This program, utilizing a portion of the City's Federal CARES Act funding, distributed $3.5 million in the first round of grants to over 300 Alexandria businesses that have been impacted by COVID-19.

Additionally, we are launching the Back to Business All Weather Grant program. This program is designed to support restaurants, retail and fitness businesses working to "winterize" their outdoor areas as we prepare for colder weather.

Early in this crisis, the City approved millions of dollars of tax deferrals to provide Alexandria small businesses with the liquidity to assist them in surviving and later reopening. 

We have worked with businesses to access Federal grants and lending. We have made a variety of regulatory changes to support the transition of our businesses to a "new normal," including suspending enforcement of outdoor dining restrictions, hours of operation, sidewalk vending, etc. Last month, the City Council voted to extend these regulatory changes until the end of March of 2021.

In addition to these financial and regulatory efforts, the City launched ALX Promise.  This program recognizes those businesses that have gone beyond the minimum standards to keep their customers and employees safe. Watch for the logo around our City! 

Getting around is central to our daily lives, even in the midst of a pandemic. The ability to get to places of work, education, worship and play shapes housing decisions for most of our residents. Your local government expends a significant amount of your tax dollars and civic energy working to improve your ability to get to those places that you want to go.

I chair the Planning and Programming Committee of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA). A few weeks ago, our committee received a sobering presentation showing the impacts of the pandemic on transit ridership, road usage and non-vehicular transportation (walking and biking). While it showed that our world will come back to normal, it will clearly be a while.

But we cannot use the pandemic as an excuse to cease progress in improving mobility in our City in the short-term and beyond. Over 12 years ago, the City brought together a group of residents who developed our first comprehensive Transportation Master Plan. This plan was the first time the City approved a transit-oriented vision for our future, designed to ease the impacts of congestion and provide alternatives to our residents beyond the single-occupancy vehicle.

That plan has led to new transit initiatives, new bike and pedestrian efforts and improvements to the road network throughout our City. Yet we have learned a lot in over a decade and it is time to update this plan.

Led by a group of Alexandria residents, we are working to update this plan for the future. Last month, our staff released the draft strategies for this update, focusing on:

You can watch the staff presentation of these strategies online.

Once you have reviewed these strategies, we would like your input. The deadline for input in this phase is November 8th.

Community input is important as we work to ensure mobility in our community in the future.

At the beginning of the year,  I wrote an op/ed in the Alexandria Gazette opposing proposed state legislation  that would impose zoning policy changes on communities around the Commonwealth as a method to address affordability challenges. While the legislation was well-meaning I was fearful it would exacerbate other challenges faced by our community and remove local authority over land-use policy. 

While the legislation failed, earlier this year, the City kicked-off its study of Accessory Dwelling Units. Our staff has now presented their draft policy recommendations and we want your input! 

Public comment on the draft policy can be submitted online until Friday.

Accessory dwelling units were originally identified in the City's Housing Master Plan in 2013  as a strategy to allow inter-generational living, provide supportive housing for disabled adults and support market-based housing creation. At our most recent Housing Summit, an Alexandria architect gave an interesting presentation on his effort to bring an ADU to his property nearby.  You can watch the video online.

In order to meet the City's obligations under the Federal Clean Water Act and the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, the City holds an MS4 Permit (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System). The permit, issued by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, imposes a "pollution diet" on the City.

The conditions of the permit require the City to reduce phosphorus, nitrogen and sediment from entering waterways. These reductions are required to progressively increase over the life of the permit.

One of the most effective ways for the City to achieve these aggressive pollution reduction targets is to make improvements to City-owned properties.

To ease the burden on Alexandria's taxpayers, the City has sought funding from the Commonwealth. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality administers the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF), which provides matching grants to assist local governments in addressing these requirements.

The City recently completed two major stormwater projects, the Lake Cook Stormwater Management Retrofit Project and the Ben Brenman Pond Stormwater Management Retrofit Project.

The Lake Cook project, was the beneficiary of $1.5 million of SLAF funding, and made significant improvements to better treat stormwater and enhance the natural resources at this location along Eisenhower Avenue.

The Ben Brenman Pond project, was the beneficiary of $1.75 million of SLAF funding, and made improvements to better filter pollutants and upgrade landscaping at this location in Cameron Station.

The City has now received SLAF funding for two other projects:

The Strawberry Run Stream Restoration received $800,000 of SLAF funding and proposes making natural stream restoration improvements in an area bounded by Fort Williams Parkway, Taft Avenue and Duke Street.

The latest meeting regarding this project was held last week. The presentation is available online, as well as a video of the meeting. We are seeking community input on this project between now and November 20th.

The Taylor Run Stream Restoration has received $2.55 million of SLAF funding and proposes making natural stream restoration improvements in an area near the Chinquapin Recreation Center. At the end of September our City staff hosted a virtual community meeting to discuss next steps on this important environmental project. You can review that presentation online and watch the video of the meeting.

The City has important obligations to improve the quality of the water in the waterways of our region. These investments help the City meet our obligations long into the future.

Robert Frost wrote "Good fences make good neighbors." It's unclear what the poet would have said about good bridges.

Alexandria and Arlington have five bridges that connect vehicular traffic between the two jurisdictions, all along Four Mile Run:

In the case of the West Glebe Road and Arlington Ridge Road bridges, there are considerable maintenance needs. Both bridges were built in the mid-1950s and recent inspections by Arlington County showed that they have large deficiencies. Restrictions on their use are now in place.

Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) records show that the West Glebe, Arlington Ridge and Shirlington Road bridges are Arlington County's responsibility and the Route 1 and Potomac Avenue bridges are the City of Alexandria's.

Past bridge work has been split between the jurisdictions, but those agreements have never been formalized. With the West Glebe bridge requiring $10 million - $14 million of work and the Arlington Ridge bridge requiring $23 million - $28 million of work, these arrangements are not insignificant.

Through some negotiation between the two jurisdictions, we were recently able to enter into a new agreement providing for future cost-sharing of all 5 bridges, for maintenance and eventual replacement.

This new arrangement provides that the two jurisdictions will split the costs of the immediate work required to the West Glebe and Arlington Ridge bridges, 50-50.

Going forward, any work on bridges between the two jurisdictions will be split 67%/33%, with the jurisdiction recognized by VDOT as primarily responsible shouldering the larger portion.

This new arrangement ensures that these bridges will be kept in a state of good repair in the future, and clarifies the financial responsibility for doing so.

The Torpedo Factory Arts Center is an iconic presence on the City's waterfront. Bringing a half million visitors into working artists galleries, the Factory is a economic development engine and unique arts resource for our community.  

Our staff have now provided an action plan for the future of the Torpedo Factory to the Council and the community. This plan, along with private alternatives, will be considered by Council to determine our future direction.

In 2009, the City commissioned a study to review the Factory and the opportunities of the site. The result of the study was a series of organizational changes to the Factory. Those led to the creation of a new non-profit Board  to run the operations and leverage private resources to support the Factory. 

With the lease nearing conclusion a few years ago, the Torpedo Factory Arts Center Board commissioned another study to look at the strategic options available to the City and the Factory.

As the efforts to chart that course continue, the City has took steps to provide stability in the intervening time period. Effective October 1 of 2016, the City assumed caretaker leadership for the Factory. Since that time, the City provided leases to the existing artist tenants, and is providing day to day management. 

Ensuring the presence of a diversity of arts and artists in the Torpedo Factory Arts Center on our Waterfront is a priority of mine. I look forward to working with our community and various partners to see this vision to reality.

Exactly four years ago, I used a write-up in this newsletter to address concerns that I held about the City's future relationship with the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Home. 

Last month, the Arlington County Board and Alexandria's City Council held a rare joint meeting to receive and discuss recommendations for the future of the facility.

Alexandria, Arlington County and the City of Falls Church jointly own the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Home . Located in Alexandria, the facility has a capacity for 70 children who are awaiting disposition by the juvenile justice system and 10 children who have already received disposition. The home is run by a board with representatives from all three jurisdictions.  There is a school run by the Alexandria City Public Schools . 

The City spends a little over a million and a half dollars each year to contribute to the operation of this facility. The latest data shows that a third of the capacity is being utilized with half of the usage coming from Alexandria.

During recent budget cycles, questions have been raised about what alternatives can be devised given the lower usage of this facility. To frame the conversation, the three jurisdictions commissioned a consulting firm to provide analysis on various alternatives. The report and recommendations concluded that the facility should be retained, but with operational refinements to improve utility and efficiency.