Alexandria City Council to consider union contracts, economic development plan at Tuesday meeting
The legislative meeting will be the first held at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center while City Hall undergoes renovations
Alexandria City Council will consider tentative collective bargaining agreements with the city’s police officers, firefighters, and municipal workers totaling nearly $32 million over three years at its legislative meeting on Tuesday.
The meeting marks the first time the council will convene at its new temporary home at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center while City Hall is closed for renovations. All regular council meetings will take place at the center until the renovation project is complete.
The police contract with the Southern States Police Benevolent Association, estimated at $11.4 million over three years, would raise the starting salary for new officers from $63,988 to $75,000 and provide an early retirement option at 20 years of service, regardless of age. The agreement covers 310 sworn personnel.
The tentative agreement follows a December impasse hearing in which the council sided with the union on wages, approving 2 percent annual cost-of-living adjustments for fiscal years 2028 and 2029 rather than the 0.5 percent increases proposed by city management. Council also directed staff to study whether reducing the department’s authorized force could help offset costs. The bargaining unit ratified the agreement on Jan. 6.
The firefighters' contract with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2141, estimated at $8 million over three years, would reduce work schedules for suppression and EMS personnel from 49 to 46 hours per week by Dec. 31, 2028. The agreement covers approximately 300 positions and includes funding for 14 new positions to support the schedule change, as well as a 25-year deferred retirement option plan.
The agreement with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees represents the first contract for the city’s administrative and technical workers, who voted to unionize in late 2024. The three-year deal, estimated at $12.5 million, includes wage increases of 3 percent in fiscal year 2027, 2.75 percent in fiscal year 2028, and 1.5 percent in fiscal year 2029.
All three contracts would run from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029, and require roll-call votes.
Council will also consider adopting ALX Forward, a strategic framework for economic growth that represents the city’s first coordinated economic development plan since 2007. The plan, developed by the city and the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership in partnership with consultant TIP Strategies, followed a yearlong engagement that culminated in an economic summit in May 2025 with more than 200 attendees.
The framework focuses on three goal areas: place-based development, business retention and recruitment, and entrepreneurship and innovation. It identifies catalyst development sites at Potomac Yard, Old Town North, West End, Carlyle, and Eisenhower East as priorities for transformative investment.
The plan comes as the city seeks to address a more than 20 percent decrease in jobs since 2007 and diversify its tax base, which has become heavily reliant on residential property taxes. It also addresses uncertainty surrounding federal workforce changes that have affected the local economy.
Another major item on the docket is an ordinance to begin the process of seeking a new operator for the Torpedo Factory Arts Center at 105 Union St. The city is soliciting proposals from entities to lease, manage, and operate the waterfront arts center, with an initial franchise term of at least five years and possible extensions up to 40 years. Bids would be due March 30.
In other business, the council will consider a proclamation recognizing January as Alexandria Mentoring Month, a grant application to the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth to educate youth about the dangers of fentanyl, an amendment to the franchise agreement with the Tall Ship Providence Foundation, and a resolution to designate the temporary city council chambers.
An executive session will begin at 6 p.m., with the regular meeting starting at 7 p.m. or shortly after.
The full docket and supporting documents are available here.
The meeting will be held at the City Council Chamber at Del Pepper Community Resource Center, 4850 Mark Center Drive. The center is a five-minute walk from the Mark Center Transit Station, and free parking is available for up to four hours in the adjacent garage.
The meeting can also be viewed on government channel 70, streamed on the city’s website or accessed via Zoom using webinar ID 933 7046 1786 and passcode 930201.
Those wishing to speak on public hearing items can sign up at apps.alexandriava.gov/SpeakerSignup. Written comments can be emailed to CouncilComment@alexandriava.gov.
Council’s next public hearing meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 24.