City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: MAY 27, 2025
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of a Resolution Affirming City of Alexandria Priorities for Federal Funding Opportunities and Requesting Congressional Delegation Support. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of a Resolution Identifying City of Alexandria Priorities for Federal Funding Opportunities and Requesting Congressional Delegation Support
RECOMMENDATION: City Council endorse the Resolution Identifying City of Alexandria Priorities for Federal Funding Opportunities and Requesting Congressional Delegation Support for these local priorities and funding proposals
BACKGROUND: In early 2021, the Senate and House Appropriations Committees announced the return of member requested funding, often colloquially referred to as “earmarks,” which were “banned” in 2011 after several high-profile cases of abuse and mismanagement. In the House, these funding opportunities are referred to as “Community Project Funding;” in the Senate, they are referred to as “Congressionally Directed Spending.”
Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending provides members of Congress the opportunity to direct funding to priority projects in their districts/states and provide targeted assistance to their communities. These funding opportunities are intended to allow Members of Congress, who well understand the needs of their districts and states, to target funds for important projects that can solve policy problems, create jobs, invest in both people and infrastructure, and work to address the ongoing needs of families, businesses, neighborhoods and communities across our country.
In announcing this next round of Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending requests, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have, again, established a set of rules and guidelines that prioritize accountability, transparency, and strong community support. The goals of these rules and guidelines are to produce a small number of projects with strong community support, a transparent process where no member, or their family can benefit, and where projects are audited to ensure money was spent as proposed and planned.
The funding opportunities through the Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending process are limited by the House and Senate Appropriations Chairs to certain agencies and accounts.
Since their return, the City has worked closely with our Congressional delegation to identify, support, and secure funding from this source for several priority projects across the City, addressing needs in several key areas, including projects that address Council Priorities.
In 2022, the City of Alexandria received Community Project Funding requested by Congressman Donald S. Beyer, Jr. and funded in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 for the piloting of body worn cameras in the Alexandria Police Department ($600,000) and storm sewer improvements to mitigate recurrent flooding at Clifford Ave., Fulton St. and Manning St. ($420,000), totaling $1,020,000 in funding for these projects.
In Fiscal Year 2023, the City received Community Project Funding, requested by Congressman Beyer and funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, for the Alexandria City AHDC Arlandria Housing+ Project ($1,500,000), the full deployment of body worn cameras in the Alexandria Police Department ($1,000,000), and the acceleration of the Notabene Drive, Four Mile Rd., and Old Dominion Blvd. flood mitigation project in Arlandria ($750,000).
In Fiscal Year 2024, the City received Community Project Funding, requested by Congressman Beyer and Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, for on-route electric transit bus opportunity chargers ($1,000,000), the restoration of affordable housing at the 1022 Pendleton Street Boarding House ($850,000), to pilot crime and violence intervention and prevention programs in the city ($670,000), and to establish a “Smart Mobility Lab” in partnership with Virginia Tech ($963,000).
DISCUSSION: For the FY25 round of Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending, the City identified nine projects appropriate for funding that were submitted to Congressman Beyer, Senator Warner and Senator Kaine for consideration and inclusion in the FY 2025 Federal appropriations bill. In early March 2025, H.R. 1968 extended federal operations for six months until September but includes key changes beyond a typical “clean” continuing resolution. It increased defense spending by $6 billion while cutting $13 billion from domestic programs and grants the Administration greater flexibility in allocating federal funds. The bill also eliminated all unobligated earmarked projects from FY 2024 appropriations, though all City FY24 earmark projects <https://alexandria.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7012776&GUID=E741F90E-6795-472C-B2EF-7450FC5FBAA3> had been considered obligated and are therefore continuing to be in process.
The bill also omitted $15.9 billion in earmarks for FY 2025, including those the City submitted <https://alexandria.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6701977&GUID=381C37F6-5D3F-4B02-A865-B6D40A91F746&FullText=1>. As a result, Congressman Beyer, Senator Warner and Senator Kaine’s Office asked for resubmission of our FY25 Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending, with some minor changes, for the FY26 Federal Appropriations Bill.
For the FY26 round of Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending, the City identified the following projects appropriate for funding, which have been submitted to Congressman Beyer, Senator Warner and Senator Kaine for their consideration:
Submitted in FY25 and resubmitted in FY26:
• Re-employment and upskilling programs and services;
• Affordable housing preservation in Arlandria neighborhood;
• Flash flooding “spot improvement” project;
• Resiliency of City emergency shelter;
• Emergency communications interoperability;
• Technology to support violence intervention and crime prevention;
New Submission in FY26:
• Cloud-Based Dispatch System
These projects are priorities for the City and address significant recognized needs in the City of Alexandria in the areas of human services, community development, public health and safety, and infrastructure. They represent opportunities for the City to leverage the opportunity for Federal funding to either expand a currently successful program or accelerate a critical, priority project.
This Resolution (attachment #1) is intended to express the support of Council for the City’s Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending requests for Fiscal Year 2026. In addition, it requests support from Alexandria’s Congressional delegation for these funding proposals and requests.
STAFF:
Alethea Predeoux, Deputy City Manager
Dana Wedeles, Strategic Initiatives Officer, City Manager’s Office
Alexis Quinn, Business Operations Manager, City Manager’s Office