City of Alexandria, Virginia
________________
MEMORANDUM
DATE: JANUARY 8, 2026
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER
FROM: ERNESTO TAMAYO, CHIEF LABOR RELATIONS OFFICER
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Public Hearing on the Fiscal Impact Study of the Tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Alexandria Chapter of the Southern States Police Benevolent Association (SSPBA) and Consideration of a Resolution indicating City Council’s Good Faith Commitment to the Appropriate Funding Necessary to Implement the Agreement. [ROLL-CALL VOTE].
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of a resolution reflecting City Council’s good faith commitment to appropriate funding necessary for the City to meet its obligations under the tentative collective bargaining agreement reached between the City and the Alexandria Chapter of the Southern States Police Benevolent Association (SSPBA).
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council, following a public hearing, adopt the attached resolution indicating its good faith commitment to appropriate funding necessary to implement the tentative collective bargaining agreement between the City and SSPBA, subject to annual appropriation by City Council with the approval of the budget in each fiscal year the agreement is in effect.
BACKGROUND: The City and the Police bargaining unit, represented by the SSPBA, are parties to a collective bargaining agreement governing wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment for sworn personnel. The current agreement expires on June 30, 2026. Pursuant to the City’s collective bargaining ordinance, the parties commenced negotiations for a successor agreement.
Negotiations began on June 10, 2025, and were conducted in accordance with the City’s collective bargaining ordinance. The objective of the negotiations was to reach a successor agreement that maintains effective public safety services, supports employee recruitment and retention, and aligns compensation and benefits with the City’s financial capacity and obligations to other bargaining units.
Throughout negotiations, the parties exchanged proposals addressing both economic and non-economic issues, including but not limited to wages, overtime, staffing, leave provisions, and working conditions. The City’s negotiating team was guided by adopted budget parameters, long-term fiscal sustainability, internal equity among employee groups, and the City’s public safety service delivery goals.
Negotiations concluded on December 9, 2025, with the parties reaching a tentative agreement following an impasse hearing held by the City Council. The tentative agreement was ratified by the bargaining unit on January 6, 2026. It is now submitted to City Council for consideration. If approved, the successor collective bargaining agreement will take effect on July 1, 2026, and remain in force through June 30, 2029.
DISCUSSION: The City and the Police bargaining unit reached impasse on wages and benefits for the three-year contract term beginning July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029. On December 9, 2025, after exhaustion of all statutorily required impasse resolution procedures, the City Council resolved the impasse on three outstanding items: Wages, Pay Parity, and Longevity Bonuses. Council’s action resulted in a tentatively agreed upon collective bargaining agreement between the Parties.
Under the tentative agreement, the starting annual salary for a new officer increases from $63,988 to $75,000. The current top annual salary for a nonsupervisory officer increases from $114,552 to $116,789.
Annual salaries for sergeants and lieutenants, i.e., the other bargaining unit classifications, are similarly increased to promote employee recruitment and retention, align compensation with comparator jurisdictions, and avoid pay compression.
The tentative agreement includes a proposed pay scale for Fiscal Years 2027, 2028, and 2029. In addition, the City will increase the longevity bonus for bargaining unit members at the top of their pay scale by 20%, payable annually during the contract term. Moreover, the Parties agreed to provide members of the Police bargaining unit with an early retirement option at 20 years of service, regardless of age. All other benefits will remain at status quo. The wage and benefit provisions are memorialized in the attached tentative collective bargaining agreement.
On December 31, 2025, SSPBA notified the City that it ratified the tentative agreement in accordance with its governing procedures.
The City’s Office of Management and Budget prepared a fiscal impact study analyzing the cost of the tentative agreement, which is summarized below.
The City’s collective bargaining ordinance requires the City Council to specify, by resolution, its good faith commitment to appropriate funding necessary for the City to meet its obligations under the tentative agreement as set forth in the fiscal impact study, with the express understanding that any such resolution remains subject to actual appropriation. The attached resolution contains the required language regarding Council’s good faith commitment to appropriate necessary funding.
Staff recommend that City Council adopt the resolution reflecting its good faith commitment to fund the negotiated wages and benefits under the tentative agreement, as set forth in the fiscal impact study. Staff note that the resolution remains subject to Council’s annual appropriation of funding.
FISCAL IMPACT: The Police collective bargaining agreement for FY 2027 through FY 2029 is estimated to cost $11.4 million over the three-year term, including $2.9 million in FY 2027, $3.8 million in FY 2028, and $4.7 million in FY 2029, attributable to changes in wages and other recurring costs for 310 covered positions.
These estimates represent the incremental difference between salary and benefit costs under the tentative agreement and a baseline scenario assuming regular, annual step increases under the current pay scale and classification structure. The costs associated with the tentative agreement include increased salaries and the resulting impact on fringe benefits at current FY 2026 rates, as well as overtime. Actual salary and benefit costs may vary due to employee turnover and changes in future benefit rates.
The costs are primarily categorized as ongoing costs resulting from permanent salary increases and increased longevity bonuses. A breakdown of these costs is provided in the table below.
|
Fiscal Impact |
FY 2027 |
FY 2028 |
FY 2029 |
Total |
|
Ongoing |
2.93M |
3.79M |
4.72M |
11.44M |
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution
2. Tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement between the City and the Southern States Police Benevolent Association, Alexandria Chapter.
STAFF:
Cheran Ivery, City Attorney
Yon Lambert, Deputy City Manager
Jane Christensen, Deputy City Manager
Meghan Roberts, Deputy City Attorney
Robert S. Porter, Assistant City Attorney
Morgan Routt, Director, Office or Management and Budget