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On today’s show:
The latest campaign finance reports are out a week before Election Day in Virginia
Area planning and housing directors provide updates on projects across the region
Charlottesville’s seeking a firm to help with financial advice related to long-term debt
And Piedmont Virginia Community College is extending a tuition assistance program
We’ll begin today with a quick update from three newsletters ago. On Saturday’s program, I wrote about the suspicious package found Friday night by the federal courthouse. The Virginia State Police bomb squad was called and the item was deemed to be no threat to public safety. Over the weekend, city communications director Brian Wheeler confirmed to the Daily Progress that the suspected threat was a “personal item.” (article)
Jury selection began yesterday in the Sines v. Kessler trial, as well as the defeat of a motion from defendant Christopher Cantwell to sever himself from the case. Cantwell is representing himself in the civil rights suit which seeks damages and an injunction on further events such as the Unite the Right Rally from August 12, 2017. Read Tyler Hammel’s coverage in the Daily Progress to keep up to date. (Day 1 coverage)
Last campaign finance report before the election
Election Day is one week away and the latest campaign finance reports have been submitted to the Virginia Department of Elections.
Charlottesville
In the Charlottesville Council race, Democrat Brian Pinkston began October with $14,400 and raised only $25 in contributions. He loaned himself $1,815 and spent $1,816 in the period leaving a balance very similar to where he started. Pinkston has raised $111,122 in the campaign (info).
Ticket mate Juandiego Wade began the month with $15,201 on hand and raised an additional $140. He spent $175 leaving a balance also similar to where he started. Wade has raised $81,375 this cycle. (info)
Independent Yas Washington raised no money and spent no money and had a balance of zero on October 21. She’s raised and spent a total of $415 in the election cycle. (info)
Albemarle County
None of the Supervisors races in Albemarle County are contested, but there was campaign finance activity. Jack Jouett incumbent Diantha McKeel raised an additional $100, spent $6,473, and had a balance of $22,815 on October 21. (VPAP)
Rio District Incumbent Ned Gallaway raised no money and spent $3 on parking in downtown Charlottesville according to his campaign finance report. Gallaway began the 2021 campaign with $7,293 on-hand and has raised $10,150 in total this year. He had an ending balance of $14,086 on October 21, 2021. (info)
Newcomer Jim Andrews raised no additional money in the first three weeks of October, spent $2,503, and had a balance of $19,281 on October 21. Andrews has raised a total of $38,117 in the campaign cycle.
Nelson County
There are two contested races for the five-seat Board of Supervisors in Nelson County. Democrat incumbent Ernie Reed faces a challenger in Republican Pam Brice.
Reed began October with a balance of $10,965 and raised an additional $275. He spent no money during the period. (info)
Brice began October with a balance of $2,430, raised an additional $325, and spent $1,316 in the first three weeks of the tenth month. She had an ending balance of $1,439. (info)
In Nelson’s North District, incumbent independent Thomas D. Harvey has been in office since 1984 and is being challenged by Democrat Mary Cunningham. No online records of Harvey’s campaign finance reports are available. He’s filed an exemption from reporting requirements, according to Nelson County Registrar Jacqueline Britt.
Cunningham began October with $1,450 on hand and received $550 in contributions. Her campaign spent $420 and finished this reporting period with $1,580 on hand. Cunningham has raised a total of $7,132 this year. (info)
More from this cycle of campaign reports in the next installment of the program.
Routine advice wanted for city bonds
Charlottesville has issued a routine request for proposals for a firm to provide advice with financial services related to the city’s capital improvement program as well as the issuance and administration of debt. The city’s request details the city’s existing $207 million in outstanding debt which includes a total of $17.8 million in debt service for the current fiscal year. (read the RFP)
Charlottesville sells municipal bonds each spring for the CIP as well as four utilities that are all separate accounts. This year the city issued $20.8 million in bonds, $8.22 million of which is for new debt. The city has held a AAA bond rating from Standards and Poor’s since 1964 and a AAA bond rating from Moody’s since 1973.
The RFP comes at a time when the city is anticipating sharp increases in capital spending to pay for $75 million in upgrades at Buford Middle School as well as a $10 million a year commitment to affordable housing projects.
In September, Council signaled to budget staff that they no longer want to pursue local funding for the West Main Streetscape, a multi-phase project that also included funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation. Council was told in September that the additional spending will require additional tax resources.
Assistance extended
Piedmont Virginia Community College announced this morning that a tuition assistance program will be extended into the spring semester. The PVCC4U 100%! initiative covers one hundred percent of tuition and fees for qualifying students.
“During the current fall semester, the PVCC4U. 100%! program has made it possible for 431 students to receive $508,842 in additional funding to cover the full cost of their tuition and fees,” reads a press release. “For the full academic year, PVCC estimates $1.4 million in funding for over 700 students.”
To be eligible, participants must be a Virginia resident, go through the financial aid process, and have a household income of less than $100,000 a year. Alternatively, the student could have been laid off or furloughed due to COVID-19. The student must also enroll in at least six credit hours. Learn more and apply at the PVCC4U 100% page.
Albemarle building efficiency
Finally in our news round-up, a correction. In the last newsletter, I identified Albemarle Deputy County Executive Doug Walker under an incorrect title. To make it up, why not a quick soundbite from Mr. Walker in which he highlights an item from the recent report from the county’s Facilities and Environmental Services Department. (read the report)
“I want to draw your attention specifically tonight today to the energy management program update which includes a report on the very real and meaningful savings the county has been able to realize in building operations through this program which tracks and optimizes energy consumption in your buildings,” Walker said.
Energy consumption at the Scottsville Community Center, the Crozet Library, and Northside Library has been reduced to 25 percent of FY2017’s figures due to the program.
“At Crozet Library the issue had been a missing sensor in the building,” Walker said. “In Scottsville there were relatively minor repairs needed and operational adjustments made. And at Northside, programming adjustments helped to realize those savings.”
Walker said in addition to saving money, these reductions will also help Albemarle meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals.
In today’s second Substack-fueled shout-out, Code for Charlottesville is seeking volunteers with tech, data, design, and research skills to work on community service projects. Founded in September 2019, Code for Charlottesville has worked on projects with the Legal Aid Justice Center, the Charlottesville Fire Department, and the Charlottesville Office of Human Rights. Visit codeforcville.org to learn about those projects.
The Central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership was created by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District to serve as a regional clearinghouse for issues related to places to live. Last week, the partnership held the first in a series of fall and winter seminars on the topic which held up to that spirit. (watch the video)
Representatives from four localities gave their perspective, including Alex Ikefuna, the former city planning director who is now the interim director of the Office of Community Solutions.
“Local action alone is not going to be enough to address the affordable housing crisis so there is an outlook now that regional cooperation, partnership, and collaboration is going to be a critical component of addressing the affordable housing,” Ikefuna said.
Jim Frydl is the planning director and zoning administrator for Greene County and he said the partnership’s assistance has been helpful.
“We’re in the process of developing and refining our Comprehensive Plan and the public input and the support and the networking and the data from the Regional Housing Study that we have received are all invaluable as planning tools going forward,” Frydl said.
Frydl referred to the Planning for Affordability report, adopted by the TPDC in August. The report has a chapter for each of the six localities in the planning district.
“As a region, we’re tied together economically which means people commuting back and forth between jobs,” Frydl said. “The housing issue is a regional issue because affordability in Charlottesville impacts Fluvanna and impacts Greene and vice versa.”
Frydl said between 700 and 800 housing units will come on line in Greene within the next year.
“It’s a mixture of market rate apartments, senior-restricted apartments, independent living apartments, townhomes,” Frydl said. “There’s a lot more multifamily or missing middle housing that Greene County hasn’t had in the past.”
The partnership also provides potential for dialog between communities of shared interest such as the urban ring around Charlottesville. Stacy Pethia is Albemarle’s Housing Policy Manager.
“Often those conversations have been disconnected so this is a great way to bring everyone to to the same table,” Pethia said.
Douglas Miles has been the director of Community Development in Fluvanna County since the summer of 2019. Fluvanna is also undergoing a Comprehensive Plan update to plan for places to live.
‘We’re about 96 or 97 percent single-family housing here and we have projects that are coming on board now such as Colonial Circle with 124 apartments, things like that,” Miles said. “We’re entering kind of this new era for us which is great for getting affordable workforce house type requests.”
Colonial Circle is at the corner of Route 53 and Lake Monticello and also includes single family homes. The apartments are being built by Pinnacle Construction and will be targeted at households making between 50 percent and 70 percent of area median income.
“This proposed development will be very similar to Brookdale in Albemarle, so that’s the model and that’s the style of the apartments with the clubhouse and the pool and the [recreational] areas,” Miles said.
A performance agreement will be worked out with the Fluvanna Economic Development Authority, the developers, and the Fluvanna Board of Supervisors.
Fluvanna and Louisa also share the Zion Crosswords growth area and Miles said that area will become residentially dense as water and sewer service is connected.
Ikefuna said Charlottesville is ground zero for affordable housing, and many projects are underway.
“We got a massive redevelopment initiative by the housing authority, a wholesale renovation of Crescent Halls which is about 100 units plus,” Ikefuna said.
According to an October 21 update from CRHA Redevelopment Coordinator Brandon Collins, the waterline break from this past June has altered the construction schedule. All residents will eventually be moved out of the building and into other housing covered through vouchers for the duration of construction. Read the update for more info on public housing construction, which is being backed by millions in city taxpayer funds. The current five-year Capital Improvement Program anticipates $13.5 million in funding. (report)
City taxpayers are also helping finance the Piedmont Housing Alliance’s redevelopment of Friendship Court.
“That is a massive project,” Ikefunda said. “Four phases. At build out you will be looking at between 450 and 480 units.”
The current CIP budget anticipates $15.9 million in taxpayer funds for all four phases. Construction has not yet been scheduled for the first phase.
Ikefuna said the draft Comprehensive Plan seeks to increase residential density by allowing more units on individual lots. The extent of how many and where will be up to the rewrite of the zoning ordinance as well as development of an inclusionary zoning policy.
“We’re expecting that it’s going to be done early next year and that will help with the rewriting of the zoning ordinance,” Ikefuna said.
City Council is expected to have a first reading of the ordinance on November 15.
The full video for the Central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership meeting can be viewed on YouTube.
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October 26, 2021: PVCC extends free tuition program to spring semester; last campaign finance reports before Election Day