Alexandria City Council to vote on police contract impasse, appoint permanent policing auditor Tuesday
Agenda includes civilian oversight update, city's legislative priorities ahead of General Assembly session
City Council will vote on the city’s final position in a $2.7 million contract impasse with its police union and permanently appoint the city’s independent policing auditor when it meets Tuesday evening.
The Dec. 9 legislative meeting features a crowded agenda touching on police pay, accountability, and state legislative priorities as the city navigates federal funding uncertainty heading into 2026.
Police contract impasse
Council will hold a hearing to render decisions on unresolved items in contract negotiations between the city and the Alexandria Chapter of the Southern States Police Benevolent Association.
The gap between the two sides totals roughly $2.7 million. The city’s final offer amounts to $8.4 million in wages and longevity bonuses over fiscal years 2027 through 2029. The union is seeking $11.1 million.
On base wages, the city has proposed $8 million over three years compared to the union’s request for $10.2 million. The dispute over longevity bonuses accounts for the remainder: the city offered $424,800 while the union wants $885,000.
The two sides also remain at odds over pay parity, leave policies, officer health and longevity provisions, retirement benefits, and reopener procedures. The docket materials do not detail the specific differences on those items, directing the council instead to the factfinder’s report.
Negotiations that began in April produced tentative agreements on 43 contract articles. A factfinder issued non-binding recommendations on Nov. 15 after the parties declared impasse on seven articles.
At Tuesday’s hearing, each side will have 30 minutes to present its position. Council will then vote on each unresolved article, establishing the city’s final bargaining position. The union must still ratify any agreement, and if members reject it, negotiations continue. The current contract remains in effect until a new one is reached.
Alexandria became the first Virginia locality to authorize public employee collective bargaining when the council unanimously adopted an ordinance in April 2021, shortly after state legislation took effect permitting such agreements. The current contract expires June 30.
Policing auditor appointment
Council is expected to permanently appoint Ameratu Kamara as independent policing auditor, a role she has held in an acting capacity since January.
Kamara, a native Alexandrian, graduated from Alexandria City High School in 2014, where she captained the girls’ track and field team. She holds a law degree and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a concentration in forensic crime scene investigation.
She would succeed Kim D. Neal, the city’s first policing auditor, who died Dec. 13, 2024, after a long illness. Neal had served in the role since December 2022.
Before returning to Alexandria, Kamara worked as an inaugural member of New York City’s Office of the Community Liaison on stop-and-frisk reform alongside the federal monitor overseeing the NYPD. At the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, she led research on racial profiling and pretextual stops.
In 2017, she launched Virginia’s first livestream coverage of a General Assembly meeting to promote government transparency. Her permanent appointment would take effect Dec. 22.
Civilian oversight update
Council will receive a semi-annual update on the Office of the Independent Policing Auditor and the Independent Community Police Review Board.
The presentation will cover the auditor’s access to police department records and systems, complaint statistics, policy reviews, and community engagement efforts. It will also include an update on investigations into the Aug. 15 in-custody death of Allan Tucker II.
Tucker died at the Alexandria Adult Detention Center after police arrested him for public intoxication following a disturbance call. Officers responded around 5:07 p.m. to the 2800 block of North Beauregard Street after multiple 911 callers reported a man running through apartment hallways, screaming and knocking on doors. Police said officers attempted to de-escalate before arresting Tucker and transporting him to the detention center, where he later required medical assistance. He died despite life-saving measures.
The department released body-worn camera footage at an Aug. 29 press conference. The primary officers involved are on administrative duty. The medical examiner has not publicly released a cause of death.
Three independent investigations are underway: a criminal investigation by the regional Critical Incident Response Team; an internal Alexandria Police Department administrative review; and the auditor’s own investigation examining possible violations of department directives and city regulations. The auditor’s final report will be released within 14 days of the criminal investigation’s conclusion, with a public hearing before the review board expected in early 2026.
The auditor’s office received eight complaints and four commendations regarding officer conduct in 2025. Of the complaints, three fell within the office’s jurisdiction and were investigated. One allegation of neglect of duty — failure to follow up on an investigation — was sustained, resulting in corrective action by a unit supervisor. Two complaints involving allegations of discrimination and mishandling of evidence remain under investigation.
The presentation notes ongoing challenges with board member attendance and maintaining quorum. For 2026, plans include moving board meetings into community spaces during City Hall renovations, launching a three-part “Policing in Alexandria” summer series, and creating a public dashboard displaying complaint data.
State legislative priorities
Council will receive a draft of the city’s 2026 General Assembly legislative package on Tuesday, with a public hearing and final adoption scheduled for Saturday.
The priorities arrive as Democrats prepare to take unified control in Richmond under Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger, though Alexandria’s delegation cautioned last month that budget constraints will limit what’s achievable.
“The easier things are things that don’t create new programs that cost money,” Sen. Adam Ebbin told the council at a Nov. 25 work session. “But I think we’ll still be — I mean, we’ll do things that you’ll like.”
The city’s package reflects concern about federal workforce reductions, estimating that 13,000 Alexandria residents are federal employees and $3.4 billion in government contracts flow through the local economy. Nearly 12,000 residents receive SNAP benefits, and approximately 30,000 depend on Medicaid.
The city is seeking state support to backfill potential federal cuts, though Ebbin warned the state may need to spend up to $240 million to replace Affordable Care Act subsidies alone if federal support ends.
On housing, the city wants authority for localities to exercise the right of first refusal when publicly-supported affordable housing is sold — a proposal the delegation has endorsed. The package also seeks to extend the eviction grace period from five to 14 days, increase funding to the Virginia Housing Trust Fund, and establish local enforcement of habitability standards. The city notes that the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $2,200 monthly, requiring an $88,000 annual income to afford.
Del. Alfonso Lopez told the council last month the state’s housing trust fund should grow to $400 million, up from $175 million. He said seven housing projects go unfunded for every one that receives support in Northern Virginia.
School construction is another priority. The city cites middle schools operating at 120 percent capacity and more than 60 percent of buildings over 50 years old. But Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker indicated legislation allowing a local sales tax for school construction is unlikely to pass, partly because it could complicate Northern Virginia transit funding efforts she has been advancing.
Transit remains a central ask. The city warns of a “financial death spiral” for regional systems without sustained investment, noting the funding gap for all Northern Virginia transit will exceed $400 million by fiscal year 2028. Virginia’s share of WMATA’s anticipated shortfall alone is $153 million in fiscal year 2027. The package calls for increased, sustainable funding for WMATA, DASH, VRE, and other regional networks.
Other priorities include constitutional amendments protecting reproductive freedom and same-sex marriage, authority to hire law enforcement candidates on a path to citizenship, measures restricting local police involvement in federal immigration matters, and expanded automated speed enforcement in high-crash areas.
The package also calls for increased gun violence prevention measures, including background checks and safe storage requirements — priorities Lopez said he plans to advance in the upcoming session.
Rail expansion
Council will consider authorizing City Manager James Parajon to work with the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority on its Fourth Track Project, which would add nearly six miles of track parallel to existing rail lines through Alexandria.
The project, part of the state’s Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative, requires temporary construction easements and small property acquisitions from the city at multiple locations, including near the King Street Metro station, the VRE Alexandria station, and along the corridor toward Four Mile Run at the Arlington County border.
The additional track capacity is intended to increase passenger rail service and reduce highway congestion.
Other business
Council will also consider a $45,000 grant application to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments for a housing affordability pattern book, and will take first-reading votes on zoning ordinances related to Potomac Yard development approved last month.
The meeting includes proclamations recognizing December as Human Rights Month and Dec. 31 as a “Fair Weather Night” for First Night Alexandria, along with an oral report on the state of the local economy and appointments to numerous city boards and commissions.
How to participate
The meeting is open to the public and begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers at City Hall, 301 King St. It will be broadcast on cable channel 70 and streamed on the city website.
See the docket and support documents for each item here.
Residents can also watch or speak remotely via Zoom. Registration is required at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gO2KjPyBSZGIBE2wLMIhAw. The webinar ID is 992 0977 1756, and the passcode is 916701. Those unable to access the webinar can dial in at 301-715-8592.
Written comments can be submitted to CouncilComment@alexandriava.gov. Residents requiring translation services should contact the City Clerk at gloria.sitton@alexandriava.gov or 703-746-4550 at least 48 hours in advance.