Alexandria Leaders Admit They Hid $7M in PLA Costs From Public

Officials forced to confirm V4F’s contention.

Read more here: Did Alexandria Hide Costs of It’s Labor Deal

Earlier this year, Virginians for Fairness uncovered documents through a FOIA request showing that Alexandria officials possessed an estimate projecting millions of dollars in additional costs associated with the City's Project Labor Agreement. We wrote to Mayor Gaskins asking for answers. We never received a response. Instead, city officials and PLA supporters dismissed concerns and continued promoting the agreement without addressing why taxpayers were never informed about the potential cost impact.

Earlier this month, Virginians for Fairness launched a public information campaign to shed light on this fiscal sleight-of-hand.

Now, thanks to our efforts, reporting by The Alexandria Brief confirms what we discovered: the estimate was real, city officials knew about it, and it was not disclosed to the public when the PLA was announced. The City now acknowledges the estimate existed, but taxpayers were denied information that could have materially changed the public debate over Alexandria's first-ever PLA.

Alexandria residents are already facing rising taxes, rising assessments, and rising costs of living. Every unnecessary dollar added to a public construction project is a dollar that cannot be spent on schools, public safety, transportation, parks, or other city priorities.

Read The Alexandria Brief's reporting and decide for yourself.

One thing is clear: when Virginians for Fairness warned that Alexandria taxpayers were not getting the full story on PLA costs, we were right to ask questions.