Sunday parking meters, BPOL tax, and parking fines advance on first reading amid council skepticism

Alexandria City Council advanced three budget-related ordinances on first reading Tuesday night, setting up a Saturday public hearing on proposals to expand parking meters to Sundays, raise parking fines, and increase a business tax — even as two council members signaled they would not ultimately support the most controversial of the three.

The meeting, which adjourned at 8:06 p.m., was presided over by Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley after Mayor Alyia Gaskins joined remotely from Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she is attending the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. The council also received a sobering monthly economic update, recognized Volunteer Alexandria and Autism Acceptance Month, and filled seats on nine city boards and commissions.

Sunday parking draws opposition

Councilman Canek Aguirre pulled the three ordinances — covering parking citation increases, Sunday meter expansion, and the proposed BPOL financial services tax hike — from the consent docket to give council members a chance to air concerns publicly before the Saturday hearing.

Aguirre outlined the stakes clearly: if the council ultimately declines to add Sunday parking, it would leave a roughly $700,000 hole in the budget that would need to be filled elsewhere. He described several possible middle-ground options, including starting Sunday meters at 1 p.m. instead of the morning, running a six-month pilot, or adjusting the hourly rate or fine amounts independently. "We have a lot of different options," Aguirre said, noting that revenue re-estimates, WMATA savings, and other add/delete adjustments could also help close any gap.

Despite voting yes on first reading, both Mayor Gaskins and Councilman John Taylor Chapman made clear they would not support Sunday parking when it comes to a final vote. "I think that there's additional funding to be able to close the gap through things that we might move around," Gaskins said. "Because this is an option that I would not ultimately support, I too will be voting no on this item."

Chapman said he was uncomfortable with the proposal particularly given feedback from the business community. Councilman Abdel-Rahman Elnoubi, who voted yes, also said he wanted to find other ways to fill the funding gap, citing concerns from businesses and residents. Councilwoman Jacinta Greene likewise voted yes to advance it but said she shared "serious thoughts" about the proposal.

In total, five of the six seated council members voiced opposition to Sunday parking in some form, even as four of the six voted to move the ordinances forward to Saturday's public hearing.

Parajon said he would come back to council with additional options and flexibility around all three ordinances ahead of the April 21 add/delete work session. It is worth noting that Alexandria would be an outlier among Northern Virginia localities if Sunday meters were adopted — Arlington, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County, Falls Church, Fairfax City and Manassas all currently offer free metered parking on Sundays.

All three ordinances are set for public hearing Saturday and final consideration as part of budget adoption April 29.

Stormwater fee increase also advances

Council also unanimously advanced a proposed increase to the city's stormwater utility fee on first reading. The rate would rise from $340.30 to $357.40 per billing unit — an increase of roughly $26 per tax bill — generating an additional $1.1 million annually, bringing total stormwater revenue to $21.9 million. The fee, which was first adopted in 2018 at $140, has more than doubled in recent years as the city has accelerated its flood mitigation work. Residents and condominium associations may apply for a credit of up to 50% off their fee for implementing stormwater reduction, air quality or flood mitigation measures on their properties. The ordinance is set for public hearing Saturday and final passage April 29.

Economy softening, city manager says

City Manager James Parajon delivered the monthly State of the Economy report, painting a picture of increasing uncertainty at the national level and emerging softness locally. Unemployment nationally remains elevated at 4.3% with inflation rising to 3.3% in March, driven in part by global conflict. Gas prices reached $4.17 on April 9, Parajon noted.

Locally, Alexandria's real estate market remains strong but is showing signs of cooling — average days on market have risen from 28 to 44 days and the sale-to-list price ratio has dipped from 99% to about 97%. More concerning, meals tax and transient lodging tax revenues are running negative year-to-date in fiscal year 2026, reflecting reduced business travel and tighter household spending. "We're hopeful that that trend will change," Parajon said.

New transportation director

Parajon also introduced Leah Riley, Alexandria's new transportation director, who joined the city about two weeks ago. She previously served as director of Portland, Oregon's Bureau of Transportation, managing an agency of more than 900 employees, and before that as managing deputy commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation. Most recently, she worked as director of downtown innovation for the D.C. government.

Fields and parks

Councilman Chapman reported attending a field allocation policy meeting this week involving sports affiliates from across the city, noting that Alexandria has limited room to grow field space and that staff will be reviewing allocation and cost policies this fall. The conversation has a direct budget connection — Chapman's add/delete proposal to naturalize Chinquapin Fields rather than install artificial turf is on Saturday's public hearing agenda, and he noted that conversations with the National Park Service about historic soccer space at Jones Point could offer another path to expanded fields in the future.

In memoriam

Vice Mayor Bagley opened the meeting with a tribute to former Delegate Marian Van Landingham, who passed away recently. Bagley noted that Van Landingham founded the Torpedo Factory — "a highly disruptive act in its time" — and represented the 45th district in the Virginia House of Delegates for 24 years, from 1982 to 2006. Councilwoman Greene also acknowledged the passing of Susan Kellom, a local political figure and advocate for women's rights whom she called a mentor and "the best friend that you could ever have."

Proclamations and appointments

Council adopted proclamations recognizing National Volunteer Month, presented by Councilman Abdel-Rahman Elnoubi — who noted that Volunteer Alexandria was co-founded by Van Landingham — and Autism Acceptance Month, presented by Greene. A recipient speaking during the autism proclamation called on the community to strengthen the ADA and to support autistic individuals "in the shadows."

On board appointments, council filled seats on nine commissions.

In a lighter moment, Councilman Chapman announced that Councilwoman Greene had recently joined Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, calling it an honor that "is not an easy thing" to achieve at the graduate level.

What's next

Saturday's public hearing begins at 9:30 a.m. at Del Pepper Community Resource Center and will take public comment on the add/delete proposals, the proposed tax rate, and the ordinances advanced Tuesday night. The preliminary add/delete work session follows Tuesday, April 21 — the same day as the special City Council election — with final budget adoption set for April 29.