March 6, 2025: Albemarle Police provide more details on February 17 shooting in Crozet including a list of mental health resources
Plus: Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders provides details on proposed FY26 budget
Charlottesville Community Engagement mostly consists of stories ranging from the near-present to the just-about-to-happen. However, these introductory paragraphs often begin with small items from history. Three items from March 6 are worth noting. On this day in 1857, the Supreme Court of the United States rules 7 to 2 in the Dred Scott v. Sanford decision that found that Black people could not be American citizens. The decision overturned the Missouri Compromise, which was signed on this day by President James Monroe.
Benjamin Tonsler was born as an enslaved person in Earlysville in 1854, and would become a prominent educator in Charlottesville. His story is worth knowing and one place to start is cvillepedia. Benjamin Tonsler died on this day in 1917.
In today’s installment:
Albemarle County Police provide more information on a fatal shoot-out in Crozet in February
Albemarle Supervisor LaPisto-Kirtley provides an update on the car-free promenade pilot between Darden Towe Park Free Bridge and U.S. 250
Albemarle Supervisor Mallek expresses concern over proposed cuts at the Veterans Administration
Charlottesville City Council provides details on his recommended budget for FY2026
First shout-out: Dawn Porter to address Emily Couric Leadership Forum on April 10
On April 10, the Emily Couric Leadership Forum will award $250,000 in scholarships to area high school women in recognition of leadership excellence at its annual Luncheon at the Omni Resort in Charlottesville. They anticipate a sell out for this year’s luncheon.
This year’s speaker and recipient of the Forum’s Women’s Leadership Award is Dawn Porter, an award-winning documentary filmmaker known for her storytelling on social justice, history, and cultural icons. Her celebrated documentaries have aired on HBO, Netflix, CNN, and PBS. Many of her films elevate marginalized voices and illuminate U.S. history’s lesser-known stories.
If the event does sell out, there will be a wait-list and the event will be live-streamed!
To find out more, please visit the website at www.emilycouricleadershipforum.org
Albemarle County Police provide update on last month’s shooting in Crozet
Three people died last month in a shooting at the Harris Teeter in Crozet including the gunman. For more background, take a look at this story.
Today, the Albemarle County Police Department provided more details including a timeline of events for both the February 17 incident as well as authorities’ prior interactions with the shooter, Justin M. Barbour.
“Through the course of the investigation, detectives have determined that Barbour had no prior affiliation to either victim or the location where the shooting occurred,” reads an information release sent out at 3:55 p.m. “Investigators have also retraced Barbour's whereabouts immediately prior to the incident and determined that Barbour left his residence at The Vue apartment community at approximately 1:22 pm on February 17.”
According to the narrative, Barbour arrived at the Harris Teeter parking lot at 1:33:51 p.m. and fired his first shot 39 seconds later. Both victims were struck at 1:34:34 p.m.
An off-duty federal law-enforcement officer shot Barbour ten seconds later. The 911 call was made at 1:35:52 and police arrived at 1:41 p.m.
The release also states that Barbour’s family made a “mental health-related call” in December 2024 and the officer who responded told the family of the Emergency Custody Order requirements and process. A month later, the Human Services Alternative Response Team responded to another call at Barbour’s residence.
“During these interactions with law enforcement, Barbour presented a calm demeanor,” the release continues. “There was no indication or evidence of violence, threats, or self-harm reported to police, which are the standard threshold to obtain an ECO or Emergency Substantial Risk Order (ESRO).”
The release concludes with a series of resources which I publish verbatim:
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8 or chat at 988lifeline.org. Community members seeking support resources are encouraged to reach out to the following agencies that are offering guidance to support those in need:
Virginia Community Response Network - up to 5 free sessions (virtually or in-person) for those who may be experiencing stress as a result of this event by visiting vcrn.org/crozet
Region Ten Community Services Board at regionten.org or 434-972-1800
NAMI Blue Ridge at namiblueridgecharlottesville.org or 434-260-8127
The American Academy of Pediatrics - resources for how to talk to children about tragedies and traumatic events at https://bit.ly/3GpXZJj
"This was a senseless act of violence that has deeply impacted our community,” the release quotes Police Chief Sean Reeves. “In difficult moments like this, we must come together to support one another. I encourage anyone struggling in the aftermath of this tragedy to seek support and lean on the resources available."
Supervisor Mallek concerned about cuts to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
While the federal government is undergoing an unprecedented dismantling by the second Trump administration, business continues in the over 3,100 counties across the United States of America. Their interests are represented by a group called the National Association of Counties.
Albemarle Supervisor Ann Mallek recently attended the organization’s spring conference and reported to her colleagues at their March 5 meeting. Members of NACO’s veteran’s affairs committee learned from Congressional staffers about the current situation in Washington.
“There was great concern particularly at the Veterans Committee about the number of veterans who have been let go who are providing service, casework services and medical services, to other veterans,” Mallek said.
Also on March 5, the Associated Press reported that the Trump administration plans to let go of up to 80,000 personnel from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. in order to return the service back to 2019 staffing levels. The website military.com reported the number at 83,000 and reports that the cuts seek to overturn the 2022 PACT Act which expanded the service and provided benefits to millions of veterans exposed to toxic substances.
The full name of the PACT Act is “The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022.” It passed the House of Representatives on March 3, 2022 with a 256 to vote and initially passed the Senate on an 84 to 12 vote. However, 25 Republicans later flipped their vote in a procedural maneuver.
Military.com reported on August 1, 2022, that dozens of veterans who had been exposed to toxic chemicals as part of their service camped outside Congress. The next day, the Senate voted 86 to 11 to proceed.
Robinson had served as a combat medic in Kosovo and Iraq who had been exposed to burn pits, a once-common practice to dispose of waste. He died in 2020. Prior to signing of the PACT Act, the Department of Veteran Affairs routinely denied claims and required proof that illnesses derived from exposure.
More from the NACO conference in a future of the newsletter. Hopefully.
Supervisor LaPisto-Kirtley provides update on Free Bridge Lane pilot
Four months have passed since Albemarle County launched a one-year pilot of closing Free Bridge Lane to through traffic. The roadway runs along the Rivanna River between U.S. 250 and Darden-Towe Park and the Pantops Master Plan called for new recreation areas.
“I’m proud to announce that in November and December, because we have a counter, 2,302 people used the Free Bridge Lane,” said Rivanna District Supervisor Bea LaPisto-Kirtley. “From January to March 3, 6,405 people used Free Bridge Lane.”
During the pilot of what’s called the Free Bridge Promenade, Albemarle staff will continue to monitor its usage. So far there are no testimonials on the county’s webpage on this initiative.
Previous stories:
Albemarle Supervisors agree to test out a car-free Free Bridge Lane, March 3, 2023
Albemarle moving ahead with conversion of Free Bridge Lane to a pedestrian promenade, October 28, 2024
Second shout-out: “No Country for Funny Women: Stand Up and Beyond”
On Friday, March 7, Live Arts presents “No Country for Funny Women: Stand Up and Beyond”, an evening hosted by Mendy St. Ours and Denise Stewart. The event is a celebration of International Women’s Day.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. in the Gibson Theater. For more information and tickets, visit Live Arts!
Sanders presents City Council with FY26 budget based on no new taxes
After months of preparation and more than a handful of meetings, Charlottesville City Manager has released his recommended budget for FY2026 to City Council and the public.
The recommended budget totals $264,474,183 and is a 4.97 percent increase over the current year.
“That's $12.5 million in additional money,” Sander said.
The city manager has not recommended any changes to tax rates in part because of an average 8.18 percent increase in value for residential property. Commercial property went up 6.14 percent.
“The real estate assessment for Charlottesville reveals our average property value at $527,100, a figure that continues to increase rapidly,” Sanders said.
Sanders said that’s the second highest average of any city in Virginia despite Charlottesville being the 16th largest city in the Commonwealth.
Under Virginia law, localities have to tell property owners what the equalized real property tax rate would be. That is calculated by determining the rate to bring in the same amount of revenue as the current budget. That figure is not included in the recommended budget.
The budget includes a $4.9 million contribution to Charlottesville City School which Sanders said would assist with their first collective bargaining agreement. The city will also increase the amount paid to the school for capital improvements from $1.25 million to $1.4 million a year.
“This budget also ensures that the completion of Charlottesville Middle School and Walker Pre-K Center will happen in this five year [Capital Improvement Program],” Sanders said.
Sanders said the coming year will include further conversations about how the city funds city schools to shore up loose agreements.
The budget includes $12.7 million in spending on efforts to subsidize the cost of specific housing units.
This includes $1 million for Piedmont Housing Alliance and Woodard Properties’ redevelopment of 501 Cherry Avenue.
There’s $3 million to close out the city’s initial commitment to help Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority with redevelopment efforts.
There’s the first of three $5 million payments to CRHA to redevelop Westhaven.
Another $1.5 million goes to the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund where applications are reviewed by a committee for recommendation to Council.
There’s $1.3 million in debt service for the purchase of Carlton Mobile Home Park to allow Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville and Piedmont Housing Alliance to purchase it for redevelopment.
There’s $900,000 in an existing program to fund more housing choice vouchers.
There’s $202,000 in rental and tax relief programs.
“That 202,000 reflects the increase necessary to continue supporting households that would actually lose participation in the program just because the assessments went up,” Sanders said.
As promised in November, Sanders’ budget now recognizes the Blue Ridge Coalition for the Homeless as a fundamental agency and that means the $250,000 payment for that entity is non-competitive.
“This budget recommends the designation of a fundamental agency non competitive operating grant of $500,000 annually to support the operations of a low barrier homeless shelter, operator to be determined,” Sanders said. “Also included in this budget is up to $1 million over the five year CIP to replace lost for the Salvation Army should the Cherry Avenue thrift store be adapted to serve as this low barrier shelter.”
That decision is still pending. Other capital items not related to housing.
There is a total of $5.4 million for sidewalks based on transportation planning manager Ben Chambers’ three-tier system that was presented to Council at their meeting on February 18.
There is an additional $600,000 in capital funds to allow for the competition of upgrades to Stribling Avenue in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood to allow for a sidewalk to be completed by the fall of 2027.
There is $250,000 for a parking
There’s an additional $250,000 for planning and design of an upgrade to the parking lot at Riverview Park. According to the budget, “the goal is to coordinate this project with the Rivanna Conservation Alliance project.” Read more about this on their website.
There is $2 million a year through 2030 for projects to assist the city become compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Sanders said the transition plan will soon be released.
The proposed budget also takes into account the latest collective bargaining agreement to go into effect.
“We recognize the existence of our fourth bargaining unit, the largest of the four, for workers in public works, parks and recreation, utilities and a few in police and fire,” Sanders said. “This activates four of six bargaining units as authorized by your collective bargaining ordinance as passed in 2023.”
That unit is represented by the Teamsters Local 29, as I reported last March. Sanders said the city has budgeted $140,000 to retain legal counsel related to labor administration as well as a labor relations administrator.
There were 66 applications for the Vibrant Community Fund, a name for the pool of money set aside for area nonprofits. There’s an additional $1 million in the Pathways Fund which provides direct aid to people and households in crisis.
Sanders added another $140,000 to Council’s Strategic Initiatives Fund to bring the balance to $500,000. He noted Council has not been spending that money.
“The goal of that is for us to talk more about how I can recommend to you ways to use these funds so that they don't contribute to the annual surplus,” Sanders said.
In addition, there’s another half million in the city manager’s discretionary fund. Sanders said that was set up by interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers and he is only just now beginning to spend that money.
“The goal would be for it to be a discretionary account for me to work with individuals who are bringing events, quality of life, attracting visitors,” Sanders said. “Different things are truly about enriching this community. So they don't necessarily have to be big and complicated, but it's really meant to help those folks that want to help this community, and they really don't necessarily need to go through what is a competitive process and a complicated process, because sometimes we can have some homegrown things that really add value to what it is about Charlottesville that makes it special.”
Sanders said he has initiated spending on a grant to the Indie Short Film Festival which is coming up later this month. He didn’t provide an amount.
Another loose thread heading into budget season has been a new contract with the Charlottesville-Albemarle Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. State law requires localities to operate an animal shelter, but they can contract out to an entity to provide the service. The contract expires later this month and negotiations have been underway.
“We hit a roadblock last year,” Sanders said. “It was a bit tenuous at times, but we have successfully negotiated peace and we have a multi-year agreement and that agreement is in coordination with Albemarle County.”
Albemarle Supervisors went into closed session to discuss the contract at their meeting on March 5. The budget document itself contains this line:
“The City and County negotiated a new animal shelter services 3-year agreement tied to per capita calculations that ensure the consistent care and welfare of animals while contributing to the safety of the public,” reads page 16 .
Sanders also turned to federal funding, beginning with a recap on the American Rescue Plan Act funds. He said there’s about $3.3 million that Council has already decided on how it will be spent, but for the first time he mentioned $1.3 million in interest on the cash the city received.
“It is ours to spend and it is flexible,” Sanders said. “So that is another opportunity for us to do something significant in regards to the transformation ideals of what ARP was about during a very difficult time for this country.”
Earlier this year, Sanders recommended Council put the $22.4 million surplus from FY25 into a contingency fund for capital funds. They did so, and Sanders is recommending keeping that money on hand while the effects of the Trump administration’s dismantling of the federal government are known. He’s calling this FedWatch.
“I am going to continue to resist the notion of spending this money, to pause it, continuing to look at it as we need to hold on to it and give our people in D.C. a little more time to work out whatever it is that's causing us to be in this state that we're in and see how those changes, proposed changes, actually make impact,” Sanders said.
The first budget work session is scheduled for 6 p.m. on March 6, 2025, half an hour after this newsletter’s publication at 5:27 p.m. More budget in future editions of the newsletter.
Reading material:
New neighborhood nearing construction in Scottsville after others falter, Sean Tubbs, C-Ville Weekly, March 5, 2025
GSA rescinds controversial list of properties to sell – for now, Robert Freedman, Facilities Dive, March 6, 2025
Layoffs and potential closures of key facilities raise worries about NOAA's future, NPR (via WRHO), March 6, 2025
Marking #826 (and #825-A as well)
No bloviating today. Instead, one reader wrote yesterday to say they really like the videos at the end of the newsletter. I mostly put them in because I’ve not figured out what should end these newsletter. There used to be a message for that!
Okay, maybe some bloviating. This is the second item that went out today on this feed. I’m not really sure how I am able to do this, but I do know I’ve been building a system over the past five years. One day I hope to hire people. How often have I said that?
Anyway, maybe you have YouTube video you’d like to share? Send me an email and I’ll include it!
For now, though, here’s a pre-Pi Day celebration:
This story initially misreported the $250,000 for Riverview Park as going to the Rivanna Conservation Alliance. In fact, the $250,000 is for planning and design of an upgrade to the parking lot, which itself it not an RCA project. I regret the error.