There is nothing in this December 6, 2023 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement about Charlottesville’s new Development Code in part because a longtime reader told me yesterday that her eyes glaze over those segments. That is not to say that she doesn’t think that information is important, but not all topics covered in this regular newsletter and podcast are equally loved by everyone. I’m Sean Tubbs, grateful as well to have one edition this week that will not use the word “setback.”
Oh, rats.
On today’s program:
Albemarle County has lifted a prohibition on outdoor burning
The Louisa County Animal Shelter is full and officials are asking for help
Charlottesville looks to be finishing up FY23 with a $21 million surplus
Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders makes some organizational shifts to emphasize social equity programs
Nelson County Supervisors consider staffing requests from both the incoming and outgoing Sheriff
First shout-out: eBike Lending Library
In today’s first subscriber supported shout-out, one Patreon supporter wants you to know that Charlottesville now has an eBike Lending Library! 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!
Outdoor burn ban lifted in Albemarle County
Albemarle County Fire Rescue has determined it is once again safe to burn materials outdoors and has lifted a ban imposed on November 17.
“Effective immediately, residents may resume open air burning activities,” reads the release. “We encourage the entire community to remain fire-aware and practice safe burning practices.”
Those practices are available for review on the county’s website. These include guidelines for fires built for property maintenance and land clearing.
Albemarle Fire Rescue listed three factors that led to the decision to lift the ban, including the Department of Forestry’s fire rating for the Charlottesville / Albemarle as 1 out of 5 with five being the highest. They also invoke a Keetch-Byram Drought Index of 12 out of 800.
“Recent rainfall has effectively dampened the ground and foliage,” reads the press release. “While these rains haven't completely alleviated the long-term drought conditions mainly in the county's western portion, it's important to note that the lingering drought is just one component, not the main driver, of fire danger.
Louisa County had imposed a ban but already lifted it on November 22.
Outdoor bans are still in effect in Nelson County and Greene County according to their website.
John Adkins, the director of emergency services in Nelson County, said the Board of Supervisors will reconsider the ban there on December 12.
Sanders reorganizes administration to promote social equity
Soon after Sam Sanders took over as Charlottesville’s City Manager in August, he announced he would create a work plan for his work activities that would mirror City Council’s strategic plan.
Sanders gave a verbal update to Council in October, but has now published a written update for the first three months of the fiscal year. (view the presentation)
There are ten strategy areas and Sanders has prioritized affordable housing, public safety, and organizational excellence at the top. That’s followed by transportation, climate action, and the commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The third cluster of priorities are partnerships, education, economic prosperity, and recreation, arts, and culture.
The update notes that the title of the Deputy City Manager for Racial, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion will be renamed Deputy City Manager for Social Equity. The Office of Equity and Inclusion will now be known as the Office of Social Equity.
Interviews are underway for the new position of Deputy City Manager for Administration and the Deputy City Manager for Operations position is being advertised. Currently Steven Hicks is serving in that position on an interim basis.
There will be a new Office of Sustainability with Director Kristel Riddervold reporting to Deputy City Manager Ashley Marshall.
“This change provides a designation of priority for climate action and elevates its focus to work across the entire city organization as an extension of the city manager,” Sanders writes in his December 4 report to City Council.
Other items under Marshall’s portfolio include the departments of Human Services, Social Services, Parks and Recreation, the Office of Human Rights, and the Police Civilian Oversight Board.
There will also be a new Office of Emergency Management that will report to City Manager Sanders.
“This is to serve as an extension of the city manager who by state code has the obligation serve as the Director of Emergency Management,” the report continues.
In other information from the report:
Albemarle County has recently been awarded $460,459 through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice Government-to-Government program. The City of Charlottesville is a partner on the grant and the funds will be used to support the Resilient Together program.
Cultivate Charlottesville and the City of Charlottesville have been awarded $180,000 Partners for Places grant for “a collaborative partnership that will increase sustainable urban agriculture space on public land in a way that enhances climate protections and prioritizes grassroots community leadership.” The funding is being matched by the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation and the Hartfield Foundation.
Charlottesville received a total of $3,894,552 in requests for funding through the Housing Operations Program Support (HOP) and the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund. Around $1.4 million in funds were advertised as being available.
Charlottesville on track for $21 million surplus for FY23
The financial practices of Charlottesville’s government are in good order for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, according to a state mandated review. City Council got a briefing on Monday night.
“The Code of Virginia requires that localities have their accounts and records audited annually as of June 30 by an independent certified accountant in accordance with the specifications specified by the Auditor of Public Accounts,” said Chris Cullinan, the city’s finance director.
Michael Lupton is a CPA with Robinson, Farmer, Cox and Associates and he’s been working with the city’s numbers for three years.
“I am pleased to report the following,” Lupton said. “One, no significant deficiencies or difficulties in dealing with management. Two, no disagreements with management on financial accounting, reporting, or auditing matter. Three and to our knowledge there have been no second opinions that were seeked by management. And finally, there are no other audit findings or issues to report at this time.”
The next step will be an appropriation of the year-end surplus, some of which will be set aside to attain policies required to keep the city’s AAA bond rating. There’s still a sizeable amount left over.
“FY23 did end with positive results totaling $21.7 million beyond what’s restricted and beyond our fund balance policy,” Cullinan said.
The number for FY23 is much higher than had been forecast during the fiscal year. The amount projected in January was $5 million. In April, the amount was estimated at $10.4 million.
“Revenues continued to perform above and beyond expectations despite record high interest rates, despite inflation,” Cullinan said. “Real estate taxes, the economically sensitive taxes which is sales, meals, those sorts of things continued to perform not only above budget but above the trend line.”
Charlottesville City Council also voted in April 2022 to increase the real property tax rate to $0.96 per $100 of assessed value, an increase of a penny.
Cullinan said the city’s projected surplus is also higher due to a number of vacancies. City Manager Sam Sanders said there are still 113 vacancies, including eight open positions in the police department.
Cullinan will return with more details in January. He and Sanders will also return to Council with a list of unused funds from the American Rescue Plan Act and other COVID-relief funds.
The surplus for FY22 was $22,917,915.01.
Sponsored message: Buy Local
From Crozet to Barracks Road, the Downtown Mall to the Shops at Stonefield, and everywhere in between, Albemarle County and Charlottesville’s Offices of Economic Development encourage you to Buy Local this holiday season.
Buying locally supports our neighbors and community members and makes a big impact for our local economy. Local businesses are more likely to reinvest in our community and their goods and services contribute to the unique character of our community.
Learn more about how you can support local business at ShowLocalLove.org and on socials:
Louisa County Animal Shelter at full capacity, urging neighborhood action on missing animals
Staff at the Louisa County Animal Shelter are telling people who find missing pets in that locality do what they can to help locate owners because the facility is full.
“In the past, it was standard practice for lost pets to be brought into the Shelter,” reads a press release sent out this morning. “However, it is now known animals have a much better chance of getting back home if some actions are taken in the neighborhoods where they’re found, before they are brought to a shelter.”
The release claims that nationally, 17 percent of pets who enter a shelter find their way home.
“But when a pet is kept in a safe place in the neighborhood where they were found, that rate jumps to 70 percent,” the release continues.
Anyone in Louisa County who finds a lost pet should fill out an online form to report the missing animal. And anyone who is missing a pet is asked to review a list of strays on the shelter’s website
Additionally, shelter officials are asking people to rehome their own pets rather than bring them to the facility. They offer these resources:
All adoptions are currently free and the shelter is open at 18 Sacred Heart Avenue in Mineral Tuesday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Nelson Supervisors support staffing request from incoming and outgoing Sheriffs
The Nelson County Board of Supervisors held a special meeting on Monday, December 4 to adopt a resolution to allow the Nelson Heritage Center to proceed with refinancing related to the relocation of the county’s Health Department.
The five-member body also dealt with staffing issues related to an interregnum of sorts in the Sheriff’s Department, an office run by a leader elected by the people of Nelson County.
Outgoing Sheriff David Hill submitted a letter requesting the ability to allow up to 20 of his full-time deputies to cash out their unpaid leave time in order to keep them on the job through December 31.
“This would be for these employees that continue to provide service without taking their leave before January 1, 2024 so that the department may maintain a professional service for the remainder of calendar year 2023,” said County Administrator Candy McGarry.
McGarry said there is funding available due to vacant positions. She said Virginia State Police might be able to help cover the county in the short-term. McGarry recommended that if Supervisors agreed to proceed with Hill’s request, they should authorize that payments be made in January and verify the deputies continued to serve.
Sheriff Hill said it’s a matter of public safety.
“In order for us to maintain professional law enforcement services through the remainder of December, a lot of these individual, over 50 percent of our staff, have jobs lined up and have turned in their letters or resignation since November 7,” Hill said.
November 7 is when Hill was defeated by incoming Sheriff Mark Embry. Embrey received 3,387 votes to Hill’s 2,997 votes.
Outgoing Supervisor Robert Barton wanted Hill to explain more about what he said was a conflict between the Sheriff’s office and the Commonwealth’s Attorney.
“Over the years there have been things that have been difficult,” Hill said. “I will state this: Sadly in this world we fight among our own too damned much. And normally it comes down to a few things. What I’ve learned from my experience is that it’s power.”
Barton wanted to press more, but other Supervisors told him that that wasn’t germane to this meeting. Barton disagreed.
“These officers who are here maybe chose to leave the employ of Nelson County and they are requesting a certain amount of money and that money comes from the people of Nelson County,” Barton said. “I would like to know why, before I vote on whether I’m going to extend them that money, why they left. I think that is totally relevant.”
Supervisor Chair Jesse Rutherford said Barton could feel free to talk to any deputies that left to ask them.
Barton called for cooperation between the outgoing and incoming Sheriffs.
“To be perfectly honest I don’t give a damn which one of you is Sheriff as long as you serve the people of Nelson County but I am concerned that people who work here feel upset about something and because of that they’re leaving,” Barton said.
Hill said deputies depart after every election cycle for a variety of reasons including higher salaries elsewhere. He said his request would help keep enough people on the job through December 31.
“These individuals have jobs where they could go today,” Hill said. “They can just walk out, turn their stuff in, and go work somewhere else. They have that lined up.”
West District Supervisor J. David Parr said he’s generally very supportive of law enforcement.
“But I’m going to say right now I don’t appreciate this situation and this board being put in this position of a Monday morning quarterback in this situation,” Parr said.
Parr said he did not support Hill’s full request but did want staff to find a way to be fair. He noted not all deputies are leaving.
“I think it sets a bad precedent if we start paying out leave for people who aren’t leaving,” Parr said.
Central District Supervisor Ernie Reid supported Hill’s request provided the calculations are capped to provide no more than two years’ worth of paid leave.
Supervisors agreed unanimously to grant a modified version of the request with some modifications.
After a brief recess, incoming Sheriff Mark Embry’s asked for authorization to use existing funding.
“Sheriff-elect Embry submitted a letter requesting authorization to use existing local salary supplements within the current Sheriff’s Department budget as of January 1, 2024,” McGarry said. “This would be in order to reallocate those funds to secure staffing for existing positions.”
Embry said his request was to ensure funding is in place for the new deputies he has lined up to begin service soon after he is sworn in.
“And I do want to wish all of the outgoing deputies the best luck in their endeavors,” Embry said.
Embry said he is introducing a rank structure to the department but is not asking for more than the 27 positions currently authorized.
Supervisors granted Embry’s request.
“I don’t want us to micromanage you,” Barton said. “You won this job and we need to support you in that.”
The Nelson Board of Supervisor next meets on December 12.
Reading material:
Learn about proposed hub connecting Charlottesville, Albemarle County trails, CBS19, December 5, 2023
City Council hears resident opinions on zoning updates, Garrett Whitton, CBS19, December 5, 2023
City Council defers votes on 2117 Ivy and VERVE large housing projects, WINA, December 5, 2023
Ever expanding: UVA real estate foundation pays $3M for property near key intersection, Sean Tubbs, C-Ville Weekly, December 6, 2023
The epilogue of #611
Today is a more normal edition but is anything really normal in a world where everything seems to change so rapidly? I am grateful to have taken a break from the Development Code, but rest assured I’ll be back at that tomorrow. There are also stories on Charlottesville’s capital improvement program and Albemarle affordable housing incentives I hope to get to, as well as all manner of items.
I do this work out of a deep conviction that members of the public who vote should know what happens after the ballots are counted. So what if I got an F in high school government back in the winter semester of 1990! That was principled, too!
I’m really grateful to the growing number of people who have opted to support my quest to write as much as I can. Most people have a Substack subscription, but others have a Patreon payment. Some have both! Either way, the funding goes to Town Crier Productions, an entity I created to try to keep this quest going.
I’m grateful to the Internet company Ting for their unique sponsorship where they will match the initial payment of those who go the Substack route. Ting supports a lot of great things in this community, and I am grateful this work is among that number.
If you sign up for Ting at this link and enter the promo code COMMUNITY, you’ll get:
Free installation
A second month for free
A $75 gift card to the Downtown Mall
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