How to get involved in how Charlottesville spends money • Charlottesville Tomorrow

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Friday, Feb. 23, 2024

This week we’ve got two updates for you about how the City of Charlottesville spends money.

The first is an update from Belmont: Tuesday night, Charlottesville City Council voted unanimously to purchase two pieces of property, 405 Avon St. and 405 Levy Ave. at the foot of the Belmont Bridge, from the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The cost is about $4.2 million, and the city will use unspent American Rescue Plan Act money, taxpayer money the federal government gave local governments during the COVID-19 pandemic to boost the economy.

City Manager Sam Sanders said during the meeting that the vote was simply the final step in a real estate transaction — not a vote on what the site would be used for. “The goal would be for the city to take ownership of this site,” he said. Only after that can city staff start planning anything concrete, but one possible use is an overnight homeless shelter with services and an affordable housing project.

An aging, one-story brick building with three garage doors is covered in snow. — Credit: Erin O'Hare/Charlottesville Tomorrow

Charlottesville City Council votes 5-0 to purchase Belmont properties for possible shelter, housing project

Also coming up are decisions about how much the city will allocate to its public schools. The district will make a big ask in March, for $9 million, which would bring the investment from the city up from $67 million in 2024 to $76 million in 2025. Here’s why.

Charlottesville City Schools needs an extra $9 million from the city, says school board

But what can you do with this information about the budget?

You’ve told us in our audience surveys that you want local news that you can do something with. You want ways to get involved. So over the last year, we’ve been testing a new feature. You might have seen a nifty little “Take Action” graphic on many of our stories. (Kudos to our designer extraordinaire Ashley Harper.) When you see that digital sticker, it means this is where you can find the links and dates and ways to DO something about the reports that you are reading.

For example, if you’re interested in going deeper on the perspectives of Charlottesville’s mayor and city manager on the purchase of the Avon St. and Levy Ave. properties, check out Mayor Juandiego Wade and City Manager Sanders’ comments about possible uses for the site — including homeless services and supportive housing — on the In My Humble Opinion Talk Show from Sunday, Jan. 28.

Want to comment on Charlottesville City Schools’ budget? City Schools will present the 2025 fiscal year budget to the City Council on Tuesday, March 5. The meeting begins at 4 p.m. at Charlottesville City Hall, 605 E. Main St. on the Downtown Mall. Public comment takes place during the general business portion of the meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. If you’d like to sign up to comment, fill out an online form, email or call the Clerk of Council up until 9 a.m. on March 5.

Look for Take Action stickers on our reports, and let us know if it helps! You can drop us feedback here.

Thanks for taking action in your community — whatever your positions are. And thanks for reading,
Angilee Shah, CEO and Editor-in-Chief