[Archived] Alexandria City Council Approves Fiscal Year 2000 Budget


Media Advisory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:	Thursday, May 6, 1999
Contact:	Angelita Plemmer, City Manager's Office, (703) 838-4300; Lori Godwin, Director, Office of Management and Budget (703) 838-4780

Alexandria City Council Approves Fiscal Year 2000 Budget

The Alexandria City Council unanimously approved the City Manager's proposed fiscal year 2000 budget Wednesday night with few changes, including no increase in the City's real property tax rate of $1.11 per $100 of assessed valuation.

Council did however, table a proposed five percent admission tax this year, but indicated that this tax could be a potential revenue source for future budgets and deserved further study.

By approving the $288.2 million FY 2000 General Fund budget for fiscal year 2000, Council fully funded the school's operating budget request and provided a 2.2 percent overall increase for City services.

The budget, which will take effect July 1, 1999, represents a 5.4 percent increase over the current year's budget and includes $118,001,174 in the City's fiscal year 2000-20005 capital improvement program.

"This is a solid budget that has maintained current services and increased the City's investment in tourism and economic development, in spite of the City's minimal growth in the existing residential tax base," Alexandria City Manager Vola Lawson said. "This City is facing some tough fiscal issues and the challenge in the coming years will be diversifying the City's revenue sources."

Other budget highlights include:

* Full funding of the operating budget for Alexandria Public Schools, as proposed;

* Full funding of the City's visitors and convention bureau, as proposed;

* Funding totaling $2 million for the construction of a new animal shelter, as proposed;

* A $25 increase in the refuse collection fee to $185 in FY 2000, as proposed;

* Enhancing waterfront safety with the addition of private security guards;

* Initiating a $25,000 public relations campaign to prevent teen pregnancy;

* Increasing $7,041 in grant funding for the Alexandria Commission for the Arts;

* Providing merit in-step and two percent cost-of-living pay increases for city employees;

* Allocating $50,000 as a challenge grant for the MetroStage performance theater;

* Providing $25,000 in funding for further study of a community center at Cameron Station

* $75,000 in funding for a police supervisor to oversee four new school resource officers provided under a federal grant to increase security in the schools;

* Increasing $15,000 for the City's FY 2000 tree planting program.

"This was an excellent budget proposal from the start," said Alexandria Mayor Kerry J. Donley, "but future budgets may be more difficult as the City grapples with limited growth in current revenues and more capital demands from the schools and other sectors of the City. We're going to have to become more creative in securing funding from other sources."