Are big changes ahead in budgeting, taxes, and economic development?

This article is an extended version of what appears in today's Daily Progress.

By Brian Wheeler
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Sunday, November 8, 2009

The day after his fellow Republicans swept the competitive races for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, Ken Boyd (Rivanna) was not gloating.  In a board meeting that lasted all day on Wednesday, Boyd patiently listened to reports of dire economic conditions and jabs by his colleagues at the promises made by victorious Republican candidates Duane Snow (Samuel Miller) and Rodney Thomas (Rio).

Thomas defeated one-term incumbent Democrat David Slutzky (Rio) and Snow won the open seat race in the Samuel Miller district over Democrat Madison Cummings and Independent John Lowry.  Both winners are local businessmen born and raised in Charlottesville-Albemarle. 

The election results will bring a new mix of experience, politics and philosophy to the board starting in January. That could mean big changes in the board's approach to budgeting, tax rates, economic development and other key issues.

“I don’t know how much it will change,” said Boyd in an interview after a grim work session on the County’s five-year financial plan.  “When you run one way, then get elected, you are faced with certain realities once you are on the board. Running for election is different from actually legislating.”

“Even people with experience in the community get faced with having to make fiscal decisions, and it can be different on the inside than from the outside looking in,” said Boyd.

Jack Marshall, president of Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population (ASAP), said in an interview that he thought the election would bring significant changes.

“In the last 20 years, there has been a natural tension on the board, between those that subscribe to a traditional strategy—constant growth is good; we always need to attract new businesses—and a newer strategy, that a community should seek a sustainable level of economic development that over the long haul doesn’t disrupt our environment and quality of life,” said Marshall.  “Last week’s election pretty clearly shifted the balance toward the more pro-growth approach.”

A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO BUDGETING

Thomas and Snow both indicated in their campaigns that zero-based budgeting process would be part of their approach to cutting government expenses and avoiding tax increases.

In an interview after the election, both Thomas and Snow said the budget and economic development remained at the top of their priority lists.

“My priority is the budget.  We now have a $5.7 million deficit [in this fiscal year],” said Thomas.  “We have to start cutting expenses because we don’t have any money and it is not getting any better.”

Boyd, Snow and Thomas all say they believe zero-based budgeting could improve the County’s financial position.

“Instead of staff coming back with budget recommendations [to the board], department heads would build their budgets from the bottom up,” explained Boyd.  “One advantage of zero-based budgeting is that instead of staff making decisions about what is essential, the board is forced to do that.”

“When requests for money are made, we need to have [staff] justify that expense,” said Snow in an interview.  “You have to be prepared to say why you need it and what will happen if you don’t get it.”

Jeff Werner, a land use field officer for the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC), said in an interview that zero-based budgeting was going to force some tough choices at the board level.

“In the past it has been easy for some of the supervisors to say they support various initiatives, but that they also want to cut taxes,” said Werner. “It is going to require them to take very specific positions on the things they want to cut and I think that will be very interesting.”

CUTTING EXPENSES VS. RAISING TAXES

The board of supervisors that meets in January will start with four votes opposed to any increase of Albemarle’s current 74.2-cent real estate property tax rate.  The three Republicans and Democrat Lindsay Dorrier all say they are currently opposed to a staff proposal to increase the rate by 3 cents and maintain that rate for the next five years. 

“I don’t want to increase the tax rate at all,” said Thomas. “I would rather look at where we can save some money and programs that we can cut out of the budget.  Maybe in the police department, but I don’t have all the facts yet.”

“I would like to keep the tax rate the same as it is now,” said Boyd.  “Everybody I know, in business and personally, is having to cut back.  Until we reach the point where we are having to sacrifice critical services, I wouldn’t be willing to raise that rate.”

The majority of today’s board, however, has given County Executive Bob Tucker direction to pencil in the higher tax rate to prepare a draft five year financial plan.  At the meeting Wednesday, staff reiterated that a 77.2-cent rate would mean the average homeowner would pay the same real-estate taxes as this year because of declining property values. The Board is expected to approve a five year financial plan in December.  In April, the new board of Supervisors will set a final tax rate for calendar year 2010.

In the work session Wednesday, the board received new financial projections and learned that the current fiscal year revenues were now $5.7 million below what was budgeted.  Second, they were warned that a 74.2-cent tax rate would not even cover the costs to service existing debt in the next capital budget.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

With this election, the next board of supervisors can be expected to bring economic development center stage as one tool they will propose to use to improve the county’s fiscal health.  In their campaigns, both Thomas and Snow emphasized the need to attract new businesses to the community with more specific economic development plans.

“The entire culture needs to be changed to be more business friendly.  We are open for business,” said Thomas.  “We need to attract more businesses to Albemarle County.. and I am not speaking of commercial or retail businesses, I am primarily talking about businesses that can hire significant numbers of people.”

Thomas said he was interested in creating new locations for light industrial businesses and that he was open to discussing the Yancey Mills Business Park proposal in Crozet’s rural area.

The PEC's Jeff Werner said he expected the next board would be “pre-disposed to grant developers what they want.”

“How much more would they have to approve to be business friendly?” asked Werner. “Look at the pipeline of residential and commercial development that has been approved but not built.  To say we need a growth area expansion for new business is absurd.”

Snow said he wanted to focus on the county’s economic development plans, with a focus on development within the designated growth areas. 

“We should come up with a system where we facilitate and help [business] rather than drag our feet.  There is a problem,” said Snow.  “It will be a team effort, I am not coming in with both guns blazing.  It will take a mentality of all of us working together.”

ASAP’s Jack Marshall said he hoped the new board would plan carefully for future of the entire community.  He also indicated his preference was for the County to support existing local businesses rather than attract new ones.

“I know that the new supervisors are concerned about the long term good of the whole community and trust they will carefully weigh the impact of their decisions on future generations,” said Marshall.  “I would urge that we do everything we can to support and strengthen local businesses.  Over the long haul, it is not healthy to make great efforts to bring in new businesses.  Any economic development efforts should go into sustaining and strengthening what we already have here.”

Local election results

In the races covered by Charlottesville Tomorrow during 2009, the following candidates were elected tonight:

Albemarle County Board of Supervisors

• Independent Dennis Rooker (Jack Jouett)
• Republican Rodney Thomas (Rio)
• Republican Duane Snow (Samuel Miller)

Charlottesville City Council

• Democrat Dave Norris
• Democrat Kristin Szakos

Thank you to all of the candidates who participated in our interviews and candidate forums during this important local election.

Snow calls on County to halt zoning fee increases

By Brian Wheeler
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Saturday, October 31, 2009

Republican Duane Snow, a candidate for the Samuel Miller seat on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, is calling for the Planning Commission to end its discussion of raising a variety of zoning fees, including those on home businesses. 

Duane Snow (R-Samuel Miller) holds a press conference on zoning fees at the home of Kirbie & Nelson Moore

“Here we are in the worst economy that I have ever been a part of, and to take someone with an idea to start a new business, and then raise the fee [from $440 to $4,500], I find that truly amazing,” said Snow on Friday.

Snow was referring to one of a number of fee increases which will be considered by the planning commission at a November 10th public hearing.  The Home Occupation – Class B one-time fee is currently $440 which covers a home business with no more than 2 employees, other than family living in the residence. 

The Class B fee has been proposed for an increase to a maximum of $4,500.  The Class A Home Occupation permit, is proposed to increase from $13 to $25.

The County’s Chief of Current Development, Bill Fritz, confirmed in an interview these particular fee increases and said the planning commission directed that fees be advertised that recovered 75% of the costs incurred by the county.

“Staff’s recommendation was $2,000 for Class B,” said Fritz. “Class A has an administrative process and they can sometimes be done while the person is standing there in the office, no more than a day or two at the most.”

“Class B is a special use permit just like any other special use permit,” said Fritz.  “The process does add to the cost, and the County’s fee study tried to capture all those costs.”

Planning Commission Chairman Eric Strucko (Samuel Miller) said it was appropriate for the county to review its fee structure and associated costs for reviewing zoning applications and special use permits.

“The amount advertised for public hearing becomes the absolute ceiling and we purposely make it high so there is some leeway in the deliberative process,” said Strucko in an interview.  “We will most likely bring them down, as some of these increases are very significant.”

County staff assessed the fees charged in other localities and made recommendations based on recovering a portion of the actual costs for the work involved.

Commissioner Linda Porterfield (Scottsville) said she believes in “100% cost recovery” if reasonable costs have been calculated up front.  “We shouldn’t inflate a fee just to pay for something else,” said Porterfield in an interview.

“I think that the fees should be set reasonably, but the person getting the opportunity should be paying the price,” said Porterfield.  “I don’t think my neighbor should pay for me to do something, thus subsidizing it.”

Other proposed fee increases caught the attention of Valerie Long, an attorney who represents a number of local developers and other business owners.

“Rezonings applications are a good example,” said Long.  “Right now a planned development of 50 acres or less costs $1,020.  Under this proposal it would increase to $13,500, a 1,220% increase.” 

Asked about the County’s effort to recover its costs of doing business, Long recommended the county strike a fair balance with developers and streamline the way it does business.

“The costs are driven in large part by the complexity of the regulations and the scope of review that the county chooses to undertake,” said Long.  “The level of review is premised on protection of the public interest.  If we want quality development in the growth areas, the community should help cover the costs.”

Snow announced today that, if elected, he would not support any increases in the zoning fees. 

“I think right now what we need more than anything is an economic development plan with measurable goals, and by doing something such as that we will be able to increase the vitality of our economic condition,” said Snow.

Independent John Lowry is also running for the Samuel Miller seat on the board.  Lowry chairs the economic development authority and in July he called for the county to create an economic development office that would generate more tax revenues.

Lowry said he would want to review the planning commission’s final recommendations, and that he thought the cost recovery approach made sense. 

“These are not fee increases to raise revenues for the county, they are simply more reflective of what these costs are for what the county provides,” said Lowry.  “It is impractical to think you can close the door on fee increases.  You have to have an open mind on what reality dictates.”

Democrat Madison Cummings is the third candidate in the three-way race which will be decided in Tuesday’s election.  Cummings could not be reached for comment.

Business PAC makes large campaign contributions in Albemarle races

By Brian Wheeler
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Friday, October 30, 2009

With four days to go before the Nov. 3 general election, a local political action committee is making its presence known with large contributions to some of the candidates running for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors and to the County Republican Party.

The latest campaign finance data was published Wednesday by the Virginia Public Access Project and includes fundraising through October 21.  According to VPAP, the Monticello Business Alliance, a political action committee that receives its funding primarily from local real estate and development interests, has invested $40,000 in Albemarle County’s political contests. 

Albemarle Supervisor Candidate	Amount raised through Oct 21st*
Jack Jouett District
Dennis Rooker (I) – Incumbent	$70,405
Rio District
David Slutzky (D) – Incumbent	$82,595*
Rodney Thomas (R) – Challenger	$72,345*
Samuel Miller District
Madison Cummings (D)	$20,980
John Lowry (I)	$20,578
Duane Snow (R)	$42,208*
* Total for this candidate includes contributions of $500 or more received between October 22-28, 2009 Source: Virginia Public Access Project

The Monticello Business Alliance was formed in 2003 and has a steering committee made up of more than 100 area business people and individuals.  It describes itself as a non-partisan organization working, “to preserve, protect, sustain and enhance an economically sound and vibrant community.”

In September, the Alliance made a contribution of $1,500 to each of the five candidates running in contested races for the Board of Supervisors.  It also contributed $10,000 to the County Republicans which the party says it is using to hire campaign consultants.  Since 2003, 82% of the PAC’s funding has gone to Republicans according to VPAP.

In October, however, the Alliance made additional large contributions only to three candidates--both Rio district candidates, incumbent Democrat David L. Slutzky and challenger Republican Rodney S. Thomas, and Republican Duane Snow who is running in the Samuel Miller District. 

With the help of an additional $7,500 contribution from the Monticello Business Alliance, Slutzky has maintained his lead in local campaign donations with an overall total of $82,595.

“Considering they traditionally fund Republican candidates, it reveals a lot about my broad base of support,” said Slutzky.  “A significant amount of Thomas’ money comes from himself and the Realtors, but at the end of the day, it is really about how the voters feel, not the donors.”

Thomas received two additional contributions from the Monticello Business Alliance in October totaling $5,000.  He has made $11,592 in in-kind donations to his campaign from his printing company.

“I probably have 500 donors” said Thomas.  “When I get higher numbers of small donations, that means I am going to get more votes.  I’d rather have one-thousand $100 donors than ten $10,000 donors.”

According to Christian Schoenewald, chair of the Albemarle County Republican Party, the $10,000 donation it received from the Alliance is being used to hire campaign consultants for Thomas and Snow.

“We hire people that work with the party and we farm them out to work with the candidates,” said Schoenewald.  “The party pays them as campaign consultants, and they help the Supervisor candidates with their campaign needs.”

Snow is in the three-way race for the open Samuel Miller District seat being vacated by the retiring Sally Thomas.  Snow has raised a total of $42,208, twice as much as each of his opponents, Democrat Madison Cummings and Independent John Lowry.

Snow garnered his biggest financial boost from the Monticello Business Alliance, now his largest contributor, when they made an additional donation of $10,000 after the end of the early October filing period.  Large contributions of $500 or more must be reported in the two weeks before the election. 

“I never had any idea what it took to run a campaign and get your message out.  It was a complete eye opener for me,” said Snow.  “I thought you could do something like this for $8,000 to $10,000.  It all adds up.  You have flyers, radio, and television.”

Asked why he had received the largest candidate contribution from the Alliance, Snow said in an interview he thought it was because of his concern for “waste and inefficiencies in government.” 

“That message is resonating with people everywhere,” said Snow.

While Snow is running television ads in the last week before the election with some of the additional funding, his opponents, Cummings and Lowry, said that was not in their game plan.  Cummings has raised a total of $20,980 and had the smallest contribution total for early October with $1,800 in new donations.

“I think we have run our campaign in a very fiscally responsible fashion and our expenditures have been what we targeted to spend,” said Cummings.  “I think is has been a very successful campaign and we have done it on a lean budget.”

Lowry has raised a total of $20,578 and he brought in additional contributions of $3,194 in early October.

“I have knocked on most of the doors of all the homes that will be voting in the Samuel Miller District,” said Lowry.  “I am not convinced additional media advertising will do much more. I am happy with what I have done so far because I am running as an independent.”

In the last pre-election campaign finance reports, VPAP reports a total of $309,111 raised for Albemarle’s supervisor races through late October.  This exceeds the 2007 fundraising total of $261,138, a year which also had two hotly contested supervisor races.

County candidates square off on growth issues at final forum

By Sean Tubbs
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Monday, October 26, 2009

Population growth, transportation improvements and protecting the watershed were the three topics discussed at the final candidate forum for the six men vying for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. The forum, held on October 22, 2009, was sponsored by Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population (ASAP), Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation (ACCT), the Piedmont Environmental Council and the Rivanna Conservation Society.

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Watch the video:

Albemarle County Candidates Forum from Charlottesville Tomorrow on Vimeo.

The forum was moderated by Bob Gibson, Executive Director of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia.

The sponsors asked three long questions in advance of the forum, each of which was backed up with facts and footnotes.

Download the full list of questions here

Question 1: In light of ASAP’s survey on the area’s ecosystem services capacity, what policy implications do you envision for the pending revision of the Comprehensive Plan? What additional facts would be necessary to help you form your opinion about the desirability of capping County growth at an optimal sustainable population size?

Rodney Thomas (R-Rio): “I think the research for this study was flawed because it didn’t take into consideration technological advances and the increase in growth and density proposed by the master plan… After the last drought, many residents stepped up and worked to reduce the amount of water they used.... We can continue to be good stewards of the land and not handcuff future generations… I don’t believe in population control.”

David Slutzky (D-Rio): “The comprehensive plan is a beautiful statement of intent, but intent is empty, if you will, without process to support it, and we are limited in our process elements to our comprehensive plan… We need to strengthen policy choices that would lead to rural area protection….”

Dennis Rooker (I-Jack Jouett): “Some of the additional information we need is really what I would call geographic specific information about the areas that we need to focus on to better protect areas where natural resources are housed. One of the things we do know is that forest protection is incredibly important.”

Madison Cummings (D-Samuel Miller): “The facts presented should give us all pause regarding the future size of our population. The study gives us time to address the possibility of rampant growth… If we can keep the growth in the urban ring… we’ll be able to mitigate the potentially harmful effects on our water, forests and fields.”

Duane Snow (R-Samuel Miller): “The study is valuable from the standpoint of helping to illustrate the needfor us to continue to set clear-cut policies in terms of zoning… I asked the question if the study took into account conservation easements… [the Consultant] said no… Right now some of the things we can continue to do is fund the [Acquisition of Conservation Easements] program…”

John Lowry (I-Samuel Miller): “I did see some things in the study that didn’t seem quite right. I am in North Garden, only 6.5% developed, and the study said the population could go from 6,800 to 60,000, and I don’t see that happening… It’s good to have the discussion in a conceptual and abstract sense because it’s better to plan for your future than not plan for your future…”

Question 2: Do you support the approach taken in the Places29 Master Plan to address traffic congestion through parallel roads, bus rapid transit, grade-separated interchanges and better facilities for cyclists and pedestrians? If so, how will you secure funding? If not, what is your plan for addressing the transportation problems of the County?

David Slutzky (D-Rio): “If we’re going to have traffic, meaning people moving from place to place, I think we need to disperse and diffuse that energy across modalities… We’ve got to get people out of cars and into alternative modes of transportation… To the extent that people are in automobiles, we need to create a network of parallel roads… How we pay for them is a whole other matter….”

Rodney Thomas (R-Rio): “I know of no place in the United States where a community our size has significantly increased alternative transportation by throwing massive amounts of taxpayer dollars at it, so I am inclined to think that throwing money at a fleet of empty buses is not the answer.... We need some of the parallel roads that are on the drawing board put in place, but at this time there does not appear to be any money for them…”

Dennis Rooker (I-Jack Jouett): “We sought a bill at the legislature last year that would have allowed us to have a public referendum on whether or not we could add up to a penny on the sales tax for dedicated transportation funding for this area. The legislature did not allow that to get out of committee. Had we done that… we would have had adequate transportation funds to do most of the things that we know need to be done.”

John Lowry (I-Samuel Miller): “If we have the seed money that we can raise on our own, that will allow us to do debt issues of long term capital to finance our improvements in the transportation system. After all, they’re long-term investments and they’ll pay us back… We really need to have the Sunset Avenue/Fontaine Avenue connector….”

Madison Cummings (D-Samuel Miller): “We must find ways to get out of our cars…If the General Assembly were to at least allow the localities to choose what improvements their citizens would desire and how to fund them by means of local referenda, I believe we would do the responsible thing.”

Duane Snow (R-Samuel Miller): “I think that we need the parallel roads… I’m not interested in seeing in seeing a through-way with U.S. 29 with grade-separated interchanges and increasing the speed limit to 60 miles an hour….”

Question 3: The County’s comprehensive plan calls for a number of policies to protect the Rivanna watershed, but a number have not been implemented. Can you comment on the County’s willingness to approve developments that are consistent with the plan, but its unwillingness to support policies such as the Mountain Overlay District? Do you agree with the County passing ordinances to make sure clean water flows towards the Chesapeake Bay?

Dennis Rooker (I-Jack Jouett): “The County amended the zoning ordinance to include driveway standards… The County amended the water protection ordinance to require stream buffers and all intermittent and perennial streams… The County amended its process for development in the rural areas to require that building permits include critical resource reviews….”

John Lowry (I-Samuel Miller): “I do feel like Albemarle County is very effectively managed… I do support ordinances to protect the watershed… I think we need to have firm policies that we will not expand our growth area….”

Madison Cummings (D-Samuel Miller): “There should be equal respect given to protecting the natural environment as there is to development… I feel like we’ve made a promise to our fellow citizens in this community and the other states that feed into the Bay… We all need to do a better job… I feel like we must protect our forests because they clean the air, they hold the soil from erosion, and they enhance the quality of the water….”

Duane Snow (R-Samuel Miller): “Working on the Architectural Review Board, we started taking a really close look at how these projects were developing and making sure they got the controls in place… In large-scale development we need to make sure we have the runoff that we’ve had in the past… I’ve spent my life trying to educate people on how to take care of their land  and how to improve water quality… I look at myself as one of the original environmentalists in the area….”

Rodney Thomas (R-Rio): “I think the solutions arrived at by the Board of Supervisors over the past several years were a reasonable balancing of the rights of property owners and improved steps to preserve our ecosystems…100 foot buffers on streams, required timely vegetation on development sites, driveway requirements in rural standards… We must be careful not to make farming impossible by making rules that limit our farming heritage….”

David Slutzky (D-Rio): “The comp plan gives us guidance… but it’s the Board’s job to carry out that will… How do we get further? I tell you when we sit there at a Board hearing and the folks who are there to defend their property rights are out in numbers, and the folks that want to have ecological systems protected for the benefit of future generations are at home talking about it among themselves, the political will isn’t there for our Board to be more proactive and assertive….”

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST:

• 01:00 - Introduction from Bob Gibson, Executive Director of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership
• 04:50 - Gibson introduces the candidates
• 07:00 - Question 1
• 08:30 - Rodney Thomas (R-Rio) responds
• 10:30 - David Slutzky (D-Rio) responds
• 14:30 - Dennis Rooker (I-Jack Jouett) responds
• 17:30 - Madison Cummings (D-Samuel Miller) responds
• 20:00 - Duane Snow (R-Samuel Miller) responds
• 22:20 - John Lowry (I-Samuel Miller) responds
• 24:15 - Gibson reads additional information to set up Samuel Miller rebuttal
• 25:30 - Cummings rebuttal to Question 1
• 27:15 - Snow rebuttal to Question 1
• 30:20 - Question 2
• 32:10 - David Slutzky (D-Rio) responds
• 34:10 - Rodney Thomas (R-Rio) responds
• 36:00 - Slutzky rebuts Thomas
• 37:00 - Thomas rebuts Slutzky
• 38:20 - Dennis Rooker (I-Jack Jouett) responds
• 41:45 - John Lowry (I-Samuel Miller) responds
• 43:45 - Madison Cummings (D-Samuel Miller) responds
• 45:45 - Duane Snow (R-Samuel Miller) responds
• 47:45 - Lowry rebuts Snow and Cummings
• 49:40 - Cummings rebuts Snow on the idea of zero based budgeting
• 51:15 - Snow uses his rebuttal time to call for economic development
• 52:45 - Question 3
• 54:00 - Dennis Rooker (I-Jack Jouett) responds
• 57:30 - Duane Snow (R-Samuel Miller) responds
• 59:45 - John Lowry (I-Samuel Miller) responds
• 1:01:00 - Madison Cummings (D-Samuel Miller) responds
• 1:04:00 – Samuel Miller candidates rebut on question 3
• 1:09:40 - Rodney Thomas (R-Rio) responds
• 1:10:30 - David Slutzky (D-Rio) responds
• 1:12:00 - Rio candidates rebut on question 3

Albemarle candidates discuss transportation, economic development, and water supply

By Sean Tubbs
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Friday, October 23, 2009

The six candidates running for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors made their case before a group of Charlottesville business leaders Thursday. The North Charlottesville Business Council asked questions about transportation plans, the government’s role in economic development and the community water supply plan.

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The candidates each had three minutes to make a brief opening statement.

Samuel Miller candidates, left to right: Madison Cummings (D), Duane Snow (R) and John Lowry (I)

Madison Cummings (D-Samuel Miller) pointed to his eight years on the Albemarle School Board. John Lowry (I-Samuel Miller) touted his chairmanship of the County’s Economic Development Authority. Duane Snow (R-Samuel Miller) said he would apply the lessons he learned running a business to County government.

David Slutzky (D-Rio) cited his entrepreneurship and gave examples of what he has done to attract jobs to Albemarle County. Rodney Thomas (R-Rio) said his time as Chair of the Planning Commission prepared him to serve on the Board.

Dennis Rooker (I-Jack Jouett) faces no opposition, but said he should be re-elected in order to help maintain what he described as Albemarle County’s “fiscally-sound” local government. Rooker pointed to the County’s AAA bond rating, a tax-rate he described as low, and the transition to a five-year financial planning process.

The first question asked whether the candidates supported the adopted 50-year community water supply plan. All six said they agreed with the plan, but Thomas explained why he did not sign a pledge supporting the plan.

“I do support the plan… but I just want to see what the new designers and architects will come up with,” Thomas said, referring to the recent decision by the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority to hire Schnabel Engineering to design a new dam at Ragged Mountain Reservoir. Thomas said he also wanted to know about why dredging of the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir was not selected as a way to add capacity to the water supply system.

Slutzky said that dredging will be more expensive than its proponents think, and that there are many logistical issues that may prevent that option from receiving federal and state permits.

“It might be possible to put the spoils in [a nearby] quarry, but it might not,” Slutzky said. “That quarry might have fracture zones in that will make it connect with an aquifer down below and the Clean Water Act isn’t going to let us just willy-nilly put a bunch of dredging [spoils] that might contaminate that.”

Lowry said he understood that many in Charlottesville are opposed to the plan because they don’t see the city’s population increasing. However, he said that could change as new information comes in from both Schnabel and the dredging feasibility study.

“My perception is that people in the City are getting the message that they’re going to need to be part of the plan because it’s the best alternative,” Lowry said. He said it was fair that County ratepayers pay more for the additional capacity that will be created under the plan.

Duane Snow said the elements of the plan should be built as quickly as possible. Madison Cummings said he did not want the plan to become another delayed infrastructure project, like the Meadowcreek Parkway.

The second question dealt with transportation. The NCBC, which is an affiliate of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce, has been critical of the Places29 Master Plan over its potential to affect businesses along the U.S. 29 corridor. Chamber President Tim Hulbert asked what transportation improvement projects the candidates would support as Supervisor.

Lowry said he supports the parallel road network called for in the Places29 Master Plan, as well as a fourth lane on southbound U.S. 29 from Hydraulic Road to the U.S. 250 Bypass. However, Lowry said the main issue is getting the state of Virginia to resume paying for roads.

Snow said he supports the extension of both Hillsdale Drive and Berkmar Drive, as well as the widening of U.S. 29 from Polo Ground Road to Hollymead Town Center. Snow said he is opposed to the grade-separated interchanges called for in Places29.

“Before I would consider grade-separated interchanges, I think we should reopen the bypass discussion,” Snow said. However, he pointed out the idea was moot because there is no funding for any of the projects at this time.

Cummings said he also supported Hillsdale and Berkmar, as well as a grade-separated interchange at Rio Road and U.S. 29. However, he said a similar interchange at Hydraulic may not be necessary. Cummings also said that in his opinion the Western Bypass was dead.

Left to right: Rio District Supervisor candidates David Slutzky (D) and Rodney Thomas ( R) as well as unopposed Jack Jouett District candidate Dennis Rooker (I)

Thomas said he was against all of the grade separated interchanges because they would “destroy the businesses” along U.S. 29. He added that it was crucial that both the City and the County are on the same page concerning the stretch between Hydraulic Road and the U.S. 250 Bypass. Thomas said he supports the Western Bypass or the extension of Leonard Sandridge Road.

Slutzky said he is concerned that VDOT wants to turn U.S. 29 into an “expressway” in order to make it easier for through traffic to travel through Albemarle County. He said there might be a good case to be made for the Western Bypass, but raising “a quarter of a billion dollars” for the project would be difficult.

Slutzky said building parallel roads to U.S. 29 and expanding the transit system would help alleviate congestion on what he called Albemarle County’s Main Street. Slutzky said the only way Berkmar Road would be expanded is if the County expands its growth area to allow for development between Polo Grounds Road and Hollymead Town Center.

The final question sought to find out the candidates’ position on the role local government should play in economic development.

Slutzky said one thing the government should do is fund infrastructure. Thomas said local government should provide services such as police in order to attract businesses. Rooker said that a good education system is a requirement for companies looking to locate or grow here. Cummings said sometimes government should foster a climate for economic development, and sometimes government needs to stay out of the way. Snow said the role of government is to facilitate planning. Lowry repeated his call for the County to create an economic development department.

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST:

• 01:00 - Introduction from L.F. Wood, Chairman of the NCBC
• 02:15 - Opening comments from Madison Cummings (D-Samuel Miller)
• 05:00 - Opening comments from Duane Snow (R-Samuel Miller)
• 07:20 - Opening comments from John Lowry (I-Samuel Miller)
• 10:45 - Opening comments from David Slutzky (D-Rio)
• 13:30 - Opening comments from Rodney Thomas (R-Rio)
• 16:10 - Opening comments from Dennnis Rooker (I-Jack Jouett)
• 20:30 - Question 1: The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce supports the Albemarle County and Charlottesville 50-year water supply plan. Do you support the plan?
• 32:30 - Question 2: The north Charlottesville corridor houses 20,000 jobs and contributes for $800 million a year in salaries. There are lots of plans for transportation projects in the corridor. Which ones do you support? Which might you champion? Grade-separated interchanges? Western Bypass?
• 49:00 - Question 3: What is Albemarle County's role in economic development?
• 56:00 – Closing comments from L.F. Wood

2009 voter guides now available in interactive online format

The Charlottesville Tomorrow - Daily Progress 2009 Voter Guides are now available in an interactive page-flipping format.  Special thanks to Catstone Press for making this special contribution to our local election coverage offerings.  Leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Click to view the 2009 City & County Voter Guides in an interactive window.

Note: You can still download individual PDFs too:

City Voter Guide | County Voter Guide

2009 voter guides now available for download - Can you help us put them in the mail?

Thanks to the generous support of BB&T and The Daily Progress, we have been able to print two great looking voter guides covering the 2009 local elections.

 

• Download 2009 Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Voter Guide
• Download 2009 Charlottesville City Council Voter Guide

Now Charlottesville Tomorrow needs your help to ensure we can deliver all 25,000 copies to every voting household in Charlottesville and Albemarle with a contested race for City Council or the Board of Supervisors.

This week we need to raise about $5,000 to cover the mailing costs for this important publication.  I hope you will consider making a tax-deductible gift to help us distribute these voter guides and to help the community make an informed choice in the November 3rd general election.  

Donations may also be mailed to:
Charlottesville Tomorrow, 230 Court Square, Suite 201, Charlottesville, VA 22902
 
Charlottesville Tomorrow has produced voter guides for every local election since 2005.  In the past, we had full funding to ensure the voter guide was made available to each voter.  In the current economic climate, we have had to get creative and find partners to help us publish the 2009 editions.  To put the voter guides in the mail, we just need a little more financial help from our subscribers to get the job done.  As someone who trusts and values our in-depth content on local elections, I hope you will join BB&T and The Daily Progress to make this year's voter guide a complete success.

Here is some feedback we received in a recent election: 

"I'd like to take a moment to thank you and your co-workers for producing and distributing the Charlottesville Tomorrow Voter Guide....Perhaps your thoughtful, apolitical approach will inspire others to work toward a democratic process which brings people together to discuss our commonalities, and at the least, you have empowered citizens to vote." 

Also, be sure to visit our Election Watch 2009 website where you can download copies of the voter guide, review candidate bios, listen to candidate interviews, and even watch videos of recent candidate forums.  Thank you for your support!

Cummings criticizes opponent’s proposed budget cuts

By Connie Chang
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Monday, October 19, 2009

Democrat Madison Cummings, a candidate for the open Samuel Miller District seat on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, held a press conference Monday to address the County’s projected budget shortfalls. Cummings said he was concerned about the proposal to cut 15-20% from the county budget, a recommendation made by one of his opponents last week.

Podcast produced by Charlottesville Tomorrow * Player by Odeo

Download 20091019-Cummings-Budget

At last Wednesday’s Senior Statesmen of Virginia candidate forum, Republican Duane Snow said he could “guarantee”  that the County could cut 15-20% from its current budget if it analyzed the entire budget line-by-line. Snow has said zero-based budgeting is his top priority if elected. 

“Those that may not be familiar with the zero based budget, that’s where you go back and look at where  you’re spending the money, why you’re spending the money, and are you getting your money’s worth,” said Snow.  “And if you do that, I will guarantee you that you can come up 15 to 20 % percent savings by taking a hard look at your budget…”

Cummings said he would take a “moderate approach” to addressing future budget decisions, which he said will eliminate the need for “drastic actions such as permanent tax increases” and layoffs.

At the Board of Supervisors strategic planning retreat held last Friday, Supervisors and staff discussed the expected local government budget shortfalls (excluding schools) which are projected to range from $2.4 million in FY 2011 to $5.8 million in FY 2015. Cummings said 15-20% cuts would be impossible and that cuts in the range of 1-2% cuts are more realistic.

In a statement given to the media, Cummings said “current projections show shortfalls less than 2%” in the local government budget (excluding schools) during the next five years.  “The deep 15-20% cuts that Mr. Snow guarantees us to be possible would be harmful and unwarranted,” said Cummings.

Cummings said he wants to employ a more moderate approach should he be elected, which includes continuing the current hiring freeze, delaying expenditures which can afford to be delayed, and finding creative ways to manage expenditures such as cross-training employees.

“I’m not willing to step back on the services and the richness of our County in schools, public safety, and all the other issues the Board of Supervisors have to address,” said Cummings.

Slutzky takes lead in local campaign fundraising; Thomas receives second contribution from Realtors

By Brian Wheeler
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Saturday, October 17, 2009

Supervisor David L. Slutzky, a Democrat running for re-election to the Rio seat on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, now leads all board candidates in total fundraising for the Nov. 3 general election. The latest campaign finance data was published Friday by the Virginia Public Access Project and includes all monies raised through September.

Albemarle Supervisor Candidate	Amount raised through Sept 30th
Jack Jouett District
Dennis Rooker (I) – Incumbent	$70,405
Rio District
David Slutzky (D) – Incumbent	$71,115
Rodney Thomas (R) – Challenger	$52,085
Samuel Miller District
Madison Cummings (D)	$19,180
John Lowry (I)	$17,384
Duane Snow (R)	$18,903
Source: Virginia Public Access Project

Slutzky also raised the greatest individual total in September, bringing in $25,845 in new contributions and his overall total is now $71,115. According to the VPAP database, Slutzky's largest contribution was $10,000, from real estate developer Mark Fried of Crozet.

Fried responded to an interview request by providing a statement about his contribution to Slutzky's campaign.

"He is the brightest, best informed and most knowledgeable person running for a board seat," Fried said.

David Poole, VPAP executive director, said in an interview that there is no ceiling on the amount of money that can be contributed in a state or local campaign.

"Virginia is one of a handful of states that has no limits on contributions," Poole said. "Anyone can give - individuals, companies, limited partnerships, PACs - and a donor's ability to give is limited only by the amount of money in their checking account."

In the most recent filing period, the six supervisor candidates raised a combined total of $72,451, with almost 70 percent of that amount going into the Rio District race.

Rodney S. Thomas, a Republican challenging Slutzky for the Rio seat, raised slightly less than his opponent, with a total of $23,905 in new contributions. Thomas has raised a total of $52,085 in the campaign.

The Virginia Association of Realtors made two contributions to Thomas last month totaling $15,000, including $10,000 Thomas received with an initial endorsement by the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors.

According to CAAR's president, Michael Guthrie, local Realtors decided to make a second contribution to Thomas in late September.

"CAAR has determined that Rodney Thomas will be a great defender of the property rights that so many local farmers and landowners are concerned about," Guthrie said in an e-mail. "We feel so strongly that [Thomas] is the right candidate to protect our property rights and minimize the tax burden on residents, that we asked the state association of Realtors to help with $5,000 in additional funding."

In the three-way race for the open Samuel Miller District seat, Republican Duane Snow has virtually caught up with Democrat Madison Cummings in overall fundraising. Snow has now raised a total of $18,903 to Cummings' $19,180. John Lowry, an independent candidate, has raised $17,384 during the campaign.

Snow brought in $10,793 in September, including two $2,500 donations - one from real estate developer Ivy Road Properties and one from the Virginia Association of Realtors.

In September, Cummings added $9,095 to his campaign coffers. The largest donor was the local Democratic Party, which contributed $3,700.

Lowry raised the least amount in September, with $2,813 in new fundraising. The next candidate fundraising reports are due Oct. 26 and will include all donations received in the first three weeks of October.