Charlottesville to amend COVID-19 government rules in response to Virginia Supreme Court ruling; Halifax County Supervisors to move forward on public utility extension to racetracks
Plus: Louisa County Supervisors to discuss virtual building inspection policy to help with higher workloads
Another week begins! And another programming note. I have an international guest visiting in the next two weeks and there may be gaps in coverage. I should be back to full strength in mid-May and after that I don’t plan on taking any more downtime.
This is a reminder that this is an experimental newsletter that seeks to increase awareness of what’s happening at local meetings of the 24 localities within Virginia’s Fifth District.
Please share and drop me a line if you have any questions!
Groups to present State of the Unhoused and Unhoused Services to Charlottesville City Council
The five-member Charlottesville City Council will meet at 4 p.m. for a work session followed by a closed session followed by the regular session at 6:30 p.m. This will be the first Council meeting held without COVID-19 restriction in 38 months. (calendar item) (meeting info)
Last week, someone asked me about an update of the emergency shelter on U.S. 29 at Premier Circle. I did not have time to get to that story, but I’m hopeful that will come up at the work session.
“This report is to provide City Council and the public with an update on the state of the unhoused and housing insecure in our community by the Department of Human Services and our community partners who focus on homelessness,” reads the staff report
They are the Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless, PACEM, and The Haven.
Council got a similar report a year ago, as I wrote about at the time. In November, I reported the $200,000 that Albemarle Supervisors paid to keep the existing shelter at Premier Circle open through April. Charlottesville City Council had done the same thing in October. My request Wednesday for information has not yet been returned.
Then there are the items on the evening agenda.
There are many different sources of funding for various services related to housing. One of them is the Community Development Block Grant program offered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Another is the HOME program. Localities and regional partnership that receive this funding must have a Consolidated Plan to demonstrate how the funding will be spent over the next five years.
“The City of Charlottesville receives its CDBG allocation directly and develops a funding plan based on established city goals, input from the community and the work of a task force composed of representatives from across the city,” read the staff report. “ HOME funds are coordinated by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) Area HOME Consortium, and shared among the six member jurisdictions.”
The city will get $410,468 in the next fiscal year from CDBG funds and $98,160 in HOME funds, just like the other five localities.
Council will also hold a reading of how to use $1,710,854 in unspent funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. What do you think of these uses?
$1,375,854 for Human Resources to purchase the “Success Factor HRIS system” which will be used to manage collective bargaining in the city.
$240,000 to update the city’s Americans with Disabilities Act transition plan.
$95,000 for the Charlottesville Fire Department, which includes $30,000 for public safety messaging materials, $5,000 for “Stop the Bleed” kits, and $60,000 for ballistic vests.
Council will next hold the first of two readings on supplemental appropriations for two projects. These were discussed at the April 6, 2023 budget work session, the same week that additional funding was added to the FY24 budget. I can’t wait to see the minutes to learn all of the details!
One of the projects is a sidewalk for Stribling Avenue. That was a condition the Planning Commission required as part of their conditions for approving the rezoning of 240 Stribling, a 170-unit development on about 12 acres of forested land. For background, read a story I wrote last November that explained how it was not yet known how much the sidewalk would cost.
“The total project cost is now projected to be $5,467,000,” reads the staff report.
To cover some of the cost, staff has transferred $500,000 from the current fiscal year and $750,000 in FY24.
The other project is the renovation and expansion of Buford Middle School.
“Construction bids for the Buford School Renovation project were received in early March and an update was provided by staff to Council as part of the March 30, 2023 budget work session on the 5- year CIP plan,” reads the staff report.
Council approved a total project of $91,813,410 and now they are being asked to move $1.5 million in funds into the current fiscal year to pay invoices related to design work.
“There is no change to the total project budget, which will remain at $91,813,410,” the report continues.
Construction is expected to begin in July.
Next, Council will take a vote to retroactively change the city’s Continuity of Government ordinance. At issue is whether actions by Council taken during the period of virtual meetings are valid.
In March, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that Fairfax County did not have the authority to adopt a new zoning code at a virtual meeting in March 2021. Here’s the story I wrote at the time.
Now the law firm hired by the city to represent itself
“This decision and the reasoning were unexpected and suggested a sudden shift in what was otherwise well-understood and well-settled law,” writes Andrew McRoberts of the firm Sands Anderson in the staff report. “The Berry Opinion is not yet final. It is currently under reconsideration by the Virginia Supreme Court.”
McRoberts said the city is seeking to clarify whether any of its actions during that time are in jeopardy of being similarly declared void ab initio. I’m seeking clarification of what method of reconsideration is under way. Read the staff report for the details.
Finally, Council will amend the budget for FY24 to reflect a lower amount of funding for Jaunt.
“Jaunt's FY 24 budget request totaled $1,973,232, which represents a $530,151 or 36.7% increase over the FY 23 budget request,” reads the staff report. “When City staff met with Jaunt to review the budget request, Jaunt advised the City that it would be returning excess funds back to the City and other shareholders as a result of an operating surplus at the end of FY 22.”
On the consent agenda:
Second reading of an appropriation of $78,833 for a program support grant for LEAP. (staff report) (LEAP’s annual report)
Second of a reading to award five out of six applications for funding from the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund. Read my story from the first reading for more information. Or read the staff report.
First reading of an appropriation of $14,550 in grant funding to purchase 16 LIFEPAK CR2 defibrillator-AEDs (AEDs). This will replace ten in service that are at the end of their useful life. (staff report)
First reading of a memorandum of understanding to participate in a regional partnership to use opioid settlement money to expand Region 10’s substance use services. (staff report)
First reading of an amendment to city code to increase the bond limit for procurement from $100,000 to $200,000. While this is possibly a very technical amendment, there’s likely a reason for this that if I had more time I would love to sleuth out. (staff report)
Louisa County Supervisors to consider policy for water supply emergencies, virtual building inspections
The seven-member Board of Supervisors will meet at 5 p.m. for a closed session followed by the open meeting at 6 p.m. (meeting info) (agenda packet)
There are three informational items on the agenda.
The first is an update on tourism. There’s nothing in the packet about that item.
The second is a discussion on an emergency water supply ordinance. This is to set up the mechanism for Louisa County to be able to declare different levels of water supply alerts to mandate conservation measures.
The third is a virtual building inspection policy which may help the county with an uptick in the workload for the Department of Community Development.
“Virtual building inspections have become increasingly popular in the recent years, especially with the advent of new technology that makes it possible to conduct inspections remotely,” reads the staff report from building official John Grubbs.
In 2018 there were 5,967 inspections. That rose to 14,289 in 2021.
There are three items under new business.
There is a resolution authorizing an application for Community Development Block Grant funding for a specific project to be conducted by the Fluvanna-Louisa Housing Foundation.
There is a resolution waiving all development fees for the Fluvanna-Louisa Housing Foundation for a specific project at 140 Resource Lane in Louisa.
There is also a resolution for a budget supplement for Louisa County Public Schools for multiple capital projects totalling $296,000.
There is also a resolution for the approval of the Six Year Plan for secondary road construction in Louisa.
Halifax Supervisors to consider public utilities extension to South Boston Speedway, Virginia International Raceway
The eight-member Board of Supervisors in Halifax County will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors Meeting Room in the County Administration Building. That’s at 1050 Mary Bethune Street. (meeting packet)
There will be a public hearing on the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Six-Year Plan.
There will be a presentation from the Prizery. That’s an arts organization in South Boston.
There are eight items under new business:
The first is a rezoning for land owned by the County of Halifax that will be used for a collection center.
The second is an amendment to the zoning ordinance to place more requirements on utility-scale solar projects. One is to prevent any from being located within 2,000 feet of a town boundary. Halifax County has four towns.
The third is another amendment to the zoning ordinance related to uses in M-1 zones pertaining to metal manufacturing.
The fourth is the consideration of an opt-in agreement at Piney Creek to make it exempt from the county’s Machinery and Tools Taxes.
There will be a discussion of a grant application seeking funds from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority. This is for a regional partnership with Brunswick and Mecklenburg counties.
The sixth is an engineering design agreement for the extension of sanitary sewer to the South Boston Speedway.
The seventh is an acceptance of a $546.029 grant from the Virginia Tobacco Commission for a waterline from the city of Danville to the Virginia International Raceway
The eighth is an engineering design agreement for the above
In other meetings:
The Nottoway County Board of Supervisors meet at 6 p.m. The agenda is not available at this time but the meeting can be seen on YouTube. (meeting portal)