April 7, 2025: City Council once again has to delay public hearing for Charlottesville’s tax rates for 2025
Plus: A look at who has made the ballots so far for races for local elected office
Unless we are in a Leap Year, April 7 is the 97th day of the year. On the 97th day of 1933, the Nazi government of Adolf Hitler enacted the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service which purged the state bureaucracy of anyone not considered Aryan. This removed Jewish people from many aspects of public life.
Two weeks before, the Enabling Act went into effect that removed the legislature from government power giving sole authority to Hitler as Chancellor, eliminating all checks and balances.
This is Charlottesville Community Engagement for this 97th day of 2025. I’m Sean Tubbs, looking forward and looking back while in this gift of a present.
In this edition:
Tonight’s public hearing on Charlottesville’s tax rates for 2025 will be delayed for a second time
The deadline to appear on the ballot of a primary ballot this June has passed and that only partially sets the stage for the November general election
The City of Charlottesville is taking input on a proposal to remove a lane from Fifth Street between Cherry Avenue and the 5th Street Station
Louisa County and Greene County are both under a drought watch advisory according to the last report from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Albemarle County Supervisors get an update on various projects from the Virginia Department of Transportation
First-shout: WTJU Rock Marathon Is Underway!
There are very few freeform radio stations left in the United States of America and WTJU 91.1 FM is one of them! WTJU is always worth celebrating, but the Rock Marathon that began today and runs through April 13 is something special. I have four radios currently blasting out a program!
On-air since 1957, Virginia’s third-oldest non-commercial station began by presenting mostly classical music. Folk and Jazz sounds were eventually added to the schedule. But in 1970, WTJU began airing rock ‘n’ roll, emphasizing underground bands and sounds not found on commercial stations.
This year’s Rock Marathon will feature a full slate of specialty programs exploring everything from early electronic music to gritty R&B to power pop and hip-hop to global psychedelic music from countries living under fascism. Download the schedule for the full slate of Rock Marathon shows and live performances.
One thing is clear. I need more radios to get through this week!
Public hearing for tax rates in Charlottesville will once again be delayed
Charlottesville’s official public hearing for the tax rates for FY2026 will once again be postponed until April 21, 2025 due to an advertising error.
City resident Jim Moore filed an injunction in Charlottesville Circuit Court on April 4, 2025 alleging that City Council Clerk Kyna Thomas did not post a physical notice in the appropriate location. The city filed a response seeking to have the injunction thrown out, but a statement was read at the beginning of Council’s work session shortly after 4 p.m.
“By Friday afternoon, the city attorney’s office has collaborated with the City Clerk, the City Manager’s Office and other city staff and determined that there was indeed a failure to timely post notice of public hearing in a prominent public location at which notices are regularly posted,” said a representative of the City Attorney’s office who did not identify themselves at the meeting.
The result is that the public hearing will be delayed until April 21, the next regular meeting. This will likely also have the effect of delaying adoption of the budget which had been scheduled for a special meeting on April 14. A new date for adoption of the budget was not stated at the meeting.
Anyone who decides to speak tonight will be heard but the public notice process mandated by state code needs to play out again. The first public hearing for the tax rate was postponed from March 17, 2025 when the Charlottesville Daily Progress made an error and printed the notice in the wrong section of the newspaper.
Local primary races set for City Council, Jack Jouett seat on Albemarle Board
In Virginia, political parties are responsible for determining who will be on the ballot for the June primaries that will subsequently decide which candidate will represent them in the November general election.
That process began wrapping up at April 3 at 5:01 p.m. when the window closed for candidates who seek to be on a primary ballot. Party committees across the state have until April 8 at 5:01 p.m to submit slates to the Virginia Department of Elections.
The process is complete for statewide officers, setting up a gubernatorial race in the fall between Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican Winsome Earle-Sears. Neither candidate will face a challenger in the June 17, 2025 primary after at least two Republicans failed to qualify.
At the local level, there will once again be a Democratic primary for Charlottesville City Council for the two nominations for the general election.
The two incumbents, Brian Pinkson and Juandiego Wade, announced reelection to a second term in December. The pair is running as a ticket and will face Jen Fleisher in the primary election. Fleisher is a program manager with the Blue Ridge Health District who announced her candidacy on March 17.
This will be the first election in Charlottesville to be decided by ranked choice voting at the ballot box. At least one candidate forum has been scheduled. The Greenbrier Neighborhood Association has invited all three to participate in a virtual forum on May 14.
Albemarle County
There will also be a Democratic primary election on June 17 in the Jack Jouett District race in Albemarle County to fill the seat being vacated by retiring Supervisor Diantha McKeel. Both Sally Duncan and David Shreve have filed paperwork seeking the Democratic nomination.
McKeel faced an opponent in her first election in 2013 but was the sole person on the ballot in 2017 and 2021. So far no Republicans or independent candidates have filed for the Jack Jouett seat.
Samuel Miller District Supervisor Jim Andrews is also retiring after one term. There will not be a primary for this race but so far this is the only contested general election race.
Fred Missel, the current chair of the Planning Commission, announced his candidacy in February. He is the sole Democrat to file for the seat.
A person named Scott Smith has filed to run for the seat as a Republican in the Samuel Miller District. A request for additional information has been sent out.
Andrews was elected as a Democrat in 2021 in an uncontested election. He succeeded fellow Democrat Liz Palmer who defeated Republican candidates in 2013 and 2017.
Supervisor Ned Gallaway is in his second term representing the Rio District seat on the Board of Supervisors and has not yet responded to multiple requests about his electoral future. No new paperwork appears in the Virginia Department of Election database of organization statements.
Gallaway ran unopposed as a Democrat in 2017 and 2021. The last time this seat was contested was in 2013 when Democrat Brad Sheffield defeated Republican incumbent Rodney Thomas. There are no other current candidates.
There is a contested primary for both major political parties for Lieutenant Governor. Three Republicans are vying for the position as are six Democrats according to the Virginia Public Access Project. On May 8, the Albemarle County Republican Committee will host a candidate forum on May 8 at the Hillsdale Conference Center for their side.
Incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares will not face a challenger from within the Republican party. Democrats Jay Jones and Shannon Taylor are vying in the June 17 primary election.
Early voting will begin on May 2 with hours set by each registrar across the Commonwealth. The last day to register to vote in the primary is May 27. The last day to request a ballot be mailed to you is June 6, 2025. All of that information comes from the Virginia Department of Elections website.
Independents also have until June 17 to get on the general election ballot. According to that bulletin, candidates must file:
A certificate of candidate qualification
A statement of economic interests
A declaration of candidacy
Enough signatures from qualified voters
Other area counties
Let’s turn now to other localities in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.
There will be no party primaries for the three seats open on the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors. According to VPAP, all three incumbents are currently unopposed. They are John Michael Sheridan of the Columbia District, Chris Fairchild of the Cunningham District, and Tony O’Brien of the Rivanna District.
There also do not appear to be any party primaries for the four seats open on the Louisa County Board of Supervisors. According to VPAP, all four incumbents are currently unopposed. They are Rachel Jones of the Green Springs District, Duane Adams of the Mineral District, Tommy Barlow of the Mountain Road District, and Fitzgerald Barnes of the Patrick Henry District.
No primaries in Greene County either with two out of five seats on the ballot. The incumbents are Marie Durrer of the Midway District and Steve Catalano of the Stanardsville District.
There are also three seats on the ballot in Nelson County and VPAP does not list more that one candidate for the Central District and the East District and both are incumbents. That is Democrat Ernie Reed for the Central District and Republican Jesse Rutherford for the East District.
Two candidates are listed in the North District including incumbent Thomas Harvey. Harvey is frequently absent from meetings and a candidate named Cam Lenahan has filed paperwork with the Virginia Department of Transportation. Lenahan is running as an independent.
City of Charlottesville taking public input on removal of travel lane from 5th Street
Another week, another survey for a road project in Charlottesville.
The City of Charlottesville is seeking input on a proposal to remove vehicular lanes from 5th Street Southwest between downtown Charlottesville and the Willoughby neighborhood.
“Previous studies have identified potential options for making improvements to 5th Street SW, but those proposals carried higher project costs and impacts than anticipated,” reads the website seeking public comment.
One of the previous proposals in 2022 would have eliminated one lane in each direction and converted each into a travelway that would have been reserved for buses, bicyclists, and emergency vehicles. Initial traffic modeling indicated that doing so would create long traffic queues.
The 2025 proposal has a smaller scope.
“The current proposal would eliminate a single southbound lane on 5th Street Southwest between Cherry Avenue and 5th Street Station and install a protected bi-directional bikeway,” the website continues.
The city will hold an open house about the project at Jackson-Via Elementary School on April 9th 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. The survey is open through April 30.
For background here are some previous stories:
Petition seeks changes to 5th Street to prevent further crashes, November 11, 2020
Council briefed on ways to slow down Fifth Street Extended, November 17, 2020
Fatal crash on Fifth Street extended, January 3, 2022
Council poised to reduce speed limit Fifth Street Extended, February 10, 2022
City transportation planners present ideas on Fifth Street, May 27, 2022
DEQ Task Force extends drought watch status to Lousia and Greene
Rainfall on much of central Virginia this weekend after a state panel charged with water levels met on Friday.
After their meeting on April 3, the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force expanded a drought watch advisory to a total of 34 counties including Greene, Louisa, Madison, and Orange. They are classified as being in the Northern Piedmont region.
“Average streamflow level has declined during the last four weeks, producing pockets of sub-10th percentile streamflow in the Upper James, Maury, Lower Shenandoah, and Smith River watersheds during the average seven-day streamflow,” reads a portion of the April 3 report.
According to a legend on the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality website, reservoirs in the Northern Piedmont region are at normal levels but long-term precipitation forecasts trigger a warning. Groundwater and streamflow conditions indicate a watch.
The Drought Monitoring Task Force next meets on April 15.
Second shout out: Charlottesville E-bike Lending Library
The rolling topography of the Charlottesville area keeps some people away from choosing cycling as an option to get around. Perhaps an e-bike is in order?
That’s where Charlottesville’s eBike Lending Library comes in! E-bikes are a great way to get around the community but there are many brands and styles to choose from. Because many e-bikes are sold online, it can be a challenge to try an e-bike before buying one.
The Charlottesville E-bike Lending Library is a free, not-for-profit service working to expand access to e-bikes in the area. They have a small collection of e-bikes that they lend out to community members for up to a week, for free. You can experience your daily commute, go grocery shopping, or even bike your kids to school, and decide whether e-bikes are right for you. Check out this service at https://www.ebikelibrarycville.org!
VDOT updates Albemarle Supervisors on transportation projects
As we come to the end of this particular edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement, we’ve arrived at the final segment from the afternoon section of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors meeting from April 2, 2025. This was produced first as part of the podcast edition for April 4. A companion story is this written piece from before April 2.
The six elected officials got an update from Carrie Shepheard, the resident engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Charlottesville Residency.
Shepheard began with updates on projects that are in preliminary engineering beginning with a ten-foot-wide shared use path that will travel between Carrsbrook Drive and Seminole Lane on U.S. 29.
“The Route 29 Shared Use Path right now is in final design and we have a spring [advertising] date,” Shepherd said. “We're looking at June for that add date and the construction will follow shortly thereafter. And we're looking at about six to eight months for construction for that project.”
Another project will add a park and ride lot at Exit 107. The Commonwealth Transportation Board will take that project up later this month as they have to approve a change to the limited access highway at that location.
Later this fall, VDOT will advertise for construction bids for a series of improvements on U.S. 250 at Pantops. Another project to replace a bridge on Fontaine Avenue west of the U.S. 29/250 bypass has been delayed because the first bid didn’t yield a contract. So that project will be bundled with two other projects.
Construction should begin later this spring on construction of four roundabouts across the county as well as a change to the intersection of Rio Road East and Belvedere Drive. This includes conversion of the intersection of U.S. 250, Virginia Route 240, and Brown’s Gap Road into a roundabout just to the east of Crozet. That will require some temporary road closures such as one for Browns Gap Road which is also known as Route 680.
“We're going to use the timeframe after school is out to have to have the detour for 680. So that we're minimizing disruption as much as possible,” Shepheard said.
After that construction will start on a roundabout at Old Lynchburg Road and Fifth Street Extended.
“We expect that hopefully into the fall and then the Belvedere-Green T and John Warner Parkway roundabout will follow,” Shepheard said.
A design public hearing will be held for the next bundle which includes the Fontaine Avenue bridge, changes to the Fontaine interchange, and conversion of the intersection of District Avenue and Hydraulic into a roundabout.
There are currently restrictions on Old Ivy Road to replace a bridge across U.S. 29 / 250 at the western end that Shepheard said should be complete in the summer of 2026.
Another transportation issue in Albemarle at the moment is a review of all of the roads that currently do not allow trucks to travel through.
“We have been reviewing all of the truck restricted routes in Albemarle County to make sure that they are still valid,” Shepheard said. “Most recently we completed a review of 22/231 for the overlength restriction. That has been verified that the overlength restriction is still valid. There are two curves on that road that are not large enough to accommodate trucks that are over length.”
One question from a member of the Board of Supervisors illustrates information gaps that can form when multiple jurisdictions have control over portions of a transportation corridor.
“Do we have any movement at all with the city synchronizing their lights?” asked Supervisor Diantha McKeel. “They promised to do that years ago. You know what I'm talking about. From the city to the end of the county.”
McKeel asked if a group called the Land Use and Environmental Planning Committee had discussed that. That group was created after 2019 when Albemarle and Charlottesville both agreed to end a public body called the Planning and Coordination Council on which two elected officials from both communities. What goes by the acronym LUEPC is a closed-door body that is not open to members of the public and minutes are usually an attendance sheet. Here’s the one from February 2025.
Shepheard was at the last meeting but didn’t have much information.
“There have been discussions with the city,” Shepheard said. “There was one recently that I unfortunately was not a part of. It was more technical in nature, but I do. They do have a phasing program, I think right now to start upgrading their signals and looking at their signal timings.”
A reason to pay journalists is because we try to keep track of a number of things and we ask questions. In December 2024, the City of Charlottesville awarded a contract to Econolite for an advanced traffic management system. I’ve got a follow-up question out to the city that was sent out Friday afternoon and so far has not been answered. A second request was sent out today just after I asked for a status update on the injunction.
Reading material for #843
‘Choosing Peace’ and Celebrating UVA’s Contemplative Sciences Center, Alice Berry, UVA Today, April 4, 2025
Group forms in Charlottesville to support Musk amid protests, Mark Gad, CBS19, April 4, 2025
Charlottesville 911 call center experiences overnight service outages, Maggie Glass, WVIR 29News, April 4, 2025
Chase falls short; Earle-Sears declared Republican nominee for governor, setting up fall campaign against Spanberger, Cardinal News, April 5, 2025
County Sets Funding Plan for Eastern Avenue Bridge, Lisa Martin, Crozet Gazette, April 5, 2025
White Hall Vineyards closes, Emily Hemphill, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), April 5, 2025
School Board Narrows Deficit Spending Gap, Lisa Martin, Crozet Gazette, April 5, 2025
Thousands attend nationwide “hands-off” rally at Shops at Stonefield against Trump, Musk, Mark Gad, CBS19, April 5, 2025
Charlottesville protest takes aim at Trump, Musk in nationwide movement, Gabby Womack, WVIR 29News, April 5, 2025
Dominion Energy requests largest base rate increase in over 30 years, Samuel King, WSLS10, April 6, 2025
UVa restricts new hires, development as Trump cuts into funding, Emily Hemphill, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), April 6, 2025
Upperclassmen will no longer receive priority for housing, HRL says, Leigh Bailey, Cavalier Daily, April 6, 2025
Virginia institutions face uncertainty as Trump admin suspends museum and library agency, Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury, April 7, 2025
Some thoughts before #843 goes away
I like the word gubernatorial. I like how the word doesn’t quite match “governor” and I like how it seems archaic. I also remember my first boss in news saying how much he hated it and I was never to use it.
I used it in today’s edition because as the publisher, I get to select my style. Long-time readers know my position on acronyms, but I’ve not said too much about my other unwritten rules.
I will always refrain from using the percentage sign % because something about it scrambles my brain.
In any case, this is all the work of one person and I’m hopeful I can change that over time. I know I’m expanding partnerships all of the time. I’m now writing two stories a week for C-Ville Weekly and as soon as I hit send I’ll head over to what used to be called WINA to talk about things for 11 minutes.
I am hoping that over the coming months I’ll be able to announce new partnerships or at the very least that I have secured a pathway to hire a copy editor and to become a formal program to train younger journalists.
For now, I have to get going. There was breaking news and I’m late. No video today!