Alexandria Mayor Outlines Possible Coronavirus Response Actions

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson outlined a number of actions for City Council to consider in response to the new coronavirus outbreak. City Council will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday, March 18 at 8 p.m.

There are two presumptive cases of new coronavirus, or COVID-19, in Alexandria. Presumptive cases must be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"All public health projections indicate that many more residents will be impacted before the threat is abated," the memo from Wilson reads.

Alexandria declared a local emergency and allocated $100,000 to ACT for Alexandria's food relief fund, but Wilson said it is "only the beginning of an extensive response that is necessary and a long recovery effort."

The memo identifies what consequences the city expects from the COVID-19 outbreak. This includes residents left unemployed or underemployed, food and housing insecurity, care for children while schools are closed, significant declines in revenue for small businesses, and impacts on city revenues and city expenditures.

Among the major COVID-19 response actions for consideration include:

• Supplemental funding for rental assistance, emergency shelter and eviction prevention services
• Request to landlords to defer eviction proceedings and request legislation from the Virginia General Assembly to defer evictions
• Additional funding to support child care of parents working outside of their homes
• Restore Affordable Homeownership Preservation Grant Program for single year relief in fiscal year 2021, giving real estate rebates to eligible homeowners meeting income requirements
• Funding to address emergent infrastructure, services and staffing needs to support healthcare, including at the Alexandria Health Department, Neighborhood Health and Inova Alexandria Hospital
• Eliminate late fees on dining tax collection for the remainder of the 2020 calendar year
• Repurpose some business attraction funds for micro-loans to qualifying small businesses
• Provide staff assistance and support to small businesses seeking Small Business Administration emergency loans
• Allowing restaurants to provide delivery services regardless of special use permit restrictions
• Allow restaurants to vend on adjacent sidewalks or private parking lots until the end of 2020
• Allow expanded outdoor dining areas and flexibility to reallocate indoor and outdoor seating until the end of November
• Allow temporary off-premises alcohol sales for all restaurants through end of 2020 (subject to ABC licenses)
• Eliminate parking meter fees on Saturdays temporarily
• Create blue-ribbon task force to identify concepts for recovery of Alexandria's economy

In addition, the city manager is asked to prepare budget memos on several scenarios:

• Revenue re-estimations based assuming a decline in consumption-based revenue
• Deferral of proposed capital expenditures until fiscal year 2022 to retain current $1.13 per $100 of assessed value
• Operating budget spending reductions to give a 1 or 2-cent real estate tax reduction to the current rate

Jinks had proposed a 2-cent real estate tax hike to $1.15 per $100 of assessed value to fund capital projects in fiscal year 2021. Alexandria City Council voted to consider a tax range between the current $1.13 per $100 of assessed value and $1.155 per $100 of assessed value.

The full memo outlining COVID-19 response measures is available in the City Council meeting agenda.