Stormwater, Parking District Fee Increases Set Up For Final Approval In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Two fee increases for Alexandria residents are on track to be included with the final budget approval later in April.

On Tuesday, Alexandria City Council held first readings and public hearings on proposed increases to the stormwater utility fee and residential parking permit fees. There were no speakers or discussion on the stormwater utility fee matter, but several residents spoke about the residential parking permit program. City Council also held its add-delete session Tuesday to make revisions to the proposed city budget.

The stormwater utility fee, which provides dedicated funding for stormwater quality and capacity projects, has been on the rise in Alexandria. This year, the stormwater utility fee is proposed to increase from $324.10 to $340.30 per billing unit. The billing unit is based on a typical single-family home, but fees will be less for condo and townhouse types and more for larger single-family homes.

When City Council first adopted the stormwater utility fee in 2017, the fee totaled $140 per billing unit. Then, the fee doubled in two phases within a year — $140 to $210 in June 2021 and $210 to $280 in November 2021. Since then, fee increases have continued to be adopted with annual budgets.

Before the increases, a larger portion of funds went to stormwater quality initiatives to meet state and federal mandates than stormwater capacity initiatives. But when the city experienced multiple severe flash flooding events tied to insufficient stormwater capacity, a task force was created and recommended fee increases to accelerate stormwater capacity projects and maintenance.

Another increase on the table would affect residents parking their cars in the city's residential parking permit districts. The city is proposing to increase the fee from $40 to $55 for the first vehicle, $50 to $75 for the second vehicle, and $150 to $250 for the third and any additional vehicles. The fee was last increased in 2018. The city said the proposed fees are still below the estimated $100 to $250 monthly costs to park in garages.

The fee is separate from the vehicle personal property tax and doesn't get charged to all city residents. The residential permit parking program applies to residents who park their cars on the street within parking districts with high parking demand, such as Old Town and residential areas near Metro stations. Vehicles parked without a permit sticker are subject to two-hour and three-hour time limits, but those with the residential permit are exempt from that time limit.

Mallory Lawhorne, a resident living within one of the residential parking permit districts, called for more enforcement of parking within those restricted areas. The resident said the street is full of cars without a permit sticker parked much of the day without enforcement.

"I have lived in one of the restricted residential parking districts for over seven years now, and I can maybe count on one hand the number of times I have seen parking enforcement out in my neighborhood," said Lawhorne. "On my actual street, zero times."

Mayor Alyia Gaskins noted that concerns during the public hearing focused on enforcement and asked the city manager's staff to follow up.

Final action on the fee increases will be on April 30 with the budget approval. City Council has already ruled out a higher real estate tax rate for this year's budget. That means City Council could adopt the same rate — $1.135 per $100 of assessed value — or something lower. Even if the current rate stays the same, the city estimated that the average residential real estate tax bill would increase from $7,931 to $8,285 annually.

SEE ALSO:

Alexandria Budget Proposed Amid Uncertainty From Federal Worker Reduction

City Council Rules Out Real Estate Tax Rate Increase For Alexandria Budget