Alexandria residents will not see an increase in their real estate taxes for 2020 if the City Council approves City Manager Mark Jinks's proposed budget.
The fiscal year 2020 operating budget is $761.1 million, an increase of 1.7 percent over FY 2019. The budget includes a 3.8 percent increase for Alexandria City Public Schools.
"This is the second year in a row that my proposed budget includes no tax rate increases, no major service reductions, full funding for the Superintendent’s request for the Alexandria City Public Schools operating budget and full funding of the School Board’s adopted 10-year capital plan,” Jinks said in a statement released by the City of Alexandria.
Addition changes coming in the proposed budget:
No more windshield decals! The windshield decal that's currently used to show when people have paid their personal property tax would be eliminated as the City instead invests in additional resources to collect taxes, including contractors, license plate readers and more.
Bus fare increases. If the Alexandria Transit Company’s Board of Directors approves, the DASH Bus fare would increase from $1.75 to $2.00. That's the same as the base fare for Metrobus and other bus services in the area. The monthly pass would increase from $45 to $50. The increases would take effect in September 2019.
Alexandria introduces 311. A new customer service system based on the phone number 311 and online service improvements are included in the budget.
Increased economic development. "Following the announcement that Amazon and Virginia Tech will invest heavily in the region, the proposed budget funds a variety of economic development initiatives including vitality improvements for commercial corridors and expanded capacity for business recruitment research and analysis," according to the City.
Increased fees for City refuse services. Those who receive City refuse and recycling services are going to pay more (an increase of 9 percent from $373 to $406). This is due to increased costs and the impact on China's stricter recycling standards.
The City Manager’s full message to City Council, as well as details about the proposed budget, public budget presentation, public meetings, and online comments, are available at alexandriava.gov/Budget.
