Council Nearing Budget Agreement

During oral reports at Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Bill Euille said he and City Council had made a lot of progress in finalizing the FY2012 budget and will vote on it Monday as scheduled.

“We are close to reaching an agreement,” he said. “Certain themes have been resonating. … It has been a long, fruitful process.”

One of the most contentious items has been the proposed commercial property “add-on” tax to fund transportation projects around the city. These projects include DASH bus expansion, improvements to Route 1 around Potomac Yard and expanded trolley service from Old Town into Del Ray.

Councilman Rob Krupicka released a statement on his budget proposal last week and told Patch that it does not include the add-on tax.

“My budget proposal creates a continuous revenue stream for transportation without harming Alexandria’s small businesses,” Krupicka’s statement said. “All of us understand that the state and federal government are not reliable partners for transportation funding, so we truly are left to our own devices. We know we have to expand mass transit, as well as improve roads and intersections, so we can maintain our quality of life. These are investments that benefit our entire community and I believe all of us have a part to play in paying for them.”

While Krupicka said his proposal does not include the tax, he expected “a lot of trade-offs” as the council members continued negotiations. 

In March, Councilman Frank Fannon sent Patch expressing his opposition to the tax.

New Fireboat

The Alexandria Fire Department received approval from council on Tuesday to accept a port security grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for purchase of a new 50-foot fireboat.

Currently, the fire department has just one 30-foot vessel. According to Battalion Chief John North, the boat’s engines have been malfunctioning and it is currently out of service.

The new fireboat is expected to cost a little more than $1.4 million. The grant, which is worth $1.23 million, does not require cash matching from the city. The expected trade-in or sale of the old boat should cover remaining costs.

“[The new boat] brings no new responsibility [as a regional partner],” North said. “But it does provide a larger capacity.”

While boat accidents on the Potomac River are the responsibility of the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County, the docks in Old Town are covered by the Alexandria Fire Department. The new boat can respond to any dock accident as well as incidents involving waterfront property.

The new boat will also have a significantly larger pumping capacity than the old vessel, which will be of particular benefit if there’s ever a catastrophic water-main break in Old Town.

The larger pumping capacity will also enhance the fire department’s coverage of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

“The City Manager [Jim Hartmann] has informed us that the bridge was built with an inadequate fire-response system,” Vice Mayor Kerry Donley said.

In case of a multi-vehicle accident, the new boat will be able to pump more water into the bridge’s fire suppression system.

The new boat requires no new staffing and North says his department has identified three potential places to dock the new vessel.