Alexandria’s civic calendar snaps back to full speed this week after spring break and Easter, with consequential budget deadlines, a heavy Planning Commission docket, a Duke Street safety overhaul hearing, and the first public look at a renegotiated agreement governing police in schools all arriving in quick succession.
The budget’s most consequential week begins today. Monday, April 6 is the deadline for City Council to notify staff of any planned changes to the real estate tax rate — the most politically charged decision in the FY 2027 budget process. The proposed budget holds the rate flat at $1.11 per $100 of assessed value, but rising assessments mean the average Alexandria homeowner would pay approximately $504 more per year even without an increase. Council’s add-delete deadline follows Thursday, April 9, when members must finalize the list of programs and line items they want to add or cut from City Manager James Parajon’s proposed $977 million budget. The questions Council raised across six work sessions — on rental assistance, DASH expansion, affordable housing bonding authority, mental health staffing and the ACPS collective bargaining gap — all come to a head this week.
Tuesday brings a public hearing on Duke Street. The city will hold an open forum from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services headquarters at 2900 Business Center Drive on proposed safety improvements to Duke Street between West Taylor Run Parkway and Dove Street. City staff will present changes designed to enhance safety, ease congestion and expand access for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers along one of the city’s busiest corridors. The hearing is in-person only; residents who cannot attend may submit written comments through April 17 to project manager Anup Gautam at [email protected]. Also Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., a separate community meeting covers proposed storm sewer improvements at West Reed Avenue and Dale Street…