Alexandria City Hall — city faces 10-year capital spending tab of up to $500 million more than budgeted.
Alexandria City Manager Mark Jinks is right: It’s probably a good idea to put on hold the $1.4 million design work for a proposed $20 million expansion on the Chinquapin Recreation Center pool, as well as series of $25,000 “way-finding” signs. The city has massive capital spending commitments that are not so discretionary.
As reported by the Washington Post, Jinks has tallied up some major expenditures for the city of 150,000.
- The city’s share of the escalating cost of the Washington-area Metro heavy rail and bus system will increase $90 million over the next 10 years.
- Repairs to schools will cost $200 million, while repairs to other city facilities could add $80-$239 million over the $85 million already budgeted.
- Storm and sanitary sewer projects will cost $150-$200 million, although the state may cover some of that expense. Households will be dunned an additional $120 to $180 per year to cover the cost.
Of course, none of these capital expenditures cover the cost of unfunded pension liabilities faced by the state and every Virginia locality — a shortfall that could well come due within the next ten years.
Questions: Alexandria is said to be one of the few counties in the country that maintains a 10-year capital improvement budget. Are other Northern Virginia localities taking their long-term Metro exposure into account? Are other Virginia localities planning for the long-term cost of facilities maintenance and storm-water improvements? Do governing bodies appreciate that when they build expensive new facilities that they are incurring maintenance/repair obligations down the road? Just asking.