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Office of the City Clerk
May 8, 2012

City Council Held a Budget Work Session
at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Work Room
to Discuss the Add/Delete Budget Items.


Special Meeting
Monday, May 7, 2012 - - 7:00 p.m.

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OPENING

1. Calling the Roll.

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Euille, and the City Clerk called the roll. All the members of Council were present.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER FOR DISCUSSION

2. Consideration of the Proposed Annual Operating Budget for FY 2013 (including Schools) and the Proposed Capital Improvements Program for FY 2013-2018 (including the Schools CIP.)

City Council moved adoption of the annual general fund operating budget for FY 2013 of $587,861,196 with the following amendments to the City Manager's proposed budget. The details of each amendment are described in the May 4, 2012 budget memo from the City Manager "FY 2013 Final Add/Delete List" and will accompany docket item #2 as the final adoption staff report:
Technical expenditure increases (net of decreases) of $115,713; other expenditure increases of 42,139,725; revenue re-estimate decreases (net of increases) of $1,250,888; and an increase in the use of general fund balance of $1,004,550 including the reappropriation of FY 2012 expenditure savings. Included in the FY 2013 general fund operating budget is an appropriation of $179,486,405 to the Alexandria City Public Schools, which remains unchanged from the City Manager's proposed budget. The total increase in expenditures compared to the City Manager's proposed budget is $2,225,438 including an increase in cash capital funding of the FY 2013 - 2022 Capital Improvement Program of $350,000 and an increase in contingent reserves of $59,983. In addition, City Council authorized the City Manager to make technical adjustment to each affected departmental budget from the non-departmental budget to reflect the proper allocation to departmental budgets of the adjustments related to items such as health insurance premiums and salary adjustments and resulting benefits impacts from the VRS contribution rate shift, details of these adjustments will be presented for approval by City Council in the context of the FY 2013 appropriations ordinance in June. City Council moved the City's general government and Sheriff salary scales, as published in the City Manager's proposed budget be increased by one percent to offset the one percent increase in the VRS employee contribution rate that will take effect on July 1. A one percent salary adjustment is also provided for the employees whose pay is administratively determined and who are members of the Virginia Retirement System. These positions are detailed in budget memo number 68.

City Council authorized the appropriation from general fund balance of $6,839,528. This reflects an increase of $1,004,550 compared to the City Manager's proposed budget. The source of this increase will be $75,661 from a reappropriated contingent reserve project currently budget in FY 2012, $12,509 based on revenue re-estimates and $916,380 in FY 2012 surplus revenue.

City Council committed the assignments of fund balance proposed by the City Manager in the FY 2013 general fund operating budget with the following adjustments for one-time expenditures. The source of these commitments is surplus revenue in FY 2012. The assignments proposed by the City Manager in the proposed operating budget include:
$1,700,000 in existing encumbrances
$535,000 in one-time land use and planning studies
$1,000,000 to comply with current financial polices
$1,775,000 to fund the FY 2014 CIP
In addition, based on the April revenue re-estimates and additional surplus revenue, the following commitments are approved:
$255,762 for equipment replacement
$200,000 for professional development
$200,000 for an innovation fund and
$50,000 to implement AlexStat
To maintain the City's current financial policies regarding spendable fund balance as a percentage of general fund revenue, $100,421 of the City's surplus revenue is recommended to be added to spendable fund balance.

City Council moved adoption of the proposed FY 2013 to FY 2022 Capital Improvement Program of $1137,922,637 in total and $1,109,278,387 in local funding, with $134,504,335 in total and $128,352,585 in local funding in FY 2013; $59,311,578 in total and $55,865,328 in local fund in FY 2013; $59,311,578 in total and $55,865,328 in local funding in FY 2014; $361,880,603 in total and $358,629,353 in local funding in FY 2015; $95,726,178 in total and $91,991,178 in local funding in FY 2016; $87,648,501 in total and $83,298,501 in local funding in FY 2017; $85,050,442 in total and $81,340,442 in local funding in FY 2018; $67,271,500 in total and $66,271,500 in local funding in FY 2019; $78,111,500 in total and $77,111,500 in local funding in FY 2020; $82,406,500 in total and $81,406,500 in local funding in FY 2012; $86,011,500 in total and $85,011,500 in local funding in FY 2022.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS

3. Second Reading and Final Passage of an Ordinance on the Increase in Real Estate Tax Revenue, at a Rate Not to Exceed $1.008 per $100 of Assessed Value, Attributable to the Increase in Value of Assessed Property as of January 1, 2012, and Known as the "Effective Rate Increase" Pursuant to Section 58.1-3321 of the Virginia Code. (#18, 3/13/2012, #6, 4/14/2012) [ROLL-CALL VOTE]

City Council moved final passage of an ordinance to set the City’s 2012 blended real property tax rate at ninety-nine point eight cents ($0.998) on each $100 of assessed value. The 2012 real property tax rate contains the following:
Council Action:_________________________________________________________

4. Consideration of a Resolution Certifying that the City of Alexandria is Electing to Use the Virginia Retirement System Contribution Rates Certified by the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) Board of Trustees. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]

This item was deferred.
Council Action:_________________________________________________________
The meeting adjourned at 9:03 p.m.

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Note: The action docket is a summary of Council's meeting deliberations prepared largely for staff follow-up. Formal minutes of the meeting, when approved by Council, become the official record of the meeting and of Council decisions made at the meeting.



This docket is subject to change.

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Full-text copies of ordinances, resolutions, and agenda items are available in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of the Council. Meeting materials are also available on-line at alexandriava.gov/council
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