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Alexandria City Council voted Tuesday to advertise a maximum real estate tax rate of $1.145 per $100 of assessed value for calendar year 2026 — one cent above the current rate — and unanimously passed a resolution of intent to restructure how the city funds Alexandria City Public Schools beginning in FY 2028.
Both votes were expected but the debate around them revealed a council that is keeping its options open while signaling it doesn't expect to raise taxes.
On the tax rate
One cent on the real estate tax rate generates approximately $4.9 million in annual revenue, according to Finance Director Kevin Greenlief. Tonight's vote sets a ceiling — the actual rate won't be adopted until April 29, and council can adopt any rate at or below what it advertised.
Councilman John Taylor Chapman proposed advertising at $1.145, framing it as a customary move to preserve flexibility. "It's really incumbent on council members to try to find dollars if they want to do stuff that are already in our budget, not necessarily new money," he said. "But I do think it is not the best case scenario to set no increase as your advertised rate because you have no wiggle room."
Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley offered a substitute motion to advertise at $1.14 — half a cent — but it died for lack of a second. The original $1.145 motion passed.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins was direct about her own position. "I'm probably leaning very strongly towards no increase," she said, adding that she supported the advertisement to preserve options as work sessions continue.
Councilman Abdel Elnoubi echoed that sentiment: "I hesitate to take a tool out of the toolbox early in the process. Not necessarily in favor of using it." Councilman Canek Aguirre said he supported advertising one cent while noting "it doesn't mean we have to do one cent."
The history is instructive. In four of the past five budget cycles, the council advertised a rate higher than what it ultimately adopted. Last year was the exception: the council advertised $1.135 and adopted $1.135. The last actual rate increase was CY 2024, when the council settled on $1.135 after advertising $1.15.
City Manager James Parajon's proposed budget holds the rate flat at $1.135. The $5.6 million gap between what ACPS needs to honor its first collective bargaining agreement and what Parajon proposed remains unresolved heading into the remainder of the work session process.
Residents can weigh in on the advertised maximum rate at the second budget public hearing Saturday, March 14, at 9:30 a.m., and at a specific tax rate public hearing on April 18.
On the classification resolution
The resolution passed unanimously on a motion by Councilman Elnoubi, seconded by Councilman Chapman. It signals council's intent to require ACPS to submit its operating budget broken down by the nine major spending classifications defined in Virginia law — instruction, administration, transportation, facilities and others — starting with FY 2028. The capital budget is not affected.
Gaskins emphasized the resolution is non-binding and applies only to the operating budget. "This is not about changing our operational role or changing the operational role of the school board," she said. "What it is is being honest and transparent around how we would like to see information presented back to us."
Elnoubi was more pointed. "By many metrics, this system right now is just not working," he said, citing what he described as a lack of rigorous analysis and community outreach around the school board's decision to convert Jefferson Houston Elementary — a decision he said was reaffirmed "without any further community engagement or engagement with council." Chapman said the transparency goal has been on his mind since 2013.
Councilwoman Jacinta Greene asked city staff to research why the classification model — which Alexandria apparently used in the 1990s — was discontinued. Gaskins said council would also look at how other jurisdictions have implemented or moved away from classification-based funding.
School board member Kelly Carmichael Booz had published a statement Friday raising legal and procedural objections and requesting a delay. Council proceeded without addressing the objections directly, though Gaskins and Aguirre both pushed back on the legality concerns from the floor. "Some folks tried to say that this wasn't legal. That's just silly," Aguirre said. "It's literally in the state code."
Ahead of tonight's meeting, the school board published two posts making its case to the public. Chair Michelle Rief and board member Alexander Crider Scioscia argued the 3.5% request is one of the smallest in 15 years. Strategy and Accountability Chair Ryan Reyna published a five-year staffing and spending analysis arguing budget increases are driven by teacher salaries, healthcare costs, and student-facing services — not central office expansion.
Board Appointments
Council also made appointments to more than a dozen boards and commissions Tuesday night. Most were uncontested or resolved by majority vote. The one exception was the Traffic and Parking Board, where Annie Ebbers was reappointed unanimously to one open seat, but a second seat ended in a 3-3 deadlock — Jacqueline Ketteridge (Aguirre, Bagley, Gaskins) vs. Joshua Roth (Chapman, Elnoubi, Green). A revote produced the same result. The appointment was deferred to the next meeting. Vice Mayor Bagley confirmed with the city attorney that the board will not face any quorum issues in the interim.
More from the meeting
Ryan Belmore
