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Unpaid Taxes Written Off
City often forgives delinquent taxpayers rather than going after them.
In the last decade, Alexandria has written off more than $100,000 in uncollected tax balances. The annual write-off happens every November, just as City Council members are appearing with a giant turkey at City Hall to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Hunger Rising
Applications for food stamps skyrocket in Alexandria as local economy tanks.
Recent weeks have seen a dramatic spike in the number of people in Alexandria with no resources to put food on the table for their families, leading to a skyrocketing number of applications for food stamps as unemployment numbers climb and people in Alexandria suddenly find themselves in an awkward position — asking for help from the government just to buy groceries. Officials at the Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services say applications to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program have more than tripled since February, before the novel coronavirus pandemic prompted Gov. Ralph Northam to issue a stay-at-home order and shut down most of Alexandria’s economy.
Loan Sharks in the Water
Lawmakers crack down on predatory lending, although reform won’t happen for eight months.
The LoanMax on Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria is open for business during the pandemic, and colorful signs in the windows announce in English and Spanish that the car-title lender remains open during a stay-at-home order — offering loans at 200 percent annual interest during a time when unemployment claims in Alexandria are skyrocketing. Those kinds of interest rates will be illegal under the Fairness in Lending Act, which Gov. Ralph Northam signed last week after lawmakers signed off on some last-minute changes. But the ban on such high-interest lending won’t take effect until New Years Day 2021, which means high-interest lenders have eight months to engage in an unprecedented lending spree during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Absentee Minded
Lawmakers consider bill to assign absentee ballots to precincts where voters live.
On election night, Democrats were shocked by how well Donald Trump was performing in Alexandria. As returns were posted online, concerns were rising among supporters of Joe Biden as the incumbent was outperforming expectations at precinct after precinct.
City in Violation of Its Charter
Citizens hampered from accessing departmental rules and regulations.
While Alexandria’s ordinances are enacted in public by the City Council and are readily accessible to the citizenry, usually in the form of “The Code of the City of Alexandria, 1981,” departments and offices across city government also promulgate official rules and regulations, but they are neither publicized nor readily accessible by the citizenry. This directly violates the express wording of the city’s charter.
Week in Alexandria
The Alexandria Police Department is charging three California men with conspiracy to import marijuana into Virginia.
Former School Budget Director Files Discrimination Lawsuit as ACPS Looks Forward
Last year’s scandal lingers over upcoming financial deliberations.
This time last year, the budget office at Alexandria City Public Schools was in full meltdown.
In Session: Virginia Assembly Briefs
In Session: Virginia Assembly Briefs
Voters to Determine Republican and Democratic Candidates for House and Senate
Low turnout expected in June 12 primary.
Election officials are expecting an extremely low turnout for the June 12 primary, ranging from 3 percent in Arlington to 15 percent in Alexandria.
‘Property Genealogy’
Researching the life of a house.
When “a house” becomes “my home” it assumes a unique identity. According to George Combs, manager, Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Public Library, that transformation explains the steady stream of visitors, be they “retirees with time on their hands or new homeowners once they have settled in,” seeking what Combs calls “property genealogy.”
Candidates Agree on Amendment for Voting Rights, Disagree on Executive Order
Restoration of civil rights on the agenda for next governor.
Should nonviolent felons have their right to vote automatically restored? What exactly is a nonviolent felony? What kind of process can be considered automatic?
Business Matters
How far did the empire of Orange Julius reach? What’s the capital of Banana Republic? Is Aeropostale aerodynamic?
Week in Alexandria
Looking for the perfect holiday gift? King Street Gardens Park Foundation chairman Rodger Digilio has an idea — buy a brick.
Council Notebook
Private Virtue is a public good. That’s the result of a decision this week at the Alexandria Circuit Court, which is giving the green light to city officials who want to lease part of a public alley to a private restaurant known as Virtue.
Angry Birds on the Road: Lawmakers to Crack Down on On-the-Road Screen Time
Texting while driving is already illegal, but what about all the other screen time?
Lawmakers in Richmond are a bunch of angry birds, frustrated at existing law they believe does not solve the problem of drivers devoting their attention to their handheld screen instead of the road.
Angry Birds on the Road: Lawmakers Want to Crack Down on Screen Time
Texting while driving is already illegal, but what about Facebook and Twitter?
Lawmakers in Richmond are a bunch of angry birds, frustrated at existing law they believe does not solve the problem of drivers devoting their attention to their handheld screen instead of the road.