February 21, 2025: UVA Board of Visitors adopts resolution on future of gender-affirming care by UVA Health
Plus: Charlottesville City Council gets a briefing on the financial future
Today, February 21, 2025, is the 100th anniversary of the first publication of the New Yorker, a periodical that is perhaps best known for its comical cartoons, capturing caricatures with curious captions. Could such artwork benefit the stories written for Charlottesville Community Engagement? Or what about a puzzle? Recipes? Social pages? What keeps people coming back? I’m Sean Tubbs, and until I launch the focus groups, I’ll just keep reporting.
In today’s installment:
The University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors has the first of two emergency meetings to discuss the future of gender-affirming care at the UVA Health System
Charlottesville City Council gets a briefing on the the latest financial numbers in this uncertain time for the American economy
The Buildings and Grounds Committee of the University of Virginia Board of Visitors endorses the design for new student residences planned for the intersection of Ivy Road and Copeley Road
First shout-out: Camp Albemarle
Today’s first subscriber-supported public service announcement goes out to Camp Albemarle, which has for over sixty years been a “wholesome rural, rustic and restful site for youth activities, church groups, civic events and occasional private programs.”
Located on 14 acres on the banks of the Moorman’s River near Free Union, Camp Albemarle continues as a legacy of being a Civilian Conservation Corps project that sought to promote the importance of rural activities. Are you looking to escape and reconnect with nature? Consider holding an event where the natural beauty of the grounds will provide a venue to suit your needs. Visit their website to view the gallery and learn more!
Corrections for the week
All joking aside, I do take this newsletter seriously and when errors occur, they must be corrected. Two corrections before we proceed.
I misspelled Zyahna Bryant’s name incorrectly in the story about her candidacy for Charlottesville School Board and I regret the error. (read the story)
In the story this week about proposed East High Street / Meade Avenue changes, I incorrectly described one of the options. In Option 2, the left hand turn movement from East High to Stewart would be eliminated and not the other way. (read the story)
UVA to continue gender-affirming care for existing patients, refer new ones to private clinics
The governing body of the University of Virginia met this morning in an emergency session to provide direction on compliance with a federal executive order to end certain medical procedure an order that has been backed by Virginia’s Attorney General.
Kate Andrews with Virginia Business reports that the Board of Visitors voted today on a resolution to allow what’s defined as “gender-affirming” treatment to existing patients under the age of 19. However, the resolution also states that the policy will be to refer new patients to private providers.
Andrews reports that former Congressman L.F. Payne was the lone vote against the resolution and Dominion Energy President Bob Blue were absent from the meeting. Read the article here. For more background that I’ve written, take a look at this February 15 story on Information Charlottesville.
The resolution provides a history of recent events such as the January 28, 2025 Executive Order banning federal funding for gender affirming care as well as January 30 memo from Attorney General Jason Miyares ordering state agencies to comply.
“The leadership of the University of Virginia immediately suspended such care without consultation with the Board of Visitors,” reads the resolution.
A federal judge issued a stay while a legal challenge to presidential authority goes through the judicial process. The resolution points out that the Board of Visitors was not consulted but has sole authority to determine how to proceed.
“There remains significant legal uncertainty and institutional risk regarding the ability for recipients of federal funding to continue provision of the care described in such Presidential Executive Order,” the resolution continues. “The University receives significant federal funding each year and a loss of such federal funding would jeopardize the financial viability of the University.”
The resolution states that existing patients can continue to receive care for now, but should be encouraged to seek “alternative private providers” not subject to federal authority. New patients should not be accepted. The Health System Board should convene a task force to review provision of the service.
“The Board of Visitors shall directly advise on compliance with any Presidential Executive Orders in consultation with its legal counsel, including any further decisions related to the aforementioned Presidential Executive Orders,” the resolution continues.
The Board of Visitors will meet again on February 25 at 1 p.m. to continue the discussion in another closed session. As with today’s discussion, this meeting will not be live-streamed in any capacity.
Revenue collection in Charlottesville for FY25 remains above projection but under expectations
On Tuesday, Charlottesville City Council got an update on the city’s finances through December 31, 2024. That day was the end of the second quarter of the fiscal year and that gives half a year of data to assess how closely revenue and expenditures are going according to budget.
Budget Director Krisy Hammill said revenue growth is not as strong as it has been in recent years.
“This revenue report is showing a slight revenue surplus of just over $2.4 million, or 1.13 percent of the budget,” Hammill said. “Last year in comparison to this time, we were talking to you about a revenue surplus of 9.4 million DOL dollars, or just a little over 4 percent.”
Through December 31, the city brought in $2.2 million more than expected in the real estate tax and nearly $1.18 million from the personal property tax. The other two taxes with rates under Council’s control have brought in less than expected.
“We have not seen this for quite a while,” Hammill said. “Both the lodging and meals tax, despite tax [rate] increases in 2025, are both trending down. In addition, our sales tax is weakening, or, excuse me, is below our budget projection. And then there's a slight decrease to the cigarette tax as well.”
Council also got a briefing from Kevin Roddy of the firm PFM Financial Advisors. He said this is a very uncertain time.
“When we look at the overall themes out there, it's just a really difficult time to where the economy is going to go with the new policies, the changes to trade regulation, fiscal spending,” Rotty said. “It's just, it's really hard to, you know, project the direction and the various variables and how they're going to react to each other.”
Rotty cited the February 2025 economic forecast from the Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia which projects slower growth in the gross domestic product (GDP). A definition on Wikipedia defines GDP as “a monetary measure of the market value[1] of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country[2] or countries.”
“It's going to increase, but it's going to be at a slower rate than it has been recently,” Rotty said. “Job growth is going to decelerate, meaning that there is going to be job growth again slower than what it has been. Certainly the potential for the reduction in the federal workforce, they echo in there.”
Rotty said two of the biggest threats to the economy are a total federal government shutdown as well as a potential default by the United States Treasury in paying its debt payments.
“That's never happened,” Rotty said. “We keep our fingers crossed that that's not going to happen and that Congress will come to some sort of resolution. But again, these are uncertain times. It's going to be a political battle and so hopefully we don't get to that point.”
Here are some other items that Rotty and other financial advisors are looking at:
Local governments may lose a federal tax exemption on municipal bonds, which would raise the cost of borrowing. The exemption runs out at the end of the year unless Congress extends it. Rotty said interest rates in the last bond sale were 3.15 percent, but without the exemption it would be closer to 5 percent.
Pending tariffs on steel could potentially increase capital costs as they would likely increase the cost of construction.
Interest rates continue to increase and that may affect the city’s bond sale pending for later this year.
Rotty urged Council to be careful.
“Just continue to carefully monitor your budget,” Rotty said. “Be cautious. I know we had a large surplus. Budgets are done so far in advance. It's difficult to plan there. But all expectations are that it's going to be a much more slow growth than we've seen in the past.”
Charlottesville City Manager said the presentation was intended to make sure Council knows that the changes at the federal level will reverberate into the local one.
“We have serious work ahead as the world changes,” Sanders said. “And that's what's happening.”
Sanders will present his recommended budget on March 4.
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!
UVA panel endorses design for new student housing
A subcommittee of the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors held a special meeting this week to review the schematic design for a $160 million project to build 780 bedrooms in a new building on Ivy Road.
“It is part of the strategic plan to house all of our second year students on grounds along with our first years,” said Colette Sheehy, the Senior Vice President for Operations and State Government Relations.
Sheehy said UVA has just completed the housing assignment process for the next academic year and there is an overwhelming demand for on-Grounds housing.
Lucia Gambacini and Nina Broderick reported on February 12, 2025 in the Cavalier Daily that even with the recent opening of two new residence halls this academic year, UVA still doesn’t have enough spaces for everyone who wants one.
“From the fall of 21 to the fall of 25, applications for on-Grounds upper-class housing have increased by 81 percent in this particular year for, for the upcoming academic year,” Sheehy said. “The demand really outstripped our ability to have enough capacity, enough inventory to address all of those students who expressed a desire to live on-Grounds.”
Sheehy said living on-Grounds is a less expensive option for students and though there is no mandate for second-years to live on campus, internal marketing appears to be working.
The University issued a request for qualifications in April 2024 for firms who might be interested in helping build up to 2,000 new beds at two sites. One would be on land on Emmet Street at the site of the now-demolished University Gardens apartment complex and the other would be at the western end of UVA’s new Emmet-Ivy precinct. (read the story)
The Buildings and Grounds Committee last saw the proposal in December and the special meeting was held to get approval so ground can be broken in the second week of March.
University of Virginia Architect Alice Raucher said the new residence halls will be at the western end of a pedestrian promenade that will lead from Emmet Street. She said the two buildings will fit into the built environment that will emerge after construction of many components.
“The buildings, I think, are appropriately scaled to consider the surrounding context,” Raucher said. “The buildings to the north, which are along the tracks and west along Copley Road are six stories, which is approximately the same height as the adjacent Virginia Guest House. While the building along Ivy Road is five stories, which is approximately the same height as the Karsh Institute of Democracy, the height of the building along Ivy Road, I think, is also sensitive to the scale of the adjacent residential neighborhood, as well as to the city's entrance corridor guidelines.”
Of course, the project will not be reviewed by the city in any fashion as the underlying land is an entity of the Commonwealth of Virginia and not subject to local land use ordinances.
The image shows storefronts on the ground floor on the building for services but Raucher said these are placeholders for now. Red brick will be used to match the style at the Karsh Institute of Democracy next door.
Right across Copeley Road is 2117 Ivy Road, a private ten-story student apartment building allowed under a rezoning by City Council in December 2023 under the older zoning rules. The city has approved a street and sidewalk closure for construction of that project that will last from February 10, 2025 to May 10, 2027. The cost to do so is $40,950 for the street and $8,190 for the sidewalk.
Raucher said that UVA has control over Copeley Road and will be working with the Virginia Department of Transportation to improve and widen the streetscape.
The faculty representative to the Board of Visitors pointed out that this location is a major transportation corridor for people seeking to get to the University.
“This is a major running route for runners and walkers that are going around Grounds,” said Michael Kennedy. “This is the major way that the Emmett Ivy Garage parkers go to baseball, go to basketball. So adding in the students walking along with the crowds is surely going to push people onto the street at times where you really don't want people on the street.”
Kennedy also said the intersection of Emmet, Ivy, and University Avenue may become overloaded with the new pedestrian traffic. He acknowledged there is discussion of a potential bridge, but pointed out there’s no funding for that at this time.
“I think that's something for either this board or a future board to study along with the administration,” Kennedy said. “Because it's, you know, I drive in that way every single day and it's bad now and adding this will make it worse.”
The committee approved the schematic design and no further approval is necessary.
Reading material for #817
Homeowners shocked by high real estate assessments, Heather Michon, Fluvanna Review, February 19, 2025
Virginia GOP feud with conservative wing spills into critical election year, Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury, February 19, 2025
FOIA reform bill stalls in Virginia House, keeping high public records fees intact, Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury, February 21, 2025
You see, the thing about #817 is…
It would be interesting to imagine this newsletter evolving into something like a newspaper. There’s certainly enough to cover and always has been. The more I do this, the more I’m pushing back on all of the editors in my past who thought the public wasn’t interested in the details of how things worked.
That’s a lot of people. About five years ago, I remember a conversation with a local internet personality who told me video was the future. This person said people wanted opinions, strong opinions, and that everything else was a waste of time.
Sometimes I do think I’ve wasted my time, but then I look at my finances and see that somehow I’ve gotten to this point. If I continue to work hard and get more organized, I can build this up.
But do I want to? What if all those editors were right, and what I’m doing is as obsolete as an other human activity that’s been made redundant by technology? Of course, there’s no answer because I’m stubborn and it’s likely I’ll keep doing this for quite a while.
In fact, as soon as I hit send, I have to get the radio version ready for tomorrow. I volunteer to post a version for WTJU, and this version will go out as a podcast on this feed tomorrow. I do this work because somehow I don’t know what else to do. There’s so much I want to write but will save it for my memoir.
But for now, I have to get the radio version done. I’m short this week, and I want to get to my regular Friday afternoon activity. Thank you to the first Pixies album for giving me the power to write this blurb.
If you want to pay. If you don’t want to pay, don’t. If you don’t want to read it, then you likely didn’t get to this line
This edition originally incorrectly reported that L.F. Payne was absent from today's emergency meeting of the Board of Visitors. In fact, he was the lone vote against the resolution. I regret the error, but thank Virginia Business for having the story.