The city of Alexandria, Virginia, has a proposed budget of nearly $768 million to consider — and it doesn’t include tax increases.
In a special Tuesday night meeting of the Alexandria City Council, City Manager Mark Jinks presented his budget for Fiscal Year 2022.
“The operating budget increases just 1.9%,” said Jinks. “It incorporates a 2-cent real estate tax rate reduction, no service reductions, no major program reductions and no employee reductions in force, for example, no layoffs.”
The $767.6 million proposal includes $239 million for the city’s public schools, a $5 million increase from the current year. In a news release, Jinks said it’s the fourth straight year the proposed budget does not include increased taxes, but does feature “100% of the superintendent’s operating budget request for public schools.”
Making his presentation, Jinks discussed the impact the pandemic has had on the city’s revenues and the toll it has taken on its small businesses. He said the budget would help the city forge ahead.
“During these unprecedented times, this city must continue to provide our residents and businesses the support they expect while meeting the community’s needs,” Jinks said. “This budget, I believe, does that.”
The proposed budget would cut the city’s real estate tax from $1.13 to $1.11 per $100 of assessed value.
The city manager also put forward a 10-year proposed capital budget of $2.66 billion. Improvements include stormwater management and redevelopment of the Landmark Mall site, which is expected to include a new Inova Alexandria Hospital.
The city council plans nine work sessions on the proposed budget in the weeks ahead, and there will be public hearings in March and April, before the council is asked to approve the budget on May 5.
