March Krupicka Council News

Budget Realities The City Manager released his draft budget last month.  Per Council guidance, he proposed a budget that would have the average tax bill flat or down for the 3rd year in a row, not counting inflation.  This also marks the first budget in decades that includes substantial job reductions, and lay-offs.  We have been trimming the budget through program audits and reviews for the last three years.  Those efforts have resulted in millions in savings as well as program improvements.  We are now, though, at a point where almost every cut has a specific, noticeable impact.  As we go through this budget and prepare for the next few, we need to be focused on the budget efforts that will keep our community as successful and strong as possible. I’d greatly appreciate it if you took some time to fill out this online survey about your priorities. Your response will be very helpful to me as I work through this year’s budget. Public safety programs and the fire department received the fewest cuts in the Manager’s proposed budget for two reasons.  First, as the economy slows, crime typically goes up, and we want to be prepared for that.  The recent up-tick in robberies already gives us a hint of the wisdom of this approach.   And secondly, our fire department is clearly not staffed to the levels needed to keep our community as safe as it should be.  Recent audits and studies have made that point very clear.  While it is hard to add new staff in a tough budget year, we shouldn’t put our firefighters in harm’s way by not providing them with adequate staffing. While the city manager has worked hard to minimize the cuts, there are proposals to reduce human service programs, especially prevention programs.  The challenge is that we are seeing a rise in needs for food, shelter, job training and healthcare – requests that have grown at a rate of up to 30 percent over the last few months.  This growth in demand combined with these proposed cuts will impact people in our community with the least ability to take care of themselves. One of the greatest challenges in this budget is how we respond to rising homelessness, job training and other needs.  The stimulus can help, but it does not cover all of our urgent needs.  I don’t think we serve our community well by not responding to the rise in need caused by the economy.  I have heard stories of families that 12 months ago volunteered for some of our local non-profits that are now seeking them out for help.  Alexandria has historically had very low unemployment, but with unemployment now rising, we need a plan for how we’ll respond; our new green job training program is one step. Our community, through government effort and private giving, needs a strategy to address these needs.  I’ve been working with non-profits for the last few months to develop programs to expand private support.  This budget process will help us determine our local government’s role. The budget proposes that we keep funding for transportation and basic infrastructure either flat or lower  compared to last year.  The same goes for spending on park and recreation programs.  Our capital budget is down significantly, despite the fact that there are number of critical capital items for us to deal with.  We have about $55 million projects that are currently unfunded — and that list is not a full representation of all of the needs on our horizon.  With our growing school population, especially in elementary schools, we could be a few years away from having to expand our facilities to keep up with our growing student population.Those strollers you see all over the city are starting to turn into students. School spending in the Manager’s proposed budget is down about 2 percent from last year but fortunately, the school’s proposed budget (which is down 1.5 percent) is very close to the Manger’s proposed budget. Stimulus money may help close some of the gap.  The schools have done a good job of putting together a budget in a tough economy, and at the same time student enrollment is increasing. My colleague, Justin Wilson, wrote a great summary of the proposed budget reductions for his newsletter (you should sign-up for it – send an e-mail to his aide Laura)  I’ve pasted it below to provide you a basic overview of what is going on. From Justin Wilson’s budget summary: To meet the guidance that the City Council provided, the City Manager presented a budget that cut overall spending by 3.3% from last year’s budget. If adopted without significant change, it would be the first negative budget the City has adopted in at least 30 years.   The proposed budget reduces the expenditures for City Operations by 3.8% and the funding to the Alexandria City Public Schools by 2.0%. The budget reduces the City workforce by 4%–a reduction of 121 positions, including about 30 possible layoffs.   For the first time in almost 20 years, City employee pay is completely frozen under the proposed budget (no pay scale progression or cost-of-living increases). Retirement and life insurance benefits are proposed to be reduced for new employees hired during this budget year.     The City Council asked the City Manager to focus our spending on the core services that our residents require government to perform. No City department was spared from cuts and the only major departments that were spared from reductions in spending were the Police Department, Fire Department and our Department of Human Services. In this proposed budget, 54% of the spending would go to Public Safety and Education.   In addition to a continuation of the cuts that were performed in FY 2009, the City Manager’s proposed budget includes a variety of new cuts including:     Elimination of a Special Response Police Officer     Significant cuts to the Children’s Fund, Youth Fund, and Community Partnership Fund (these funds provide grants to non-profits to perform work in partnership with City services)     Elimination of an Infant Development Specialist     Elimination of several mental health and substance abuse therapist positions     Elimination of a Residential Counselor providing services to those with intellectual disabilities     Reduction to our budget for Substance Abuse counseling     Elimination of therapists providing substance abuse prevention services at George Washington, Patrick Henry and Tucker schools     Reduction of adolescent health clinic staffing     Elimination of the real estate tax dedication for affordable housing and open space preservation     Elimination of several planning positions     Cutting back hours at recreation centers     Closing Lee & Colasanto Pools     Eliminating after-school programs at Maury and George Mason schools     Reductions in tree maintenance     Longer intervals between the mowing of City properties     New fees for out of school time programs     Street repaving reduced     Sidewalk repairs reduced     Elimination of the Traffic Calming Coordinator position     Elimination of a Deputy Sheriff position     Elimination of mailed version of FYI Alexandria     Elimination of a building inspector who responds to resident complaints     Elimination of the City Historian position     Reduction to the Library material budget     Significant reduction to the hours of the Local History/Special Collections branch of the library Budget Input Wanted Once you have gone through this and other budget documents, please take a second and fill out my online budget survey. Your response will help me determine how best to triage our funding during this economic crisis. Board of Education As you may know, I had the honor of being appointed to the State Board of Education by Governor Kaine last month.  The board sets education policy for our state.  At our meeting last month, we put in place new policies to strengthen math standards in our schools as well as graduation requirements for our high schools.  I am looking forward to serving Virginia families to ensure our schools are the best in the country.  The Board meets in Richmond monthly.  I’ll provide updates in this newsletter from time to time. Green Building Policy:  Good for economy and environment I’ve been talking about and pushing to expand “green” building practices in Alexandria since I was first elected 6 years ago.  The City and the building industry have made huge strides in that time. Now, Alexandria is considering whether to adopt a new policy for “green” buildings.  Green buildings utilize the best energy and water saving, air pollution minimizing techniques in construction and building operation.  They can save building operators money over the life of the building through lower operating costs and by providing a healthier, more productive workplace.  They can also increase the city tax base as they have been shown to have a higher overall value than less environmentally friendly buildings.   We already have a city policy requiring that all city government buildings utilize these technologies, and we have asked developers for the last few years to work to incorporate them in their projects as well.  The proposed new policy, similar to efforts in DC, Maryland, and Arlington, would increase the expectations that new development – beyond government facilities — meet green building standards.  The policy isn’t a requirement because VA law does not permit us to require these technologies.  But we can strongly encourage.  The proposed policy is consistent with work done by the regional Council of Governments and would make Alexandria a regional leader for green building policies. The new policy will be voted on in April. Small Businesses Getting Help — Simplified Process and Improved Marketing A few years ago, I proposed the creation of a small business task force to look into ways to make it easier for small businesses to operate in our city.  That group and the Mayor’s task force on economic sustainability recommended that the city make an effort to streamline and simplify its permit process.  Being known as one of the hardest places to do business in the region isn’t much of a calling card if we want to keep our storefronts open and office space leased. Just recently, in response to all of our plans, the city opened a new permit center that will streamline the way businesses work with the city by creating a one-stop-shop to help business move through the permit process.  The new process was unveiled last week and will likely have some rough spots to work out, but it’s a big step forward.  In a tough economy, complicated bureaucracy can be the difference between a business opening or not.  We can meet our regulatory needs with a less complicated process and this new permit center helps us do that. In addition to the permit changes.  Last fall we streamlined our small business license guidelines.  Soon, we will be creating transparent check lists of everything a small business needs to do to work in our city.  The goal of the check list is to provide more predictability for the community and business owners alike.  Last winter we created a temporary sign ordinance to help small businesses publicize their wares. Many have reported large sales increases as a result. I’m working with businesses and residents on the West End to help support their local businesses as well. Local Small Business Spotlight:  La Muse – Buy Alexandria Alexandria is the home to a large number of unique small businesses.  They are all struggling right now.  If you are in need of a gift or other item, please try to find it locally, helping the shops and our local economy.  For example, take a look at the new gift store called LaMuse on 108 N. Patrick Street.  La Muse has been recognized as one of Alexandria’s best specialty gift shops with crafts and other products from local and national artists.    A cornerstone of La Muse’s mission is to give back to the community. On the second Thursday of every month, La Muse donates 5 percent of each customer’s in-store purchase to a charity of his or her choice. In addition Debra provides a drop-off point for www.anysoldier.com,. Each month, she sends packages to military units serving overseas to help make their time away from the USA a little more bearable. City Schools’s Strategic Plan: Excellence for Alexandria The Alexandria City Public Schools have spent the last year developing their strategic plan for the next few years.  This has been a very intensive effort to create a vision that will guide our schools to become the best in the region.  It is a bold plan.  I am particularly pleased with its emphasis on being an exceptional school system with great teachers, high standards, excellence for all our kids and – especially — its focus on making sure all children show up for kindergarten ready to learn by providing all Alexandria children with access to quality early childhood opportunities.   The success of our schools goes hand in hand with the success of our community.  Not only do strong schools contribute to our bottom line through better property values and improved business attraction and retention, they also enhance our quality of life and ensure every new generation is better prepared than the one before.  I am looking forward to the day when Alexandria schools will be listed among the best in the country. not just meeting but exceeding  standards, whether international and domestic. If you care about our schools and their impact on the future of our city, take a few moments and send in comments. Food banks are in great need: Support ALIVE With the downturn in the economy, the need for items provided by provided by ALIVE, our local food bank, is growing fast.  During the last 3 months of 2008, ALIVE helped 1509 families – almost 5,000 individuals.  You can help by donating food or volunteering.  They need help at their Saturday food distributions at the Cora Kelly Recreation Center on March 27 and April 24th.  Learn more at www.alive-inc.org or call 703-837-9300 You can help – Boys and Girls Club The Alexandria Olympic Boys & Girls Club. The Club will host “An Evening with the Chefs” dinner on Saturday,March 14, 2009. All proceeds raised from the event will directly support programs that support Alexandria youth. The dinner will be held at Belle Haven Country Club located in Alexandria. The event will feature prominent chefs from local restaurants showcasing the finest of local cuisine. Each chef will prepare a signature dish during the evening’s multi-course meal. Featured chefs include Derek Simcik of Jackson 20 Restaurant, Adam Lippe of The Light Horse Restaurant; Bobby Vickers of the Springfield Hilton, Josh Short of Buzz Bakery, and Max-Philippe Knoepfel of BelleHaven Country Club and his Culinary Team. In cooperation with the participating chefs, local vendors and suppliers have agreed to donate most of the ingredients so that a greater portion of proceeds from the dinner will go to support the Club. There are still seats left.  Please RSVP by calling  David E. Woodbury at 703.867-5570 or send an e-mail The Alexandria-Olympic Boys & Girls Club has been an Alexandria institution since 1936. Its members have gone on to play prominent roles in the Alexandria community as well as nationally. Located in its original building at 401 N. Payne Street, the Club annually serves over 1,000 youth ages 6 – 18. Youth members can take part in various programs including Character and Leadership Development; Education and Career; Arts; Health and Life Skills, and Sports, Fitness, and Recreation. I grew up in a single parent household and spent a lot of time at my local Boys and Girls club.  I learned to play basketball there – though I have to admit I didn’t learn very well.  I took classes and participated in a wide range of activities.  As our city is being forced to scale back some or our recreation programs due to the bad economy, I encourage you to help out the Club. Paid for and authorized by Friends of Krupicka and Rob Krupicka