Name: Charlottesville City Council meeting, Apr 6, 2026
Start: 2026-04-06
End: 2026-04-06
Location: City of Charlottesville

City Council

Mon, April 6, 2026

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Agenda items

Vote records

Discussion summary

Transcript

Meeting summaryAI-generated

Charlottesville City Council — April 6, 2026

This was a regular City Council meeting that opened with a work session (ADA and Parks presentations), moved through a closed session, then held its 6:30 PM business session. Technical difficulties prevented slides from displaying in the chamber throughout the evening.

Work Session: ADA Transition Plan Implementation Update

ADA Coordinator Paul Rubis presented the city's first-year progress implementing the 2025 ADA Transition Plan (the prior plan dated to 2013). Key findings from the city's self-evaluation included over 27,000 vertical height displacement issues on sidewalks, 4,204 curb ramps of which only 168 were fully compliant and 551 were entirely missing, and 2,697 barriers identified across 42 city facilities.

Progress to date: 1,193 vertical height displacement cuts completed; active work underway at City Hall (doors, bathrooms, elevator, fixtures), Ridge Fire Station, Preston Avenue facility, and Washington Park restrooms. An RFP is out for a significant new round of curb ramp work (estimated over $100,000). The city is also working with its third-party web vendor to meet new federal WCAG digital accessibility standards, which apply to cities under 50,000 population starting April 2027.

Councilors asked pointed questions about prioritization. Rubis explained that year one was driven by census data on disability concentration and proximity to government services; year two will incorporate direct community input. He estimated full implementation of the plan — priced at roughly $157 million — would realistically take about 10 years, though at current funding levels (~$2.5 million/year) the math implies significantly longer. Rubis noted federal grant opportunities have diminished in the current political environment. City Manager Sanders added that without increased annual investment, the plan's dashboard will eventually "catch up" to the funding shortfall.

Work Session: Parks & Recreation Master Plan Implementation Update

Parks & Recreation Director Rian Anthony reviewed the department's progress implementing the 2024 Parks Master Plan, the first major update since 2005–2006. The plan calls for approximately $78 million in capital investment over 10 years across roughly 57 projects. The department's current annual CIP allocation is approximately $5.5 million for maintenance, with an additional $500,000 specifically for master plan implementation — far short of the roughly $7–8 million per year needed to complete the plan within its 10-year horizon.

Anthony described three project buckets: reinvestment (restrooms, structural repairs, ADA upgrades, playground modernization), enhancement (lighting, trail implementation), and visionary (adaptive recreation center at an estimated $20 million, pickleball/tennis courts, new dog park). The department has completed a field allocation policy, hired a special events coordinator, and is developing a 10-year CIP roadmap for council review later this year, targeting an August presentation before the next CIP cycle.

Notable discussion points:

Smith Aquatic Center: Has closed multiple times in recent years; the HVAC issue believed to be resolved, though a heater failure caused a recent partial closure. Long-term capital needs under evaluation.

Darden Towe Park / county cooperation: Councilor Snook raised the need for stronger joint planning with Albemarle County on shared amenities like pickleball and tennis, and questioned whether the joint Darden Towe board has been meeting (apparently it has not recently). Anthony confirmed ongoing conversations with the new county parks director.

Partnerships policy: No formal framework yet exists to evaluate third-party partnership or funding proposals equitably, though it is on the work plan.

Rivanna River access plan: UVA class produced a final report; it will be presented to the Parks Advisory Board in April, then briefed to City Council.

City Manager Sanders closed by characterizing both the ADA plan and Parks plan as significant unfunded obligations requiring either new revenue, reallocation, or explicit trade-offs — and said the city cannot pretend the current funding level is adequate for either.

Proclamations

Council issued four proclamations: Child Abuse Prevention Month (April 2026), recognized by Foothills Children's Advocacy Center CEO Sherri McKinney; VIA Centers for Neurodevelopment 30th Anniversary, accepted by CEO Ethan Long, who noted the organization now serves over 350 individuals across four communities; Dark Sky Week (April 13–20), accepted by Emily Leon of Dark Skies Piedmont, who called on the city to better enforce its existing lighting ordinance; and Rev. Dr. Lehman Bates II's 20th Pastoral Anniversary at Ebenezer Baptist Church, which Mayor Wade had already presented at the church the prior day.

Community Matters (Public Comment)

Public comment was dominated by two themes:

Housing and displacement: Multiple speakers — including a Legal Aid Justice Center housing attorney, a CRHA board commissioner, the president of Charlottesville Community Resilience Center, and a UVA student — urged Council to strengthen the Core Neighborhood Corridor (CN) overlay zoning to prevent luxury student housing from displacing low-income residents in Fifeville and other core neighborhoods. The specific ask: limit CN overlay heights to three stories by right, with up to five stories only if at least 20% of units are affordable at or below 50% AMI. Speakers argued that current zoning has allowed projects like the LV Collective and Mark apartments to advance without adequate community benefit, and that historical evidence shows luxury housing does not produce affordability for deeply low-income families.

School Resource Officers: Several speakers raised concerns that SROs in city schools can facilitate ICE contact with students, citing a Radio IQ report about a child with protected status who was apprehended after an SRO contacted federal immigration authorities. Speakers called on Council to align its earlier immigration resolution — which explicitly stated that operations aimed at schools "run counter to the American spirit" — with a reconsideration of SROs. Speakers noted a school board work session on the topic is scheduled for April 16 at 5:00 PM, with a community rally at 4:00 PM at Charlottesville High School.

Other comments: a local artist (Chico Lorenzo) and muralist (Kristy Baker) spoke about the proposed Public Art Commission, urging that it be led by local hyperlocal artists rather than outside consultants; a faith leader from Impact Charlottesville advocated for formalizing the city's multi-year CAT bus expansion plan through a binding resolution; and former Mayor Nikuyah Walker called on Council to study reparations and to scrutinize whether funding to nonprofits like PHA and the school system is producing measurable outcomes for Black residents.

Consent Agenda

Council approved minutes from the March 19 and March 26 budget work sessions and the March 25 special meeting; a resolution in support of Charlottesville High Performance Buildings (2nd reading); and a resolution appropriating $100,000 for utility line remediation facilitation (1 of 2 readings). The repeal of City Code Section 2-4 (bonds for officers and employees) was inadvertently omitted from the initial consent vote and passed separately.

Vote (consent agenda): Unanimous. Vote (Section 2-4 repeal): Unanimous.

Public Hearing: Real Property Tax Rate

Finance staff confirmed that Council's budget work sessions had narrowed the proposed tax increase from 2 cents to 1 cent per $100 of assessed value, moving the rate from $0.98 to $0.99. One speaker, a property owner and developer, cautioned against raising taxes given uncertainty about future development activity. No other speakers. Council offered no objection to the 1-cent increase, which will be reflected in the ordinance presented for adoption Thursday, April 10.

Public Hearing: FY2027 Budget Ordinance and Tax Levy (1 of 2 readings)

Finance Director Krisy Hammill walked through the proposed $280 million budget (including approximately $910,000 in routine carryover accounts). Key changes from the advertised budget: revised revenue projections across multiple categories yielded approximately $1.005 million in additional revenue; the remaining gap to reduce the tax increase from 2 cents to 1 cent (~$230,000) will be drawn from the citywide reserve. The Vibrant Community Fund / Council Strategic Initiatives account will be set at $500,000, then reduced by approximately $214,490 in VCF awards plus $50,000 for the Public Art Commission, yielding a remaining balance of approximately $285,510.

A significant addition: Council directed staff to include a $2 million school operations contingency in the ordinance. The school division's local contribution will be appropriated at $127,377,481, with $2 million withheld in a contingency controlled by the city pending final state funding figures. If the schools receive more state funding than budgeted, the city intends to retain up to 50% of that excess. Final adoption is scheduled for Thursday, April 10 at 6:30 PM.

A public commenter and former mayor raised concerns about the adequacy of accountability mechanisms in the city's funding relationship with the school division, arguing that years of increased funding have not produced measurable improvements for Black students.

Ordinance: Forgivable Loan to Piedmont Housing Alliance — 501 Cherry Avenue (1 of 2 readings)

Acting Housing Program Manager Madeline Mutzler presented an ordinance authorizing $3.85 million in forgivable loans to support construction of 71 affordable rental units at 501 Cherry Avenue in Fifeville, in partnership with Woodard Properties and the Fifeville Neighborhood Association. The project also includes ground-floor commercial space for the Music Resource Center and a community grocery store. All 71 units will remain affordable for 99 years; income levels range from 30% to 60% AMI. The city will also reserve $324,000 (included in the $3.85 million) for project-based rental subsidies supporting 10 units at 40% AMI for at least five years. The loan carries a 3% interest rate over 42 years and is fully forgivable if the project meets all requirements. No new funding is required; the CIP already allocated $3.85 million across FY26–FY28. Councilors flagged a $50,000 discrepancy between the ordinance and loan agreement documents; staff committed to correcting it before the second reading.

Vote: Unanimous (5-0), with the correction and attachment amendment noted.

Resolution: Performance Agreement Amendment — 501 Cherry Avenue

Economic Development Director Chris Engel presented an amendment to a March 2025 performance agreement supporting the same 501 Cherry project. The original agreement granted PHA 50% of tax increment generated by the project; the amendment increases that to 100% for 30 years. This addresses a $1.7 million project financing gap: approximately $1 million is covered by this tax increment increase and approximately $700,000 by a separate CIP contingency contribution previously approved.

Vote: Unanimous (5-0).

Written Report: Integrated Pest Management

Councilor Fleisher asked Parks landscape manager Rob Mathis about reports that required pesticide application signage was not being posted. Mathis noted that early-season spraying has been minimal and that staff recently applied a natural mulch dye (blue in color) that may have been mistaken for pesticide marking. He committed to addressing any gaps in the signage policy with staff.

Key Takeaways

FY2027 Budget moves toward adoption Thursday: The tax rate increase will be 1 cent (to $0.99/$100), not 2 cents as originally proposed; a $2 million school funding contingency was added, giving the city leverage over any additional state revenue that flows to the schools.

501 Cherry Avenue affordable housing advances: Council approved both a $3.85 million forgivable loan and a strengthened tax increment performance agreement (100% for 30 years) for 71 permanently affordable units in Fifeville — the most significant affordable housing construction commitment in recent years.

ADA and Parks funding gaps are severe: The ADA transition plan is estimated at $157 million and the Parks master plan at $78 million; at current funding levels, full implementation of either plan would take many decades. City Manager Sanders explicitly flagged these as requiring either new revenue or trade-offs in future budgets.

Core neighborhood zoning pressure continues: Organized community voices are pushing Council to amend CN overlay zoning to require meaningful affordability commitments before allowing dense development adjacent to historically Black neighborhoods — a debate that is not resolved and appears headed toward further Council action.

SRO concerns escalating: Multiple speakers connected the school resource officer program to immigration enforcement risks, calling for a policy reconsideration ahead of the April 16 school board work session.

AI-generated summary from voice-to-text transcript. Not the official record. Verify important details with the source documents linked above.

What happened at this meeting

Report: ADA Transition Plan Implementation Update

# ADA Transition Plan Implementation Update – Summary

Paul Rubis, the city's ADA coordinator, presented a comprehensive update on the ADA Transition Plan, which serves as a strategic roadmap for accessibility compliance across city services including sidewalks, public buildings, transit facilities, and parks under Title II of the ADA. The city has completed 1,193 repairs of vertical height displacements out of over 27,000 identified issues, and a curb ramp survey found only 168 of 4,204 ramps fully compliant with PROWAG standards, with 2,760 deficient and 551 missing. Staff prioritize improvements using census data identifying areas with high disability populations and proximity to government services, while incorporating community feedback about accessibility needs such as access to grocery stores and bus shelters, with coordination between paving schedules and transition plan priorities. The city faces significant resource constraints, with a current $2 million annual budget and estimates ranging from 70-100 years to address all identified needs at current funding levels, though staff emphasized the plan is mandatory and can be enforced through Department of Justice settlements and lawsuits. Key priorities include achieving Section 508 WCAG digital accessibility standards by April 2027, ongoing facility improvements at City Hall, fire stations, and parks, and distributing a maturity model questionnaire to assess city departments' ADA knowledge and capabilities.

Report: Parks & Recreation Master Plan Implementation Update 5:30 PM Closed Meeting (if called) 6:30 PM Business Session

# Parks & Recreation Master Plan Implementation Update Summary

Parks and Recreation Director Rian Anthony presented a comprehensive update on the Parks & Recreation Master Plan implementation, outlining the department's management of over 2,000 acres with an operating budget of $14 million and identified capital needs of approximately $78 million over 10 years. The plan's eight adaptive goals focus on providing safe, accessible public spaces; promoting health equity; ensuring diverse workforce; building partnerships; supporting sustainable ecosystems; maintaining community transparency; and achieving financial resilience. Staff highlighted recent accomplishments including hiring a special events coordinator, completing a field allocation policy, and developing a 10-year capital improvement plan, while noting current funding gaps require $7-8 million annually for reasonable implementation—significantly more than the current $500,000 annual CIP request. Council members raised concerns about implementation timelines, equitable prioritization across city neighborhoods, coordination with Albemarle County on shared facilities, and the sustainability of facilities like Smith Aquatic Center, with staff indicating plans to present more detailed funding requests by August and explore revenue-earmarking strategies if directed by the city manager. Staff emphasized that parks and recreation are not optional community priorities and require council to allocate significantly more resources despite budget constraints.

Proclamation: Child Abuse Prevention Month

# Summary: Child Abuse Prevention Month Proclamation

On March 26, the Charlottesville City Council proclaimed April 2026 as Child Abuse Prevention Month, recognizing child abuse and neglect as serious national concerns that require collective community responsibility and support for families through education and resources. Sherri McKinney, CEO of Foothills Children's Advocacy Center, spoke in support of the proclamation on behalf of the children and staff of Charlottesville and invited the public to attend an open house on April 21st from 4:00 to 6:00 PM to learn more about their child abuse response services. The council approved the item without discussion as part of the consent agenda vote.

Resolution: Resolution in support of Charlottesville High Performance Buildings (2nd reading)

# Summary

City Council recognized VIA Centers for Neurodevelopment's 30th anniversary, commending the organization for providing comprehensive, evidence-based care to over 150 children and adults in Charlottesville through specialized schools, adult programs, supported employment, and early intervention services. CEO Ethan Long thanked the founding families who started VIA with three children with autism, the dedicated staff serving over 350 individuals across four communities, and the inclusive Charlottesville community that enables clients to participate in downtown activities. The proclamation highlighted VIA's foundational philosophy that every human being possesses inherent dignity and value, noting the organization's role in fostering community-wide social groups and collaborative partnerships that promote inclusion and integration of individuals with neurodevelopmental challenges into the broader community.

Proclamation: Dark Sky Week, April 13–20, 2026

# Dark Sky Week Proclamation Summary

Charlottesville City Council declared April 13-20, 2026 as Dark Sky Week, recognizing the importance of reducing light pollution for ecological health, bird migration, and astronomical research at UVA's observatories. Emily Leon, speaking for Dark Skies Piedmont, thanked council for supporting the proclamation for the third year and requested that the city update its lighting ordinance and increase enforcement of shielding requirements. Leon noted that many businesses add non-compliant lighting that spills into the sky and homes, and asked the city to better educate businesses about the importance of reducing wasteful lighting. Council members emphasized that reducing light pollution protects dark skies and the health and wellbeing of both people and wildlife, and recommended Dark Sky International (darksky.org) as a resource for the community.

Agenda items (18)

Procedural (18)

1ProceduralReport: ADA Transition Plan Implementation Update

The city will report on progress implementing its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan, which ensures city facilities and services are accessible to people with disabilities.

What happened

2ProceduralReport: Parks & Recreation Master Plan Implementation Update 5:30 PM Closed Meeting (if called) 6:30 PM Business Session

Staff will update council on implementation of the Parks & Recreation Master Plan, which guides the city's parks and recreation improvements and programs.

What happened

3ProceduralProclamation: Child Abuse Prevention Month

The city will recognize April as Child Abuse Prevention Month through an official proclamation.

What happened

4ProceduralResolution: Resolution in support of Charlottesville High Performance Buildings (2nd reading)

Council will vote a second time on a resolution supporting the Charlottesville High Performance Buildings initiative to make city buildings more energy-efficient.

What happened

5ProceduralProclamation: Dark Sky Week, April 13–20, 2026

Charlottesville will officially recognize Dark Sky Week (April 13–20, 2026) through a proclamation supporting efforts to reduce light pollution.

What happened

6ProceduralOrdinance: Repeal of Section 2-4 of the City Code Regarding Bonds of Officers and Employees

The city proposes to remove an outdated city code section that required bonds from city officers and employees.

What happened

# Summary

The Council honored Reverend Dr. Lehman Bates II's 20th pastoral anniversary at Ebenezer Baptist Church with a proclamation, with Mayor Wanda Egwa reading an extensive recognition of his two decades of spiritual leadership, community service including disaster relief, and advocacy for equity and justice across faith and civic partnerships. Reverend Bates responded by thanking the Council and acknowledging his wife and church members present for the honor. In related business, an ordinance to repeal Section 2-4 of the City Code regarding bonds of officers and employees, which had been missing from the initial consent agenda, was brought forward for a separate vote at Mayor Wade's request and was unanimously approved.

7ProceduralPublic Hearing: Public Hearing on the Charlottesville Real Property Tax Rate

Residents will have an opportunity to comment before the city votes on the property tax rate for the coming year.

What happened

# Public Hearing Summary: Charlottesville Real Property Tax Rate

Finance Director Chrissy presented a proposed two-cent real estate tax increase for Charlottesville, though budget work sessions have explored reducing it to one penny. Richard Spursum of Neighborhood Properties acknowledged the importance of city investment while noting that property assessments have increased several times faster than inflation over the past 20 years. However, a public commenter expressed concern that Charlottesville's approach differs from nearby communities like Waynesboro, which have reduced tax rates when assessments increased, and warned that raising tax rates could deter investors and further slow new development activity already impacted by the recently adopted zoning code.

8ProceduralPublic Public hearing on the FY2027 City Budget Ordinance, Annual Appropriation, Hearing/Ord.: and Tax Levy a. Ordinance: Ordinance establishing the Annual Tax Levy for Tax Year 2026 (1 of 2 readings) b. Ordinance: Ordinance Adopting a Budget and Annual Appropriation of Funding for the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, for the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2027 (1 of 2 readings)

The city will hold a public hearing and vote on the budget and tax levy for fiscal year 2027 (July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027), which determines how city tax dollars are spent and how much property taxes will increase.

What happened

# FY2027 City Budget Ordinance Public Hearing Summary

Staff presented the FY2027 budget ordinance totaling approximately $280 million with a real estate tax rate increase of one cent (from 98 cents to 99 cents per $100 of assessed value), revised downward from the originally proposed two-cent increase through use of citywide reserves and revised revenue projections of approximately $1,005,000. The budget includes a school operations appropriation of $127,377,481 with a $2 million contingency fund for state funding variances, plus $164,490 in Vibrant Community Fund adjustments to multiple agencies and $50,000 for the Public Art Commission. During the public hearing, a council member criticized the housing affordability crisis resulting from property tax increases despite CHAP expansion, while also questioning the city's $127 million annual funding to schools without adequate tracking of how funds are used or measurable results, particularly for Black students. Public commenter Richard Fenley raised concerns about a 15% increase in employee healthcare insurance costs and a 17% increase in public transportation funding without evidence of competitive bidding or ridership audits, and inquired about PILOT payments from the University of Virginia, which council confirmed state law prohibits from state entities. The council voted to adopt the budget ordinance with the one-cent tax increase, with final adoption scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 PM.

9ProceduralPublic Public hearing and resolution to authorize execution of Right-of-Way Agreement Hearing/Res.: and Utility Easement at Darden Towe Park

The city seeks approval to sign an agreement giving utility companies access rights under Darden Towe Park for necessary infrastructure.

10ProceduralOrdinance: Ordinance Authorizing a Forgivable Loan to Piedmont Housing Alliance for 501

The city will vote on offering a forgivable loan (money that doesn't need to be repaid if conditions are met) to Piedmont Housing Alliance to support affordable housing at 501 East Main Street.

What happened

# Summary: Ordinance Authorizing a Forgivable Loan to Piedmont Housing Alliance for 501 Cherry Avenue

Acting housing program manager Madeline Mutzler presented an ordinance authorizing a $3.85 million forgivable loan to Piedmont Housing Alliance for the 501 Cherry Avenue redevelopment project, which will create 71 affordable rental units plus commercial space for a music resource center and community grocery store, with affordability guaranteed for 99 years at tiers ranging from 30% to 60% AMI. Council members, including Councilors Jen, Louie, Natalie, and Michael, raised clarifications about a discrepancy between the ordinance and loan agreement amounts, the structure of the city's rental subsidies for 10 units at 40% AMI, long-term affordability commitments, and monitoring burdens—with staff noting that the 40% AMI units depend on continued city voucher funding and that a recent departmental study recommended five new positions to support the 99-year reporting requirements across multiple programs. Natalie confirmed no changes to the recommended language, and council agreed that any amendments would be finalized before Thursday's vote rather than proposed during adoption. A councilor moved to adopt the ordinance with a noted typo correction, which was seconded and passed unanimously.

11ProceduralReport: City Manager Report

The City Manager will provide an update on city operations and recent actions taken by the administration.

What happened

# City Manager Report Summary

The City Manager updated the council on municipal services including free mulch availability, electronic waste collection on April 11th, spring collection days through May 9th, mall crossing closures expected to complete by June 12th, and a weather appreciation event for neighbors who assisted during recent snow incidents. Chris Engel presented a resolution amending the performance agreement for the 501 Cherry Avenue affordable housing project, changing the tax increment benefit from 50% to 100% over 30 years due to updated financing formulas and developer challenges, while substantive terms remain unchanged from the 2025 agreement. Council members, including Mayor Waite, questioned monitoring mechanisms to ensure affordability levels are maintained and prevent units from being rented above designated AMI percentages; staff explained that annual reporting requirements and dedicated staff follow-up are essential for effective monitoring. Mayor Waite requested a technical adjustment to reference the loan agreement within the ordinance rather than attaching it separately, which staff agreed to implement. The council also approved budget amendments addressing administrative housekeeping items, including partial coverage of social services legal fees through state funding and correction of a $75,000 clerical error in the circuit court judge budget with no net impact to the general fund.

12ProceduralWritten Report: 2025 Integrated Pest Management Report

The city will present its 2025 report on pest management practices used on city properties.

What happened

# Summary

Rob Mathis, Parks landscape manager, presented the 2025 Integrated Pest Management Report, during which a council member raised concerns about pesticide application marking procedures, noting that residents had reported missing warning signs in recently sprayed areas. Mathis acknowledged the concern and committed to ensuring compliance with the policy of placing signs around sprayed areas, explaining that recent confusion may have stemmed from staff applying an all-natural dye to mulched areas rather than pesticides, and noting that minimal pesticide spraying had occurred early in the season. The discussion emphasized the need for staff to review policy implementation gaps and improve public communication regarding pesticide markers and established protocols.

18ProceduralThis is an in-person meeting with an option for the public to participate electronically by registering in advance for the Zoom webinar at www.charlottesville.gov/zoom. The meeting may also be viewed on the City's streaming platforms and local government Channel 10. Individuals with disabilities who require assistance or special arrangements to participate in the public meeting may call (434) 987-1267 or submit a request via email to ada@charlottesville.gov. The City of Charlottesville requests that you provide 48 hours’ notice so that proper arrangements may be made.

This meeting will be held in person with an option to join online via Zoom by registering at www.charlottesville.gov/zoom, and will also be streamed on the City's platforms and Channel 10. Residents needing disability accommodations should call (434) 987-1267 or email ada@charlottesville.gov at least 48 hours in advance.

19ProceduralThe presiding officer shall ensure that individuals address their comments to City Council at appropriate times, in accordance with the meeting agenda and Council’s Rules of Procedure.

The person running the meeting will make sure that public comments are made at the appropriate times according to the meeting agenda and City Council's rules.

20ProceduralNo person who is not a member of the city council shall orally address it until leave to do so has been granted by the city council or until invited to do so by the mayor. (City Code sec.2-71)

Members of the public cannot speak to City Council unless the Council gives them permission or the Mayor invites them to do so.

21ProceduralRemarks and actions that disrupt the progress of the Council meeting, and remarks from persons other than councilors, the City Manager, the City Attorney, or a presenter for an Agenda

Disruptive remarks or actions during the meeting, as well as comments from people who are not City Council members, official staff, or authorized presenters, are not allowed.

22ProceduralThe presiding officer shall call an individual to order, including a councilor, when that individual goes afoul of these rules. The following are examples of remarks and behavior that are not permitted: i. Interrupting a speaker who is addressing Council at the speaker's microphone, or interrupting a speaker who has otherwise been invited to address Council during Community Matters or a Public Hearing ii. Interrupting a councilor who is speaking iii. Shouting, and talking (either individually or in concert with others) in a manner that prevents a speaker or a Councilor from being heard or that otherwise hinders the progress of the meeting iv. Blocking paths for emergency exit from the meeting room; engaging in any conduct that prevents a member of the audience from seeing or hearing councilors during a meeting; standing on chairs or tables within the Council meeting room v. Threats or incitement of violence toward councilors, City staff or members of the public vi. Engaging in conduct that is a criminal offense under the City Code or the Virginia Code vii. Campaigning for elected office viii. Promotion of private business ventures ix. Using profanity or vulgarity x. Personal attacks against Councilors, City staff or members of the public xi. Behavior which tends to intimidate others

The meeting leader can call out and stop behavior that violates meeting rules, including interrupting speakers, shouting, blocking exits, making threats, using profanity, making personal attacks, or engaging in other disruptive conduct like campaigning or promoting private business.

23ProceduralDuring a City Council meeting the presiding officer shall have control of the Council Chambers and the connecting halls and corridors within City Hall, and any other venue where a Council meeting is being held. In case of any conduct described above, the presiding officer may take measures deemed appropriate, including but not limited to suspending the meeting until order is restored, ordering areas to be cleared by the Sergeant at Arms, or requiring any individual to exit the meeting room and adjacent premises (connecting halls and corridors.)

The person presiding over the meeting has authority over the Council Chambers and can take action to restore order, including suspending the meeting, clearing areas, or asking individuals to leave if they violate meeting conduct rules.

Additional votes recorded in minutes

Adopt meeting agenda as amended

aye 5

Jen Fleisheraye

Juandiego Wadeaye

Lloyd Snookaye

Michael Payneaye

Natalie Oschrinaye

Convene in closed session

aye 5

Jen Fleisheraye

Juandiego Wadeaye

Lloyd Snookaye

Michael Payneaye

Natalie Oschrinaye

Certify closed session

aye 5

Jen Fleisheraye

Juandiego Wadeaye

Lloyd Snookaye

Michael Payneaye

Natalie Oschrinaye

Approve consent agenda

aye 5

Jen Fleisheraye

Juandiego Wadeaye

Lloyd Snookaye

Michael Payneaye

Natalie Oschrinaye

Adopt Ordinance Repealing Section 2-4 of City Code Regarding Bonds of Officers and Employees

aye 5

Jen Fleisheraye

Juandiego Wadeaye

Lloyd Snookaye

Michael Payneaye

Natalie Oschrinaye

Adopt Ordinance Authorizing Forgivable Loan to Piedmont Housing Alliance for 501 Cherry Avenue

aye 5

Jen Fleisheraye

Juandiego Wadeaye

Lloyd Snookaye

Michael Payneaye

Natalie Oschrinaye

Approve Resolution Authorizing Performance Agreement Amendment Supporting 501 Cherry Avenue Project

aye 5

Jen Fleisheraye

Juandiego Wadeaye

Lloyd Snookaye

Michael Payneaye

Natalie Oschrinaye

Adjourn the meeting

aye 5

Jen Fleisheraye

Juandiego Wadeaye

Lloyd Snookaye

Michael Payneaye

Natalie Oschrinaye

Verbatim transcript available

642 transcript segments indexed

I don't get it. I tell this thing to remember me, and it never remembers me. Why do they even ask? Why do I have two microphones? Are these new? Kena, do we get one mic again? Yeah, not going to know.

They may have added something for Planning Commission, if there's an extra seat. Planning Commission usually has more seats than we have. Say that again? Sam, are you ready? Yeah. Kena, you ready? No, not yet.

You want to wait till the- I don't have an update on the monitor yet. All right. Yeah. It isn't showing me today's meeting as one of the options. I know. I'm not getting today's meeting either. Of course, I just don't understand the system.

That's another problem. I call the Charlottesville City Council April 6 meeting to order. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Councilor Fleischer? Here. Vice Mayor Oshrin? Here. Councilor Payne?

Here. Councilor Smith? Here. Mayor Wade? Here. Is there a change to the published agenda? Item nine will be moved to a future meeting because of an issue with the legal ad, so we're going to change that item.

Is there a motion to approve the agenda with this amendment? Is that simply deleting it for today? Yes. Yeah, okay. I so move. Second. Any other changes? All in favor, please say yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. All opposed, please say no.

The motion passes. Our meetings are divided into three sections. The first one is a work session, where we would discuss presentations that do not require a council vote, and then we will follow by a closed session, and then we'll have our regular business meeting at 6:30.

We are having some technical difficulties, so we won't be able to see it on the screen like we usually do, but staff will still be able to give their presentation. So The first item is a report on the ADA transition plan.

Paul, were you expecting video? Was that... It's fine. I brought notes, so I'm actually good to go. All right. So good evening, I'm Paul Rubis. I'm the ADA coordinator for the city, and I'm proud to present what we've done with the ADA transition plan so far this year.

What I want to explain is just a brief grounding of the ADA and explain what a transition plan is, and I'm going to work through what we've done so far this year. Main thing is the ADA is a civil rights law.

It protects people with disabilities from discrimination and for local government, that means ensure that program services are all accessible and usable by all members of the public. The main principle of the ADA is core processes.

The ADA says no qualified individual with a disability can not be excluded from participation and denied benefits or subject to discrimination in any public service, program, or activity. That's the guiding principle behind the city's accessibility work, and that's why our transition plan matters.

About the ADA, it's organized into five titles. You got title I which is employment, title II, which is our focus, local government. Title III is your private corporations, title IV is FCC stuff, and title V is all your stuff that comes in the administrative code, like retaliation, which is a big part of title V.

Title II focuses on non-discrimination state and local governments. In Charlottesville, that means accessibility is not limited to one department or one building, it applies across all city program services.

Title II prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in all programs, activities, services, and public entities. It applies broadly. It's one of the broadest civil rights legislations there is.

In public transportation systems, computer systems, you have to provide reasonable accommodations. Title II administration process. The subjects include planning administration responsibilities. It requires self-evaluation, reasonable modifications where needed, and identifying architectural barriers and effective communication with people with hearing, vision, or speech disabilities.

In other words, it requires assessment and it requires action. In practical terms, the ADA protects people with disabilities in many areas of public life. That includes people with physical, cognitive, sensory, communication-related disabilities, and the work is about ensuring dignity and equal participation across city programs and services.

Charlottesville, we did a transition plan back in 2013. It was approved by council in 2013, June 3rd, and that established our initial framework or the go for with the transition plan. In 2023, the city decided we were going to do a new transition plan and new self-evaluation to update on everything that's happened and to see how much work was done in the 2013 program.

It was approved by city council in May 2025. And the transition plan serves as a strategic roadmap for ADA compliance and broader accessibility improvements. It includes sidewalks, pedestrian routes, public buildings, transit facilities, park recreation areas, and it's intentionally broad in its tied to being both compliant and long-term inclusion.

We're going to go through our work, and the overall goal is to move from planning to implementation and the way improve access across city services and supports a community where everyone can thrive. I think you have the presentation.

You can see the slides. You can see we've started vertical height displacements. When we did our transition plan, we had over 27,000 vertical height displacements. That's like when one sidewalk panel is uneven with the other.

Today, we have done 1,193 repairs. So as you can see sometimes around City Hall you'll see the cuts that are cutting the sidewalks to make sure people can... Mainly for wheelchair users, people have mobility issues, it gives them a smooth transition.

And so I understand you can do that to a certain point, and then you have to replace it type of thing? Sometimes the panel has to be replaced. If the panel is just degraded so bad, that sidewalk panel is going to have to be replaced.

But a lot of it, if it's just a few inches, they can cut it and make it flush with the other panel. Mm-hmm. So it saves us a lot of money by doing vertical height displacement cuts. Yeah. We did a curb ramp survey.

Out of the 4,204 curb ramps, only 168 were fully compliant with PROWAG. 2,760 were deficient and 551 were missing. So where you should have a curb ramp, there's no curb ramp there. We also had 725 other barriers, such as obstructions.

Those obstructions could be telephone poles, they could be mailboxes. If something in... Fire hydrants. It's something in the right of way that's an obstruction for people with disabilities. Can I ask you something about the curb ramps?

What has the city been doing in recent years to basically make sure that new curbs being put in comply? What the city has been doing, we've been training staff. Every year we have two classes we teach.

So we're teaching people what a compliant curb ramp is. We're stressing what the new law was, what the Department of Transportation out of the federal government said, which PROWAG, which is the new accessibilityguidelines.

So we're educating people and staff on what a compliant curb ramp is. So when we sign our contracts and our procurement, we're putting that in saying, "You have to comply with PROWAG. You have to build the curb ramp to a standard." How about private builders who are doing the curbs and sidewalks?

We review projects. Every project that comes into the city, NDS reviews, I review them, and we review curb ramps. And so we can see, "Hey, your curb ramp's not accessible. You need a curb ramp here." So for the last couple of years anyway, that's been happening?

Since I've worked here, for the last four years, we've been doing so. Okay. I know there are an awful lot of fairly new-looking curbs that don't have working accessible ramps. Yeah. Some of them also, instead of having a curb cut, they have the mountable curbs so that the sidewalk stays flat, but cars can still drive on them.

Which is plus and minus because then they're mountable by a car instead of getting that hard stop, but it also means you're not dip, dip, dip, dip dipping as you're walking down the sidewalk. So there's...

Okay. Am I right? Yes, ma'am. Okay. Thank you. You're welcome. Right now, we've sent out an RFP. We're about to start a lot of curb ramp work in the city. Curb ramps are expensive. We're estimating it's going to be over $100,000.

So we're trying to do as much as we can with our money to get these things taken care of. Our facility findings, we have 42 facilities that were reviewed under our transition plan. There was a total of 2,697 barriers identified, and that gives us a strong baseline for prioritizing building improvements and coordinating work across all departments.

As City Hall, we're working in City Hall right now. What we're doing some of the work is we are improving and replacing office doors, bathroom modifications because a lot of our bathrooms were found out of standard.

We're reinstalling fixtures, including grab bars at the correct heights, while we're addressing our elevator in City Hall to make sure that's ADA compliant. And dispensers, water fountains, toilet modifications are all being addressed for accessibility.

Also, the Ridge Fire Station, ADA access work is beginning on that. That was indicated in our transition plan. The design was reviewed, it was approved, and work should be beginning on that soon. The Phillip Morris, the Preston Morris, excuse me.

Smokers. Different. We began work on that. We indicated when that was reviewed, they have their conference room on the bottom floor. The bottom floor cannot be reached with people with disabilities. There was no sidewalk leading to it.

There was no elevator. So the conference room was not accessible, and so we began work on that. Parks. One example is Washington Park. The bathroom was not ADA compliant. We began work on that. Digital accessibility.

We're addressing accessibility across the city. We're testing third-party software to bring our PDFs, Excel documents, our PowerPoints files into closer alignment with the updated WCAG standards, with the goal of establishing a consistent workflow beginning April of 2027.

In April of 2027, that's when the new Department of Justice standard comes out for cities of less than 50,000. We are a city of less than 50,000, so we have to have all these things compliant, including our website.

We're working with our web contractor because our website's third party to make sure that's brought into compliance, and we're looking at everything to bring into compliance with that. We're going to continue to do self-evaluation.

Something built in our ADA transition plan was the maturity model. And the maturity model is we're going to send out a check sheet. It's a questionnaire. We're going to ask people certain questions. How do they know ADA compliance?

What do they feel like they can deal with somebody who came in, who was visually impaired or somebody that's deaf? How would you assist that person to make sure they have equal access? Those questions will go out, the city departments will answer them.

We get them back, and we'll be able to tailor classes for every city department so they can have better understanding of people with disabilities and help serve our community members better. Does the state or the feds do surprise tests?

There's something called Project Civil Access. So the Department of Justice every year picks certain cities. Mm-hmm. And they'll come in and they'll just look at everything they can to see if you're providing equal access.

Mm-hmm. So for us, a lot of cities don't have a transition plan. They're not operating one. So when they come in with Project Civil Access, they'll say, "Where's your transition plan? How have you worked on it?

What have you done?" So they'll say, "We don't have one, sorry." And then it goes from there. It gets worse because then they've done no self-evaluation. They don't know how their programs and services help people with disabilities to give equal access.

And so then the Department of Justice will give them a settlement agreement and say, "You have to do these certain things within so many years." And they have five, six years to get things in line. But it's only a few cities Department of Justice does.

Mm-hmm. I think typically they do about 50 cities a year. Mm-hmm. Thank you. You're welcome. Our priorities in 2027 is Section 508. 508 is the new WCAG standards. We're really concerned about them. When we were testing- The new what standards?

WCAG. It's the new accessibility standards for digital accessibility. So about your PDFs, your Excel documents, your websites. So they have to be accessible for people with disabilities.So we're really looking at this, we're trying to make this our goal to make sure when 2027 comes, we are not below standard, that we are at standard.

We work with IT. IT's really working hard on it. We're working hard testing software. There are bigger cities I know that I've talked to their ADA coordinators, they're not ready whatsoever for this. And the concern is if you're not ready, you just have to have somebody who's visually impaired or somebody that's deaf, or you don't have captions while you're doing even city hall, or doing a council meeting.

If you don't have captions, then you're out of compliance, and then you can easily be sued and put under a settlement agreement. So is this something that the staff can do now that as they finish a staff report or do something, is to make it in compliance to understand, pass staff reports or items online, whatnot, that way.

Is it a certain way you can- Legacy documents we don't have to worry about. Mm-hmm. So in 2027, legacy documents are not a concern for us. It is only if we have permits, our permitting system, it has to be compliant.

Mm-hmm. Our new everything we do, our public relations- Mm-hmm ... our public media, it has to be compliant. So if we put something on X, it has to have captions, or it has to be able to be caught by a reader or a screen reader.

That's the only way we can get in trouble. But legacy stuff, we do not have to worry about. Okay. And we're working on it now with our test software, so we can do this work now. We're working with IT, so they're doing this work with our contractor and our vendor to make sure our website's compliant.

For 2027, we're going to continue to work with our hike displacements. We're going to continue as cut as many as we can with them. Our work is based on safety access and connectivity. So what Department of Justice says for connectivity and access, you have to do around your government buildings, your government services first.

So that's why we're actually cutting around this area as much as possible. And we're going to continue improvements in City Hall. We're going to advance access along Bridge Street, and we're going to continue working with our parks to get them accessible as well.

And that is my presentation. I'm sorry, I didn't have a lot of slides. No, it's great. So the projects you've listed on these two pages, 15 different projects, are those things that you're about to be starting?

They're about to be starting. And expecting to be completed by end of the summer? We're hoping by midsummer, third quarter. Okay. And then there'll be a new batch? There'll be a new batch then. Okay. I know this sounds, given the large number of different things that have been identified, but how many years do we think it'll take to address the problems we now know of?

I believe it was $157 million. That was the initial report for the transition plan. We try to knock out as many tasks as possible, so- I'm putting aside the money question- Money question ... just in terms of time, do you have a plan for how many a year you hope to knock out or...

Obviously, the first 5,000 may be easier than the last 5,000, but... It's possible. I think honestly, a reasonable expectation would be 10 years. Okay. For all work would be a reasonable expectation. Okay.

Thank you. You're welcome. Other comments? Do you have anything? Yeah. Thank you for going over this. It's a daunting task. There are so many pieces that it touches and that you're dealing with, so thank you for pulling it all together.

With the web piece, so that's really reassuring that our third-party vendor is taking that so your team can work on the PDFs in Excel and the hard documents. When we add new content, once they get it up to WCAG standards, does that happen in-house, or does that happen with them?

How do we sustain that compliance? The contact is going to be through the vendor. So if we want something, a new page built, then the vendor will add that page, and put a period on it. It will be, they say, "Hey, we certified this is compliant under ADA." And so that's how we're going to make sure that's done.

Also, I want to spend money next year as well. I want to do another test of our website. We did our transition plan and did a baseline test, but coming April 2027, if we can do another small evaluation of our website, our apps, to see where we stand, we also can identify the discrepancies, and we can get them fixed as soon as possible as well.

Yeah, and it seemed like during the plan, the audit for the website, it could've been a lot worse. It wasn't really that bad, but there is a lot to do, so that's reassuring to know going forward. But speaking of you want more money for this, so it does seem like we're putting in $2.5 million a year, and it's $131 million for the whole list.

Have we explored any- We've explored grants. We've explored grant opportunities last year. It's just in this political time, it's harder to get grants. Yeah. So we do explore grants. We do partner with VDOT when we can for projects.But working for grants, we look for them every year.

Department of Transportation used to put out more grants. They have cut back some of the grants they were offering. Yeah, I was thinking CDBG also has kind of ADA built into it, trying to feed two birds with one scone, and if we could attach some of the project lists to projects that were going on.

But yeah, I forgot the federal part not participating makes an impact there, too, right. That's all I had. Thank you. Lloyd, did you have anything else? No. Natalie? Yeah. Thanks. For the projects that are on the implementation list in this presentation, how are they selected as-- How are they prioritized?

Awesome. So we looked at when we did our ADA transition plan. The first year, we did census data, and so we took the census data, and it drove a lot of the work we were doing. So we looked at census data with people identified having a disability.

We looked at our government services like if somebody's so close to a bus stop or close to City Hall or our courts or even the federal courthouse or Albemarle's. We looked at that, and that's where we decided to prioritize our work because the DOJ has regulations saying that's the priority for them.

That's what they want worked first, so everybody has equal access to their government services. So we have kind of an idea of where people with mobility needs live and are kind of aiming these along their access points and as close to government services?

Yes, ma'am. Okay. And so bus stops are another priority, so to get people to have access to the bus. So not everybody drives, and so you can look at bus stops. We see a hot map of people with disabilities clustered in a certain area.

You can say, "This needs a bus stop," or, "This bus shelter needs to be improved," and we can focus on that. Okay, great. Thanks. Yeah. And then for the actual construction of these projects, is this something that our in-house concrete crew gets to work on or...?

Our in-house concrete crew is working on some of them. We have to contract out because there's such a- Bandwidth ... large amount. So we're doing both as we can. Okay, great. I'm glad to see that our team gets to participate in that.

How often are we going to get updates on this? Is that something in our-- Do we have a regularly scheduled? Annual is what the schedule is today, but I am recalibrating based on inquiries made by some of you.

Well, that was not a leading question. That was just curiosity. I don't know. Okay. Thanks. And then, that's all I have at the moment. Thank you. May I throw a priority question on your priority question?

Yeah. Are we following the P1 through P4 kind of layout that the plan- Yes, ma'am ... projected? Okay. So the P1 stack was kind of smaller than the others, but do you stick to that, or do others run in tandem to it?

We work with that, especially the second year. The second year, you have to take public comment. That's part of it. So we have some community members that said, "Hey, this needs to be done." So we look at it, we look at our list of our P1 through 4s with their input, and then we work and see which ones we can do.

Yeah. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. Did you have anything else, Natalie? Not at the moment. Thank you. Okay. Michael? I think my biggest question is likewise around prioritization. There's two million a year for the transition plan, which is more than we've had in the past, but obviously the challenge is factoring in inflation.

It could easily be around 100 years until all the identified needs are resolved. Is census data the only thing you're using for prioritization, or is that just the primary thing? When we did census data, we took census data, we looked at it as people with disabilities.

We looked at areas that people didn't have a vehicle. So a lot of that was income-based was another part of the prioritization data as well. So we factored all those in so we could assist and prioritize those areas as best we could.

Is there prioritization metrics that are based on measuring how many people are actually using a particular facility? When we looked at the prioritization areas off the census data, we looked at the areas that would be closest.

So if somebody's in a neighborhood and there's a bus stop and most people don't own a car or there's an abundance of people with disabilities in that area, we prioritize that over an area where people have higher income, they're more car drivers based on census data, and they don't have disabilities.

So we would prioritize the area with disabilities and factor that into what area's closest to them. So if it's a pocket park, if it's a bus station, if it's government services, that's how we would prioritize.

But you wouldn't look at this sidewalk that doesn't meet ADA, there's 10,000 people walking in a week, but this one has 200, and we end up prioritizing the 200 one? It would depend where the sidewalk falls also.

Right. So if the sidewalk was across the city and it didn't connect to things that are prioritized based on the Department of Justice's prioritization list, then it may be a high use sidewalk, but it technicallyIt doesn't need to be upgraded right away.

If we have a sidewalk that's only being used by 200 people, but those 200 people are 25 people with a disability, that's a high amount of people with disabilities, and they don't have equal access. So that sidewalk, for if it needs to be vertical height displacements, we would cut the vertical height displacements before.

If it needed a curb ramp, we would put a curb ramp there before an area that doesn't need a curb ramp because there's not a high amount of people with disabilities using that sidewalk. And so that's how we looked at it the first year.

So in the second tier, we take input from our community members. And our community members with people with disabilities, they say, "I need this because I go to the grocery store, and there's no curb ramp here.

I use the bus, but the bus doesn't have a sidewalk that connects to the shelter. Could there be a sidewalk put in, or could there be a curb ramp so I could get up to the bus shelter?" So the first year it was, we're basing it off of census data.

But the second year, what we're going to prioritize is based on community input, and that community input will drive our work for every year forth. And that's second year or second tier? The second year of our ADA transition plan.

Okay. So this is the first year we've done work. Next year would be- So- ... where it's all community driven, what we prioritize. So next year will be driven more by feedback from those who are living in Charlottesville with disabilities and be able to incorporate things like, "I need to go to the grocery store," things like that, it sounds like.

Yes. And the other question on the maturity model, what does that kind of look like in practice? It's a self-evaluation. That's what it is. And so a self-evaluation just looks at your services, looks how you're educating.

It looks at how you would help or assist somebody with a disability, so they have equal access. So if somebody wanted to come to a park and they were deaf, and they asked for a sign language translator, it would ask the question, how would you get a sign language translator?

Or who pays for a sign language translator in that case? And so for us, we would just look, there's a list, and find somebody who does sign language translation. And also, we eat the cost as a city for a sign language translator.

But those were questions that you should ask, and people should know so they don't build into their programs and services. So if somebody's using a service at the park and they ask for a sign language translator, we don't bill that person and then be out of compliance with the ADA.

So those are the kinds of questions you would ask. And if we can educate people based on those questions, so if people didn't know, well, how do you get a sign language translator? How are you charging?

How can you reasonably accommodate somebody who's visually impaired in certain things? We can educate people and teach them, and that would help us in a self-evaluation, and it makes our position more defendable if we get questioned about the ADA violations.

And again, as you acknowledged, given the estimated costs- Yeah ... implementing this plan at the current funding levels would take about 100 years, maybe 70 to 100 years. Would you consider that under a different presidential administration, that it's likely a significant amount of funds are available for ADA upgrades, or is that a complete unknown?

Was there a significant amount of money under the previous presidential administration, specifically for ADA? Even under the previous administration, the County of Los Angeles was hit with a billion dollars that they had ADA improvements.

So the County of Los Angeles tried to avoid as much work as possible. So under the previous administration, they brought the city... well, the county, excuse me. I'm going to keep saying the city. They brought them into court, and they forced their hand saying, "You have so many years." So now the County of Los Angeles is not paving their roads.

There was a news article about it. So they don't have to build curb ramps because they're trying to avoid. So I believe every administration has their own issues with funding this. They pretty much leave it up to locality to come up with funds.

When Fauquier County was sued under the Department of Justice and had their settlement agreement, they were given seven years to complete all their tasks on the list. So Department of Justice can force you to spend money, and then it's up to locality to find that fundage.

Some counties and cities, localities try to avoid as much as possible, and then they're brought in more severe issues. Thank you. You're welcome. If we repave a street, does that trigger a need to address the curb cuts and so on?

Yes, sir. So even if we're just doing the routine milling and repaving kinds of things, how is that going to affect your workflow? We look at where we're going to repave also based on the transition plan.

So where our priority curb ramps are, we can look at our paving schedule, and we can say, "Hey, we're going to pave these roads. How does it fit into the transition plan? And how can we work that movement?" So that's how we fit that in.

Okay. It's occurred to me, as I've been driving on washboardy roads, that that's got to be an ADA issue all by itself. I mean, sidewalks are obviously an ADA issue, but there are plenty of people on motorized wheelchairs who are actually having to go into the street because either the sidewalks are inadequate or there aren't any sidewalks at all, or for whatever reason.

So everything turns out to have an ADA finger touching it at some point. Yes, sir. Did you have another? You have one more question. So we've gotten 1,000 some of the vertical height displacements ground down, and I've totally noticed that.

I knew it was something we had talked about, and then I started walking around downtown recently, and I was like, "Oh, there. They're there." And that was really cool and exciting to see that it was coming to fruition.

We're still doing that, right? That's not a- We're still doing that. Is that just like a continuous thing? It's continuous, yes. Okay. It's not like this is as many as we can do, or- We- ... we're doing more ...

we're spending $750,000, I believe, this year on it, and it's until that $750,000 runs out, and then next year we'll spend approximately $750,000 again to try to do as best as we can. Okay. Thanks. You're welcome.

No other questions. Thank you so much. Thank you, sir. Appreciate you. Okay. Thanks. Rian. Oh. Sam, I wouldn't show if you've given an introduction or Rian just- Oh, you know I have plenty to say, but I'll wait until they're done.

Okay. You got the floor. Oh. Thanks, everybody. Rian Anthony, Parks and Recreation Director. Just giving you a heads up and an update on our master plan. Today I had a great presentation, but unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, I'm going to have to read.

So if I look down, it's not because I'm ignoring you. I might- Yeah ... have to get my eyes on and see what I'm reading. So, first and foremost, thank you so much for allowing me to come up, to give council an update of where we are with our master plan.

Our agenda is a basic department overview and background. Then we'll go into the master plan goals, outcomes, and objectives. And then we'll look at our key prioritization areas. And then, what have we accomplished thus far, look at a 10-year capital improvement plan, and then what's next.

So that will be the format that I'll be going through. Oops. There goes my presentation. There we go. So again, as our city manager always said that the city punches above our weight class. We have over 2,000 acres of park land.

We have two indoor pools, two outdoor pools. We have four splash pads. We have over 44 playgrounds, that including schools. We have award-winning regional skate park as well. So we have a lot, and that's besides our trail system that we also maintain.

So again, we have a large portfolio. Our operating budget is roughly about $14 million, and we have over 70 benefited employees. On any given summer, we hire close to 100 to temporary or seasonal employees to keep our summer camps going, to keep our pools open, and so that when the community is off, Parks and Rec works.

Also, again, with the master plan, the adopted master plan, it calls for close to $78 million in terms of capital over the next 10 years. Within our current budget, we have roughly about $5.5 million just to maintain that.

And then, overall of all our projects that was recommended is roughly around about close to 57 different types of projects that we have to maintain with our master plan. Also, when we adopted our master plan, it called out for some themes, some goals, some outcomes, and objectives.

The first major goal and outlook was to align our capital priorities with community needs. Also really want to promote equitable access and then maximize impact with limited resources. And then also doing the balancing act of balance development with stewardship.

As you can see, which you cannot we have a master plan is a 10-year horizon. The last time our department did a needs assessment, it was in 2005, 2006. That is a long time for a department to have no updated type of a roadmap or Northern Star.

So I truly appreciate the city and council for allowing us to do a master plan so that we can realign and then also focus on what the priorities of the community is. And that's what we came up with. We looked at the community values and needs.

We also did a needs assessment on each and every park that we have, facility, amenities, including pools as well. What that means is just a huge inventory list of what we truly have. And then we did a program and services analysis, level of services, operational, and organizational assessment.

We also did a park-by-park and facility-by-facility improvement. We also looked at our framework plans, which is the four parks that we focused on. And then we did a cost estimate of capital improvement.

And then the last part is the most, as I like to call the hardest part to get is the strategic plan. How do we take all these priorities that the community has asked us to do? How are we going toAccomplish that.

How do we look at prioritization? What needs to be first? What needs to be on second base? What needs to be on third base? So that's where we focused a lot of our time, and we will continue to focus on a lot of time because we are still refining that strategic plan.

And I'm hoping that we will come back to council, is to have that plan refined. The other things that our department, through the master plan, focused on was our adaptive goals. One will be providing a safe, accessible public space, prioritizing health equity, ensure diverse and dynamic workforce, building innovation and lasting partnerships, sustainable park ecosystems, connect clear and transparency with the community, and create a financial, secure, and resilient operation.

So those are our eight. From that eight, our department is still working on how do we put that into measurable objectives. So our department will be working on that for the next year, is to look at on the work plan, to look at how do we accomplish those eight goals.

So coming to the implementation, as I explained that if you look at the master plan, we kind of divided it into three areas, what the master plan kind of calls for. The first bucket is reinvestment. Reinvestment is basically the community knows and understand that we have a lot of assets, facilities.

We need to start updating our facilities if we want to keep our facilities for another 50, 100 years. So it's restroom renovations, it is facility updates, safety and security, structural repairs. Then we have our second bucket is our enhance.

Our enhance is looking at our ADA improvements. As Paul mentioned, we do have a transition plan. Parks has a transition plan as well. We do have some improvements that we need to address. I believe it's over 1,000 that we have within our portfolio, and that's one thing that we have to address as well, and we can piggyback it with if we have a reinvestment project, let's say for example, a facility and we see violations, we have to address those violations of ADA, so that'll go hand in hand.

Playground modernization. So what have we been doing for the years? We were just replacing... Sorry, removing and replacing exactance. And what the community is asking for is modernization. We are looking for something better.

We are looking for a modernized playground. So what that means, a bigger and better playground. As I mentioned, in our capital improvement project, we get roughly about $200,000, and we do a replacement every year since we have such a large portfolio which includes schools and parks, public parks.

And then the other thing, too, is efficient lighting system, and then our trail implementation plan. Then we have- Can I stop you a second to ask a question? Yeah. You mentioned playground modification-- or playground modernization at schools.

Schools and public playgrounds. I remember, me, now probably 25 years ago, having the parent teacher organization at Greenbrier raise the money for the playground modernization at Greenbrier. Is there now-- I mean, and I think that had happened at what's now Trailblazer as well as some other places.

Is that the model being used or are those projects now coming with city funds through your department? As far as I can recall, the city has always provided funding for playground replacement at all schools.

What we are talking right now, we are trying to update our agreement with the schools and trying to build a platform where all the schools have different PTOs, and if they would like to see a different playground that we cannot afford, we will work with them and the principals is to figure out what we need to do together in order to meet their needs as well.

Okay. As I know, 25 years ago, it was privately raised. Yes. So I guess I'm glad that the city is getting behind it so that it's not only the places with the richer parents who are able to have modern equipment.

That's correct. And then the last one, expand or visionary. These are big ticket items which our master plan calls for our four framework plans of parks, an adaptive recreation center, pickleball tennis courts, and then also a new dog park.

So if you look at those three different buckets, it is where the prioritization, and that's where the department is busy really refining those things. So you have these three buckets. You have your reinvestment, then you have your visionary.

So what do we need to do? We can go for one visionary, but that will cost $2 million, $3 million, $4 million, and we put everything into one project. Do we want to do that, or do we want to look at a reinvestment where we have high impactLow-cost projects so the community can see we are working towards some form of a goal and objective in order to get things accomplished.

So that's where we are at the moment, is looking at all those different buckets. How do we put this as project number one, and why is this project number four? So we are working not just internally with the department, but also other departments, like public works.

They have a hand in this, the budget office has a hand in that, the grants department has a hand in that, because at the end of the day, $78 million is a lot of funding, a lot of money. So what we looked at is our key prioritization areas of the master plan.

We looked at special events. That was something the community really want. Field, swim, and tennis court reallocations. We have found out that we needed to update that because all our amenities are getting used quite often.

And there's always a struggle from a for-profit organization want to use a tennis court or a pool rental lane versus a local group within the city also want to do that. So, that is our allocation policy that was called for.

Partnerships, very important. The partnerships is something that we are busy working on in terms of not just how do we get to partnership, but writing a process to make sure that we evaluate each partnership or proposal that comes to Parks and Rec.

We're using the same systematic approach so that we are making sure that we are giving each partner an opportunity to have the exact same playing field. So it's not that, oh, Peter's coming along. Peter wants to improve, and I'll use an example, tennis courts.

But Peter wants to have 80% of reservations. So we do not want to get ourselves into that situation. That's why we want to work on a prioritization study. We're also doing a program study, a reinvestment.

Again, reinvestment is exactly looking at our infrastructure. We know we need to do a better job with updating our facilities, our fields, our restrooms, outdoor restrooms. Then, staff strategy. We got a new master plan.

What we are looking internally is looking at how do we meet the needs of the community, and how do we have to reorganize our staffing model to meet those needs. And then trail plan. We have a good trail master plan, paved master plan trail within our master plan.

Now we have to figure out how do we put the dots together. The connectivity, trail improvement, how do we work through that, and how much years is this going to take us to get there? Because it's very complicated.

Sometimes there are easements, sometimes we have to buy property, acquire property. So it takes a lot of thought behind this to put this plan together. And then lastly is, as I mentioned, our four framework plans.

What have we accomplished? We have hired a new special event coordinator. That was also high on our priority list. This individual started in the beginning of the year. So we did do that. We have completed our field allocation policy.

We have worked on a 10-year prioritization CIP plan for the whole entire 10 years. As I mentioned again, we will request to see we can come back to council to have it much more refined. This was our internal department plan, and now we working with public works.

We are working with budget office to see how we can refine that plan if we're making the proper and correct decision. So we want to take our time to make sure that we are meeting those needs. And then a program plan, program and management plan.

Almost done. So what we looked at when we were looking at our 10-year plan, internal 10-year plan, one of the most important things staff wanted to focus on is immediate high impact, low cost approach.

And that is why in our CIP today, you see we requested a $500,000 for exactly that. Entrance signs of our parks, that's something high impact, but not a lot of money. We want to look at how do we standardize our parks from benches to trash cans.

How do we do those type of items? We also scored all our prioritizations, and we also mapped out a 10-year roadmap of how we want to accomplish those steps. The top priorities in terms of projects, as I mentioned again, what the department looked for was a citywide signage.

A few projects is the four framework plans that we want to do. School grounds. We want to focus on school grounds, coming up with a plan. Downtown Moultrie plan. A system-wide ADA plan as well. And these are just a few items that we do have on our list as we continue moving forward.So what's next?

Next, according to our master plan, trying to increase our park custodial staff. They touch and clean all our parks. At the moment, we have four employees that clean all our parks, power wash shelters, do all that.

And that was one thing that the master plan called for. Community would like to see when they visit our parks, they want to come into a clean space. So we are working on that. We are also trying to develop a trail plan.

With the trail plan comes resources. At the moment, as you can see, Chris Genzek is not here. He's probably out on a trail. Yeah. On a trail. So, trying to look at that. How do we look internally as a department?

Number one and foremost is do we have any vacancies within our department? If we do, do we really need that vacancy? And then how do we reclassify that position to meet the new master plan's needs? So we are also working on that.

How do we look internally first before asking for more funds to meet those needs? And again, that's the last part, as I mentioned, staff reorganization and how do we achieve that. And that is all I have for today.

If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them. Thank you. Before we go on, and before I forget, sometimes we get some speakers to talk about the use of the parks as far as gender equity. Can you just speak on that?

Yeah. So that is where, as I mentioned about the program, that falls under our program- Oh, okay ... analysis. What we are looking into is looking at all our programs. Once we analyze our programs, right now we have a dashboard now, which is great news, where all our programs live on one software program.

So we get to see from gender to resident, non-resident, what type of program it is, so we can at least on one dashboard see what are we doing. Do we need to have more of or less than? And then from there, we are working on measurable goals on how we measure programs.

Meaning, after every program, do we do survey work? How do we reach out to other community members that do not access our programs and ask them why, and what are you looking for so we can expand our programming, number one.

And also number two is really making sure that we are very measurable focused. Okay. I'll start then this end. Michael, you have any comments at this time? I guess the biggest question is in the budget right now is 500,000 annually for the parks master plan implementation.

Obviously, the challenge is that's more than half a century to implement everything that's in the plan. How does this intersect with funding requests in future budget cycles? Yeah. So, as I mentioned earlier, we're in the process of, with our 10-year plan, when the cycle came up, strategic move, we decided to put in the $500,000, like we did last year, so we can get high impact, low cost projects.

We're also working with public works in terms of resources, because we do not have resources within our department as a project manager. We don't have project managers, so we are working with public works to see if we have the resources.

But we are hoping, by August, when the new cycle for CIP funds come up, that we will have a refined plan to make those requests that focuses on our master plan capital improvement projects. And I believe something that was called out in the process of developing the plan, was looking at other localities which had an internal policy of earmarking some source of revenue or finding an additional source of revenue that just strictly goes to park improvements.

Is that something that would ever come to city council for consideration or just indicating yes or no to that idea? Again, we're just refining our plan. If that's a possibility, definitely follow the city manager's lead on that to see if it will come out to city council if there's a certain amount of dollars that need to be earmarked for this project.

A more specific question, which I think intersects with this, the Smith Aquatic Center. I think since I've been on council, it's been closed for multiple years total. It's recently closed again. How sustainable is that current facility within the context of this plan, given how frequently it's been closed down and the repairs seem to have not worked at this point or not worked as well as maybe was hoped for?

Yeah, as we like to call Smith Aquatics, it has a lot of problems, but we are working through our problems. We believe that our HVAC system, that was one of the biggest problems that we had. We shut it down, I believe in my tenure here, three times, and we haven't shut it down for HVAC or chloramine issues thus far.

The last closure was just a heater problem that we had. So it was just one body of water that shut down, and we're hoping to have the rec pool open by the end of this week. But we are evaluating. That comes in with our reinvestment part, as I mentioned, reinvestment.

So that will be looked under the reinvestment part of the house as well. But good question. And which totally makes sense because the next question is what, if any, more very extensive capital investments may be needed.

Just for a sense of potential timeline, for example, there's called-out improvements for, say, Tonsler Park, which call for a number of facility improvements, potentially building a cricket pitch, numerous other things.

What would be the timeline in terms of number of years from now before any of those improvements actually are seen on the ground? So what we are looking at as we are refining those finer details, but there are small hanging fruits that we can still accomplish.

For example, Tonsler is one of the framework parks. We've been working with an organization for a fitness court. And I don't know if you noticed that we just put out a survey for the fitness court because we had a grant.

And we're hoping once we find a location that will meet the needs, so we are not waiting and doing absolutely nothing. We are actually looking within our refined plans. Okay, this park is going to take, in the next five years, we want to get to this park.

But if we find opportunities of grants, and it meets that framework plan, like the fitness court, we are going to get there. The other thing for Tonsler is shade, and staff is looking into the shade structure so that we can still continue moving forward.

And then in the next, once we refine the plan and when that comes up, at least we have touched something from that park. Mm-hmm. And just using Tonsler Park as an example, but this would apply to other ones as well.

A bigger change, the potential of having a cricket pitch in that park, is that something that would be a minimum of five years away before that would ever exist on the ground? I'm just, again, trying to get a sense of- Good question.

I can't give you an answer when exactly. But what I can do is, using one of our strategic systems that we have, is number one, taking it out back to the community and say, "Okay, you want the cricket pitch at Tonsler, but where exactly at Tonsler?" Once we know where, we'll then be able to grab this to say, "Okay, artificial cricket pitch is, runs roughly around," but I'm using example $50,000.

Okay, I can easily go and look in the reinvestment fund bucket to say, "Okay, can we get 50,000 to put the cricket pitch on there?" And that's why it's taking us a while to get our plans refined so that it is strategic.

When we come back to council, is to say, "This is exactly what our tenure looked like." Obviously, it's 10 years. Things can change, and we are okay with change, but at least coming up with a defined plan of when, as I mentioned, we have the four parks that need to get done.

We have a recreation center that also needs to get done. We have to have tennis courts, and when do we slot that in? And then also looking at resources. How are we going to accomplish? Because what we do not want to do is put something and get approved on the capital improvement, and it's taking us five years to get completed because we don't have resources to complete those projects in a timely manner.

Okay. And finally, similarly with the visionary projects, just again as an example, the Rivanna River access plan, which a whole lot could go into that, huge untapped opportunity and resource for the city.

What's the rough expected timeline of when that would move to a next step that leads to action on the ground? Yeah. The Rivanna access plan, was one of the recommendations that we received last year. We are working with a professor at UVA.

Two weeks ago, a few members of the CMO team and myself went out there to the class for the final report. We have asked them to come to the advisory board, which is next week, Monday, and they will be doing a presentation of their findings.

From there, they will provide us with a report, and I believe our next steps would be sending it through the CMO's office and to landlord council's desk as a report. Thank you. Gar? Okay. Yeah, just to add to that, we do plan to brief city council on the outcome and any recommendations from the advisory board before we determine what next steps we need to make in order to put a little bit more meat on the bone of the recommendations coming out of that student group.

Thank you. Natalie. Hi. One question on the slides, which I know are not up here, but they are visible at home and in the packet. For the adaptive recreation center pickleball courts, I can't tell if it's 200,000, 2 million or 20 million.

There's some fun comma usage there, and I just wanted to clarify that, please. There's a missing zero. So that is 20 million. It's 20 million? Twenty million. Okay. Sorry. Thank you. Let me note that.

Okay. And then, you mentioned standardizing the parks from benches to trash cans. Is that something where we take out usable ones that don't match or as they age and break, we replace with a standard set?

Age. The ones that age out, we'll replace. Okay, so we're not taking out perfectly useful ones that are just a different style. Okay. Great. That's what I was hoping you'd say. And then, for the... Sorry, I'm bumping around a little bit here.

For the connectivity and trails, for the connectivity portion that comes from trails where you can get around town safely and also maybe connect to different parks without being in the streets, I appreciate that and think that is valuable.

And it says you want to update the trail plan. What is our current trail plan? In the master plan... So in our current plan, and we only talk about the paved trails, and the reason why it is not connected it is due to private property owners, it is due to lack of resources in terms of staff.

We only have one staff member that is our park planner and trail planner and maintenance person. So we thought, let's pause and let's try to come up with a plan. So how we derive from the plan, when we went through the plan, we have noticed that the north part of the city has much more connectivity than the south.

Why? And that's where we look through an equity lens as like we really need to look through all our trails through equity. And we have listed prioritization, green, orange and red type of mapping system.

And we are going to look at our highest prioritization list from that. And that's what we're going to focus on. Thus, if a property owner is available, we are not going to walk away from it. We're going to also seize that opportunity because it's very rare that a property owner will say, "Hey, I'm okay for you to do an easement," or, "Hey, you can buy my property so we can connect." So we are working on that.

But that's why in the plan says we still need to get it refined. So we've got the plan, but how do we implement? So we're trying to get also an implementation plan is to really figure out how do we get these things accomplished in a timely manner.

Okay, great. Thank you. And then for the partnerships section, you mentioned having a process for partnership and evaluation. What kinds of partnerships either have we done in the past or are we looking to do in the future?

So, in parks and rec, we get a lot of community or businesses who want to partnership with us from a tennis organization that wants to put in lights on your tennis courts and fix up your tennis courts.

But normally, there's always a situation where, oh, I gave you this and now you have to give me that. And we want to make sure that we are putting it through a process where we ask a few questions, and that's what we're working on is, number one, is there a need within the community?

Does it need our master plan, updated master plan? If it does, that means that's an opportunity for us to partner. Other situations that we are partnering with is Bennett's Village. We just completed phase one.

We also partner with Her Sports, at the moment, flag football, women basketball. I believe there's a community event happening in May. So we're looking at, those are just a few partnerships that we have.

We also have Thompson League that happens during the summer. Also great partnership that runs all summer. So we do have a lot of partnership, but we just want to make sure that we are following a process where everybody has access to that want to partner with Parks and Recreation department.

Okay, great. And then for the public engagement portion, I know there was public engagement with the master plan as a whole. But what kind of public engagement is planned for the continuing process, like for prioritization or are you taking the comments we've already gotten from the master plan and saying, "Okay, that's how we're sorting it out" or for each project?

What kind of engagement opportunities will there be? Yeah. So when it looks like there's different phases of community engagement, for example, if you look at our four framework plans, that's going to have to be a communityEngagement process, something similar to what we did where we really are going to talk about, do we need to put a dog park versus a garden versus a softball?

So we have to go and do that engagement. When we look at park to park, we will do our two to three-step phase, which we've done with our fitness court, where we had two to three public engagements in person at the facility where we invite the community, and then we went to put it online for two weeks to ask the community more questions.

So those are the type of engagements that we are going to do, because we do not want to have a one-shoe-fits-all type approach. We want to make sure that we are meeting the community where they're at.

Great. Thank you. And then that's what I have at the moment. Thank you. Yeah. Lolly? Yeah, thank you. Curious, for one thing, how's the golf course doing economically, physically? Golf course is doing good.

I know we had to put a fair amount of capital expenditure into an irrigation system and so on. Yes. Did that get completed? That will be completed just before May. Okay. Just before May. And when I say it's doing good, it's doing good because the city is investing in their asset.

And that's just a great example. If you look at our 10-year plan that we have, it is always good if we have an asset we have to invest because the community sees it, and the community does not question if we increase a rate.

So for example, for the last three years, we increased golf rates by a dollar, but every year we were showing the community what improvements we have done. We've done, last year, we did the whole clubhouse.

A year before, we did a major upgrade in terms of turf care, getting out there, and now we're doing an irrigation system. What our long-term plan is, we are looking at bunkers coming up. We are looking at raising our pump house for the irrigation system.

So what we're getting out at the golf course that they are very happy. As long as they're seeing those improvements, they're okay to pay a dollar or two more because it is an enterprise fund. That means we have to have enough revenue in order to support our expenditures.

I know a couple of times in the last six years I've been on council, the council had to allocate more money because it just wasn't generating enough money. Has that situation turned around? I would say for right now, yes.

But also, if you look at the department strategic moves that we did, number one, it was 100% staff-focused, meaning every employee was a staff employee. Once we got some retirement, we reflected and say, "Let's outsource our turf maintenance," which we did.

We saw some improvements there. And then after more retirements, the department asked one question, "Do we, as a staff, can take this course to the next level?" And the answer was no. We don't have those expertise.

We don't have a PJ, we don't have a turf manager that specializes, and that's what we've got for the last two years, with our outsourcing of the entire golf course. And as you can see, if you've been out there, please do come out there.

Even if you just want to walk the trails, you'll see a great improvement in terms of standard of care out at the golf course. Okay. And which leads me, I suppose, to a second question relating to Penn Park and also to Darden Towe Park, which of course are...

Penn Park is a park that the city owns, but it's actually in the county. And then Darden Towe Park, of course, is actually in the county, but we own it with the county. I noticed one of the proposals, was talking about the $20 million for, I don't remember what all it was, but adaptive center and also pickleball courts and so on.

Both of those functions strike me as things we ought to be working out in some way with the county to share with the county. I remember a couple of years ago, we had this debate over whether we were going to increase the number of pickleball courts at Darden Towe Park, and I was serving on the committee for the city.

There's actually a joint committee of city and county people who administer, technically, Darden Towe Park, although I don't think our committee has met in a couple of years, so I wonder what we're actually doing.

But I'm just thinking about all of the things like that. One of the things we learned in that process was that people who play pickleball and people who play tennis don't really care whether they're playing in the city or the county.

It's not important to them. It's where is there a court that's likely to be available, and how can it be administered in a reasonably efficacious manner so that you don't have to worry, "Gee, am I even going to get a court?

Am I going to have to wait two hours before I can get a court?" What are we doing to more cooperate with the county on things like that? Yeah. Good question. So, when it comes to adaptiveRecreation. We have great partnership with the county.

We have an agreement with them that we provide services for them, and then the county pays us for the services. When it comes to the adaptive recreation, that's something that I'm talking to the new director about, of how do we partner and have a joint effort since we already have a partnership in terms of serving adaptive community, number one.

And number two, the master plan calls for a center. So that's something definitely we're going to be talking about. We also spoke about the tennis courts. Right now, according to Darden Towe, since they have a lot of land within that park, it calls for a new bank of tennis courts.

When we were getting through our master plan, Penn Park is just so much amenities within the acreage. It is going to be very hard for us to find acreage to put another bank of pickleball courts or a bank of tennis courts because we have a lot of amenities out there.

So we are talking with the county on looking in the future of how we partner since we are so close and we have such a strong bond, as you mentioned. People that play tennis or pickleball- Mm-hmm ... they just want to play.

And one of the other things that came up out of that process was, I learned for the first time that there was a parks foundation that was raising a whole lot of money. They were thinking that they were raising it specifically for tennis courts or for pickleball.

I don't remember which one it was, but they had a particular goal in mind, which made me wonder who's in charge. What's the relationship with this parks foundation? So the parks foundation, the way the MOA reads is that if they want to fundraise, they have to come to the board, which they did, and present their case.

To which board? The board. The city, because we have two members of city council and, I believe, two members of county. Is this the parks advisory committee or the- The Darden Towe. Okay. The one that I was- That you set up.

Yeah. So they have to come to that board, pitch the idea, and then it's up to the board to vote yay or nay. So that's how that foundation is written into just for the Darden Towe. Is that new? Because I didn't remember ever getting a pitch.

I just remember being told, "We have raised this amount of money, and it's for this purpose." According to the county, it's been in there for around about five, six years that they have this park board, and this was the first time that the park board came to the county, requesting, "Can we fundraise for pickleball?" Hmm.

Okay. And then I guess the last question I have is, is the mall still under Parks and Rec's control for flower beds and things like that? The mall, we do maintain the mall in terms of cleanliness. We clean the mall.

We also take care of the health of the trees. We also take care of the beautification of the mall in terms of, the horticultural team still comes out and take care of the mall pots. Yeah. Okay. Thank you.

Mm-hmm. Jen? Thank you. Kind of tying in a few of those questions. Mm-hmm. So, speaking of the partnerships and the who, kind of raising funds to cover some of these priorities, I'm glad to see that there's an equity lens for the policy framework, but I wasn't really thinking about it from the transactional nature of being a funder, but more like how do we determine whatever partners want to fund gets prioritized in the build-out based on whatever our rubric is for that.

Do we have that piece established? I know you don't have the policy framework for partners yet, but do we know what an equitable prioritization of projects looks like? Yeah, we have not gone that far yet.

Okay. So unfortunately not. Okay. So then my other question tying to that is, the partnerships seem like they can help all in from visionary to whatever they're interested in. We could easily use their money and finish these projects, right?

So, I've heard from partners who are really interested in launching, for example, visionary projects now. They've got contractors and money, and they want to do it, but we don't have a mechanism for them to do that yet.

So we have that as a medium priority- Mm-hmm ... under critical needs. Is there a reason it's not a higher priority seeming, because it could give us so many funds? Yeah. So the reason why we did a medium is because the medium was more of the writing of the process, not the medium of that this is a high priority.

So we were looking through the lens of getting this policy established. That's why it is a medium. But it's below in your to-do list. It's below increasing custodial staffing. But it's kind of the next on the list.

Okay. Yeah. So maybe that... Yeah. It's hard to develop a trails plan- Yeah ... yeah, where the funding comes and where that drives. Okay. So then the-Where do you find the biggest pinch point? Is it our funding resources or our staffing to execute and implement these things?

I think it's a combination. The way we look at big projects this way is, number one, it's great to have the plan. But number two is, do we have the right people on the bus in the right seats? And if we have empty seats, we have to try to make sure, how do we fill those seats so that we have enough resources to implement this plan.

So we are looking at those strategies in terms of looking within first, with our department when it comes to reorg and resources, what can we do? And really look at do we reorg, do we look at vacancies?

Do we also knock on our neighbor's door? For example, great partnership that we have with Public Works. We asked them, "Hey, do you mind helping us with projects?" And they said, "Yeah," but we have to talk about each year because they also have a capacity cap.

So we have to look at that as well. So I hope I'm answering your question correctly. So it's not the one or the other. It is looking at both at the same time. Yeah. They're tethered together. Yeah. You're not right out of the gate like- Yeah ...

if I had all the staff, I could get it done with the resources we've allotted. Okay. Do we ever contract out that work so that we can run projects in tandem? Yeah. Again, we have a lot of projects, like, for example, Riverview restroom, that was a contractor.

Even our AD firm assists us with some project management, but it costs a lot of money. So we've done that, and it's not a one-size-fit-all. It is a systematic approach where we look is to ask those questions, do we have the time?

Do we have the scope? Do we have the budget in order to execute that? And how we answer those questions will lead, do we contract out the whole thing, or do we contract only AD work, and we do our own project management.

So, and again, as I mentioned earlier, we don't have a project manager on staff in Parks and Rec, and that's why we're leaning on Public Works. Oh, it's not you. Okay. That makes sense. Just two more questions.

Speaking of the resources, if we don't close the $800,000 gap, how do we determine what projects get bumped? Is that a staff decision, or that's something that would come before council? Yeah. So as you mentioned, it was in the PowerPoint presentation, I know we got bumped a few times.

But we want to come back to council again at a future date because we have to still refine that gap. How do we put which project first, and then we want to come back to council. Oh, that will be part of that.

Okay. And then last question is, the dashboard you have going for staff is live and you said that was helping, and that's really... But for the public, where do we go to see the progress on all this? Yeah.

At the moment, we are working with the city on a bigger dashboard, so that Parks and Rec will also have a filter down, drop-down box so that it feeds into that. I believe we're working with the strategic department.

Within the CMOs team, they're also building up this big dashboard of all our projects. So we're hoping once that goes live, that will be outside, and everyone gets to see all the projects, where we at.

Oh, do we have a timeline on that? Do we now? Oh, I will defer to... Ezra. Oh. Thank you, Bethany. Any other questions or comments? I would just... Thank you, Rianon. Just like to just add a few notes, just for council's benefit and the public's benefit as well.

Just pointing out the idea that you've received two presentations tonight, an ADA transition plan update and a parks master plan update, and both of them have very, very large price tags attached to them.

We knew that all along. We knew that both of them needed attention. We also knew that both of them needed updates. What you see at this present time is not an implementation schedule that any of us would identify as appropriate, because $150 million transition plan requires a double-digit annual allocation in order to take it down.

And a $78 million parks master plan needs $7 or $8 million a year in order to take it down in a reasonable period of time. And what we also know is both plans' predecessors sat for a very long time, not necessarily getting implemented, not equally anyway.

The ADA transition plan was last updated in 2013. There was work being done on it, but it wasn't being done the way that it is now being done. The parks master plan last update was 2005, 2006. That is entirely too long for a park system.

And finding out that it has $78 million worth of recommendations is actually probably a bargain for where a community with this high expectation exists, in that there's a lot more that could be identified for park support and recreation support even.

That as it stands right now, we are not checking the box on these two issues. And I label them for you, as I have labeled most things for you that are complicated, as tensions and trade-offsAnd I'm sure you knew I was going to say that.

Because these are decisions that have to be made on when do we want to prioritize more in these categories for things that, one, the ADA transition plan is not an option, and parks and recreation is by all accounts of our public, not an option.

In both of those instances, we're going to have to try to figure out how do we allocate more in both of these categories, and we already know, as I've repeatedly referenced, that the runway is short, so that's going to mean trading off something else or asking more of those who are struggling to be able to give more.

So I just say that as a part of the process that we're working to improve efficiencies, we're working to make sure that we have processes in place, policies in place, all that great work is happening.

We're dashboarding. We're trying to make sure that we get a more consistent public engagement system going within the city government, that we do better at promoting the quality of our work, displaying that work, allowing the public to interact with that information.

All those things are in progress. All those things are moving. Not fast enough, yes. That is where I am as well, but we're getting there, and I think the key is going to be that if we don't put more resources in places like these, then we're going to find it hard for those dashboards to say a whole lot at some point when we catch up to them with how we're funding them.

So those are things that we just have to keep in mind, and if you just go back to the recent slide where I gave you the money bags all over the page, these are smaller than they need to be. So that means there's going to be a need to shrink others or find other money.

So I'll end with that note and say I am done talking about how we prioritize because we got to figure this out. Thank you. We're going to go into closed session now. Pursuant to Section 2.2-3712 of the Virginia Code, I move that the city council close this open meeting and convene in a closed session as authorized by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act as follows.

One, pursuant to Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711 (7) , for consultation with legal counsel pertaining to actual or probable litigation, where such a consultation or briefing in open meeting would adversely affect the negotiating or litigating posture of the public body.

Specifically, McNamara v. Coaches et al., and Erskine White v. City of Charlottesville d/b/a Charlottesville Area Transit and Willie Hines. And two, pursuant to Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711 (8) , which permits closed sessions for consultation with legal counsel employed or retained by a public body regarding specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel, specifically legal aspects of changes to the city's zoning code.

I make the motion. Or second. Second. It was already made. Yeah. That's all right. All in favor, please say yes. Yes. All opposed, please say no. All right, so we'll be back at 6:30. Certify by a recorded vote that to the best of each council member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully exempted from the open meeting requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and identified in the motion convening the closed session were heard, discussed or considered in the closed session.

Is there a second? Second. All in favor, please say yes. Yes. All opposed, please say no. Thank you so much. We will now have a moment of silence. Thank you very much. Are there any announcements? Yes.

Hey, folks, I just wanted to point out that this weekend will be the second Sunday of the month, so it's time for the monthly neighborhood walk. This time it will be the UVA North Grounds area, meeting at 10:00 a.m.

on Sunday at the JPJ parking garage bike rack. It takes about a couple of hours. You kind of mosey. You meet people and learn about a part of the city you might not be super familiar with. Happens every second Sunday of the month with a different neighborhood around town.

So if you haven't come out to one of those before, weather's nice again, maybe it's time.We'd love to have you. We can. The second thing is that April is the next installment of this year's e-bike subsidy voucher program application period.

So if you are a city resident over the age of 18, you can apply for a voucher. There's three different voucher levels, 500, 1,000, and $1,500 based on your income level that you can use towards purchasing an e-bike from one of the local bike shops.

I realized when we were back there that I don't have my helmet today. It's the first, maybe second time I haven't biked to council in all the years that I've been there, and that's because today I took the bus and walked.

So, otherwise, I'm pretty much always out there on my e-bike. Charlottesville has a ton of hills, so it's nice to be able to get somewhere without getting all sweaty on your way to wherever you're going.

So I really encourage everyone to check out that application. You can look for it on our Connect page, connect.charlottesville.gov, and that will take you to a bunch of good announcements and the e-bike voucher program.

Thank you. Thank you. I have a couple announcements. We always have a lot of openings on different boards and commission. This meeting, I just want to highlight we have an opening on a board for Piedmont Virginia Community College.

If you're a city resident, I would encourage you to look at this opening or others and contact the clerk if it's something that you're interested in. It's a meaningful way to give back to the community.

And also just another announcement that on April the 17th at 11:00, it will be the 60th rededication of the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial, and that is always a special time for us to recognize those who've made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

So are there other announcements? I actually did have one more. Yeah. Sorry, I had another tab open. I got a lot of tabs open. Yeah. Monday, April 13th from 5:30 to 7:30, there is a planning pop-up to talk about the Rose Hill Drive restriping project.

So if you live in that neighborhood or you use that street and you want to learn more about how it's going to look when it gets repaved and restriped, you want to have input on that, again, it's Monday, April 13th from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Jefferson School.

So please join our planning team for that. Yeah. That's a street many people use, and you know it is really wide and it's only two lanes, so it'll be a good opportunity for you to have some input on that as well.

So we now have proclamations and recognitions. We have several to do this evening, and the first one would be Ms. Fleischer. Proclamation for Child Abuse Prevention Month, April 2026. Whereas the city of Charlottesville is committed to the safety, well-being, and future of all children, recognizing that they are our community's most valuable resource.

And whereas child abuse and neglect remain serious concerns that affect children and families across our nation, and prevention requires the collective vigilance and responsibility of all members of the community.

And whereas strong families are the foundation of a thriving community, and supporting parents and caregivers through education, resources, and community connections help prevent child abuse and neglect before it occurs.

And whereas communities that prioritize prevention promote protective factors such as nurturing relationships, knowledge of parenting, and access to social supports, all of which help children grow up safe, healthy, and resilient.

And whereas dedicated organizations, professionals, and volunteers in Charlottesville work year-round to provide advocacy, education, and services that strengthen families and protect children from harm.

And whereas raising awareness during Child Abuse Prevention Month provides an opportunity to reaffirm our shared commitment to ensuring that all children are valued, supported, and given the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Now, therefore, the Charlottesville City Council hereby proclaims April 2026 as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Charlottesville, and encourages all residents to work together to strengthen families, support children, and help prevent child abuse and neglect in our community.

Signed and sealed this sixth day of April 2026 by Wanda Woodley, our mayor. Thank you. Oh. Is that you? I'll take it. Here. Good evening. Thank you so much. I'm Sherri McKinney, and I have the privilege of being the CEO at Foothills Children's Advocacy Center.

And on behalf of the children of Charlottesville, the staff and board at Foothills, and all of our community partners, I just want to thank you for this proclamation. And if anyone is interested in learning more about Foothills and the role we play in the child abuse response, you're welcome to join us at our open house on the 21st from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.

Thank you so much. Thank you. Yep. Louie? Isn't there another one first? Which one are you doing? Dark sky Dark sky. Okay. Sorry. We would also like to recognize the 30th anniversary of the VIA Centers for Neurodevelopment.

Whereas VIA Centers for Neurodevelopment offers a comprehensive continuum of compassionate, evidence-based care, serving more than 150 children and adults in Charlottesville through specialized schools, adult programs, supported employment, and early intervention services designed to support individuals and their families at every stage of life.

And whereas at the heart of VIA's mission is the foundational philosophy that every human being possesses inherent dignity and value and holds the fundamental right to lead a purposeful and meaningful life, regardless of ability.

And whereas VIA provides community-wide social groups that welcome individuals with neurodevelopmental challenges into safe and supportive environments, offering essential connection and support for both participants and their caregivers.

And whereas VIA empowers individuals to build essential life skills and fosters deep community involvement, ensuring that those they serve are not only supported but fully integrated into the fabric of society.

And whereas through collaborative partnerships with local nonprofits, businesses, and school districts, VIA's transformative impact extends beyond its centers, actively contributing to a more inclusive, aware, and accepting community for all people with disabilities.

And whereas this 30th anniversary milestone provides an opportunity to celebrate VIA's legacy of compassion, innovation, and community building, and to recognize its continued commitment to creating a more inclusive future for all.

Now, therefore, the Charlottesville City Council hereby recognizes and commends VIA Centers for Neurodevelopment on the occasion of its 30th anniversary for outstanding service and dedication to enhancing the lives of individuals with neurodevelopmental challenges and their families, and for strengthening the Charlottesville community through inclusion, compassion, and opportunity.

Would you like to say something? Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Natalie, I think they want to get a good picture. Oh. Thank you. Just real quick. My name is Ethan Long, and I'm the CEO, President of the VIA Centers for Neurodevelopment.

I want to thank three groups of people. First, our founding families that started. There were two families with three children with profound autism. They started over on Third Street, and their dedication and commitment has allowed VIA to grow to serving over 350 individuals today in four communities, Charlottesville, Roanoke, Lexington, and Lynchburg.

I also want to thank all of the team here that's assembled. These are the folks that meet the mission every morning, and without them, we couldn't do it. And so I want to thank them. And then finally, I want to thank this wonderful community because we are a very inclusive community, and neurodiversity is a part of that inclusion, and it makes our families and the individuals we serve special when they can be a part of our downtown mall, they can take advantage of our YMCA, and they can truly be a part of our community.

So thank all of you for recognizing the 30 years of service. Let's come back and do this again at 50. All right? All right. Okay. Thank you. Hopefully, I'm going to be here by then. So, Ethan, I was able to get a tour a few months ago, and just doing amazing work there throughout every nook and cranny of the old senior center.

And I know you have other locations, but what I saw was just simply amazing. So keep up the good work. We're glad that you're part of this community and you're doing an innovative approach to address it.

So thank you so much. Thank you. Okay. Now, this is a proclamation to recognize Dark Sky Week in Charlottesville, April 13th to 20th, 2026. Whereas the beauty and wonder of a natural night sky is a shared heritage of all humankind, and the experience of standing beneath a starry sky inspires feelings of wonder and awe.

And many people in Charlottesville live under a dome of light pollution, excessive artificial lighting that disrupts natural darkness, and may never experience the visual wonder or ecological and health benefits of living under a dark sky.

The City of Charlottesville is now part of the Biophilic Cities network and is committed to providing opportunities for community members to connect with the natural world. And whereas the City of Charlottesville is in close proximity to the Shenandoah National Park and is surrounded by natural landscapes that are home to many species which rely on undisturbed night environments to hunt, mate, and thrive.

And whereas peak spring bird migration falls during Dark Sky Week, and 80% of migrating birds fly at night and need starlight to navigate. And whereas reducing light pollution saves energy, therefore helping the City of Charlottesville to meet its climate action goals.

And whereas the City of Charlottesville is a neighbor to the McCormick and Fan Mountain Observatories, operated by the Astronomy Department of the University of Virginia, and the observations and research carried out at these observatories is hampered by the effects of light pollution.

And whereas the International Dark-Sky Association is the globally recognized authority on light pollution and has created International Dark Sky Week to raise awareness of light pollution and to provide free education, resources, and solutions to the public to encourage the protection of and enjoyment of dark skies and responsible outdoor lighting.

Now, therefore, the Charlottesville City Council hereby declares April 13th to 20th, 2026 as Dark Sky Week in Charlottesville, Virginia, and we ask each resident to join us not only in observing and pondering upon the importance of this week, but also in raising awareness and support to protect our precious dark sky resources.

Signed and sealed this sixth day of April 2026, Juan Diego Wade, Mayor. All right. Is someone here to- Well, we'll figure out somebody to send it to. Yeah. No, I think- Oh, we have someone. Someone's got it right here.

So who gets this? We'll take it right here. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. We'll have it arranged. Great. All right. My name is Emily Leon, speaking on behalf of Dark Skies Piedmont and part of the broader Dark Sky International organization.

So to our councilors, thank you for supporting the International Dark Sky Week proclamation for the third year in a row. We hope that the city will continue to update the lighting ordinance so that it follows best practices to ensure public safety while also reducing wasteful lighting.

Most of our spaces are overlit with lighting that never reaches its intended target, and instead spills into our homes and the surrounding environment. The city's current ordinance requires that commercial lighting be fully shielded so that the light shines on the ground directly underneath and not into the sky or horizontally, which contributes to sky glow and causes blinding glare for people.

Unfortunately, many businesses add or replace lighting that doesn't comply with the current ordinance. This goes unaddressed unless someone makes a complaint. We would like to ask that more effort be made to educate businesses so that they understand how to comply and why their compliance is important and the impact that it can have.

This would go a long way towards reducing the growing problem of light pollution. Thank you again for your time and support for responsible community lighting practices that not only protect the dark sky, but the health and wellbeing of our neighbors, which include both people and all living things that inhabit this earth.

And if anyone here is interested in learning more about light pollution and the importance of dark skies, I highly recommend looking up Dark Sky International at darksky.org. Thank you. Our last proclamation for today is for Reverend Dr.

Leemon Bates, a proclamation for his 20-year anniversary at Ebenezer Baptist Church. I had the honor of presenting this to him at church yesterday, but I think that I was speaking to literally the choir.

But you know what I mean. But I thought that the public should know the incredible work that Dr. Bates is doing. I know that Sam and I call on Dr. Bates a lot for community input, for his insight, for his connections in the community, and so we're honored to do this.

I'm going to read his proclamation, not in total, but the good ones, the good sentences. Honoring the 20th anniversary of Reverend Dr. Leemon Bates III, whereas Reverend Leemon Bates has faithfully served as pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2006, providing steadfast spiritual leadership, compassionate guidance, and visionary direction to his congregation in the greater Charlottesville community.

And whereas over 20 years of devoted ministry, Pastor Bates has strengthened Ebenezer through growth, innovation, service, including the expansion of the worship, outreach through televised and broadcast ministries, and enhancement of the church accessibility and infrastructure.

Reverend Bates has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to global and local mission work, leading relief and outreach in efforts to respond to disasters such as Katrina, the Haiti earthquake, coordinating international medical missions, and supporting communities that in need both home and abroad.

Whereas Reverend Bates has been tireless advocate for equity, justice, and community unity, contributing to leadership in numerous civic and academic activities, including the city's dialogue on race, university community partnership, and efforts of addressing racial equity and health disparity.

In times of local and national challenge, including the events surrounding August 17th and the COVID-19 pandemic, Reverend Bates has provided more leadership, organized community response efforts, and ensured that vital resources reach families in need.

Reverend Bates has fostered meaningful partnership across faith communities, nonprofit organizations, and public institutions, including initiatives such as food distribution programs, community forums, interfaith collaboration, and support of the underserved population.

And whereas his leadership has been recognized through numerous honors and appointments reflecting his enduring impact on faith, civic life, and wellbeing of the Charlottesville community. Whereas in 2026, Reverend Bates celebrate his 20 years anniversary of pastoral care at Ebenezer Baptist Church, marking a legacy of faith, service, and transformational leadership.

Therefore, I, Wanda Egwa, Mayor of the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, do hereby proclaim recognition and celebration of the 20-year anniversary of Reverend Bates and call upon the community to join in honoring his extraordinary contribution to our community.

It was all so good I had to read it all, I'm sorry. You did amazing work. Thank you so much. Well, I guess since everyone else spoke, I guess I have to speak as well. I really had not anticipated to do this, but Mayor Wade, members of the council, I do want to say thank you for this honor.

I want to recognize the presence of my wife and members of Ebenezer Baptist Church, and just recognizing that the best is yet to come. Thank you again. Thank you. Did a great service yesterday. Did a guest bass player yesterday, it was really good.

We are now- There's one- I'm sorry ... one announcement- Oh, go ahead ... to us, sorry. Just an announcement that Alexzand's Black History Pathway will be happening this Saturday, April 11th at 1:00 PM at Carver Rec Center with numerous panelists.

So again, the Black History Pathway honoring sports in Charlottesville and Albemarle is this Saturday at Carver Rec Center. Yeah. Thanks for Alexzand. You always have some good programs and things going on.

I've seen the flyer for that. It's going to have some incredible lineup. Thank you, Michael. The next Where Community Matters, where we have eight people that have pre-registered to speak, and we'll have the opportunity for eight more.

Please limit your comments to three minutes for items that's not listed as a public hearing. So the first speaker is Ms. Terry. Good evening. My name is Terry Tyree, and I'm a member of the NAACP, a community leader, and the president of Charlottesville Community Resilience Center.

I am here today speaking on housing, displacement, and the safety and educational stability of our community. When families are pushed out, children lose stability. They lose their schools, their friendships, their routines, and their sense of safety.

Communities lose their identity, their history, and their support systems, and once that fabric is torn apart, it's hard to be repaired. We are asking you to follow the recommendations of the Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition to prevent repeating historic wrongs, because we have seen this before, and we're watching it happen again.

And we're not just coming with concerns, we're coming with solutions. One recommendation being put forward is that core neighborhood corridor overlay districts allow three stories by right and up to five stories only if at least 20% of on-site units are affordable, at least at 50% area median income.

That is responsible and that is reasonable. That is what balance looks like, development with equity, so that growth does not come at the cost of displacement. Because without protections like this, development does not include us, it replaces us.

And for months now, community members, organizations, advocates, and residents like myself have shown up. We've stood in these rooms, we've rallied, we've cried, we've written letters, we've shared our lived experience and our fears, and still, we are asking why are our voices not enough to slow this down and bring this back to formal process that truly includes community input.

We are asking for thoughtful, equitable development, limit student housing to appropriate areas like JPA and Stadium Row, require developers to contribute fairly to affordable housing, and provide deeply affordable units within their developments.

Expand relief programs so families are not pushed out or into homelessness, because right now what we are seeing, again, is imbalance. It is not equity, it's inequality. The other day I was DoorDashing, moving through different parts of the same city, and I saw something that sat very heavy on my heart.

I saw the contrast. In some areas near UVA properties, there's pools, security cameras, and elevators, well-maintained buildings. People feel safe enough to leave their belongings outside with no fear.

And then I return to our communities, where families are fighting just to get basic beautification, and we are in fear. That contrast is not physical, it's systemic. We are asking you to be brave. We are asking you to do what's right.

Thank you. The next speaker is Chico Lorenzo. Chico Lorenzo? Hello. Wait. Hello? Yeah. So I'm going to read it so I don't forget any points. First, what you read, this is the same but from the art approach team, but we are about the same.

This is a response for the proposal of allocation of $100,000 to hire a consultant to develop a public art commission. I'm here today to help the city not to make the very common mistake of putting the art development in the hands of bureaucrats.

There's enough knowledge among us local artists about what is needed for this city, to show what it can create, what to keep, what to add, for Charlottesville to tell its own stories with its own unique character.

Many of these initiatives about public art are based on statistics resulting in the promotion of Main Street or even corporate works, cooperative works, and prioritizing marketing over art, marketing over housing and community.

Others just spend their budget in endless conceptual conversations with no artistic repercussion. I'm presenting myself as a candidate to lead this project with a vast experience working with this community and many local institutions.

And here's a plan. The commission will facilitate a regular open meeting-Open to everybody to discuss and vote which public art works to keep when technically doable, and which to... I myself can take care of the restoration in most cases or coordinate other workers.

And ideally, the city will also facilitate an artist salon, inviting all artists to meet regularly for collaboration, conversation, and mutual inspiration to promote that unique artistic character that is born only when sharing in the community.

This is about art, but it's about every aspect of this community. If we promote the connection, collaboration, the conversation, then we have a city that has a special and unique character, our character.

If we let things in the hands of bureaucrats, developers, then we're going to be a city like any other in the world that doesn't have any special character. So it's our decision, and there's 37 minutes for you.

Thank you. Alicia? Good evening. My name's Alicia Lenahan. I live in the county. During the last 11 months, I've learned about the issues that concern and affect community members. I've also revisited important historical events.

When first asked to take a stand against the lawless immigration actions of this administration, one response was, "We don't want to draw attention to ourselves." And we were reminded of the supremacy of federal law.

That stands in stark contrast to Virginia's role in and response to Brown v. Board of Education. Charlottesville didn't hesitate to defy the federal government and to participate in massive resistance.

The White men sitting in those chairs were resolute in their efforts to keep Black children out of White classrooms. Virginia and this body were equally defiant in response to the ratification of the 24th Amendment to the Constitution in 1964, prohibiting poll taxes in federal elections.

Until 1966 and the Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections case, Charlottesville continued to exclude poor White and Black voters in state and local elections. That Supreme Court decision came too late for the residents of Vinegar Hill, who were unable to participate in the 1960 election poll that resulted in the demolition of their community and their subsequent move into the Westhaven Housing Project.

In 2017, city council elevated the First Amendment rights of White supremacists over public safety with tragic results. Too often, this body has been vocal, visible, and resolute in its efforts to deny people the rights conferred by the court and the federal government or tepid in their efforts to protect those rights.

Today, we're living with an administration that barely operates under the color of law. ICE actions have terrorized thousands of people across the country in their homes, on the street, at work, in hospitals, in courthouses, and at schools.

Today, threats to our right to vote and the safety of elections are real concerns. Sending ICE on April 21st to a state that just elected a woman to be the Democratic governor of Virginia and the person selected to respond to the State of the Union would be unsurprising.

This is also an election that may help thwart the gerrymandering efforts begun in Texas. This is from the Brookings Institute. The administration has begun repurposing personnel amid the current government shutdown.

ICE agents have been deployed to major airports to handle passenger ID verification and other TSA-related duties. This precedent raises a chilling possibility, the potential redirection of these agents to monitor other sensitive civic spaces, such as polling locations.

You can't rewrite Charlottesville history. You can shape the future with proactive, courageous, and moral leadership so a council 60 years from now won't have to apologize for your actions today. Thank you.

Kristy Baker. Hi. Hello. So one of the main principles in design and art is repetition. So I am here with my brother, Chicho- ... which was sort of unplanned and unexpected, but I'm so thrilled to be able to acknowledge that council is really valuing public art, and that is something that is near and dear to me.

I've been in this community... Well, I was born in Charlottesville, but I've lived here now and raised my family here for over 20 years. And as you might tell by my hands, I've been painting today. Mm-hmm.

I've been working on a mural. James has stepped out, but I've been talking with James as well, talking with Jen, other folks. I used to be a consultant for the Charlottesville Mural Project from its inception.

I actually went to Pratt Institute with one of the founders of that project, which is now defunct, unfortunately. And so now I am in a position where I am a professional artist. I work full-time doing murals and specialty painting and have reinvigorated that.

There's a void there. Chicho and some other folks have come together just in a very organic way to start the Charlottesville Mural Collective, which is really bringing local artists together. We have the expertise, we have the know-how.

We've been drinking this water for a long time. It's in our cells. And I just wanted to focus briefly on a couple key points of how I hope this commission and public art can be imagined moving forward.

As an artist, our role is to be a creative wayfinder. We are here to be the imagination for community. So to that end, hyperlocal. Hyperlocal, I can't emphasize that enough. We're here. We live here. Our kids go to school here.

We're a part of the economy. We see the impact. We're at the protests and counter-protests, and all of the things.Also, we are graphic poets. We are visual translators. We need to establish realistic guardrails, which we can do, again, as local artists.

And one of the roles of public art is to create ownership, not only belonging, but a sense of responsibility. And you have that when you have access to the benefits of public art, whether that's economic benefits, again, a sense of responsibility, beautification, all of that.

Those measurable impacts go beyond economic, and it's something that when we have a local group or individual or whomever leading the charge, we can create those benchmarks and revisit them. Finally, public art creates conversation, and that can create discomfort.

I want to promote transparency and trust, and thank you again to council. Thank you. Former Mayor Walker. Good evening. My first comment that just went somewhere. I left notes at home. Let's get to it.

Recently, President Mahama of Ghana presented at the UN about two years' worth of work for them to vote on enslavement of African people as the greatest crime in history. 123 countries voted in favor of the resolution.

The US, Israel, and Argentina voted no, and there were 53 abstentions, mostly UK countries who benefited directly from the unpaid labor, intellectual and physical capital of Black people. Here were some of the comments.

"There were human beings who were trafficked and then enslaved by people who believed that they could own those human beings as chattel and their personal property." He then goes on to say, "Truth begins with language and the power that words hold to shape consciousness and shift perspective and to propel.

This resolution," he said, "allows us as a global community to collectively bear witness to the plight of 18 million men, women, and children whose homes, communities, names, families, hopes and dreams, future and lives were stolen from them over the course of four centuries." What I'm asking for council is to continue the work of Dr Holly Edwards on the dialogue on race.

The commission that was started under Kristen Sakas, Wes Bellamy, Mike Signer, when they did the Blue Ribbon Commission. The University of Virginia established under President Teresa Sullivan, the Commission on the Age of the university and the Age of Slavery and in Segregation.

I haven't followed if they went on to the third. There's a lot of work to be done in this community towards repertory justice. Everyone that you're hearing from now about housing, when you're hearing about jobs and the injustices of this community, is because instead of having truth and reconciliation, we have denied that those injustices happen, or you all have.

I never have. And we prevented the truth from coming forth and for us to make those reparations. One of the things I learned as mayor from then city attorney, was that after the Civil War, widowers, because their husbands were killed in the war, were paid by taxpayers' dollars.

And so we already in Charlottesville have a history of payment and reparations, just in the wrong direction. That property were human beings. That property were Black people in this community. So I'm asking you all to form a commission to look at what does true reparations look like.

You're always talking about punching above your weight class, punch above it and lead this world in this chaotic state in a direction of accepting this truth and paying it forward. Thank you. Emily Smith.

Hi. Hello. My name's Emily Smith. I'm a housing attorney with the Legal Aid Justice Center. My statement's going to sound kind of like Ms. Tyree's, but not as good. You might remember I made a statement a couple of weeks ago in support of the Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition and Public Housing Association of Residents' recommendation to revisit the zoning of areas adjacent to our core neighborhoods.

I'm back again today to address some potential concerns the city may have around taking this necessary action. So we are asking the council to update the core neighborhood corridor overlay to provide sufficient rigor to adequately prevent displacement.

Allowing seven stories with a special exception permit that conveys little community benefit and five stories by right falls far short of what is needed. A CN overlay corridor should limit the height to three stories with up to five, with truly significant, deeply affordable housing commitments of 20% of the unitsThe intent of the core neighborhood corridor overlay, as stated in the code, is to support these neighborhoods and implement the comprehensive plan goals of encouraging construction and continued existence of moderately priced housing, creating and preserving affordable housing, respecting the cultural heritage of the adjacent neighborhoods, supporting public health, encouraging economic development activities that provide desirable employment, and the overall promotion of a convenient and harmonious community.

And this intent was clearly not met with the current application of the overlay to only two small areas of the city. A very large luxury student housing complexes popping up next to core neighborhoods do not serve affordable housing needs or respect the cultural heritage of the adjacent neighborhoods.

Right. The core neighborhood corridor overlay was not applied broadly enough to meet its stated goal, and this oversight should be corrected. When zoning changes are enacted to support the public good, the law is very protective to the locality.

The Virginia Supreme Court held in Board of Supervisors of Fairfax County versus Snell Construction Corp, the legislative branch of a local government in the exercise of its police power has wide discretion in the enactment and amendment of zoning ordinances.

The action is presumed to be valid so long as it is not unreasonable and arbitrary. The burden of proof is on him who assails it to prove that it's clearly unreasonable, arbitrary, or capricious, and that it bears no reasonable or substantial relation to the public health, morals, or general welfare.

The Virginia Supreme Court in Riverview Farm Associates versus Board of Supervisors of Charles City County also said illegal spot zoning occurs when the purpose of the zoning ordinance or rezoning amendment is likely to serve the public interests of one or more landowners rather than further a locality's welfare.

Here, the challenges would be made in areas adjoining poor neighborhoods for the public good to protect those neighborhoods from being physically overshadowed and gentrification in line with the intent of the code.

It would not be to benefit the private interests of specific landowners. Reasonable zoning ordinance changes are well within the authority of the city, and enacting those changes will help realize the stated intention of the city during the zoning process.

Yeah. Thank you. Susan. Good evening. I'm Susan McCulley, and I'm a property owner in the city. We've been coming to you for nearly a year to ask for clarity around what the city will and will not do to protect residents from aggressive ICE tactics.

We appreciate your resolution regarding immigration enforcement from earlier this year, and the other efforts you've made to clarify the city's position. There are remaining questions, however. Charlottesville City School parents and teachers raise another aspect of this question, the use of student resource officers, or SROs, in public schools.

In January, W-WTVT-VTF's Radio IQ revealed a troubling connection between SROs and ICE. Their January 15th piece reports on Ryan DiZarro, a- an attorney who works with children and those who've survived human trafficking and domestic violence.

Quote, "One of his clients, a school-age boy from Central Virginia who is, has protected status, committed an infraction at school, and DiZarro said his SRO called ICE, and within a matter of hours, they came to his foster home, put him in handcuffs, and transported him across state lines where he couldn't be reached." End quote.

As we discussed with Chief Cocos in a recent meeting, the rogue and lawless behavior of any agency or any officer erodes trust in all agencies and all officers. This is particularly true for anyone who's Black, brown, or speaks with an accent.

It's well documented that SROs result in a high rate of disciplinary actions and an increase in the school-to-prison pipeline. What's more, SROs have a disproportionately negative impact on students of color, contributing to persistent racial disparities in school discipline and criminalization of students.

Section three of your resolution states, quote, "Tactics that deny persons access to basic human needs and rights guaranteed by the Constitution, such as operations aimed at schools, medical facilities, courthouses, and houses of worship, run counter to the American spirit and should not be tolerated.

Such practices do not merely undermine community trust. They place residents, bystanders, and officers themselves in immediate danger and are incompatible with principles of transparent, accountable policing." End quote.

We appl- we applaud these sentiments and find it difficult to reconcile your words with the presence of SROs in the city schools. Parents and educators are understandably asking the school board to rethink and revote on SROs, given that the current climate of amplified racism is endangering the very people your resolution claims to defend.

Thank you. Gillette Rosenblatt. Gillette Rosenblatt. I hope I pronounced your last name correctly. You did pronounce my name correctly. Thank you. It's, um, always very impressive when that happens. I feel like it's a good start.

Um, hi. My name is Gillette Rosenblatt, and I'm the historian of housing with additional expertise in Charlottesville and UVA history. I've lived in Charlottesville since 2012. I'm a member of the Board of Commissioners for the CRHA.

Um, and I am going to be adding on to what, what Ms. Tyree and Ms. Smith has said, and you're gonna get declining levels of goodness throughout this. But that's okay. Um-I'm here because I think we are in a moment of opportunity.

We can do the right thing and live up to the values that we have tried to espouse as a city, or we can do the wrong thing and reinforce centuries of marginalization and harm. City Council has done a lot to try to work with and respect the concerns of low-income residents of our city, and I think that that's really commendable.

You have literally put your money where your mouth is, and I applaud and appreciate that. And now we have the opportunity to either double down or back away from that. Charlottesville has and can continue to serve as an example to other cities of ensuring that low-income neighbors have a seat at the table when it comes to policy and budgetary decisions that impact their lives.

Today, and for the past several months, residents are telling us that allowing the construction of the LV Collective and Mark luxury student apartments on Main Street and in Fifeville would harm them.

They would harm the West Haven resident-led redevelopment process by further isolating West Haven residents from downtown and subjecting them to higher rates of surveillance if the LV apartments were built.

It would also harm middle-income homeowners in both neighborhoods by contributing to the gentrification, rising property tax rates, and displacement of these neighborhoods. Furthermore, historical and contemporary evidence proves that luxury housing will not trickle down and create more housing opportunities for people at all income levels.

It might help people with higher incomes. However, it will categorically not lead to greater market flexibility for families who need deeply affordable housing. These are the families who have been coming to City Council, BAR, and zoning meetings for months to say that these proposed luxury housing developments will harm their material wellbeing.

I want to be clear. It's not that building luxury apartments means that we therefore aren't also building low-income affordable housing. It's that the specific location of these proposed apartment buildings would have a direct and negative impact on communities that we are trying to serve after generations of marginalization and displacement.

Yes. We should direct developers of luxury housing out of our core neighborhoods. Your efforts at rezoning were a step in the right direction, but we have seen that these developments are revealing unintended consequences of the zoning changes.

We can stop them now and sit back down to continue doing the work that you all started by amending the zoning, and specifically, we can do so by saying that the core neighborhood corridor overlay districts should allow three stories by right and only up to five stories with 20% of the units that are affordable at 50% of AMI.

Yeah. Now is the time- Thank you ... to either double down on including and listening to historically marginalized communities or abandon that. Thank- I hope we choose the former. Thank you. Thank you.

So that was the last of the eight pre-registered, so we have opportunity for eight more. I'll start over here. Anyone like to speak? Anyone over here like to speak? I'll go here in the center. Anyone like to speak?

Ms. Carr. Yeah. Yep. I'll always go say something- Yes, ma'am ... if you can hear me or so on. I agree with everybody in here, with everything that they said. So they said it very well for me. But not me, I believe I am the founder and CEO of that.

We're partners with CCRC, LAJC, and a couple other nonprofits within the community. We so much care about this community and the voices of the people. And one of my main things that I want to say to you guys is that, with us having the issue with displacement, we really, really...

I know morally, you know what is really need to be done because you have to go home and go to sleep on this. Moral. We have a moral responsibility to the people. It's not about the money, but it is the people, but I understand you have to have money in order to do it.

But if we don't have the people, then you... This is wasteful. But we got to care about those that can't voice for themselves. Everybody's brain do not work on the same wavelength. We know this. Y'all are fathers and mothers of the city.

We are asking you repeatedly over and over again, over and over again. I talked to many of you in Rose Hill, West Haven. Wherever I see you in the store, I'm giving you hugs because I know, I know that what-- the people mean more than anything in the world, and your daughters and sons have to live here as well.

They are here. They go to school with other kids that are on the way out of their homes. Mm. You have a moral responsibility- Mm-hmm ... moms and dads, because that's how I see you. I see you as my mom, I see you as my dad, and so when I come to you, I'm coming to you for the help, and that's what us as in the city, we're coming to you.

Your children are coming to you, and the voices are getting bigger because the room is getting packed. Mm. You know? So, and then, so and I'm going to slide. This only got about 45 seconds. So, SROs. I believe in transparency.

It's about the people voices. I do not feel that-- I personally do not feel that it should take a board to make the decisions, but our kids are there. They are impacted. Mm-hmm. So, and then we looking at trauma, trauma continuously to happen.

They're watching it on TV. They're watching it in their community. And to put those armed guards or police officers within those schools, that's just traumatizing our kids even moreThat could constantly be in traumatized.

So I just wanted everybody know April 16th, we will be right there at CHS, and we will get- Thank you ... that's what we're doing. Thank you. Anyone over here like to speak? Yes, in the back row, please.

Hello. I am a UVA student, a third-year, and I just want to reiterate that us students, we do not want to be complicit in luxury housing that is going to displace the community. Of course, students want places to live, but if it means that we're going to be displacing marginalized communities and further impacting the university community and us, we already feel so complacent in the amount of economic impact and economic gaps there are, and the fact that you're making this housing for our interests is just not even something that we want to be complicit in.

This is all just for profit, and we want housing, but we want housing that's not going to destroy the Charlottesville community. We want housing that's not going to cause more displacement. Mayor Weirden, I know we've talked once before at an event, and we talked about wanting to protect the community and make sure we have good relations with the community and the students, and I think this is just not a good way to do this, especially just where it is.

It should have affordable housing units on it. Affordable housing is a basic right, and students at UVA want the Charlottesville community to have affordable housing and to have this right. In addition, talking about SROs again, having input and transparency in these, I can say from someone who ...

I was in high school kind of recently. I'm a third year now, but when I saw armed officers in schools, it would terrify me. I didn't feel safer at all. I just felt more at risk. I felt scared, and I don't want other children and people to have to go through that as well, and I think the fact that you haven't given anyone the opportunity to really speak on it before making that decision will really hurt more kids coming into the future.

And I just wanted you guys to know that students are with the community on this, and we are against the luxury housing, and we are against the SROs in the schools as well. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone over here like to speak?

Okay, I won't come over here anymore. Anyone in the center like to speak? Yes. Alex. Alex Joner, pastor of Charlottesville First United Methodist and co-chair of Impact Charlottesville, a coalition of 29 faith communities here in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area.

When I got on the bus this morning, I was glad to see signs of new life, and it wasn't outside the bus, it was inside the bus. New drivers, new bus wraps, new surveys for rider feedback have all come along in the last few months, and the bus was even on time for the change.

And I'm hoping that you're on time tonight so I can catch the bus back before it ends the service. Yes. As I look at what's before you in the budget tonight, I see two things that would be shortsighted in a city encouraging greater housing density.

First, if we didn't ensure that our transportation network is resilient enough to allow for growth and alternatives to cars, and second, if we didn't ensure that our transportation system works for people with physical challenges from age or disability.

Buses are the necessary element in both. They're the backbone of our transportation network. They're the most democratic means of transportation. And right now, they're not ready for prime time. Your commitment to getting CAT to the level of service outlined by Garlin Williams and City Manager Sanders is critical.

108 drivers, 15 to 30 minute frequency on all routes, and late night and Sunday service. As 1,100 people gathered at our recent Impact action, we advocated that that starts by supporting the 10 drivers to be added in FY27 as included in Mr.

Sanders' proposed budget. And we urge you to go further and formalize your commitment to complete this plan no later than FY30 with a resolution that ensures this funding continues through all four years.

As a regular rider of CAT who sees all of its potential and its current challenges, I'm eager to see the transportation-friendly city that you've all talked about, and we see the path, and I urge you to support it and to make your commitment binding.

Thanks. Thank you. Anyone over here like to speak? Anyone in the center like to speak? There'll be opportunities at the end. Anyone else like to speak now? Yes. Sure. Hello. Lena Seville, city resident.

I just wanted to finish what this other nice lady was saying, to tell people that, was it the 16th? The 16th, yeah. April 16th, the school board is having a work session about police in the city schools, and it will be at 5:00, but there also will be a rally at 4:00 beforehand- That's correct ...

at Charlottesville High School. So I wanted to make sure everybody had the information about that, and also we do not need police in the schools, and we do need low income housing. Thank you. Thank you.

If there's no other comments, I will close. Yes. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry Sibeal Flynn, Climate Justice Policy Manager with the Community Climate Collaborative. A couple of pieces. I just want to note that I'm really happy to see the Charlottesville high-performance building standards is on the consent agenda today.

The city's Office of Sustainability has worked really hard to get a 160-page document that has really rigorous, high-performance building standards that will help the city in reducing its municipal emissions, and also serve as a very excellent blueprint for other developers, private developers, other municipalities locally or in the region to likewise decarbonize, and is just a very good document.

So, excited to see that. Excited to see some of the changes as well that came after some recommendations that we made from the first reading a few weeks ago, and also excited to see how that will unfold over the next year, and grateful to the city and its staff for pushing this forward.

I would like to add that C3 is a signatory of the Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition letters. Density is a crucial part of climate change mitigation, but so is justice. In part, Charlottesville problems with achieving great density are coming from the white supremacist planning decisions not that long ago that ripped Black communities apart, destroyed strongholds of economic power and wealth building.

Those decisions created comfortable suburbanization for the city's whites and prioritized the car at the cost of Black neighborhoods. The communities that are still dealing with these repercussions of those decisions are speaking up very clearly about how they have assessed the city can stop perpetuating that compounding harm.

So I advise you to listen to them. I know that C3 is continuing to listen to them and to support their asks, and we are a part of that ask. So, thank you. Okay. I will close the public hearing at this point, and there will be...

Not a public hearing, a public comment. There'll be opportunity at the end of the meeting. Madam Clerk, will you please read the consent agenda? Consent agenda number three, minutes March 19th to March 26th, budget work sessions, March 25th, special meeting.

Number four, resolution in support of Charlottesville high performance buildings, second reading. Number five, resolution to appropriate $100,000 for utility line remediation facilitation, one of two readings.

Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? So moved. Second. All in favor, please say yes. Yes. All opposed, please say no. We're now at the city manager's report. All right. Good evening, council members of the public.

Just a few general updates that I wanted to be able to share. Recently at the Rivanna board meeting, we learned that there is free mulch available for the public at Ivy Solid Waste and Recycling Center.

April 11th is electronic waste collection at Ivy for city and county residents. There is a spring special collection day, series of collection days, April 11th through May 9th as well at Ivy. Those are opportunities for households to prepare accordingly for assistance.

Just wanted to also state that the mall crossings have been closed for serious repairs that are related to safety and maintenance. That work will be concluded hopefully by June 12th. The goal will be to get them reopened as soon as possible and remind everyone that all businesses remain open.

This is to support the 50th anniversary of the downtown mall, but not the sole reason for doing so. There were a few issues we had with contracting, but we were able to get the work started, so the goal is to get it done as soon as possible.

And then on Wednesday, we'll be having a weather appreciation event for folks who came out and helped their neighbors after the series of bad snow incidents we had. I think Mayor Wade is going to be there to help acknowledge those individuals and thank them for supporting their neighbors and hopefully have them agree to come back out again, because we'll always need that kind of assistance.

So, that is my report for today. Yeah. I think we just got out the thaw a few weeks ago, it seems like. It's still cold outside. Yeah. Mayor Wade. Says the Louisiana guy. There was an item that I did not read for the consent agenda, so I don't know if we need to do a whole new vote or if we can just vote on that one item.

I think we can just vote on that one item. Okay. It's the repeal of Section 2-4 of the city code regarding bonds for officers and employees. I move that. Is there a second? Second. All in favor, please say yes.

Yes. All opposed, please say no. Sam, was there any other comments for the city manager's report? We're narrowing the action items. There's a public hearing on the Charlottesville real property tax rate.

Ms. Chrissy? Good evening, Council. Good evening. Tonight is the official public hearing on the tax rate. Currently, as you know, through the series of budget work sessions, we've been talking about the budget that included a proposed two cent real estate tax increase.

Through your work sessions and as late as last Thursday, we talked about options which we'll look at in more detail for the next item of reducing that to a penny. But as is in your packet, the current draft, this is a public hearing on a tax rate of two pennies, as is currently in the proposed budget.

Any questions? This is not an action item, it's just a hearing, right? Correct. Right. So if there's no question, I will now open up the public hearing. Is there anyone who would like to speak on this item?If not, I will close the- Oh, we got one Oh, I'm sorry.

I'm Richard Spursum, Neighborhood Properties. I stood before this body in the late 1980s and addressed Bitsy Waters when she was mayor, and the rest of the city council. And I talked about the importance of investment for the future of the city of Charlottesville.

And I'm here tonight to talk about the same thing 35 some years later. So since almost 20 years, the city has ridden an incredible wave of prosperity and property appreciation. Over this 20-year period, the rate of assessment increases has been several times the rate of inflation.

During this time, I think that the city population has only increased slightly. But over this 20 years, you've seen numerous office buildings having been built by billionaires, the Gleason, Dairy Central, the Code Building, the Apex Energy Building, 323.

You've seen hotels built across the city. You've seen big student housing projects on West Main, the Pavilions on Millmont Street, Grand Mark on 15th Street. I'm afraid to say that I'm not sure the future looks so bright.

I don't know who else is going to be building office buildings anytime soon. I don't know who's going to build hotels that are going to compete with the brand-new hotels that UVA has built on Ivy Road and out at Darden.

And with the new zoning code two years ago, there have been no significant projects approved under that new zoning code. So the big student projects that are being built right now may be the last ones.

So many communities have a history of reducing the tax rates when assessments go up. For instance, in Waynesboro in 2022 to 2023, they reduced their tax rate from 90 cents to 77 cents, 13 cents, because of increased assessments.

But that does not happen in the city of Charlottesville. So I'm running out of time, but I would say that the future of Charlottesville depends on investment, and investors are looking at what the city does and looks at the tax rates in comparison to other localities that they can invest their money at.

And you should cautiously look at raising the tax rates. Thank you. Anyone else like to speak? I will close the public hearing. The next item on the agenda is a public hearing on the FY27 budget ordinance, annual appropriation, and tax levy.

So good evening again. First, I'm going to highlight what's in the ordinance, and then we'll take a few minutes to go through the work that you did in the work session as it would amend those items. The 27 budget, as presented to you, was posted at $279,643,398.

This ordinance is for just a little over $280 million. It includes a few accounts that generally we carry over from year to year, including historic resources, sister city, funds for the citywide reserve, the council strategic initiatives account, money or donations that have been received and unspent for the Grand Illumination, the councilor discretionary funds, the minority business fund, and also the job fair.

So those additional things total up to $910,000, which would be added to the total appropriation. Throughout the appropriation, you'll notice that, again, there is the tax ordinance, which includes the two-cent tax increase through your work in the budget session last week, and I'm sorry that the presentation isn't showing for the public here, but you do have a copy.

We came back to you with some revised revenue adjustments. As you know, the equivalent of one penny is 1.000002. And I see in this presentation part, this is cut off, which is great. Anyway, there was just over a million dollars of additional revenue that those were revised projections for the personal property tax, interest and penalties, the sales and use tax.

I don't have the... Here we go. Let's see. Utility taxes, lodging tax, short-term rental, plastic bag tax, business and professional licenseWaste disposal fees and also interest. Those revised revenue projections, some up, some down, account for $1,005,000.

So that got you down to the equivalent, being off by just under-- I'm sorry, just under $230,000 to be able to reduce the tax rate by a penny. Part of your work last week was to take that from the citywide reserve, so thus got us down to a tax increase of one penny for the proposed budget.

So as it relates to the tax ordinance, the real estate tax rate would go from the current rate of 98 cents per 100 to... Excuse me, 96 cents to 97 cents 100. That's 98 now. Then go to 99. I apologize.

So any questions on that piece? No. Okay. The next part, you spent some time with the VCF adjustments. As you know, we added $130,000 to the council's strategic initiatives account, giving you a proposed balance of $500,000 for '27.

Through your discussions, you proposed $164,490 of VCF adjustments to multiple agencies. In addition, through another presentation that was in a prior council meeting, there's plans to allocate $50,000 for the Public Art Commission.

So if you were to take those adjustments, that would bring your revised budget down, for the council's strategic initiatives, to $385,510. And then, the last piece that came out of the work session last week, which you asked staff to look at, was there was some discussion about whether or not you wanted to propose a delay on adopting the budget based on some information that we have received that may impact the budget that the schools may receive from the state in terms of additional funding.

And so you asked for some options on that. If you were to look in the packet, I think it's on the bottom of the last paragraph on the bottom of page six. One of the options to do that would be to set up a contingency account, and we are proposing that you would approve the school budget as the school board proposed, minus $2 million, which would be put in a contingency and held.

And then if the state returns additional monies to the schools, the proposal, as you discussed last week, would be to split that 50/50 with them. And so the language, and I'm sorry this got cut off on these copies, but the language that's here is suggested wording for what that would look like in the ordinance if you wish to move forward with that amendment.

Any questions on that piece? I thought I remembered from the discussions about the VCF adjustments so on. I was under the impression last week that if we start at $500,000 and we subtract $164,490, that we're subtracting another $50,000, not adding back in $50,000.

You are correct. So the amount that we'll- You are correct ... actually be dealing with is $285,518. Did I get that formula wrong? I'm sorry. This is what happens when I do stuff at the last minute. Mm-hmm.

Yeah. I will revise that for you. Okay. And just so folks will understand what's happening here, we are giving to the council's strategic initiatives fund $130,000 and then taking away $214,000. So the net effect is that the council's strategic initiatives fund is going to be further reduced by another $80,000 or $100,000.

$285,510. You're exactly right. Yeah. My apologies. Yeah. Other questions or comments? Thanks, Louis. On the ordinance, are you looking for feedback tonight or...? Yes, because this will be what will go in the packet for your adoption on Thursday.

Before we chat about it, since we're not able to put it on the screen, do you mind if I read it for- Sure ... people so they know what we're talking about? Sure. This is the school portion. This is the proposed language to account for any funding that the schools receive from the state.

"City Council further ordains that an appropriation in the sum of $127,377,481 for FY27 for school operations is made, which monies are to be expended in accordance with law for purposes authorized and approved by the Charlottesville City School Board.

The city's local contribution to school operations is herein above appropriated by transfer from the general fund. City Council further establishes a school operations contingency in the amount of $2 million, which represents funds associated with potential variances between estimated and actual state funding to the Charlottesville City School Division.

Such contingency funds-" Shall remain under the control of the city. It shall not be transferred to the school division except by subsequent appropriation by city council. In determining any subsequent appropriation from such contingency, city council intends to retain up to 50% of any state funding received by the school division in excess of the amount assumed in the FY27 school board budget.

Thank you. Michael, did you have some questions or language or something that you wanted to add to- On the ordinance? For this? No. Okay. I just wanted to clarify after the public hearing or be giving direction.

Okay. This- Well, we do need to make clear that we're proposing to amend the ordinance that is given to us here so that section one would provide that the tax rate would be 99 cents on every $100 of the assessed value thereof.

Do I need to make a motion to make that amendment at this time, or am I premature? I'm not sure. I just want... It's a touch premature. I'm sorry? It's a touch premature because- Okay. I'll wait a second then.

So are there any other clarifying questions before I open up the public hearing from council? Okay, I will open up the public hearing for the FY27 budget ordinance, annual appropriation and tax levy. Anyone like to speak on this?

I have a question first, if I may ask it before you start my time. There was points in the presentation where I was confused whether you were talking about the Vibrant Community Fund or the council's strategic initiatives.

Are they two different things now? Yes. They're still... Okay. So- But they're intertwined because any extra money we're intending to award under the VCF rubric is coming out of the council's strategic initiatives fund.

Okay. Understood. Okay, just a couple of questions from what I just heard, and I've been honest that I haven't been following this budget season closely. First, I'll start with the real estate personal property tax over the past few years as the counselor who spearheaded CHAP being expanded and very honest about that I wouldn't still have my home if it wasn't for CHAP.

I know most people haven't been a fan that I've been willing to be honest versus embarrassed about that, but it is true. And the increases over the past few years, even with CHAP, are still unaffordable.

When we expanded CHAP, it was to not do what had been done in the past and look at that annually and put robust increase to the CHAP and elderly and disabled programs. You needed to look at not just an increase to the amount, but I think speaking to what was said a little bit earlier, there are homeowners in this city who may have been middle income who are being priced out of the city, too, and that you all are not taking a look at that.

So a lot of low-income families are being pushed out, and middle-income families are struggling. There are a lot of wealthy people in Charlottesville, we know that, that can afford the increase, but because you all are not expanding it at the rate that you need to be, it is not working as it was intended to work, I think, when it was created in 2006.

The schools... And now I need to take this off because I can't breathe. For years, the partnership with the schools, $127 million, I think that's what I heard here, and I've said it at the school board work sessions that I've attended.

The relationship that the schools can do whatever they want and you all just fund whatever they ask for, that needs to be looked into and you all need to study that. On the backs of Black students, the schools have asked for millions of dollars for decades.

That money is rolled into that $127 million that they only increase every year. The test scores of Black children consistently show it's not working. So they come to you, ask for money because they are going to fix the problem.

The money is then rolled into the budget. Council never asks what are you doing with the money, what happened to the money, and what are the results you're producing as a result of the millions, millions of dollars we've given you in the past.

I urge you all to form a committee to look at that relationship, if the money you are allocating is actually benefiting the students, and if not, ask more questions and let the community know if you decide to say no to giving them the money, why.

I have more to say, but I'll wait till the end. Thank you. Would anyone else like to speak on this? Yes, sir. Good evening. Good evening, sir. My name's Richard Fenley. We're relatively new to Charlottesville, and I have a few questions pertaining to the budget, if I may, and I appreciate the opportunity.

First, as far as expenses are concerned, within the budget, there's an increase of 15% for providing healthcare insurance to employees Is the carrier of that insurance, or is that ever bid out? Do you ever solicit bids from carriers of health insurance periodically?

Yes, I believe so, but just continue with you because we don't respond. Okay. I noticed there's a 17% increase in the funding for public transportation, and yet when I see the buses pass here to and everywhere, there's not many people riding the buses.

Before you increase so dramatically, do you do an audit or an evaluation of the ridership on the buses? Thirdly, on the subject of revenue. The revenue, of course, is from taxes. County gives the city some money, and then you have revenue from licensures and permits.

Has the council ever looked into something that's called PILOT, which is an acronym for Payment in Lieu of Taxes? So when did you move here, Sam ? And where from? Within the United States, several universities and colleges recognize that they use the resources of the city in which they exist in.

Public safety, emergency services, construction, and maintenance of roads. In recognition of that, they willingly donate a certain amount of money to the city. Has the city ever requested such from the University of Virginia?

I would point out that Durham gets money from Duke. No answer? I think that's one we can't answer. It's prohibited by state law. We can't compel them. The University of Virginia is not permitted to make PILOT payments to local governments.

That's not true. Mm-hmm. They can't use it using money from the state government, which is less than 10% of their budget, but we cannot legally require them to do so. We cannot compel them, and yes, we have asked.

Pardon me? We cannot compel them to do that, but yes, we have tried. You have tried unsuccessfully? Correct. Okay. So do you have any other comments, sir? No, I don't. Okay. But just a point of clarification.

Councilman Snook said it's prohibited by law. To be clear, they are correct. There is a state law that says that PILOT taxes, payment in lieu of taxes, cannot be exacted from an arm of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

It has to be voluntary. Thank you. It has to be voluntary. Oh, I understand that. And they have not been willing. Thank you. Thank you. Other comments? Would anyone else like to speak on this? If not, I will close the public hearing.

And so, Sam, what's the next step with this? This is Thursday? Yeah. Okay. Thursday is the vote for- Yeah ... budget adoption. Okay. Yes, ma'am. Any other thing on this? The next item is an ordinance adopting a budget and annual appropriation of funding for the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, for the fiscal year ending June 2027.

This is the first of two readings. Is it- I just sort of read it all together. It's-- yeah. Okay. I just wanted to be sure. I talked about all the changes together. Okay. But this is a separate public hearing.

Do we want to open or I just... No, it was all one. You've already done two separate public hearings. It was all one. Okay. I just wanted to be sure. Yeah. Okay. Number 10. Yeah. Nine was removed. Right.

So the next item on the agenda is ordinance authorizing- Well, so I think we need feedback if you want these amendments in. Oh, right. So did you have any comments? I'll start down here. Yeah. I would just say I'm open and in agreement with what was recommended in the packet in terms of the ordinance change.

Yep. So if we can get that clarification from all the council as we go down. Natalie, do you have any changes to the suggested language? No changes to the suggested language. Question, when we see it on Thursday, is it going to say 99 or 98?

Or? Or, sorry I confused it already. 99 or 100. So when we see it on Thursday, will we have to propose an amendment then, or is that something that would be adjusted in advance? It'll be amended, and they'll vote on the amended?

Yes. Vote on the amended. Okay. Thank you. I support the languages, Lloyd? I'm fine with it. Okay. As well. Any other comments or questions? And just to clarify, and the reason for that is because you advertised.

So tonight's- Yes ... hearing was based on what you advertised. We advertised it. Yeah. You've given us direction on a change. We will effect that change before your adoption on Thursday, just so that the public appreciates what has happened.

Thank you. There isn't any real confusion. It's just action has been taken- Yes ... up to this point, or direction has been given up to this point. Yeah. Thanks. We had started the budget process with the 2 cent.

And throughout the budget process, primarily through the month of March, we only recommended a 1 cent, and that's what we'll be voting on, on Thursday. Right. Okay. Thank you. If there's no other questions or comment, we will vote on this Thursday.

It's 6:00 PM. 6:30. In Council Chamber. In Council Chambers. Right here. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. We'll now go to an ordinance authorizing a forgivable loan to Piedmont Housing Alliance for 501 Cherry Avenue.

Madde? No. Good evening, councilors and Mayor Wade. Evening. I'm Madeline Mutzler, the acting housing program manager with Neighborhood Development Services, and I'm presenting, as you mentioned, an ordinance that will authorize a loan to the Piedmont Housing Alliance, or PHA, to support the 501 Cherry Avenue redevelopment project, which includes the production of new affordable housing.

This project represents a unique partnership between the Fyfel Neighborhood Association, Woodard Properties, and PHA, and together they aim to transform the site into a development that meets community needs by adding affordable units, improving food access, and creating space for nonprofit services.

The development will include 71 affordable rental homes, along with commercial space for the Music Resource Center and a community grocery store. And this directly supports the city's affordable housing plan by creating additional deeply affordable units, and aligns with Fyfel's small area plan, which identified food access as a key priority for the community.

The project has already secured 9% low-income housing tax credits, and the final site plan approval was issued last March in 2025. Construction is expected to begin later this year, with completion in 2027 and full occupancy by 2028.

A major part of this agreement is the long-term affordability structure. All 71 units will remain affordable for 99 years. And of those 71 units, at least four will serve households at or below 30% of the area median income, or AMI.

Ten units will serve households at or below 40% AMI for at least five years, while the city will be providing a rental subsidy to support that lower income level. And 11 units will serve households at or below 50% AMI, and then the remaining 46 units will serve households at or below 60% AMI.

The ordinance also outlines the city's financial support. The city has allocated $3.85 million in total from the capital improvement program funding. These funds may be used for site work, construction of the affordable units, and up to 10% may support soft costs such as planning and design.

An additional 324,000 will be reserved to provide rental assistance for up to 10 units at 40% AMI for at least five years, as I mentioned. The city's investment is structured as a forgivable loan. There's a 42-year term and a 3% interest rate, but as long as the project is completed and operated in accordance with all of the requirements, the loan and all accrued interest will be forgiven.

To ensure those requirements are met, the agreement also includes mandatory annual reporting by PHA. Beginning with initial occupancy, PHA will report out on unit occupancy, vacancy levels, and household demographics and income levels.

And once recorded, the affordability covenants will remain in effect for the full 99 years. This item does not require any new funding. The project was added to the city's capital improvement plan in FY25, with a total of 3.85 million allocated over three years, beginning in 2026 with $1 million, followed by 2.15 million in FY27 and 700,000 in FY28.

In summary, the project will deliver long-term affordability housing, support nonprofit and community-serving commercial space, and advance multiple adopted city plans. So staff recommends that city council adopt the attached ordinance detailing the terms and conditions associated with the city's financial contribution to support the development of the project.

Thank you for your time, and I'm here to answer any questions you might have. Okay. Any questions? Jen, I'll start with you. Sure. Thank you for this. A tiny thing, the ordinance says 3,850,000, but the loan agreement says 3,800,000.

Oh, Jesus. Okay. It's highlighted though in the ordinance. Okay. So you might have like- I thought I got the last- I didn't- ... the last reference to that. Just to- But I appreciate you. Yes. Sounds okay.

Okay, so good. So check that. And then, so after the five-year commitment on the 40%, the 10 units- Mm-hmm ... does council have to decide to continue that funding, or what happens to the units if we didn't commit to that?

If you didn't continue funding the subsidy, they would be 60% AMI with those other, whatever, 46 units. And yeah. And yeah. We have not gotten to the details on that. We'll do a subsequent agreement to nail down some of the details of this.

It's a new program for the city. And so we're working with PHA and their attorneys to try to figure that out, but we will likely come back to you once we have that agreement in place. And yes, likely in five years' time, I can't imagine anybody would be saying, "We don't want to continue supporting this." So probably you could expect somebody to come back in five years, or I guess seven years, given when occupation or...

Yeah, occupation starts. Excellent. Thank you. Okay. Louie? I don't have any questions. I will note that it's over 150 pages in our materials on this, and I confess I have not read it with quite the fine eye that Jen had, but- ...

it's all a project we very much favor. Okay. Natalie? Just a small question. The 3,850,000, that does not include the vouchers. It does. So 324,000 of that is set aside for those vouchers for five years.

Got it. Okay. Thank you. That's my only question. Great. Michael? And so to clarify, are the project-based vouchers also on that temporary funding? Will those project- They're- ... based vouchers have to come to the city to continue funding after that period of years?

Yeah. It's funded by the city, so if they were to continue, unless they found a different funding source, presumably they would come back to the city just for that. But I think they were trying something.

This, again, it's not something that we've done before, so it was a new approach to try to get some deeper affordability built into the project, and I think it's a little bit of a see how it works before we would maybe do that for other projects or if they would want to continue it.

Yeah, because obviously, it can work, but that obviously introduces a risk that for those tenants, the rug just gets pulled out from under them. Sure. Yes. If the city either won't or can't continue that.

That's correct. I think PHA might be able to speak a little bit more to how they plan to address that. But I'm sure that they would be working with the residents to try to make sure there's as little displacement as possible, as that's generally one of their main goals in all of their redevelopment projects.

Can I ask a quick follow-up to that? Oh, sure. Does this mean that essentially the... Again, you said it would revert to 60% AMI if the vouchers stopped, but that would still... So the specific levels that are listed in here, those percentage of amounts that are this many at this rate- Mm-hmm ...

and this many at this rate, those aren't locked in for 99 years. The everything below 60 is locked in for 99 years? I believe that's correct. Or at the very least, there's language in all of the documents that do stipulate that those units that are at the 40% are dependent on continued support.

I think that is actually what it specifically says. Okay. So kind of the idea is the city's on the hook for 99 years for these vouchers. If they're to continue- In practice ... at the 40% level, unless some other funding were to appear.

Great. Okay. Back to you. To Lloyd's point, the agreement is 150 pages. We've got a lot of agreements like this and many more coming up. What does it look like from a staff level to monitor these and write and implement these?

Sure. The agreement itself is not... That's all of the documents. There's an agreement, and then there's two declaration of affordable housing covenants and two deeds of trust because this project has been split up for LIHTC purposes into 501A and 501B.

So we kind of have double the amount of documents for those affordable housing covenants and the deed of trust. But the agreement itself is a little bit more digestible. So for staffing, really the main...

After the project is occupied, it will be an annual reporting requirement. So it's not overly burdensome for staff at that point, but it is something to consider. I was thinking about that while I was writing this up that, "Oh, that's annual reporting for 99 years as well." So that's- Right ...

a really long time to be doing reporting. And we're having that not just with this project, but CRHA projects, other PHA projects. And then presumably, if there were ones that were coming as a result of the development code, they would be required to be for 99 years as well.

Did you have...? I was only going to follow up if there was more that you were asking on that point. But I guess what I'd say more broadly is that this is a conversation that we continue to engage in with Director Brown, overseeing neighborhood development services around what their staffing needs are to support this program and all the related monitoring and paperwork, all the stuff that goes with it.

We are bringing in outside support to work with us on these financial agreements, both legal support on putting together all this paperwork that you see, as well as financial support. These are things that we're working on now.

And then I would note that very recently, the department did conduct a study on what their staffing needs are to support the whole housing program going forward, and that's something that we're looking at very seriously.

I think if my memory's correct, that had a recommendation for six new positions in total. Five. Five. Okay. And this may be kind of the same question essentially, but this is specific number of AMI units.

We've got the inclusionary zoning program. We've got proffered affordable units from 10 years ago. What does monitoring that look like to ensure that, "Oh, this is actually at 40% AMI and not being rented at 70% AMI"?

That is mostly all the same way with annual reports. ButThe tracking down all those proffers was not an incredibly easy feat when I did start. That was something I was trying to do and go back through and make sure we are aware of all of those.

So you're right that it is a bit of a... That's more cumbersome. They're just harder to track versus these funding agreements. But the records are there, so we've been able to locate a good portion of those.

But they rely on reporting, and that also means that you have to have somebody there to know if the report is not received and to send out reporting reminders. Because we also found that once there was someone dedicated in the role to be asking people for reports, they were much more likely to send them than if we're just expecting them to send them on their own.

Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Mayor Waite. Oh, yeah. I also discussed with the city attorney's office, having an adjustment to the wording, that references the attached loan agreement- Mm-hmm ... as part of the ordinance and having it referenced, having the loan agreement referenced instead of having it attached as part of the ordinance.

Okay. So that would be something I would change on the back end. Okay. And I do have the wording for that. Yeah, I think that the language of the monitoring, it could be a benefit, I don't know, 20, 30 years from now when something may not be going right, we may be glad that we had that for future councils can have the opportunity or staff to lean in if they have to.

But, hopefully, we never have to use it. I've got a couple questions- Yeah ... that have come up just now, if you don't mind. For the vouchers, was having the city fund these always the plan, or was that something that happened recently?

It wasn't recent in terms of... I think that discussion started in 2024, if I'm not mistaken. James, do you recall? Yeah. So I don't know if it was when it was first brought to the city as a project, if that was included, but as those conversations evolved, it was.

And, yeah. It would've been based on the availability of vouchers, because there's no way to guarantee that. We have an allocation each year, and that allocation is available. It's whether or not individuals can find units.

Got it. And we have individuals who have access but don't have a unit. So is this adding more vouchers to our capacity? No. Okay. This would be based on the current allocation. That's part of the conversation- Thank you ...

and part of the work that we have to do is to look at any changes we make to the program, and then that question will be on council to- Yeah ... discuss and meet on funding additional dollars in that space.

That came across sounding like I was against adding vouchers. No. But I'm more just- I didn't take it as that ... I'm more just trying to understand what is the cost of this in both short-term and long-term, and- Cost meaning to the city?

Yeah. If we were adding more vouchers for a term of 99 years, what is that? No, because you really can't do that. Right. So I'm just trying to put all the pieces together. The thing to remember in this moment is that because the voucher has...

This is based on a time period. The impact of that is that if the funding were not there, rent goes up. That's the impact. The rent for that individual will no longer be suppressed by the voucher. It would go up, and that household would have to be able to absorb it.

That's a risk. That is part of what we're working on, trying to continue to work on based on what Ms. Walker has brought to our attention as well in what is happening at Kinder Wood. And I guess we would be associating the idea that by making it available in these units, it's hard to undo that, but if it were to be undone, then an individual household would be at risk.

Yeah. And unless their incomes have changed, then they would be exposed. Thank you. Backing out a little bit for the structure of the funding of the project entirely, and I might be misunderstanding all these pieces.

If at some point during those 99 years... There's the capital stack, right? And some of those are forgivable, some of those do need to be repaid. Sure. At some point during those 99 years, the project is paid off, and then they're collecting rents.

Do those go to fund additional PHA projects? Do those go towards naturally lowering the cost of the rent? What is the- It would really depend on- Does my question make sense? It does, but I can't answer it.

Yeah. It would depend on the capital stack. It depends on all the various sources of funding that they use, because each one comes with a set of conditions that could trump the next one, that could require something to be done for a longer period of time.

X number of years. Yeah. There's no way to know that for certain. Yeah. When a deal has been met in that it has no debt, which is not often because they tend to create debt- Create debt ... and let the rent pay that over time and then pull profit out, you wouldn't really be able to determine when that is going to happen.

Right. It's hard to know that this early. Yeah, it was less when about what does happen- And what ... when that happens. Yeah. But ultimately, when it comes down to the property has been paid for and there's...

That's profit. Yeah. Money is also being reinvested- Of course, hopefully ... to maintain it, well, hopefully- Yeah ... because it needs to, because it's going to deteriorate over time and use. Of course.

Okay. Thank you. Okay. Then no other questions. Is there a motion to approve? I make a motion to adopt the attached ordinance detailing the terms and conditions associated with the city's financial contribution to support the development of the project with the typo correction noted and the- Correct ...

Ketas proper attachment noted. This is to the first ordinance for the forgivable loan. Yes. Is there a second? I'll second it. Further discussion? All in favor, please say yes. Yes. All opposed, please say no.

Okay, thank you. Thank you. The next item on the agenda is a resolution authorizing performance agreement, amendment supporting 501 Cherry Avenue project. Good evening, council. Chris Engel, director of economic development.

This item also addresses the 501 Cherry project that you just heard about. Seventy-one affordable units to be built, along with some commercial space on the ground floor. The performance agreement that you see before you tonight is an amendment.

So about a year ago, March of '25, you all approved an agreement that supported this project. What has happened in the meantime is that the applicant, the PHA, has come back with a slightly different financing formula and some challenges to get the project off the ground and has requested an additional funding through the performance agreement.

So the original performance agreement was set at 50% of the taxes generated by the project. The request now is for 100% of the taxes generated by the project to be granted back through the performance agreement for a period of 30 years to help support the project.

So just to recap, a year ago, you supported the 50%, and about a month or two ago, we brought a series of items that kind of talked about this in concept, at which time you approved. What you see before you tonight is an actual adjustment to the agreement.

The agreement is substantively the same as the one you approved in 2025, but for the change of 50% to 100% of the increment created by the project. I think that's pretty much the highlights. Happy to answer any questions you have that were not answered previously by Madeline when she described the project.

It is the very same project. Thank you. Any clarifications on this? I'll start with you, Jen. No, no questions. Okay. I've got nothing. Yeah. Michael? No. Madeline. No questions, just a brief note that I've been following this project for several years now, and I'm looking forward to when we do the groundbreaking and when it finally gets ready for folks to move in, and I would like to acknowledge the hard work that the neighborhood, PHA, the city, all the various partners, the Woodards, all of the various partners that have contributed to all of these pieces coming together to get this project done.

As Madeline said, it's a very unique opportunity, and that's very exciting. I would also like to note that part of what makes it unique is the expense. And how while we would love to see this level of investment citywide, we don't have the funding for that without allowing revenue to come from other places.

So, when we bring in revenue from one place, we're able to direct it to projects like this. And I just really am excited to see this happen and wanted to note that things cost money. Yeah. And this is a really good place to spend that money.

But we also need to keep in mind how we raise it. And so Chris, I'd assume Chris, I mean, Sunshine and his staff just looking at the numbers and realizing they needed 100% of this to make this project successful.

Yes. They came and presented a gap that was shared when we were with you in February, late January, February, and the gap was $1.7 million. About a million of that is going to be covered by this increase in the tax agreement and the performance agreement, and the other was a cash contribution of $700,000 that helps close that other piece, and that was handled- Yeah ...

through a CIP contingency contribution separately from this. So yes, they presented those challenges of getting the project off the ground. The gap was $1.7 million. This helps close that and hopefully moves them towards groundbreaking and ultimately realizing a new affordable housing structure in the city.

Yeah. It's good for the public to get some of the background, so. Yeah. So any other questions or comments on this? If not, can I get a motion? I would move- Okay ... approval of the resolution. Second.

Second. All in favor, please say yes. Yes. All opposed, please say no. Great. The next item on the agenda is, if there's no questions on the written report, is the community- Actually, I'm sorry, Mayor.

Okay. If we could, one clarification. Ms. Hamill is back because there was one slide that was not gone over, that we need to make sure we acknowledge as a part of your moving the ordinance forward. Okay.

Good evening again. Apologies, I am clearly not on my game tonightThere was one last slide for amendments. These are basically just administrative housekeeping items. Through some additional work, part of the budget included some dollars that were budgeted in the city attorney's office for legal fees related to social services.

We have since found that that can be covered through some state funding, so we are transferring that budget to the social services fund and offsetting. Not all of it's covered, but certainly half of it is covered through the state funding, so we will be transferring that to the social services fund.

And then in addition, there was a clerical error on the circuit court judge budget, and so we will be amending that, leaving $75,000 in the city attorney's office for outside legal fees, the transfer to social services, and then amending the circuit court judge budget, which makes no change in the total to the general fund.

It's just a reallocation. But that would be an amendment that will show up in the resolution. Okay. So Mr. Maddox, how best should we address this not being previously a part of moving item 8B forward?

As long as it's voted on Thursday, this discussion is happening, council approves this change generally, that should be fine. There's no need for an- That's what I thought ... amendment. That's why he does his job.

Thank you. Just note that we hope to not have $75,000 in outside legal fees next year, but you know. All good. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. She's got to get some sleep, too. Yeah. Thank you. So, if there's no other questions or comments on this- I do.

I have one question on the- Oh, yeah. Do you want to proceed or- ... integrated pest management- Oh ... report. Oh, pest management. Okay. Oh. It's your budget. Not budget. That's all. The written report.

Good evening. Hello. Hi. Good evening. I'm Rob Mathis with Parks, the landscape manager. Hello. I'd be happy to answer any questions. So I know this is a very small issue, but how does park staff currently go about when pesticides are applied, marking where it was applied?

Correct. So the policy states that we set out small signs, and that staff should know to put these small signs out around the areas that are sprayed. Mm-hmm. Again, I know this is a small issue, but I've gotten people reach out, concerned, sending pictures that that hasn't been happening in recent months.

Do we know if that's the case, or is there a need to kind of reintegrate how we're implementing this plan with staff? Sure. If that hasn't happened or if you've got reports of that, I'd be happy to make sure and address that.

If there's gaps in that service that we're not following that policy, we will definitely make sure that it's being done. Something that's happened in the earliest part of the spring is we've actually been applying a...

So instead of putting more mulch down, we've been applying an all-natural dye to some of the mulched areas, and so that's a spray that's not actually a pesticide, so that might cause some confusion. We've done very little spraying this part of the season, so that would be surprising that there'd been any reports of this early.

Yeah. But I'm happy to address any gaps in that policy. I think that may be the issue, because I've had people send pictures of blue dye, and their perception was that was the marker of where pesticide was applied.

I would have to look into that specific example. But, yes, if there's any issues with our staff, we'll make sure that they follow that policy. Okay. Thank you. I appreciate it. Great. So we're now at the opportunity for second community matters.

Would anyone like to speak? Former Mayor Walker. A couple comments about what I just heard. That's why I don't come down here. I have something to say about everything, which you all know. But anyway, nonprofit industrial complex, and I'll say that with I supported PHA, but I also asked very hard questions.

I don't think you all are asking those questions. When PHA with phase one, the amount of money that they are receiving in taxes versus what was projected in the agreement, I think is double. But you all check that, because I don't work down here anymore.

That means that what they said they needed, they are getting double the amount, and that's increasing with the rate of assessments and tax increase that we were not expecting. And I know it's hard to keep up with the amount of work that comes out of here, but you have to do it.

And even though I didn't get a lot of support, I did at least ask the questions. So I think you all need to probably review that. But I just pulled up the 990, from 2024 is what came up. Revenue for PHA was 10.7 million, expenses 6.8 million.

I know you all don't like to get into business of these nonprofits you support, but what's happening there? This is the same comments that apply to the school system apply here. I like Sunshine. He is a great guy.

That doesn't matter. Every year, you all are trying to figure out how to keep low-income residents in this area, and because you all like some of the individuals who are doing the work, you do not ask the difficult questions.

Your organization is substantially increasing its revenue annually. What are you doing with the money? How is their net income greater than the city's, but you all are figuring out how to support them and how to, um, andvoting on ordinances to return taxes to them every year, no matter what the amount, what the assessment value, or what the amount is.

Habitat was at least at a deficit, but Dan earns more than some of the individuals sitting over there. That's why you need to dig a little deeper. That's not why I stayed. LV Collective, I haven't made a comment on it, but I want to read some of these comments.

Amy Fenn, the director of the company that recently purchased the Flats for $107 million, made a statement that Charlottesville is the kind of market where a company wants to be located. In the 2013 article that was in the C-Ville Weekly or Charlottesville Tomorrow, I don't even remember which I printed out, it was a four-to-one vote with Dedie Smith voting against the Flats, and there were comments.

Kristen said that she felt the project would help the overall city affordable housing program. 2013. It's 2026. Did that happen? It did not. Huja said, "I think it would be good for the city." Good for whom?

Who is it benefiting? Anyway, you get the point. These comments have been made about developments in the past. They do not work. They do not produce the level of affordability. Not only did the Flats just sell, has changed ownership, they rent apartments for $1,275, as listed on their website, for one bedroom at this moment.

Again, you're not asking the right questions and you think you're doing a good thing, affordable housing fund. It's not working. Last comment. If you do vote for this, the tax increase that happens at these buildings every year should go towards low-income housing.

It should be a direct payment made from what they pay annually, if the properties are sold, that benefits low-income communities. I do not support it, but you all are not making that link, and it's just expanding the need for affordability.