Cville Tomorrow News

Prescribed logic: Water/sewer rates set for 11-12% hike

2/26/09 * The Hook [full story]

Declining useage means that local water bills are getting a double-digit increase, as the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority’s five-member board voted unanimously Monday, February 23 for wholesale water/sewer rates to climb nearly 11 percent in the city and 12 percent in the county— nearly double last year’s increase.

“Rates must increase due mainly to lower flows,” says the Authority’s budget. “Although logic would seem to prescribe that lower flows would mean lower rates, the opposite is true when there are large fixed costs.”

In other large fixed costs news, the Authority board voted unanimously to spend up to $264,000 to fund a three-member panel of engineers as part of the Authority’s effort to build a dam in the Ragged Mountain Natural Area. Critics, such as former Charlottesville City Councilor Kevin Lynch and massage therapist Betty Mooney, have asked the Authority to hold off on any dam building until first dredging the existing Rivanna Reservoir.

Could be worse: City and county budgets unveiled

2/26/09 * The Hook [full story]

City and county government employees won’t be getting raises– but at least they’re not getting laid off. Yet.

Charlottesville city manager Gary O’Connell and Albemarle County exec Bob Tucker revealed February 17 how they plan to deal with reduced revenues and state shortfalls over the 2009-10 fiscal year. Both note that their respective domains are in much better shape than other jurisdictions in Virginia that are laying off employees. But of the two, Albemarle is feeling more pain.

Albemarle’s $268.2 million 2010 operating budget– $1 million less and .4 percent smaller than fiscal year ‘09– requires a nearly 6-cent tax increase in the current 71 cents per $100 assessed value.

Albemarle residents criticize proposal to raise tax rates

2/26/09 * Daily Progress [full story]

A sea of orange posters with the words, “think outside the tax box,” were waived as residents spoke Wednesday night against a proposed real-estate tax increase in Albemarle County.

Yet, others who spoke at the public hearing pleaded for the Board of Supervisors to adequately fund education, transit and other services.

Residents overflowed from seats on Wednesday, lining the walls of the county auditorium and seeping into its balcony. A large portion of residents criticized a proposal in the county executive’s budget recommendation to raise the real-estate tax rate by 5.7 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Suit targets Meadowcreek construction

2/26/09 * Daily Progress [full story]

A group that has been striving to stop construction of the Meadowcreek Parkway has filed suit in Charlottesville Circuit Court to try to put an end to the project.

The Coalition to Preserve McIntire Park, a group of area residents, filed two motions Tuesday against the city and the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The first argues that the city’s conveyance of land to VDOT for the parkway was unconstitutional, citing a state constitutional provision that says property sales can be approved only through a three-fourths majority vote by elected officials. The second motion calls for a preliminary injunction to halt construction-related activities on the land.

VDOT gets 8 bids for Albemarle bridge work

2/26/09 * Daily Progress [full story]

The Virginia Department of Transportation has received bids from eight construction companies hoping to build the new Advance Mills bridge in Albemarle County.

The lowest bid came from a Charlottesville company, Fielder’s Choice Enterprises Inc., according to VDOT spokesman Lou Hatter. Its bid came in at a little more than $1.93 million. The highest bid came was $2.42 million.

The project was originally estimated to cost $3.7 million. The existing bridge, made of steel trusses and timber, has been closed since 2007 because of structural concerns.

UVa professor to join EPA under Obama

2/26/09 * Daily Progress [full story]

University of Virginia law professor Jon Cannon has been selected by President Barack Obama to take the No. 2 post at the Environmental Protection Agency.

Cannon, the Blaine T. Phillips Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law and director of the law school’s Environmental and Land Use Law Program, served as EPA general counsel from 1995 to 1998.

He previously held posts within the EPA during the administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Perriello hires stimulus package staffer

2/25/09 Daily Progress [full story]

U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Ivy, announced Tuesday that he has hired a Charlottesville-based staffer who will help local governments access funds available through the $787 billion economic stimulus package.

Brennan Johnson, Perriello’s newly named grants coordinator, will work with District Director Ridge Schuyler to hold workshops for each of the 22 local governments in the 5th Congressional District, which includes Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson.
Johnson and Schuyler will help local government officials apply for their share of the massive stimulus package, which includes money for schools, roads, rural broadband and much more.

In a statement, Perriello said: “Brennan Johnson and Ridge Schuyler will be my Economic Recovery Team, working closely with local officials to make this recovery bill produce results for families and small businesses of the 5th District.”

Area water rates would increase

2/24/09 * Daily Progress [full story]

Wholesale water rates would rise by 7.8 percent and 11.4 percent next year and sewer costs would climb as much as 12.9 percent for Charlottesville and Albemarle County under a proposed budget that received preliminary approval Monday.

The Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority’s board of directors approved sending the rates and proposed $22 million budget for the next fiscal year to a public hearing in May. That hearing will give the public a chance to comment on the budget and rates, which would only take effect if the board approves them at the hearing.

The costs are for wholesale water supplies sent to utilities in the city and county and only reflect the cost to the utilities. Final consumer costs almost certainly would be higher to offset administrative costs, including meter reading and billing charged by the city and county authority.

Time to sort needs, wishes

2/24/09 * Daily Progress [full story]

For a graphic representation of local infrastructure needs, consider the U.S. 29 sinkhole.

You remember the sinkhole, don’t you?

If you had to drive U.S. 29 North with any regularity, you certainly do.

Collapses in a stormwater pipe under the highway caused the pavement to crack and sink — not once but twice, in 2005 and 2006. Traffic on the busy road had to be rerouted, inconveniently.

Consolidation often efficient

2/22/09 * Daily Progress Editorial [full story]

Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency.

Report after report after report has been handed to local governments suggesting ways to save money (or in some cases spend money to improve services or make them more efficient in the long run).

With all their talk about raising taxes, governments had better show taxpayers that they are trying to save money wherever possible. Taxpayers can decide for themselves if the efforts are useful.

Common to efficiency reports is a theme of consolidating services, sometimes across jurisdictional boundaries. Some of these consolidation ideas have been floated previously. Perhaps a consultant’s stamp of approval will give them added legitimacy in the eyes of the governing bodies.