ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The Alexandria City Council on Tuesday will consider a resolution setting new rules for how members of the public participate in its meetings, including limits on signs, a list of prohibited devices and restrictions on speakers' remarks.
The council meets at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center, 4850 Mark Center Drive. A work session with the city's state legislative delegation on the 2027 legislative package begins at 5:30 p.m. in the cafeteria, and the legislative meeting follows at 7 p.m. in Room 1305. The meeting will air on government Channel 70, stream on the city's website and be available on Zoom. The full docket is online.
Public participation rules
The resolution would amend the council's procedural rules and incorporate a Citizen Participation Policy and a Public Hearing and Public Comment Protocol.
A memo from City Manager James Parajon, City Attorney Cheran Cordell Ivery and City Clerk Gloria Sitton says the council asked for a review of its procedures at the end of the fiscal 2026 session, following meetings at the Del Pepper center, to find ways to make meetings more efficient and to streamline processes. A working group of city staff who regularly work in the council chamber evaluated existing practices, according to the memo, which says the changes aim to make the chamber "more efficient, engaging, and safe for all participants."
Under the proposal, signs would be limited to 18 by 24 inches and to paper, cardboard, foamboard or fabric, without wood, plastic or metal supports. Megaphones, bullhorns, whistles, laser pointers, selfie sticks and drones would be prohibited. Foot stomping, heckling and clapping would be restricted, and audience members could not approach the dais without permission.
Speakers would be prohibited from personal attacks, off-topic commentary and political campaigning during testimony. The memo says the presiding officer "retains the authority to order the immediate removal of any individual violating these rules."
The council adopted Guidelines for Civic Discourse in October 2004 that ask participants, including elected officials and staff, to treat one another with respect and to "focus on the issues before the decision making body." Those guidelines carry no penalty.
City Code Section 13-1-30 allows the person presiding over a public meeting to eject anyone who disrupts it in a way that prevents or interferes with the meeting's orderly conduct, and makes such disruption a class 3 misdemeanor. That section states the conduct "shall not be deemed to include the utterance or display of any words."
Other provisions would allow staff, applicants and appellants 10 minutes to present, with up to three additional minutes for rebuttal, and would require applicants to submit audiovisual materials by 5 p.m. two business days before a meeting so staff can screen them for viruses and check compatibility. Requests for translation, ADA accommodations or sign language interpretation would require 48 hours' notice.
Individual speakers would continue to receive three minutes. Civic associations and community groups would continue to receive five minutes under a definition that includes neighborhood associations, block clubs, community development councils and tenant and resident councils.
Written comments submitted after 3 p.m. the day before a meeting would be distributed to council members and added to the permanent record after the meeting. Speakers who miss that deadline may bring hard copies for each member.
The memo also describes speaker registration requirements, including a first and last name, address, whom the speaker represents and whether the speaker is compensated. City Code Section 2-1-45 already requires speakers to provide that information and to file a signed registration form with the clerk.
The measure is a resolution and does not require a public hearing. The memo says every council member was briefed and gave feedback and that an advance draft was shared with the public, with community feedback reviewed by council and staff. The resolution would repeal the council's existing rules of procedure, adopted in 2025.
Legislative package and committee reports
No supporting materials have been posted for the 5:30 p.m. work session with the state delegation. The item was docketed Aug. 11.
Consent items and other business
Council will consider receiving the fiscal 2026 fourth-quarter capital projects status report. It covers 74 projects through June 30, with 97% on budget and 80% on or ahead of schedule, according to a memo from Transportation and Environmental Services Director Leah Riley. The report does not include Alexandria City Public Schools projects, which ACPS reports separately.
Also on consent is retroactive approval of a grant application to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and acceptance of a $1,031,000 award for an energy self-sufficient emergency shelter system. The funding comes from a congressional earmark and requires no local match. The city plans to install solar panels, battery backup or both at either the William Ramsay or Oswald Durant recreation centers. Applications were due July 6, and the city manager authorized submission before council acted, according to a memo from General Services Director Jeremy McPike.
The city manager's report includes updates on the City Hall renovation and on the out-of-school-time program run by Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities. Council will present proclamations recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month and International Domestic Workers Day and will consider a closed session on a personnel matter under state code.
Ryan Belmore is an Alexandria resident and the founder and publisher of The Alexandria Brief. Send tips and feedback to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
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