City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: MAY 3, 2022
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER /s/
FROM: SARAH TAYLOR, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of a Resolution Identifying 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: That 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.” In fiscal year 2022, Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending accounted for less than 1 percent of discretionary spending; this 1 percent cap will apply to FY 2023 Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending as well.
In Fiscal Year 2022, the City of Alexandria received Community Project Funding, requested by Congressman Donald S. Beyer, Jr. 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 early 2022, the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Chairs announced that members would be accepting proposals for Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending for programs and projects in the communities they represent and serve. This funding is seen as an important and valuable way for each member to communicate their federal budget priorities for the fiscal year and advocate for programs that are important to their constituents and benefit their states. Approved funding requests will be included in the consolidated FY 2023 Federal appropriations bill.
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 will, again, enforce 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. Therefore, not all City projects and priorities were appropriate for these funding opportunities.
For the FY23 round of Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending, the City identified five projects appropriate for funding, which have been submitted to Congressman Beyer, Senator Warner and Senator Kaine for their consideration:
• Funding for the Alexandria City AHDC Arlandria Housing+ Project (funding proposal submitted to Congressman Don Beyer, Senator Mark Warner and Senator Tim Kaine);
• Full deployment of body worn cameras in the Alexandria Police Department (funding proposal submitted to Congressman Beyer);
• Acceleration of the Notabene Drive, Four Mile Rd., and Old Dominion Blvd. Flood Mitigation Project (funding proposal submitted to Congressman Beyer);
• Technology upgrades and facility enhancements at the Alexandria Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court and Court Service Unit (funding proposal submitted to Senator Warner and Senator Kaine); and
• Support for the Alexandria Youth Entrepreneurship Project (funding proposal submitted to Senator Warner and Senator Kaine).
In addition, the City has identified other opportunities for federal funding for projects and priorities in the community, including:
• RAISE grant funding to complete the intersection redesign project at King and Beauregard Streets, including multimodal intersection improvements to increase vehicle capacity, improve pedestrian crossing experiences, and provide access to transit and bicycle facilities;
• LOW NO/Bus-Bus Facilities grant funding to upgrade the DASH bus fleet to electric vehicles and provide the infrastructure necessary to support the shift to a fully electric fleet; and
• An application to the Safe Streets for All grant program to advance the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan initiatives focusing on high crash corridors and intersections.
This Resolution is intended to express the support of Council for the City’s Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending requests for Fiscal Year 2023 and other Federal funding opportunities the City has identified and is pursuing. In addition, it requests support from Alexandria’s Congressional delegation for these funding proposals and requests.
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Laura B. Triggs, Deputy City Manager
Sarah Taylor, Assistant City Manager, Legislative Director
Helen McIlvain, Director, Office of Housing
Chief Don Hayes, Alexandria Police Department (APD)
Lt. Jason North, APD
Yon Lambert, Director, Transportation and Environmental Services (T&ES)
Hillary Orr, Deputy Director, T&ES
Jesse Maines, Division Chief, Stormwater Management Division, T&ES
Mike Mackey, Director, Court Service Unit
Kate Garvey, Director, Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS)
Lesa Gilbert, Director, Center for Economic Support, DCHS