February 25, 2026: No tax rate increases in Albemarle’s FY27 budget as the county plans to use reserves to maintain public safety spending
Plus: A familiar face will return to the Greene Board of Supervisors
Today’s edition is sponsored by the Ragged Mountain Running and Walking Shop
For well over a hundred years, members of the United States Senate were appointed by state legislatures, a process that would not change until adoption of the 17th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. On February 25, 1870, Hiram Rhodes Revels was sworn in as one of Mississippi’s Senators, becoming the first Black member of the United States Congress. The seat had been vacant after Mississippi left the Union to join the Confederacy. Revels served only until the end of 1871 and went on to become the first president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College. That’s how this edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement begins.
In this edition:
Albemarle County Executive Jeffrey Richardson is recommending a budget based on no new tax rate increases but one that draws from reserve funds
The Greene Board of Supervisors appoint a former member to fill a vacancy
Charlottesville’s Office of Economic Development releases a report with highlights from 2025
There are less than two and a half weeks to go until the General Assembly adjourns and the TJPDC’s legislative liaison has a brief update
Charlottesville High School Theater presents West Side Story this week through Saturday
First shout-out: Run Fest at Panorama Farms on April 18
On Saturday, April 18, runners and spectators alike are invited to Run Fest, a one-of-a-kind running festival combining trail racing, team relays, local coffee and beer, live music, and community celebration. The events unfold across Panorama Farms’ rolling trails in Earlysville, a nationally recognized cross-country venue rarely open to the public.
Run Fest offers several ways to participate, including a scenic 4-mile trail race, a 4×1-mile relay, and the 1-mile “Fun One,” a low-pressure option open to kids, dogs, and anyone looking to move at their own pace. After the races, the finish line becomes a gathering spot with live music, food trucks, and brews from Random Row Brewing Co.
Registered Run Fest participants can also join in on Panorama Preview Days - relaxed mornings at Panorama Farms on February 28 and March 21 (8–noon), designed to help runners explore the course and get familiar with the trails at their own pace.
Proceeds from the Run Fest Biergarten benefit the UVA Innovation Hub, supporting computationally rich, project-based learning for students and teachers at Charlottesville Middle School.
Find details at runfestva.org.
No tax rate increases included in proposed $724M Albemarle budget for FY2027
Albemarle County Executive Jeffrey Richardson’s proposed total budget of $724,021,078 in FY27 will utilize reserves in order to maintain government services while avoiding an increase in tax rates.
“This budget is balanced on a real estate tax rate of 89.4 cents per $100 of assessed value,” Richardson said at a briefing Wednesday afternoon. “There are no recommended changes to the tax rates from what we adopted in the FY26 budget.”
Supervisors agreed last year with Richardson’s recommendation to raise the real property tax rate by four cents to fund additional firefighters as well as create a dedicated funding source for affordable housing. This year’s draft budget anticipates using reserve funds to avoid another increase.
Albemarle brought in $307,736,723 in property taxes in FY25 and is anticipated to bring in $323,769,578 in FY26. That includes both real property as well as personal property. For FY27, Albemarle is projecting a collection of nearly $352 million, or 48 percent of the total budget.
County government operations will go from $191 million in FY26 to over $207 million in FY27. Much of that increase is related to public safety with expenditures of $76 million in FY26 climbing to $87.6 million in FY27.
However, that is not enough to maintain higher levels of public service.
To fill revenue gaps, the budget outlines several uses of contingency funds, such as the use of $2.971 million from a stabilization reserve.
“This reserve may be used from time to time as necessary to meet unanticipated one-time emergencies and unanticipated expenditures required to pay costs necessary to maintain the quality or level of current services or to smooth/offset revenue fluctuations occurring within a fiscal year,” reads a portion of the Board’s Financial Management Policies.
The budget anticipates tapping into this reserve again in FY28.
The county will also use $4.9 million from its fund balance compared to a projected $1.57 million in FY26. No money from the fund balance was used in FY2025.
“The County maintains a fund balance for cash liquidity purposes that will provide sufficient cash flow to minimize the possibility of short-term tax anticipation borrowing,” reads page 100 of the recommended budget.
The county anticipates there will be money left over at the end of the current fiscal year. Richardson proposes a transfer of $4.15 million to an Economic Development Fund and $3.7 million to the Affordable Housing Investment Fund.
The recommended budget includes for the first time direct funding for an Office of Emergency Management with $440,727.
“The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is being created in FY 27 as a dedicated office within the Public Safety Function of Albemarle County,” reads page 152 of the recommended budget. “OEM is responsible for the strategic planning, coordination, and execution of emergency management activities across all phases of emergency management.”
Expenditures for the police department will jump 8.3 percent to nearly $35.87 million and includes the hiring of three new police officers in January 2027.
“Over the past three years, we had a 19 percent increase in calls for service in the Albemarle County Police Department,” Richardson said. “In 2025, calls for service were 92,727 calls. You can take that and divide it by 3, 365 to get a flavor for what the per day average is on call volume in the police department.
Expenditures for fire and rescue will climb 11.2 percent to $36.84 million. The former and the latter reflects a continued tapering of Federal Emergency Management Agency grants used to pay for more professional personnel. Richardson said the county is going to pursue a fifth grant to hire even more firefighters, a cost that will eventually be picked up by Albemarle taxpayers.
The budget also includes increased obligations for nonprofits that provide contractual services. Albemarle’s payment to the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail climbs 24.1 percent to $5.95 million and 58.6 percent for the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA.
The county will also contribute 21 percent more to Charlottesville Area Transit for a total of $3.24 million. For comparison, Albemarle contributed $1.86 million in FY25.
“This increase will provide for the County’s share of the operational costs for transit services and routes provided by CAT in Albemarle County,” reads page 200 of the budget. “The majority of the increase is to provide for the addition of drivers in FY27.”
There is an eight percent increase in funding for the Jefferson Madison Regional Library.
The capital improvement plan for FY27 is recommended at $95,395,301 with $54.4 million slated for spending in the “community development” category. The bulk of that, or $40.8 million, is slated for the extension of Boulders Road at Rivanna Futures. At least half of that amount comes from the Commonwealth of Virginia. Albemarle will need to incur $8.8 million in debt for its share of the project.
There is another $13.6 million slated to build Eastern Avenue in Crozet programmed in FY27.
The total five-year CIP plan totals $361,742,473. In December, members of the School Board had requested funding construction for a fourth high school but that is not included in the draft document. There is an $8 million placeholder programmed in FY31.
“This placeholder is to provide flexibility in the out years of this CIP to address high-priority projects determined by the School Board and approved by the Board of Supervisors,” reads page 248 of the budget.
The CIP does not include any funding that might come through a one-cent sales tax for school construction. Legislation is making its way through the General Assembly to allow for a referendum to ask voters if they would support levying such a tax.
There is $500,000 in the five-year plan for a contribution to the Salvation Army for a shelter as well as $250,000 for the Dogwood Memorial.
Other tidbits:
Revenue from the Commonwealth of Virginia is anticipated to grow from $115.2 million in FY26 to $150.6 million in FY27.
School operations make up 45 percent of the recommended $724,021,078 in spending for FY27.
Albemarle County’s payment to the City of Charlottesville for the revenue-sharing agreement will increase from $20,175,533 in FY26 to nearly $21.9 million in FY27. Details on how this is calculated are on page 207.
Richardson said the future looks brighter as economic development deals such as the landing of two AstraZeneca facilities will help increase the proportion of the budget that comes from commercial activity.
“We know that we’re positioning ourselves hopefully for future economic growth over the next five to seven years,” Richardson said. “ And Board Jacob and his team have modeled that in the next five years.
Richardson said if the AstraZeneca announcement had not happened, he would have recommended a two cent increase on the property tax rate.
“I could not have in good faith recommended that we pull from the budget stabilization fund,” Richardson said.
A public hearing on the budget will be held on March 4, 2026 followed by the first work session on March 9. Consult the full calendar here.
The Albemarle School Board will have a public hearing on their budget request on Thursday evening beginning at 6 p.m.
Greene Supervisors appoint former member to fill vacancy
Marie Durrer completed two four-year terms on the Greene Board of Supervisors representing the Midway District and will now spend at least another eight months representing the whole county as an at-large member.
The four remaining Supervisors voted to appoint Durrer to a vacant position created when Francis McGuigan quit the job earlier this year. McGuigan is pursuing legal action to get job back after failing to rescind his resignation.
Supervisors chose to advertise for a replacement who will serve until a special election can be held in November. Ten people applied.
“It was our goal as a board to conduct a consistent, fair and transparent process for all the applicants,” said Chair Steve Catalano reading from a statement written by his three remaining colleagues. “We were very impressed with each person that participated.”
Catalano said the decision to appoint Durrer was difficult but her experience with previous budgets gave her an advantage.
2026 General Assembly update from the TJPDC’s legislative liaison
The end is within sight for the latest session of Virginia’s bicameral legislature and the deputy director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission has an update on where things stand two and a half weeks before a scheduled adjournment.
One of the required tasks for the House of Delegates and the Senate is to agree on a budget for FY27 and FY28 to present to Governor Abigail Spanberger.
“The respective plans will be approved by the full House and Senate on Thursday, then a conference committee of budget writers will be named to hammer out a compromise over the final weeks of the session,” writes David Blount in an update sent out on the evening of February 24.
Blount has provided a link to the House version and a link to the Senate version for anyone who wants to go through the details.
The Senate version contains a provision to move up the expiration date for an exemption data centers can receive for sales and use tax for computers and equipment. The sunset had been scheduled for 2035 but the Senate version would see that move up to January 1, 2027. That will would an additional $317.1 million in FY27 and $778.2 million in FY28 according to a presentation made in a February 22 committee meeting.
A Senate bill to allow localities to hold a referendum on a one-cent sales tax failed to make it out of committee before Crossover, but HB334 is awaiting action in the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.
There are also a pair of bills from each chamber that would require localities to create areas where multifamily development is allowed by-right. SB454 passed the Senate and awaits a vote in the House Counties, Cities, and Towns Committee. HB816 would passed the House and awaits a vote in the Senate Local Government committee.
For more information, sign up for the TJPDC’s legislative updates. You can also take a look a the website.
Some pieces of legislation came up at the February 24 meeting of the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority.
SB386 would place restrictions on the application of sewage sludge including allowing localities to require testing of materials made as a by-product of wastewater treatment plants.
The bill passed the Senate on a 27 to 13 vote on February 17 and an amended version passed out of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee today.
“We didn’t have a strong stake in this issue,” said RWSA Executive Director Bill Mawyer. “However, if this bill would go into effect and it would cause other wastewater treatment plants to not be able to be allowed to land-apply, then everyone wants to go to… landfills, then it could cause an issue for all of us.”
More from the RWSA meeting in future editions of the newsletter.
Second shout-out: Charlottesville Scholarship Program
Today’s second subscriber-supported shout-out goes to the Charlottesville Scholarship Program. Started in 2001 by an initial investment by Charlottesville City Council, the Charlottesville Scholarship Program has grown their endowment to over $1.3 million, and has awarded 201 scholarships totaling more than $1.1 million.
The goal of the program has remained constant: to assist low- and moderate-income City residents and City employees who wish to improve their lives through post-secondary education. Many of these students are the first in their family to attend college.
Income-eligible Charlottesville Public School System high school seniors, City residents who are Charlottesville Public School System graduates or GED recipients, and City municipal and City School System employees, no matter where they reside, are all eligible for CSP scholarships. In a typical year, CSP awards eleven new, renewable scholarships. Ten of these are designated for eligible high school seniors, and the 11th scholarship is designated for an eligible adult applicant.
To learn more about the program, sign up for their newsletter, or make a donation, visit their website.
Charlottesville’s Office of Economic Development releases annual report
An annual report from Charlottesville’s Office of Economic Development sounds a positive tone while celebrating a historic milestone that happens later this year.
“Just as the Declaration of Independence in 1776 marked the beginning of the American experiment with democracy, the City’s bold decision in the mid-1970’s to create a pedestrian-only mall reflected a forward-thinking investment in public life and community,” reads the introductory paragraph from economic development director Chris Engel.
The Office of Economic Development has five full-time employees and a budget of $805,521 in the FY2026 budget.
“The goal of OED is to enhance Charlottesville’s economy, create quality jobs, increase per capita income, and improve the standard of living and quality of life for residents,” according to a summary in the budget. “Economic Development staff promotes Charlottesville as a premier location for business and regularly works with entrepreneurs and existing businesses seeking to grow here.”
The Downtown Mall turns 50 this year and the report claims that visitation was up four percent in 2025 with around 2.8 million visitors.
The report also notes that commercial investment totaled $68.6 million in Charlottesville in 2025 with 181 permits issued.
In 2025, the Office of Economic Development ran a program called Go Start-Up that trained thirteen entrepreneurs in two groups how to turn their ideas into an actual business.
“The cohorts reflected a diverse mix of business ideas and industries, including food services, logistics, bookkeeping, therapeutic counseling, and handyman services, showcasing the breadth of entrepreneurial activity emerging in the community,” reads page 9 of the report.
The report also notes that Brenda Kelley has joined the office after the closure last year of the Office of Community Solutions. In addition to managing leases of city-owned space, Kelley is also overseeing the Mall’s 50th anniversary.
The report can be viewed here.
West Side Story presented by CHS Theater Department this week
West Side Story debuted on Broadway in 1957, telling the tale of young lovers from different backgrounds through music and dance. More than a hundred students at Charlottesville High School take on the musical this week with performances at the Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center.
“Our cast is pouring heart and soul into every dance move, every note, every piece of the set,” said CHS Theater Director David Becker. “Our students have collaborated beautifully with one another to create this production, and I am incredibly proud of their achievement.”
There are five performances Wednesday through Saturday beginning at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Tickets are $16.75 and can be purchased online.
Articles by other journalists you are encouraged to read next:
CARELab students seek new ways to address affordable housing, Jackson Shock, WVIR NBC29, February 22, 2026
Lynchburg denies redistricting resolution, calls for judicial clarity, Tynisha Jackson, WDBJ-7, February 23, 2026
Lynchburg scraps resolution to stop early voting on referendum in favor of ‘proactive’ plan to be discussed Tuesday, Emma Malinak, Cardinal News, February 24, 2026
Tenaska power plant expansion stalled in Fluvanna after permit denial, Jadyn Howard, CBS19 News, February 24, 2026
Piedmont Housing Alliance purchases MACAA site and prepares for construction, Sean Tubbs, C-Ville Weekly, February 25, 2026
City Council agrees to minor zoning code changes, while some want major reform, Sean Tubbs, C-Ville Weekly, February 25, 2026
#1006 is also MVI
I’m not a sales person.
But will anyone else write thorough coverage of Albemarle’s budget development process? Was there another reporter who went line-by-line to prepare a story, and to set up the next several months of work sessions?
I worked for an organization for eleven years that trained me to be able to do this work. Then the bosses switched and I was told no one cared about the work we’d been doing. I quit and hoped I’d one day find my way back to journalism.
And now I have, but there is a long way to go. I’m grateful for the 830 or so paid subscribers and for the growing number of people who have made a charitable contribution. Check that out here if you would like to do so and let me know if you have questions.
I’m sitting in my parent’s room at a retirement community. I’m a first generation American and chose this work because I didn’t understand the place they had brought me. I’ve spent over 30 years as a reporter and maybe I’ll pull another 30. I hope to inspire others to do the work, but I’m well aware there’s nothing fashionable about pouring through documents.
In any case, there’s so much to know. Do you know who Paul Robeson was? Let’s learn together in this video: