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After weeks of packed meeting nights, Alexandria's civic calendar takes a breath this week — but the quiet belies a consequential moment. By Monday, April 6, the City Council must 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 a rate increase. Council wrapped up its sixth and final scheduled work session last Wednesday; the add-delete deadline is on April 9.
For ACPS families, the week is simpler: it's Spring Break, with no school for students Monday through Friday.
The week's most substantive public meeting is Wednesday's Independent Community Policing Review Board session, running from 6 to 9 p.m. at Charles Houston Recreation Center, 901 Wythe St. (also via Zoom). The board has a full agenda. The centerpiece is the first of three planned NACOLE training sessions — covering transparency and recommended reporting practices — part of a multi-month education effort for board members that continues in May and June. Also on the agenda: a board letter to APD and the Chief's response regarding compliance with the Memorandum of Understanding, a review and discussion of public hearing rules and procedures, and an auditor update that includes a discussion of HB1476. The board, created by City Council resolution in June 2020 following the murder of George Floyd and established by ordinance in April 2021, reviews APD administrative investigations, evaluates policing policies and recommends reforms. Public comment is welcome; speakers can register in advance at the board's website.
Thursday evening brings the Alexandria Community Services Board to Del Pepper Community Resource Center at 6:30 p.m. The 12-member volunteer board, appointed by City Council, oversees public funding for mental health, developmental disability and substance abuse services through the Department of Community and Human Services — a functional area that totals $118 million in the proposed FY 2027 budget and was among the most discussed during the budget work sessions. No agenda was available at press time.
The week gives way to Easter weekend. Saturday brings the Egg-Stravaganza at Charles Houston Recreation Center at 10 a.m., with hunts divided into four age groups — 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10 and up — followed by an Easter Trail with the Easter Bunny, games, crafts, face painting, and music. Saturday evening at 5:30 p.m., the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum offers a Poisons Tour — an adults-recommended one-hour look at the sinister side of the apothecary's history. All RPCA facilities are closed on Sunday for Easter.
Free tax preparation services for eligible Alexandria residents continue Saturday at their regular location.
This week's full calendar
Monday, March 30
- 6 a.m. — Chinquapin Open
- 7 a.m. — Minnie Howard Open
- 1:30 p.m. — Commission on Aging Executive Committee meeting, virtual
- All week — ACPS Spring Break; no school for students Monday through Friday
Tuesday, March 31
- 6 a.m. — Chinquapin Open
- 7 a.m. — Minnie Howard Open
Wednesday, April 1
- 6 a.m. — Chinquapin Open
- 7 a.m. — Minnie Howard Open
- 12 p.m. — Commission on Employment executive meeting
- 6 p.m. — Independent Community Policing Review Board monthly meeting, Charles Houston Recreation Center, 901 Wythe St. (also via Zoom; Meeting ID: 989 0383 0565, passcode: 197734)
- 6 p.m. — Free tax preparation for eligible Alexandria residents
- Note: Supplemental Retirement Plan Pension Board meeting canceled
Thursday, April 2
- 6 a.m. — Chinquapin Open
- 7 a.m. — Minnie Howard Open
- 10 a.m. — Alexandria Police Department virtual hiring brief
- 4:30 p.m. — Commission on Aging Civic Engagement and Economic subcommittee, virtual
- 6:30 p.m. — Community Services Board meeting, Del Pepper Community Resource Center, 4850 Mark Center Drive, Room 1352
- 7 p.m. — ACSCC D-Day Subcommittee meeting, virtual
Friday, April 3
- 6 a.m. — Chinquapin Open
- 7 a.m. — Minnie Howard Open
Saturday, April 4
- 7 a.m. — Minnie Howard Open
- 8 a.m. — Chinquapin Open
- 9 a.m. — Free tax preparation for eligible Alexandria residents
- 10 a.m. — Egg-Stravaganza Easter egg hunt, Charles Houston Recreation Center
- 5:30 p.m. — Poisons Tour, Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum (adults recommended)
Sunday, April 5 — Easter
- RPCA facilities closed
See the full city calendar here and the ACPS calendar here.
Attending any of these meetings? Send me what you hear - ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
