Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Budget Work Session - March 19, 2025
Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting - March 19, 2025
The Board of Supervisors held a full-day work session and regular meeting on March 19, 2025, focusing primarily on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget and tax rate advertisement. The board heard extensive public comment on affordable housing and climate action, approved technical budget adjustments, and set advertised tax rates. Additionally, the board conducted public hearings on a blighted property declaration and a special use permit for a church, and received a county executive's report.
Consent Calendar
- The board unanimously approved the final agenda and the consent agenda (routine approvals) without objection.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Vicky Bravo (Impact) – Stated full support for a $10 million annual affordable housing trust fund, noting it would help build 300 homes per year and improve health outcomes for families.
- Pastor Colleen Swingle Titus (Park Street Christian Church) – Expressed strong support for affordable housing, citing her congregation's struggles and the need for integrity in addressing the crisis.
- Tom Ekman (Rivanna District) – Reported that over 10,000 families in Albemarle County are one paycheck from losing their home, and urged creation of a housing trust fund.
- Major Mark Van Meter (Salvation Army) – Requested $3.5 million from the county's affordable housing fund to support a $28 million shelter expansion project, including a new 114-bed high-barrier shelter and a 50-bed low-barrier shelter.
- Neil Williamson (Free Enterprise Forum) – Criticized the board for not prioritizing staff time to implement a five-word zoning change allowing office-to-residential conversions, calling the delay a missed opportunity for affordable housing.
- Francis Lee Vendell – Expressed support for a housing trust fund, stating residents have waited many years for action.
- Sai Vauflin (Community Climate Collaborative C3) – Supported the housing trust fund as a climate investment and urged the board to allocate $1 million for a climate action implementation fund, noting that proposed climate funding in the budget is only $200,000 (reappropriated) and insufficient.
Discussion Items
- Budget Work Session (Part 4) – Chief Financial Officer Andy Bowman and Deputy Budget Chief Ryan Davidson reviewed remaining budget chapters: Community Development (including transit contributions), Parks, Recreation & Culture, Administration, and Performance & Strategic Management. Technical adjustments were presented, including an $822,000 increase for Charlottesville Area Transit (to cover ongoing costs and collective bargaining), a $440,000 reduction in microCAT funding, and updates to school resource officer funding and regional jail costs. Staff recommended incorporating all technical adjustments into the proposed budget.
- Tax Rate Discussion – Supervisors discussed the recommended 89.4 cent real property tax rate (a 4-cent increase) and the personal property rate of $4.28 per $100. Supervisor Galloway supported advertising the 89.4 cent rate, dedicating 3.2 cents to public safety, 0.4 to housing, and 0.4 to schools. Supervisor Malik proposed directing the full 0.8 cents (beyond public safety) to housing. Supervisor Kirtley favored dedicating 0.8 cents to schools. Supervisor Pruitt suggested a 30-cent increase in the personal property tax rate to fund housing, but found no support. Supervisor McKeel supported the 89.4 cent rate. No consensus emerged to change the distribution, so the board moved forward with the recommended advertisement.
- Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and Affordable Housing – Supervisor Galloway proposed exploring the use of CIP debt to fund affordable housing, similar to the transportation leveraging program. Other supervisors expressed interest in receiving more information on this concept.
Key Outcomes
- Tax Rate Advertisement – The board voted 6-0 to advertise the following rates for public hearing: real property at $0.894 per $100 assessed value; personal property, machinery and tools, and other tangibles at $4.28 per $100. (Motion by Supervisor Lapista Kirtley, second by Supervisor McKeel)
- Proposed Budget Advertisement – The board voted 6-0 to authorize advertising the Fiscal Year 2026 proposed budget as recommended by the county executive, including all staff technical adjustments and any board amendments. (Motion by Supervisor Malik, second by Supervisor McKeel)
- Public Hearing: Blighted Property Declaration – The board unanimously approved an ordinance declaring 5624 Brownsville Road as blighted, allowing the county to abate the structure and recover costs. (Motion by Chair Andrews, second by Supervisor Malik)
- Public Hearing: Special Use Permit (SP 2024-18) – The board voted 6-0 to approve a special use permit for Charlottesville Community Church to operate a 500-seat religious assembly on Pebble Drive, with conditions including landscape screening and a future shared-use path. (Motion by Supervisor Pruitt, second by Supervisor Lapista Kirtley)
- Closed Session – The board unanimously approved entering closed session to discuss performance agreements and legal matters, and later certified that only exempt matters were discussed.
- Schedule – The board canceled the March 26 work session and will hold the next budget work session on April 7, 2025.
Meeting Transcript
Live. Good afternoon. I'm pleased to call to order this meeting of the regular meeting of the Albumell County Board of Supervisors on the 19th of March at 1 p.m. in Lane Auditorium in the Back Tower County Office Building. Like to note at the day, we have Supervisor Mike Pruitt of the Scottsville District, Supervisor B. La Pistol Kirtley of the Ravana District, Supervisor Diantha Bakeel of the Jack Jewett District, Supervisor Ned Galloway of the Rio District, Supervisor Ann Malik of the White Hall District, and myself, Jim Andrews, representing the Samuel Miller District Aquorum is present. We're also joined here by the county executive, Mr. Jeff Richardson, and the county attorney, Mr. Andy Herrick, and our clerk, Miss Claudette Burgerson and Senior Deputy Clerk Travitt, Mr. Travis Morris. Also, let me please welcome uh Almore County Police Officers present, Master Police Officer Jerry Schenck and Officer Trent Cole, thank you for your service here today and every day on behalf of the citizens of Almoral County. Very much appreciate your help with our safety and security. If all present could now stand as you were able and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance. One nation under God. Individual with liberty for all. Thank you. And if you could now join me for a moment of silence. Thank you. Uh board, and as always, our first item is to adopt the final agenda. I have not heard of any suggested changes to the agenda. If we're looking for a motion to approve the final agenda. So moved. Second. We have a motion from Supervisor McKeel, second from Supervisor Malik without objection if the clerk will call the roll. Ms. Lapista Kirtley. Aye. Ms. Mallet. Yes, Ms. McKeel. Yes. I. Mr. Andrews. Yes. Mr. Galloway. Yes. Thank you. This takes us to first item, brief announcements by board members going through our speaking designated speaking order for this meeting. We'll start with Supervisor Galloway. Just want to say thank you to the entire team of staff who were out last evening at our at the town hall that was held at the center regarding the budget. That was there. Anytime we're doing a tax rate increase in addition to the assessments, hearing how the dollars are being spent is clearly important, and it was confirmed again last night. So and I appreciate the residents coming out, the questions that they had. And if if the if the remainder go as last evening's went, it was well, it was time well spent. I think everybody will get value out of it. Thank you. Thank you.
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