City and County move energy audit program forward

By Connie Chang
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Monday, November 9, 2009

Charlottesville City Council and the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors are one step closer to launching a collaborative initiative called the Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP). Both entities passed a memorandum of understanding last week that will allow the City and County to direct grant funds to a non-profit operating company to carry out their goals.

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In June 2009, the City and County won a $500,000 grant from the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA), whose main purpose was to establish a community-based energy alliance that would coordinate and provide energy-efficiency related services to residential and commercial property owners of all income levels. LEAP would also provide loans to homeowners to assist in covering the cost of energy-saving improvements.

LEAP Concept of Operations (Source: SEEA grant application)

The City and County’s joint proposal to develop LEAP set a goal of a 20-40% efficiency gain in 30-50% of structures within seven years. Because the City and County do not have the legal authority to accept the grant directly, staff has been exploring the legal ramifications and limitations with respect to forming a new non-profit.

With the assistance of outside legal counsel, staff drafted a memorandum of understanding that establishes that SEEA will redirect the grant to a local operating company and that SEEA will agree to perform all due diligence to ensure that the local operating company meets the criteria enumerated in the proposed MOU. City and County staff have involved various stakeholders in the process of developing the LEAP program, including UVA, PVCC, Dominion Power, and SEEA.

The LEAP program is currently comprised of a three-member Board of Directors, which is expected to expand to include other community stakeholders, such as a representative from the state energy office and local elected officials.

LEAP is currently in the process of filing articles of incorporation with the Virginia State Corporation Commission and in the process of filing for tax exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service.

With the approval of the MOU, City and County staff expect to have an operating company selected before the end of November and to launch the program as early as January 2010.

While City Councilors and County Supervisors are enthusiastic about the environmental benefits and job opportunities with the implementation of the LEAP program, the issue of funding was brought into question by Supervisor Ken Boyd (Rivanna).

“This is just another method of creating bigger government that we do all the time,” said Boyd.

However, the Board agreed that the LEAP program will not have any budgetary impact at this time.

“This is not any undertaking to spend any dollars by Albemarle County,” said Dennis Rooker (Jack Jouett). “That would be a separate decision at a future time if in fact it ever came up.”

“I look forward to supporting the initiative that brings half a million dollars of money into our community to help us facilitate the creation of a program that will result in tremendous economic benefit to a large number of County residents by making it possible for them to reduce their energy cost burdens,” said David Slutzky (Rio).


TIMELINE FOR PODCAST

01:00 – City Council meeting
02:31 – Climate protection programs coordinator Cynthia Adams presents
06:17 – Councilor Satyendra Huja asks how the City and County are involved with the new board agency
08:17 – Councilor David Brown moves approval the memorandum of understanding
08:24 – Board of Supervisors meeting
13:30 – Supervisor Ken Boyd comments that he would like to add a “whereas” to the MOU that it is a non-taxpayer funded organization
14:25 – Supervisor David Slutzky objects to addition
16:00 – Supervisor Dennis Rooker moves approval of the memorandum of understanding
18:20 – Board of Supervisors pass MOU unanimously

City candidates emphasize citizen input; local government accountability

By Connie Chang & Brian Wheeler
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Friday, October 23, 2009

With less than 2 weeks left until Election Day, citizens had one last opportunity to hear Charlottesville City Council candidates come together to discuss their views on local issues.  All five candidates relayed messages of the need for a more accountable local government, preservation and acquisition of green space, and methods to assist those in the lowest-economic bracket in the City.

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Bob Fenwick (I), Paul Long (I), Moderator Jack Brown

At the Wednesday night forum hosted by the Alliance of Neighborhoods in City Council Chambers, Democrats Dave Norris and Kristin Szakos and independents Bob Fenwick, Paul Long, and Andrew Williams, responded to questions provided in advance as well as to inquiries from the audience. The Alliance of Neighborhoods was created in 2008 in order to protect the quality of life for Charlottesville and Albemarle County neighborhoods, which was a theme that resonated throughout the forum.

One of the prepared questions asked candidates to respond with measures they would take to improve traffic conditions and safety on Charlottesville roads. All of the candidates agreed that implementing traffic calming measures can help lessen problems associated with automobiles already on the road, but that more emphasis should be made on encouraging pedestrian and transit use. Many felt that expanding the current transit system to include more routes with more frequent service should be a transportation commitment made by the City.

Long, who has been a long-time advocate of alternative forms of transportation, said that there should be an “equal commitment to transportation” as with other issues Council must consider.

Candidates also agreed on the need to preserve green space throughout Charlottesville. With current state law, the City of Charlottesville does not possess the authority to require developers to protect green space with new projects. However, incumbent Dave Norris (D) noted that for the first time in many years, the City currently has funding to purchase green space and has worked to expand its tree planting program.

Dave Norris (D), Kristin Szakos (D), Andrew Williams (I)

The forum called into question the capacity of local government to address citizen concerns. Several agreed that citizens need an “ally” in the City who they can depend on to listen to their requests and follow-through with results.

“The ability and willingness to listen should radiate through the department,” said Andrew Williams, the race’s independent write-in candidate.

The Alliance asked candidates whether they would eliminate or change the structure of the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority and the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority, both entities are jointly administered by Charlottesville and Albemarle County. No candidate called for the elimination of the water authority and only Norris said the City’s participation in the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority should be reexamined in the next year.

“Both of these organizations have hard working and competent employees…but the leadership is dysfunctional,” said Fenwick who cited the community water supply plan and the lawsuit against Peter van der Linde as examples.

“I think we need to make sure these folks work for us,” said Szakos.  “One way to do that is to be more proactive in who we chose to put on those boards and commissions.”

On these particular boards, there is only one voting member who is not there by virtue of their job in local government or as an elected official.  That seat is currently held by citizen Michael Gaffney who was jointly reappointed by City Council and the Board of Supervisors in December 2008.

Norris also commended citizens for stepping up and questioning on-going work of the RWSA and RSWA.  He said the addition of elected officials on both boards earlier this year would lead to more accountability.

Another audience question prompted the candidates to discuss their priorities in assisting the City’s poor. Fenwick identified jobs, education and neighborhood associations as the main elements to reaching this goal.

“The key to a strong city is strong neighborhoods,” said Fenwick.

Other candidates agreed that the City must work hard to close the achievement gap and affordable housing gap for its citizens by providing a broader range of job opportunities and investing in technical and vocational training.

“We need to come together with businesses and non-profits to figure out how to get a community that doesn’t fail our kids,” said Szakos.

The candidate forum was moderated by Jack Brown, a member of the Executive Board of the Alliance of Neighborhoods, and was attended by about 30 people.  The forum was broadcast live on public access television.

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST

01:00 - Introduction from Jack Brown, member of the Executive Board of the Alliance of Neighborhoods
03:00 - Opening statement by Andrew Williams (I)
04:31 - Opening statement by Kristin Szakos (D)
07:14 - Opening statement by Bob Fenwick (I)
10:35 - Opening statement by Dave Norris (D)
12:59 - Opening statement by Paul Long (I)
16:30 - Prepared Question 1: Countless surveys, formal or informal, over the past decade show traffic as the top problem confronting every city neighborhood -- too many cars and too much speeding.  But we have seen little effective action by city police, the planners, or NDS.  Quite the reverse.  What specific actions do you propose to address the problem?
25:54 - Prepared Question 2: Lately, Charlottesville has been placing an emphasis on our urban tree canopy.  Almost all can agree that our green surroundings are a matter of civic pride, and a draw to tourists and potential residents.  Would you support requiring developers to actively plant street trees and other significant vegetation-- even if it means that they might have to slightly reduce the size of their project to allow for this?
33:25 - Prepared Question 3: Almost every neighborhood organization has experienced the following scenario: They go before Council and/or the Planning Commission requesting assistance for a problem affecting their neighborhood.  These issues run the gamut from traffic relief to sidewalks to zoning conflicts.  Frequently, they are told that leaders or city staff will look into the problem and revisit the situation within a proscribed number of months, or meetings will be set up asking for neighborhood input.  But more often than not, the request either falls through the cracks, or the neighborhood's wishes are ignored, resulting in a carrot & stick scenario.  What would you propose to stop this frustrating and time-consuming cycle?
43:58 - Prepared Question 4: Many people in the city feel that both the RWSA and RSWA, including our appointed representatives on these Boards, are failing to represent the wishes of many residents.  In light of all that's happened over the past few years, should we do away with the Authority model entirely, or would you propose changes to the existing model?  What would those changes be?
53:40 - Prepared Question 5: What specific areas (e.g. institutions, joint services) could and should be administered jointly with Albermarle County?  For example, would you support joint City/County "Charter Schools" that can draw from the best of both school systems?  Should first responder services be merged, and if so, how and when?
1:06:36 - Audience Question 1: What is the number one thing you would do to help those on the lowest-economic rung?
1:12:27 - Audience Question 2: Are there city management issues that give you cause for concern? What are they? What do you plan to do about them?
1:17:57 - Audience Question 3: The city assessor has indicated that city assessments are down this year. Would you be more inclined to increase taxes or reduce services to make up for this shortfall?
1:23:40 - Audience Question 4: What will you do to offset the destruction of our natural resources by actions that the city may take?
1:29:45 - Audience Question 5: Do you favor requiring all landlords to conduct regular quality maintenance?
1:33:31 - Audience Question 6: Why say that the YMCA will be next to Charlottesville High School when it will really be in McIntire Park which we're trying to save?
1:37:15 - Audience Question 7: Why should City Council continue to support the Meadowcreek Parkway when the County has not lived up to its part of the agreement by for example, building the Sunset-Fontaine connector?
1:41:22 - Audience Question 8: We do not yet have a state-approved 30-50 water plan required by law by 2011. Will you pledge to get decade by decade calculations of the amount of water needed as required by the state plan before signing any agreement with the County to move forward with a new dam?
1:45:13 - Audience Question 9: Why did City Council allow the RWSA and RSWA to "fly under the radar?" Isn't it the responsibility of City Council to make sure that proper maintenance is done for the reservoir? Why wasn't dredging done? Is City Council paying attention?
1:51:46 - Closing statement by Paul Long
1:52:56 - Closing statement by Bob Fenwick
1:54:17 - Closing statement by Andrew Williams
1:56:06 - Closing statement by Kristin Szakos
1:57:00 - Closing statement by Dave Norris
1:58:18 - Closing remarks by Jack Brown

RWSA director briefs Council on new dam estimate, potential pipeline options

By Connie Chang
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Monday, October 12, 2009

On October 5, 2009, Tom Frederick, Executive Director of the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, provided the Charlottesville City Council with a status report on several items related to the community water supply plan. Frederick commented on the costs and logistics of repairing the existing lower dam at the Ragged Mountain Reservoir, as well as the proposed pipeline to connect the Ragged Mountain and South Fork Rivanna Reservoirs. 

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Frederick also reviewed the work that is being undertaken by Schnabel Engineering to design a replacement dam at Ragged Mountain, as envisioned in the 2006 community water supply plan.  Schnabel, based in Glen Allen, Virginia, was awarded a $1.3 million contract in September for preliminary engineering.  The goal is to secure a new design and a new cost estimate for construction of the dam by late spring of 2010.  


TIMELINE FOR PODCAST

01:00 – Tom Frederick provides status report
02:06 – Frederick reports on new dam design firm, Schnabel Engineering
04:28 – Frederick reports on asking firm whether they can provide ballpark cost for lower-height dam
06:46 – Mayor Dave Norris asks why Gannett Fleming said it would cost a fraction to repair the existing Lower Ragged Mountain Dam and why Schnabel says it will cost more
09:54 – Frederick explains discrepancy between two firms’ cost estimates
10:10 – Councilor David Brown asks whether they are referring to repairing the dam or making it taller
10:42 – Norris comments that Gannett Fleming provided an estimate for enlarging the dam
11:13 – Frederick comments on consistent reporting
12:33 – Frederick says the idea of raising the dam can be studied if they want to
12:55 – Norris asks for an estimate of how much that study would cost
14:27 – Frederick discusses relationship between the size of the proposed pipeline from South Fork to Ragged Mountain and the storage required in of all reservoirs
16:28 – Norris asks whether projections are based on current water demand and a 5% conservation rate
17:49 – Frederick describes Hydrologics’ model
18:55 – Frederick describes Gannett Fleming’s model
19:17 – Norris asks about 20% conservation rate achieved during drought emergency
20:20 – Norris comments that he believes they can plan for lower water consumption than what is envisioned in the current plan
21:15 – Norris asks whether his assumption that lower water consumption can lower average flow is correct
21:51 – Brown asks whether Frederick has any comments on discussion that water consumption is lower
22:30 – Frederick responds
24:25 – Frederick comments on third study, a water conservation study has been completed
24:47 – Norris comments that that study is still in progress
25:05 – Frederick comments on fourth item, a conceptual review of the assumptions of the conceptual design of the pipeline
26:08 – Norris asks for clarification about the proposed routing for the South Fork pipeline
29:30 – Norris asks whether they will evaluate the projected costs of land acquisition
30:05 – Frederick comments on fifth item, dredging feasibility studies
30:17 – Frederick comments on sixth item, pros and cons of three pipelines (South Fork to Ragged Mountain, Sugar Hollow to Ragged Mountain, James River to Ragged Mountain)
31:06 – Norris comments that it will be helpful to compare options by costs
32:00 – Frederick comments on being able to provide lengths of each pipeline
32:38 – Norris comments on trying to get the most accurate estimate on costs and factoring in the renegotiation of easements for a replacement Sugar Hollow pipeline
33:40 – Brown comments that he believes RWSA will find a proper estimate
34:57 – Frederick comments that they can have a consultant do a conceptual design and cost estimate for the update
35:38 – Brown comments that he’d like to see RWSA provide information on how much they can spend and what they can get with it
36:25 – Norris asks Frederick to comment on I-64 embankment being separated out
39:33 – Norris asks where we are now on cost-share allocation of city versus county
39:50 – City Manager Gary O’Connell responds that he can’t give solid numbers
41:00 – Julian Taliaferro asks whether maintenance is a part of the cost estimate
41:22 – Judy Mueller responds
43:04 – Norris asks how confident Frederick is in the current projections of costs to upgrade treatments plants and related infrastructure

MPO discusses new branding for Charlottesville Transit; I-64 Interchanges at 5th Street and Shadwell to get improved ramps

By Sean Tubbs
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Friday, May 29, 2009

At their meeting on May 27, 2009, the Policy Board of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) was presented details on a possible new marketing strategy for the Charlottesville Transit Service (CTS), heard more information about how federal stimulus money is being spent on transit systems in Virginia, and adopted the UNJAM 2035 long-range transportation plan.

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A new identity for the Charlottesville Transit Service?

Since January, Selena Barlow with the firm Transit Marketing has been working with CTS to help improve the agency’s communications and branding strategy. Part of that work has involved a week-long survey of over 3,000 bus riders conducted this spring. Here are some of the findings:

• 96% of riders said they would recommend CTS to their friends and co-workers
• 81% of riders said they are either “very in favor” or “somewhat in favor” of a Regional Transit Authority
• 49% of riders have some affiliation with the University of Virginia
• 56% of riders are under the age of 30
• 31% of riders have access to a car and hold a driver’s license
• 43% only ride 1 to 3 times a week and are considered “occasional” users

Download Selena Barlow's presentation to the MPO

Barlow said all of the above information indicates that Charlottesville is a community supportive of transit, but she said that the numbers could improve if people knew more about how to use the system.

“There’s a high level of awareness for CTS but not a lot of knowledge,” Barlow said. “People know the bus system and know a little about it, but when I started to dig a little deeper into what people knew about there were a lot of misperceptions.” In particular, she said people are not aware that transfers between routes are free.  She said many people requested GPS-locator systems in the survey. CTS began using such systems in 2008, and added a Google Transit feature in December 2008.

The existring CTS logo

Barlow said much of that information could be better relayed to the public if CTS incorporated a branding strategy that included a more navigable website. She said the existing brand may be dated and somewhat ineffective.

“It doesn’t really communicate transit unless you’re seeing it on the side of a bus,” Barlow said. This would be an ideal time to consider a new brand, according to Barlow. “One of the reasons this came up early on was the possibility of transitioning to a Regional Transit Authority and introducing a new name that would be appropriate for use when that transition happens.”

One potential idea that came up in a branding workshop was to rename the service as CAT, which could represent Charlottesville Area Transit or Charlottesville Albemarle Transit. That would allow the use of a slogan such as “catch the cat.”  She suggested such a slogan could lead people to a website that was much more accessible than the CTS’ existing site, which is currently nested inside the City’s website.

“It’s not a bad website, it has a lot of information, but it’s not really that easy for a novice user to use,” Barlow said. A website dedicated to the transit service would be more user-friendly and could lead to more riders.

MPO welcomes new TJPDC Executive Director

Steve Williams, the new Executive Director of the TJPDC

This MPO meeting was the first attended by Steve Williams, the new Executive Director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. Williams said he has worked for various MPO’s across the country over the past 25 years. His last job was in Nashua, New Hampshire, a community he said was of similar size to the Charlottesville-Albemarle area.

Williams said he did not want to be labeled as being an expert in any one area of transportation. He told the MPO Policy Board that all modes of transportation must work in order for a metropolitan area to function.

“I think we are moving into a period in time where we at the MPO level will be challenged in ways that we have not been challenged before,” Williams said. Those challenges include finding local methods of funding transportation projects as well as connecting land use with transportation planning.

MPO holds two public hearings to adjust Transportation Improvement Program

Federal planning for improvements to transportation includes a lot of layers of paperwork in order to track the status of the hundreds of projects planned for any one given MPO area. If any new sources of money become available, the changes must be reflected in an MPO’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Any change to the TIP must be accompanied by a public hearings.

Download Melissa Barlow's staff report for the I-64 TIP adjustment

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has so far resulted in more money for transportation maintenance projects in the Charlottesville MPO’s jurisdiction. That required the MPO to hold two public hearing at the May 2009 meeting.

First, the MPO officially placed $1.3 million in stimulus money from  ARRA on the TIP to indicate that the Charlottesville Transit Service will receive the funds to pay for two new buses, four new shelters, as well as spare parts and other various pieces of equipment. None of the money, which was funneled through the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) requires a local match. DRPT will open up a second round of funding from ARRA later this year.

Supervisor Dennis Rooker (Jack Jouett) asked the DRPT’s Joe Swartz if it were possible to use stimulus money to pay for pedestrian crosswalks to improve access to bus stops. Swartz said there was no precedent, but that the community could at least apply. Bill Watterson of CTS said it was unlikely that would be the best use of stimulus funds.

CTS Director Bill Watterson said his agency has decided to apply for funding to plan for a new transit station at Barracks Road Shopping Center. The idea would be to make it easier for riders to transfer between Route 5 (serves Albemarle County via Commonwealth Avenue) and Route 7 (Fashion Square Mall to Downtown). Watterson said CTS will also seek stimulus funding to replace 6 existing buses with hybrid fuel vehicles. 

For the second public hearing, the MPO agreed to suspend its public participation requirements in order to hold an unadvertised public hearing to accept money into the TIP for interstate highway improvements. The westbound exit at the interchange of I-64 and 5th Street will be widened at a cost of $1.15 million, and an additional left-hand turn lane will be constructed at the Shadwell exit. No local match is required for these projects.  Barlow said these would not be major overhauls, but would improve the flow of traffic at the exits.

MPO Adopts UNJAM 2035

The MPO adopted the UNJAM 2035 long-range transportation plan, which has been in the works over the last year. The adoption came despite a request from City resident John Pfaltz to restore the Southern Parkway to UNJAM’s fiscally constrained long range plan. Pfaltz claimed the road would help improve response times for the fire department, and would provide an important transit connection between the Southwood mobile home park, Piedmont Virginia Community College and the stores at Mill Creek. He also said the Southern Parkway should be a higher priority and was more important to the region than developing an urban cross-section for Proffit Road. Supervisor Dennis Rooker said the Bent Creek Parkway, which will be built by the developer of the Fifth and Avon Center, provides the same connection and thus the County would be unlikely to allocate its diminishing secondary road funds to the Southern Parkway project.

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST:

• 01:00 – Meeting begins with a public comment from City resident Peter Kleeman
• 04:10 – Slutzky asks MPO if they will waive public participation requirements to hold unadvertised public hearing on additional stimulus money for interstate highway improvements
• 06:30 – Melissa Barlow, Transportation Program Manager for TJPDC, introduces public hearing for TIP amendment for CTS
• 08:00 – Public hearing comment from City resident Peter Kleeman
• 10:40 – MPO adopts TIP amendment for CTS
• 11:00 – Second public hearing is held for TIP amendment for additional interstate highway funds
• 13:30 – Public hearing comment from City resident Peter Kleeman
• 14:30 – Public hearing comment from City resident John Pfaltz
• 16:00 – Public hearing for UNJAM 2035 adoption
• 17:45 – Public hearing comment from City resident Peter Kleeman
• 20:20 – Public hearing comment from City resident John Pfaltz requesting addition of Southern Parkway to UNJAM’s CLRP
• 23:20 – Barlow and MPO responds to Kleeman’s comment
• 28:40 – MPO discusses Pfaltz’ request to place Southern Parkway back on CLRP
• 32:00 – Steve Williams, the new executive director of the TJPDC, is introduced and makes remarks
• 37:00 – Approval of minutes from April meeting
• 39:15 – Slutzky and Barlow introduce discussion of how ARRA will help localities in Virginia pay for additional transit projects
• 40:00 – Presentation from Joe Swartz of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation
• 46:30 – Supervisor Dennis Rooker asks Swartz if it would be possible to use stimulus money for crosswalks near bus stops
• 50:00 – CTS Director Bill Watterson says his agency will apply for stimulus funds to pay for a new bus station at Barracks Road Shopping Center.
• 53:00 – Watterson introduces next item – CTS marketing study discussion
• 54:00 – Selena Barlow of Transit Marketing begins her presentation of the survey results
• 1:08:00 – Selena Barlow switches gears to discuss the marketing plan and suggests a rebranding strategy
• 1:28:00 – Regional Transit Authority update
• 1:32:00 – Update on the Regional Transit Authority toolkit
• 1:35:00 – Consideration of resolution to recognize work of Ann Whitham
• 1:36:10 – Slutzky reports on the work of a Monticello High School class that did a project on transit in the community
• 1:39:00 – Discussion of a grant application requested by Charlottesville Citizens for Better Rail Alternatives that Steve Williams helped fill out
• 1:49:30 – Public comment from Jerry Diely regarding Bike Virginia 2009

City Council Candidate Forum

Charlottesville Tomorrow and the Free Enterprise Forum are co-hosting a City Council candidate forum on Tuesday, April 21, 2009, at Burley Middle School. [View details]

The three candidates vying for the Democratic Party's nomination for two seats on Charlottesville City Council will answer questions provided in advance and take questions from the audience.

What question or topic would you like addressed by Dave Norris, Kristin Szakos, and Julian Taliaferro?  Leave a comment below with your suggestion and get the community thinking about your priorities as we head into this important election.

Make an informed vote!  On May 9, 2009, City Democrats will hold an unassembled caucus to nominate two candidates for City Council to be on the ballot for the November 2009 general election. [View details]

In our News Center archives, you can review the 2007 City Council candidate forum also co-hosted by Charlottesville Tomorrow and the Free Enterprise Forum. 

Subscribers of Charlottesville Tomorrow's free e-mail alerts also have complete access to our Voter Guides and additional coverage of the 2006 and 2007 City Council elections.  Sign-up today!

City Council discusses capital budget; Planning Commission's call to cut Meadowcreek Parkway funding is omitted

How much will the City of Charlottesville spend on capital projects in the next five years? Less than in previous years, according to City Manager Gary O’Connell. During a March 24, 2009 work session with City Council, O’Connell said the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for the next five years has been reduced by about $25 million compared to last year.

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As the work session began, Councilors first got an update on some revisions that have been made to the budget.  After being prompted by Councilor David Brown to make sure the revenue assumptions were calculated correctly, Beauregard and her staff reduced the City’s projected budget by over $163,000 due to reduced property assessments and the downturn in the economy. That reduction would have been higher, but the budget passed by the Virginia General Assembly restored some state funding that Beauregard had anticipated would be cut.

Budget Director Leslie Beauregard

The trends are really scary,” Beauregard said. “We just don’t know where these are going and we don’t know if these have hit bottom.” Beauregard showed Council how expenditures have been reduced to accommodate the decrease.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM REDUCTIONS

Council next turned their attention to the CIP. The total projected CIP budget for FY2010 is over $16.3 million, and anticipates a bond issue of nearly $11.4 million. The rest of the CIP money will come from the transfer from the general fund as well as contribution from Albemarle County for joint projects such as CATEC and the Levy Building. Initiatives to be completed through the CIP are divided into bondable and non-bondable projects. 

Councilor David Brown expressed frustration about not having enough information about what projects would not be completed due to the reduction in the CIP. He was concerned that the City’s aging infrastructure issues would not be addressed. City Manager Gary O’Connell said that some projects would likely be delayed for a year, and that many projects have been completed. In particular, he singled out the HVAC replacement to City schools and buildings.

Council spent some time discussing one project that isn’t slated to begin until at least FY2014. Councilor Brown also asked if the $490,000 expenditure budgeted for the"Central Library renovations" in that year would be the City’s only contribution. Beauregard said the total project is expected to cost between $15 and $20 million, and O’Connell said the City’s projected funds for FY2014 are meant to be for architectural and engineering work. Both the City and the County have pushed the project back one year. Later in the meeting, Brown encouraged the City and the County to not defer maintenance projects at the library, out of a concern the library’s condition would worsen, raising the ultimate renovation costs. 

Councilor Satyendra Huja asked what the libraries’ plans are, and Beauregard said she felt that the library wanted to stay in its building on Market Street. O’Connell said that he thought it was too early to know for sure what would happen. Council agreed to have JRML Executive Director John Halliday appear before them in the near future for an update.

Another bondable project is the Ivy Road/Fontaine Area fire station, which is budgeted at $9.2 million over the next five years. Beauregard said the project has also been pushed back a year.

Mayor Dave Norris asked why there is no funding shown for the Old Lynchburg Road project in the coming year. Neighborhood Development Services Director Jim Tolbert said the plans will not be ready in time for construction to start in the upcoming fiscal year.

Satyendra Huja asked what the current status of project to place utilities underground. The FY2010 CIP contains $100,000 for the project which is to be matched by private developers. Tolbert said the next phase will involve placing utilities lines on Water Street between the Jefferson Theater and the Live Arts building.

MEADOWCREEK PARKWAY

Non-bondable projects include items such as sidewalk repair, bridge maintenance, highway inspection, as well as a $450,000 match the City must pay to get state funding for its portion of the Meadowcreek Parkway (the City’s portion is referred to as McIntire Road Extended). Mayor Norris asked why Council had not been given recommendations from the Planning Commission to reallocate that money to parkland acquisition. Norris participated in the Planning Commission's December 2008 discussion. Beauregard said she never received anything in writing from the Planning Commission.

“If they had something in writing, I would have included it in the material,” Beauregard said. Councilor Huja asked why planning staff couldn’t have relayed the message, but Beauregard said she couldn’t answer for that department.

In an interview with Charlottesville Tomorrow, Planning Commission Chairman Jason Pearson said Beauregard was present when the Commission passed its motion to recommend that the City's capital budget exclude funding for the two components of the Meadowcreek Parkway and instead allocate increased funding to sidewalks and park acquisition.

"If in fact Council did not receive any information about our recommendations, then I will forward them directly to Council via e-mail," Pearson said. "I think it's the responsibility of staff to make sure [Commission recommendations] are conveyed."

COUNCIL DECIDES TO SPEND $178,000 ON BIKE LANES, PARKS AND TREES

Budget staff had provided a line item of $177,906 for “non bondable contingency” projects for Council to program during the work session. Councilor Huja commented that he would like to add $50,000 in additional funding for urban tree preservation and planting. Currently the proposed CIP for FY2010 shows a line item of $106,090.  Mayor Norris and Councilor Julian Taliaferro said they would support adding more. Norris said that he wanted to use $100,000 to fund parkland acquisition, and he got the support of at least two other Councilors.

Councilor Brown asked what further opportunities there might be to develop more bike lanes. Public Works Director Judy Mueller said that the City has already installed all of the bike lanes it can where the lane marker has to be simply painted. Brown said a lot of cyclists wanted to see improvements on Emmet Street between University Avenue and Barracks Road Shopping Center. Tolbert said the only way to accomplish that would be to take off one lane of traffic in each direction. He said City Trails Planner Chris Gensic has been looking for ways to build an off-road trail with limited success so far. Councilor Huja said that the City needed a program to expand bike lanes to bring it in line with what other university communities have achieved. Huja requested funding to turn his vision into reality.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to make [bikes] a mode of transportation unless people feel safe to ride them,” Huja said. Brown said he already felt safe cycling in Charlottesville, but that he’s been doing so ever since he was a student at the University of Virginia. He said inexperienced cyclists could use a little more protection.

NDS Director Jim Tolbert

Tolbert said the City might likely employ a strategy of routing bike traffic on other roads, similar to what will be done with the Old Lynchburg Road project. In that case, bike traffic will be routed on to Monte Vista Avenue, rather than spend the money to widen Old Lynchburg Road to accommodate bike lanes. Council decided to go ahead and add a $25,000 line item from the non-bondable contingency fund to pay for bike lane construction for FY2010.

Councilor Brown wanted to know if it were possible to save money for large capital projects in the future, such as the Central Library renovations. O’Connell said that the City is reducing its budget in part by reducing the CIP by about $25 million over the next five years. O’Connell said the City spent more on large capital projects when times were better, pointing to the consolidation of the City’s indoor pools. He said he would compile a list of all the CIP projects that have been completed in the past five years.

“If we’re spending half a million dollars less in facilities capital projects than we proposed last year, what is it we’re not doing?” Brown asked of Judy Mueller. She responded that central office renovations for the City’s schools has been cut, and funding for a renovation of Buford Middle School has been reduced. Paving of Charlottesville High School’s parking lot will be deferred for one year.

“There was no major project that was cut out that we said we wouldn’t do,” Mueller said. “It’s a matter of saying we may have to delay things.” She said she would send Brown a detailed list of what other projects will be deferred.

While the Council did not agree last November with a staff recommendation to institute a stormwater utility fee, they did approve the spending of $600,000 for “citywide stormwater initiatives” in each of the next three years, with $100,000 proposed in both FY13 and FY14. Council will revisit the idea of instituting a fee sometime in FY13 if they want to continue the program.

NEW FUNDING INITIATIVES

Council discussed how they would like to spend the $250,000 set aside for Council Priority Initiatives. They approved of a plan to use at least $112,000 of that money for workforce development programs. The remaining funds will be programmed during the next Council work session on April 2, 2009. 
In addition, Beauregard also said staff was recommending spending on three new initiatives: $85,373 would be spent to expand the City’s Youth Internship Program; $63,000 to provide free bus rides to participants of the Virginia Initiative for Employment not Welfare (VIEW) program; and $60,000 on the proposed Community Dialogue on Race.  Councilor Huja expressed concern about the latter project. O’Connell said he would be bringing something more detailed before Council in the near future.

COUNCIL DEBATES CREATION OF A PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT ANALYST

One of the recommendations of the City’s recently completed efficiency study was for the City to create a new “Performance Management Analyst” position to coordinate all of the City’s efforts to save money through streamlining. The position, which is initially set at a base salary, of $60,000, would involve developing the City’s efficiency policy.

Councilors were not enthusiastic about the idea. Councilor Brown asked what other communities had such a position, and wondered what would actually be measured. Beauregard said each department will have to develop a mission and vision statements, along with outcomes, goals and objectives. Performance would be measured differently by each department.

Councilor Taliaferro said he assumed that the intent of the position would be to try to achieve more than $60,000 worth of cost savings each year to balance the cost of hiring the person. Beauregard said her staff is currently asking many questions about how to improve performance, but the new position would enable someone to look more deeply into how City government functions.

Mayor Norris asked if it would be better to use the available funding to train department heads in state-of-the-art performance techniques. O’Connell said the efficiency study showed that the existing City government structure does not have the “horsepower” to provide analysis that can lead to results.
Brown said the idea sounds like a good one, but that he was not convinced adding a new position to the payroll would be the best way to achieve the goal of increasing efficiency. Councilors and O’Connell went back and forth for several minutes before deferring a decision on the position to a future work session.

Council will next consider the budget at a work session on Thursday, April 2 at which funding for outside agencies will be considered.

Sean Tubbs

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST:

• 01:00 - Mayor Dave Norris calls the meeting to order
• 01:30 - Budget Manager Leslie Beauregard describes the agenda
• 05:40 - Councilor Taliaferro asks a question about the formula that determines school funding
• 06:00 - Beauregard moves discussion to the CIP 
• 08:15 - Councilor David Brown asks for a comparison of this year's bond issue to previous years
• 09:45 - Beauregard begins discussing bondable projects
• 10:45 - Brown asks for details on what will not be done because of the reductions to the CIP budget
• 15:30 - Brown asks about the $490,000 expenditure for the Central Library renovation project anticipated in FY2014
• 19:20 - Beauregard discusses transportation and access projects in the CIP
• 21:15 - Mayor Dave Norris asks why there are no funds for the Old Lynchburg Road improvements project
• 22:10 - Councilor Satyendra Huja asks about undergrounding utilities
• 24:00 - Beauregard discusses parks and recreation projects, including $5.7 million for Smith Pool replacement
• 24:30 - Discussion turns to non-bondable projects in the CIP, including sidewalk repair
• 26:30 - Huja calls for an additional $50,000 for urban tree planting
• 27:00 - Brown asks if sidewalk projects keep up with demand, with report by Jim Tolbert
• 31:30 - Huja calls for City to condemn property to ensure consistent sidewalks throughout City
• 33:30 - Mayor Norris asks why Council was not shown the recommendations from the Planning Commission
• 38:00 - Brown asks what the implications are for decreasing the amount of money for city wide traffic improvements from $200,000 to $150,000
• 39:45 - Tolbert updates Council on the pedestrian signals that are being installed downtown
• 41:40 - Discussion of $2 million in spending for "citywide stormwater initiatives"
• 42:30 - Discussion on $5 million for the Charlottesville Housing Fund and $625,000 for the Home Energy Conservation Grant
• 46:45 - Discussion of bike lanes
• 57:30 - Brown asks if Council should be saving for large projects
• 1:03:45 - Huja says that the budget should reflect the City Council's values
• 1:05:00 - Brown asks Mueller how capital project for facilities development will be reduced
• 1:12:00 - Brown points out that the school system's CIP is overseen by a committee, but that there's no process for prioritizing replacements in City buildings
• 1:13:15 - Huja asks about the future of the existing CTS yard
• 1:15:00 - Brown expresses concern about not funding anything to do with the library
• 1:17:45 - Beauregard recaps the requests for additional funds she heard uttered by Council
• 1:18:30 - Councilor Taliaferro asks what role stimulus money can play
• 1:19:15 - Work session shifts to a discussion of new funding initiatives
• 1:23:30 - Norris asks if Councilors are okay with spending money from
• 1:27:10 - Huja says he has concerns about spending $50,000 for Community Dialogue on Race
• 1:33:00 - Beauregard moves discussion to whether or not to create a new Performance Management Analyst position
• 1:49:30 - Councilor Holly Edwards offers her views on the position
• 1:52:00 - Beauregard describes what will happen next with the budget process
• 1:53:30 - Comments from Jim Moore with the Charlottesville Taxpayer Association
• 1:59:10 – Comments from Colette Hall of the North Downtown Neighborhood Association

Julian Taliaferro announces campaign for re-election to City Council

Councilor Julian Taliaferro (D) announced on March 9, 2009 that he would run for re-election to the Charlottesville City Council. Taliaferro was elected to his first term in 2006 and he currently serves as the Vice Mayor. With the initiation of this campaign, he becomes the third Democrat to vie for the two open seats on City Council. and Kristin Szakos and Dave Norris have also launched their respective campaigns. The Democratic Party will hold an “unassembled caucus” to select their candidates on a date to be announced, but sometime between May 8th and June 9th.  The general election will be held on November 3, 2009.

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In the announcement address held in front of Charlottesville City Hall, Taliaferro listed four issues he considers central to his campaign, “our public education system, affordable housing, efficient and effective deliver of city services, and the preservation and enhancement of our quality of life.” 

When asked by a reporter about any concrete goals for another term, Taliaferro highlighted two items. "One of the things I certainly want to bring to some sort of resolution is the community water plan and obviously I want to continue to support the public education system in the City," said Taliaferro.

Taliaferro praised the City’s recent efficiency study as well as the City’s fiscally conservative outlook on budgeting, and attributed this approach to allowing the community to weather tough economic times with few service cuts.

“This council has taken a leadership role in implementing green city initiatives that will protect our environment,” said Taliaferro to a gathering of about thirty supporters.  He said he is particularly proud of the enhancement of transit services secured within the last few years .

Watch the video below:

Taliaferro also defended Charlottesville’s revenue-sharing agreement with Albemarle County. “I have been somewhat dismayed at some of the careless remarks of some of the County leadership regarding our long-standing annexation agreement.” He summarized the history of the agreement, and insisted that the County is getting a good deal in return for the City’s lost potential for annexation. He said he would like to stop arguing over revenue sharing and work toward the consolidation of some City and County services.

In response to another question from the media, Taliaferro acknowledged that he attended a recent citizen protest of the proposed Meadowcreek Parkway on the previous Saturday. As City Councilor, Taliaferro voted in favor of easements for the Meadowcreek Parkway in June 2008. He told reporters that he hadn’t changed his mind yet, but that he is listening carefully to the opposition’s arguments and is leaning “a little more” against the project then he had been previously.

Taliaferro stood with several current and former public officials while giving his address in front of City Hall. Former City Mayors Tom Vandever and Blake Caravati, current City Treasurer Jennifer Brown, current City Commissioner of Revenue Lee Richards, current City Commonwealth Attorney, Dave Chapman, and candidate for City Sheriff, Mike Baird, all stood to show their support for Taliaferro’s re-election campaign.  Brown, Richard and Chapman’s positions are elected in the City and will also appear on the November 2009 ballot.

See Charlottesville Tomorrow's Election Watch page for complete coverage of the City's 2009 elections for City Council.

Daniel Nairn & Brian Wheeler

Top-10 Growth & Development Stories of 2008

In my weekly appearance today on WINA AM 1070 on the Charlottesville Right Now program, host Coy Barefoot and I will count down Charlottesville Tomorrow's top-10 growth and development stories of 2008.

This is the third year we have counted down the top-10 growth and development stories in Charlottesville-Albemarle.  This wouldn’t be possible without the support of WINA for the Charlottesville Right Now program, host Coy Barefoot for having me on the show each week, Charlottesville Tomorrow’s donors, and the excellent reporting by my colleague Sean Tubbs and our interns and fellows.

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Listen using player above or download the podcast: Brian Wheeler's Top 10 Stories

Charlottesville Tomorrow's Top-10 Growth and Development Stories of 2008

1. Approved 50-year Community Water Supply Plan comes under scrutiny as proposed Ragged Mountain Dam cost estimates rise and citizen group demands look at project alternatives and dredging options. [Review all our water supply news].
2. Major new housing and retail developments held up by market forces and lack of adequate public infrastructure (e.g. sewer capacity impacting North Pointe and Albemarle Place developments). National economic recession impacts local government budgets, housing market, and new home construction.  New County residential building permits total 360 through September 2008, on track to be the lowest annual total in over a decade.
3. Supervisor Ann Mallek’s first year representing the White Hall District on the six member Albemarle County Board of Supervisors results in several significant 4-2 votes breaking the 3-3 stalemate that had existed on issues like property taxes and rural area protection strategies.
4. City and County agree to seek legislation to support formation of Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Transit Authority (CARTA), a jointly run public transit authority that would take over and expand the bus operations of the Charlottesville Transit Service (CTS). Separate legislation is being recommended by a work group of Supervisors and City Councilors to seek authority to raise funds for transportation projects (including transit operations) via a local sales tax increase, if approved in a voter referendum in each locality.
5. Meadowcreek Parkway construction contract (for the County’s portion) awarded to Faulconer Construction with work scheduled to begin in early 2009. City Council opts for grade-separated “signalized diamond” interchange for the Parkway’s intersection with the Route 250. The Steering Committee had recommended a design with an overpass above an oval roundabout. City Planning Commission ends their work in 2008 with a recommendation to withdraw funding for City’s portion of project which is scheduled to go to bid in early 2009. 
6. Albemarle County approves several rural area protection strategies. Three rural area ordinance changes were approved related to holding periods on family sub-divisions, stream buffers, and driveways across steep slopes. A new land use taxation revalidation program is also approved by a unanimous vote of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. 
7. County continues review of economic development policy update in comprehensive plan and eyes light industrial zoning needs. As part of a lengthy (and frequently delayed) review of the Economic Development chapter of the Comprehensive Plan, Supervisors overturn a Planning Commission decision and opt to continue review of Yancey Mills Business Park, a proposal for a light industrial business park in Crozet near the I-64 and Route 250 interchange. Review of the economic development goals began in November 2007 and is once again on the agenda of the Board of Supervisors for their meeting on January 7, 2009.
8. Charlottesville City Council holds retreat in Staunton, VA.  Charlottesville Tomorrow attends as only observer from public or media. 
9. Albemarle County improves citizen and media access to important planning information by providing Internet access to complete staff reports provided to the County Planning Commission and by releasing the County View web application which allows detailed tracking of planning and building applications. Combined with the County’s GISWEB application and complete access to Board of Supervisor meeting materials and podcasts, the County has an impressive collection of material available online.
10. Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Pie Day 2008.  No other topic generated as much positive feedback and listener calls as Coy and Brian’s ongoing radio dialogue about homemade pies.

Brian’s predictions for the top stories of 2009

• 50-year Community Water Supply Plan
• Results of government efficiency reviews released by City and County.  What changes will be implemented?
• Local elections will be held for City Council and Board of Supervisors (see Election Watch 2009)
• General Assembly will block local sales tax increase for transportation funding and continue to shrink VDOT funding allocations to Charlottesville-Albemarle
• Downtown Mall renovations will be completed.  Will it be under budget and on schedule? Monitor the progress here.
• Local governments will face budget challenges as recession continues.  Revenue sharing from County to City will increase by $4 million to around $18 million a year.
• Places29 Master Plan will be unveiled.  Will it be approved?
• Crozet Master Plan’s first 5-year review gets underway
• Meadowcreek Parkway construction gets underway. Will a lawsuit stall City’s portion?
• Community will review of ASAP’s optimal population study findings

The best way to keep track of these and other stories about growth and development is to subscribe to our free weekly e-mail updates.  Thanks for listening, reading, and commenting in 2008!

Brian Wheeler

Council holds work session to learn more about poverty in Charlottesville

The Charlottesville City Council held a work session on poverty to identify and discuss poverty related issues faced by the City.   The November 6, 2008 work session began with a presentation by Director of Social Services Buz Cox entitled, “What is poverty?”  One of Cox’s suggestions was for the City to provide or assist with low cost or free transportation to employment and education centers for those living in poverty.

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Charlottesville City Councilors

Poverty is defined as “the state of living in a family with income below the federally defined poverty level.” However, while the federal poverty level for a family of three is $17,600, the actual income needed for a family of three to be self-sufficient in Virginia is $35,797 according to a study done in 2002.  Furthermore, the high cost of housing in Charlottesville relative to other Virginia cities may mean the self-sufficiency estimate is at the low end of what would be required.  There are twice as many people in Charlottesville living Charlottesville below the $35,797 income level than are living below $17,600. 

Cox explained to Council that it is challenging to find accurate numbers of people living in poverty in the City because Charlottesville is home to such a large number of students.  Recently, the State Department of Social Services paid the U.S. Census Bureau to do a special re-tabulation to remove college students earning less than $5,150, military persons and those living in group quarters from their poverty counts.  This reduced the apparent poverty rate from 22% to about 11%, according to Cox.

Director of Social Services Buz Cox

Cox presented the City’s anti-poverty initiatives, saying that the City generally targets nine issues facing people in poverty:
1. Affordable housing
2. Food and nutrition
3. Affordable and quality health care
4. Equal access to quality education
5. Dependable and affordable transportation
6. Quality and affordable child care
7. Opportunities for sustainable work that pays a living wage
8. Availability of adequate income supports
9. Care for the elderly and disabled

Mayor Dave Norris said “these are all good initiatives, but there are not that many of these here that are going to reach down and pull people out of poverty.”  Mayor Norris then asked that
Michael Harvey, Executive Director of the Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development share ideas about how the City could accomplish these goals.

“You need to customize your workforce support system to meet the needs of your employers,” Harvey said. He recommended the City should make a move to get ahead of the problem and break the cycle, pointing out that the chronically unemployed in the area need to be addressed.   Harvey explained that while the African American community makes up 22% of the population, they consistently make up 40-60% of the unemployed people in Charlottesville.

Additionally, Cox said that what the city needs is more education and training, a second chance program for ex-offenders, to stop stereotypes and generalizations, continued financial assistance after employment, incentives to save money while living in public housing, mentoring, more resources and support for children and teens.

“We continue to create a lot of service level jobs that don’t create a lot of upward mobility,” said Councilor Julian Taliaferro, explaining that other cities may have more opportunities to provide manufacturing positions.  He suggested apprenticeship programs where workers could learn more advanced skills.

Harvey explained that there are good jobs for those without higher education, just thirty or forty minutes away.  He asked that the City identify the other issues in “connecting the labor surplus to the labor need.”

Karen Waters of the Quality Community Council recognized the work being done to improve regional transit but explained that part of the issue is some citizens cannot drive.  “If you have a felony or you’re behind on child support, you lose your drivers’ license,” said Waters.  “Even if you can get one of these jobs… you’ve been denied the privilege of driving.”  In order to address this issue Mayor Norris suggested that regional employers might work with the City to establish a carpool or van system.

City Councilor Holly Edwards emphasized the need for individual case management and personal relationships to help people with specific challenges, providing someone who can connect the resources with those who need them.  Harvey suggested that the one stop workforce center was meant to provide these types of “triage” services.

Councilor Edwards explained that in the examples the Councilors were presented, the cities were “a catalyst in creating opportunities for economic success.”  She suggested that Council define what “economic justice means for our City” and that Charlottesville become a leader in providing opportunities for citizens.  She suggested that the next step for identifying problems and working through possible solutions should be a town hall meeting to hear people’s needs.

Councilor Taliaferro suggested that the City should set measurable, specific goals as to what it would like to accomplish in this area.  It was then suggested that the City prioritize funding for non-profit organizations based on their objectives. 

Mayor Norris summarized the dialogue and Councilors agreed to move forward bringing in additional stakeholders to help set measurable, specific goals in the spirit of public-private partnerships. 

Fania Gordon

Charlottesville City Council identifies new priorities in two-day retreat

On September 5-6, 2008, Charlottesville City Council held a two-day retreat at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel in Staunton, VA.  Mayor Dave Norris told Charlottesville Tomorrow that he felt like it was a very positive meeting.  “The retreat was a good process that will help us focus our energy and resources for the next couple of years on several strategic priorities,” said Norris.

 On Friday evening in a small hotel conference room, five City Councilors, five City staff, and a facilitator started with an ice breaker exercise exploring their personality styles.  Facilitator Skip Mullaney said if the group understood their own personality traits, as well as those of their colleagues, they could build better working relationships.

In this specific exercise, there were four potential personality profiles and Mullaney was happy to see that City Council members and staff were represented in each of the four groups.  In addition to a balance of personalities, Mayor Norris sees the current City Council as possessing other strengths.  “This is a council that is very thoughtful and serious.  It works well together, even though we don’t always agree.”

In the course of the retreat, Council members talked about how they think they are sometimes perceived as being of one mind on many issues given that they are all from the same political party.  One councilor noted that despite being an all Democratic Council, they often do not vote unanimously on an issue. 

The participants in the 2008 Charlottesville City Council retreat included:

City Councilors:
Dave Norris, Mayor
Julian Taliaferro, Vice Mayor
Dave Brown
Holly Edwards
Satyendra Huja

City Staff:
Gary O’Connell, City Manager
Maurice Jones, Assistant City Manager
Leslie Beauregard, Budget Director
Craig Brown, City Attorney
Ric Barrick, Director of Communications
Jeanne Cox, Clerk of the Council

Facilitator: Skip Mullaney

Mayor Norris said Council has a tradition of holding retreats outside of Charlottesville. “It is good to get away, but not too far away,” said Norris.  “A little distance allows us some mental space to think big.”

Facilitator and Charlottesville resident Skip Mullaney

Thinking big was the emphasis of Saturday’s all-day session.  Facilitator Skip Mullaney conducted a “dot exercise” that allowed councilors and staff to assess how the City was  doing on the eight major goals of Council’s existing Vision 2025.  In advance of the retreat, Councilors received a ten page summary of the goals and the strategies being pursued by City Manager Gary O’Connell and his staff.

Mullaney had the group place a dot on a poster-sized target for each of the goals to measure City government’s level of impact and engagement.  Goals with the most “hits” in the bull’s eye included efforts to make Charlottesville a “green” city and work supporting arts and culture.  The participants scored “Quality Housing Opportunities for All” as missing the mark the most.  There was little to no discussion of quantitative measurements for assessing progress on the strategic plan.

After the self-assessment of their current vision and goals, Mullaney moved the group towards brainstorming on priorities for the next two years.  Staff and council identified a group of about thirteen major priorities.  While the new priorities didn’t necessarily have to be aligned within the current vision in this exercise, there was consensus that the Vision 2025 strategic plan was a positive and forceful guide for their work. 

After a lunch break, another “dot exercise” evaluated which priorities would receive “votes” from at least three City Councilors.  Those that did receive a majority vote made it to the final list of seven priorities identified for 2008-2010.  The new priority list below has three tiers grouped by the number of “votes” received by City Councilors.  Tier I priorities had the highest number of votes.

NOTE: City staff will revise the exact wording of these priorities over the next month.  The draft language shown below is Charlottesville Tomorrow’s best effort to capture the discussion at the retreat.

DRAFT City Council Priorities 2008-2010

Tier I – Highest Priority

• Public housing and affordable housing—Rehabilitation / redevelopment to improve quality of public housing; Increase affordable housing supply
  [Update 9/8/08 - 1:15 PM: Mayor Dave Norris wrote Charlottesville Tomorrow to emphasize that this priority "revolved primarily around expanding affordable housing overall (no new units of which are expected to be publicly owned or managed)."  This item has been slightly revised to reflect that understanding.] 

Tier II

• Repair aging community infrastructure (water, sewer, recreation, storm water, streets, sidewalks, buildings)
• Workforce development and job opportunities—Increasing job skills; Expanding youth employment; Moving residents out of poverty; Placing a focus on low income neighborhoods
• Race relations—Recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce; Improving race relations in the community

Tier III

• Economic development—Expedited development approval process; Tax base expansion; Concentration on Downtown businesses]
• Trees—Achieve 40% tree canopy; Increase tree plantings
• Transit (and mobility)—Expand and “revolutionize” public transit in City and County; Pedestrian and bike friendly City

Mayor Norris told Charlottesville Tomorrow that the retreat met his expectations.  “It did.  I was looking for an action agenda for where to focus our efforts,” said Norris.

Next, Gary O’Connell and his staff will summarize the feedback collected at the retreat and submit it to Council in October.  A number of the priorities are already part of the City’s work plan and have reports coming soon to Council, including a discussion on September 15th related to housing priorities and a forestry master plan coming later in 2008. Norris encouraged staff to develop a tracking mechanism to measure progress and provide periodic updates to Council.

Brian Wheeler