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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-7-01 Charlottesville City Council Board of Supervisors Joint Work Session July 1, 2014 Agenda 1. Welcome and Goals for the Day – Russ Linden 2. Introductions 3. Ground Rules 4. Current Areas of Collaboration 5. Factors that Contributed to Positive Collaboration 6. Issue Areas for Additional Collaboration A. Affordable Housing B. CATEC C. Courts Project D. Economic Development E. Public Safety (Law Enforcement; Fire and EMS) F. Rivanna River Planning G. Solid Waste H. Transportation/Transit 7. Immediate Focus Areas 8. Wrap up. What did we accomplish? Next Steps? County/City Partnerships Established regional partnerships in which the County and City work together include: A. Joint Exercise of Powers Agreements  Charlottesville-UVA-Albemarle County Emergency Communications Center  Jefferson Area Board for Aging  Charlottesville-Albemarle Convention and Visitor’s Bureau B. Regional Authority, Board, or Commission  Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail  Blue Ridge Juvenile Detention  Rivanna Solid Waste Authority (includes McIntire Recycling Facility)  Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority  Region Ten Community Services Board  Jefferson-Madison Regional Library  Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport Authority  Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission C. Cooperative Funding Agreements  Charlottesville-Albemarle Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals  Piedmont Housing Alliance  Albemarle County/Charlottesville Virginia Cooperative Extension  Charlottesville/Albemarle Health Department D. Service Funding Agreements  County/City Fire Services Agreement  JAUNT (formerly known as Jefferson Area United Transportation)  Darden Towe Park  McIntire Skate Park  Charlottesville Area Transit  Regional Firearms Training Facility (under negotiation)  Therapeutic Recreation Services and Programs E. Mutual Aid or Cooperation Agreements  County/City Police Mutual Aid Agreement  Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement regional narcotics task force  Juvenile Court  Three Party Agreement (County, City, UVA) F. Agreements for Joint Ownership of Property  Darden Towe Park  Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center  Ivy Creek Natural Area  Jessup, E. Market Street/Levy Properties  Charlottesville/Albemarle Health Department G. Cooperative Regional School Agreements  Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center (CATEC)  Piedmont Regional Education Partnership (PREP) Program H. Additional Partnerships  Agency Budget Review Team (ABRT) Process  Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development (CVPED)  Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)  Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless (TJACH)  YMCA Building in McIntire Park  The Crossings at 4th and Preston • Adult Prisoner Reentry Steering Committee • Drug Court Board • Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee • Virginia Juvenile Crime Control Act Continued/Future Collaboration Possibilities A. Affordable Housing Albemarle County Albemarle County Housing Office directly administers housing programs funded primarily with federal funds, provides general oversight to partner agencies which receive local funding to support housing initiatives, and works with Community Development and private developers on proffers that address affordable housing in new developments. The following is a brief summary of programs and activities: Housing Choice Voucher Program Albemarle County Housing Office currently manages approximately 345 rental vouchers funded by over $2.5 million in federal funds. The majority of the vouchers are tenant-based meaning those holding the vouchers can use them in any eligible housing unit. Approximately 70 of the vouchers are project-based or tied directly to a specific housing unit. Of these, 9 are designated for homeless persons and 26 are designated for elderly persons. In addition to the 345 housing choice vouchers (HCV)s, the Office manages 34 project-based vouchers at the Scottsville School Apartments under a separate contract totaling approximately $300,000 in federal funds. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Albemarle County Housing Office has received and administered a number of Community Development Block Grants through the state’s competitive process for housing and infrastructure projects. The current grant of $700,000 in federal funds matched by $30,000 in local funds (proffer proceeds) will contribute to the rehabilitation of 24 houses in the Orchard Acres subdivision in Crozet. Six units have been completed and six are currently in progress. The Albemarle Housing Improvement Program (AHIP) is providing project management for this initiative. Providing Oversight to Partner Agencies Albemarle Housing Improvement Program (AHIP) receives $400,000 in local general funds annually to support operations in their housing rehabilitation and emergency home repair efforts. AHIP leverages the local support through state, federal, and private sources and supplements its work with volunteers to complete, on average, 12 rehabs and 35 home repairs annually. Piedmont Housing Alliance (PHA) receives over $30,000 in local general funds annually to support their lending (first-time homebuyers) and fair housing initiatives. PHA also makes down-payment assistance loans, currently using a small balance of previously-appropriated local funds. Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless (TJACH) is a relatively new partner for which the Housing Chief sits on the Board representing the County’s interest and position on homeless issues. TJACH’s goal is to oversee a coordinated approach to serving housing and other needs of the homeless population utilizing a number of service providers in the area ultimately resulting in a reduction of homeless individuals. City of Charlottesville The City of Charlottesville has a variety of existing programs that are geared toward encouraging investment in affordable housing efforts as well as providing direct assistance to homeowners in the form of tax relief/deferral and rent relief for the elderly/permanently disabled. City sponsored programs include the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funded Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund (CAHF), as well as Federal programs, such as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME programs. These funding sources provide direct financial assistance for affordable housing efforts through non-profit partners, with an emphasis on construction, housing rehabilitation and retention of supported affordable housing units. CDBG funds can be used for housing, but are also used by the City for social programs for low to moderate-income persons as well as limited economic development efforts and targeted neighborhood infrastructure improvements. In addition, the City also provides assistance directly to homeowners. Specifically, the Charlottesville Housing Affordability Program (CHAP) provides for an annual property tax grant (of either $375 or $525 during the second half) to qualified owners whose income level and assessed property value do not exceed specified levels. The elderly/permanently disabled cannot utilize CHAP; however, they are eligible to apply separately under Real Estate Tax Relief for the Elderly or Permanently Disabled (§30- 96). This program examines income, age/disability, and net worth and the amount of relief is dependent upon combined income and net worth (tax relief varying from 8% - 100%). Tax exemptions are also provided to those that make improvements to their homes. The Tax Exemptions for Housing Improvements (§30-155 - §30-160) program provides up to seven years of tax relief on the value of improvements, if such are made to a property 25 years or older with an existing value of less than $507,100. Improvements must increase the value of the home by at least 15%. Homeowners can also qualify for a one year Special Tax Rate for Certain Energy-Efficient Buildings (§30- 160.1 – §30-160.11) when they make improvements that exceed the energy efficiency standards prescribed in the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code by 30% or any building that (i) meets or exceeds performance standards of the Green Globes Green Building Rating System of the Green Building Initiative, (ii) meets or exceeds performance standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System of the U.S. Green Building Council, (iii) meets or exceeds performance standards or guidelines under the Earth Craft House Program, or (iv) is an Energy Star qualified home, the energy efficiency of which meets or exceeds performance guidelines for energy efficiency under the Energy Star program developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Related to this, City Code also provides a Solar Energy Tax Exemption (§30-126 – §30-138) for qualified solar equipment, facilities and devices. The Rent Relief Program for the Elderly or Permanently Disabled (§25-56) provides grant funding for rental assistance to qualified tenants, based on income, age/disability, and net worth. Reduced Water and Sewer Connection Fees (§31-102; §31-106.1) lower the cost of these utility connections when the house is being built either to sell or rent as affordable to families at 80% Area Median Income (AMI) or less. The Assisted Home Performance with Energy Star program is offered to City residents through the Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP). This initiative provides home energy audits and energy retrofits for qualified homeowners. Expedited Permitting for affordable housing is provided through §34-12(f) upon approval of a rezoning or special use permit. In these cases, site plans submitted for review shall be acted upon by the director of Neighborhood Development Services or Planning Commission within twenty-one (21) days after the date such plan was officially submitted. Also, as provided at §34-823(a), in the case of a preliminary site plan application which guarantees that at least fifteen (15) percent of all proposed residential units therein will qualify as affordable housing (defined as units committed for a thirty-year term as affordable to households with incomes at eighty (80) percent or less of the area median income), the timeframe shall be reduced to twenty-one (21) days. Lastly, the City provides paint, primer, and caulk through its Free Paint Program to income qualified homeowners who can least afford to purchase such items to maintain the exterior of their homes. Since the homeowner must provide labor to do the work, various non-profits have been involved with assisting some homeowners; however, there is no formal structure in place to link owners with volunteer painting services. B. Charlottesville/Albemarle Technical Education Center (CATEC) In March, 2015, the CATEC Board adopted a new strategic plan that will modernize the technical school both programmatically and by aligning the center more closely with Piedmont Virginia Community College. The plan’s end goal is to better-prepare CATEC students for a lack of middle-skill jobs, or jobs that require more than a high school diploma, but less than a four-year degree. According to the plan, CATEC will transform into five institutes, which will serve both high school and adult students, and will include: Skilled Trades, Customer Service, Early Childhood Education, Healthcare Services, and Manufacturing and Information Technology. The next step for these institutes is to align curriculum with Piedmont Virginia Community College. CATEC is also considering the future of their 40-year-old facility. Currently, the Board is in an information-gathering process in which they hope to gain a better understanding of the value of their asset. The Board will consider the cost of building a new facility at Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) against the cost of renovating their existing building. In May, PVCC president Frank Friedman offered to donate community college land for a new CATEC. C. Courts Project During the latter part of the 1990’s, the County of Albemarle and the City of Charlottesville identified the need to address future court space requirements driven by aging buildings, security concerns and increased caseloads for their five court facilities (two Circuit, two General District and one joint Juvenile and Domestic Relations). The jurisdictions commissioned a joint study which culminated in recommendations to immediately address the more acute needs of the J&DR court (completed in 2007), and future plans to build a combined General District Court somewhere in downtown Charlottesville. In 2004, the City and County purchased the Levy Opera House facility, among other properties, for the purpose of providing swing space for J&DR operations during construction and to house a future joint General District Court to meet the combined needs for both jurisdictions. Subsequent to the acquisition of Levy and based on new caseload trends, the City determined that they no longer needed to expand their General District Court and notified the County of their intent not to participate in a joint General District Court project. More recently, the County, acting on its own accord, engaged a planning/design firm to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment and develop renovation and/or new building options for the provision of County court facilities, to include the Circuit, General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts. The study included an assessment of the courts’ current conditions from a building maintenance, security and operational perspective; information on population growth and caseload projections for the next 20+ years; courts facilities programming requirements for the planning horizon of 2030 and beyond; and the development of options including cost estimates. The study analyzed current and future space needs by evaluating County caseloads which showed current court capacity being exceeded by the Circuit and General District courts and the need to substantially expand the courts to accommodate current and future needs based on population growth. The Board of Supervisors is focusing on two primary concepts to accommodate the County’s court needs. The first is to maintain court operations in downtown Charlottesville by utilizing the Levy Building for General District Court operations, thus allowing the renovation of the existing County Courthouse to provide for an expanded Circuit Court operation. The second option would involve the relocation of all county court functions to the County at either a Greenfield site or an urban in-fill/redevelopment location. The conceptual plan for this second option assumes a site large enough to accommodate all future court expansion needs and all required surface level parking. Costs for either option, based on conceptual estimates, could exceed $46 to $48 million, depending on specific parking solutions, development opportunities and property/land acquisition costs. Both options are complex and involve a myriad of factors to consider as the Board contemplates this major investment of public funds. The availability and accessibility of parking is of particular interest to the downtown option. The City has been involved in the provision of structured public parking since 1974 and currently controls 1,500 spaces at two garages that are used for transient and monthly parking needs of downtown residents, businesses and visitors. The day to day management of these assets has been performed by a third party with oversight by the City’s Office of Economic Development. The City supports a validation system in the two parking garages whereby merchants purchase parking at a greatly reduced rate and provide it to their customers for free. The downtown area has about 1,000 on-street spaces that are available to the public at no charge. Enforcement is performed by the police department. The City continues to grow in population and attract significant investment. While most private investment provides its own internal parking, there is a growing sense that the City may need to add additional structured public parking and/or make adjustments to on-street management to better accommodate current and future development. A number of efforts and strategies are being pursued currently to address this need. Opportunity exists for the City and County to partner to address their respective parking needs should the County pursue the downtown courts option. D. Economic Development The County’s economic development function is currently housed in the Office of Community and Business Partnerships in the County Executive’s Office. Services are provided by a full time Economic Development Specialist with leadership provided by the Assistant to the County Executive for Community and Business Partnerships. The County also has a six member Economic Development Authority (EDA). The County completed a three year Economic Vitality Action Plan in September, 2013. The County’s FY15 budget provides funding for establishing an Economic Development Office including a full time director and a part time administrative assistant along with the existing Economic Development Specialist. Work is underway to define the structure, goals and desired outcomes of the office with the intent of establishing the office sometime this fall. The City of Charlottesville has an Office of Economic Development (OED) staffed by a Director, a Chief of Workforce Development Strategies, an Economic Development Specialist and an Office Administrator. The OED is the catalyst for public and private initiatives that create employment opportunities and a vibrant and sustainable economy. In 2013, the office began major work implementing the Growing Opportunities report which addresses recommendations for fostering training and employment opportunities to help City residents achieve self-sufficiency. The City also has a seven member Charlottesville Economic Development Authority (CEDA). The City, County and the University of Virginia collaborate on economic development in local organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, the Charlottesville Business Innovation Council, the Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development and the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Center. They engage in joint workforce development initiatives with Piedmont Virginia Community College and the Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center. All three entities also partner in statewide organizations including the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Virginia Economic Developers Association. The region’s Target Industry Study, completed in 2012, identified six shared target industries for Charlottesville and Albemarle County:  Bioscience and medical devices  Business and Financial services  Information and Technology  Defense and Security  Health Services  Art, Design, Sports and Media E. Public Safety Law Enforcement The Albemarle County Police Department is a full service local government law enforcement agency comprised of 131 authorized full time sworn officers as well as civilian support staff, volunteer support staff, and six auxiliary police officers. The department is organized with an Operations Bureau which includes Patrol Traffic, School Resource Officers and Animal Control; and a Support Services Bureau which includes Investigations, Administration and an array of departmental support functions. The FY15 approved budget includes five additional full time patrol officers to support the second phase of an implementation of a County-wide Geo-policing model. This community-based model is designed specifically to enable officers to dedicate more time to community outreach, education and relationship- building which is viewed as key to crime prevention and is part of an overall mission of promoting a safe community. The Charlottesville Police Department has 117 full time sworn officers and serves its community with a corps of highly professional police officers, a commitment to the community policing philosophy, state accredited standards and procedures, modern computerized incident reporting systems, and a host of specialized units. We are very proud of these programs and feel it is our privilege to provide our citizens and visitors with the best, state-of-the-art, police protection. The largest division of the City’s police department is the Patrol Bureau. Its uniformed officers dutifully patrol city neighborhoods with walking beats, radio cars, motorcycles, mountain bikes, and trail bikes. The Patrol Bureau also maintains a highly trained SWAT team, community service officers, full-time school resource officers, animal control officers, and crossing guards. Many of these officers and supervisors have a proud history of supporting the regional police academy as certified instructors in virtually every aspect of law enforcement training and education. The City’s Investigations Bureau is comprised of highly skilled detectives and certified forensic technicians. The City is especially proud of its Forensics Unit that continues to lead the way for other Virginia law enforcement agencies in DNA evidence collection techniques and DNA matches or "hits." The department is also responsible for the administration and operational control of the multi- jurisdictional, Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement (JADE) task force. In cooperation with federal, state, and other local law enforcement agencies, the fifteen detectives and supervisors of JADE are effectively reducing the flow of drugs and guns into the community. The Albemarle County and Charlottesville Police Departments partner on a long list of activities:  Gang Reduction through Active Community Engagement (GRACE)  Firearms Training Facility Partnership  Central Shenandoah Regional Criminal Justice Academy satellite facility  Emergency Communications Center (ECC)  Jefferson Area Motor Squad Annual Training Event & monthly training (UVA, CPD & ACPD Motorcycle Officers)  Charlottesville – Albemarle Gang Enforcement (CAGE) team  Central Virginia Gang Investigators Association (VGIA) host  Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement (JADE) taskforce  Jefferson Area Alcohol Safety Action Program  DCJS Partnership on Gang Prevention (Memorandum of Agreement)  Evidence Based Decision Making Project  Jefferson Area Crisis Intervention Team  Crime Stoppers  SWAT Team Training  Crisis Negotiation Teams (CNT) Training  Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) The Regional Firearms Training Center project is currently in progress. This productive partnership between the County, City and UVA involves the design, construction and operation of a modern, indoor, tactical firearms range on property owned by the University at what is known commonly as the Milton Site. The capital cost of the facility is estimated to be about $5 million off-set in large part by $2.9 million award of asset forfeiture funding from the Office of the Attorney General. The facility is currently being designed by Clark Nexen with support from a design team comprised of representation from the three partner agencies. A land lease and operating agreement are both in draft form currently and are being reviewed by legal staff in anticipation of formal consideration and action late summer. Fire and EMS Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Albemarle County are provided by a combination system consisting of 750 volunteer and 105 career personnel working cooperatively and collaboratively together to provide fire, rescue, and emergency medical services to the community while at the same time partnering with other local and regional emergency services organizations. The system consists of the following:  Two County stations (Hollymead and Monticello) staffed full-time by career personnel,  The Ivy station staffed full-time by a combination of career and volunteer personnel,  Seven volunteer fire companies, four of which have career staffing Monday – Friday during the day, with volunteer staffing nights and weekends,  Three volunteer rescue squads, one of which has career staffing Monday – Friday during the day, with volunteer staffing nights and weekends,  An Advanced Life Support (ALS) staffed ambulance location at Martha Jefferson Hospital serving the Pantops area Monday - Friday during the day.  An ALS staffed ambulance location at Berkmar Road serving the 29N area full-time. During FY14, the County’s EMS transport system recovered approximately $1.6 million dollars from the EMS cost recovery program. The Western Albemarle Rescue Squad (WARS) will join the program in FY15 which will help the system recover an additional $168,000. The County and City recently approved a new five-year operating agreement governing a collaborative service arrangement to provide Automatic Aid, Automatic Mutual Aid and Mutual Aid to best serve the fire response needs of the community. The Charlottesville Fire Department (CFD) is a career/volunteer combination fire department with 89 career personnel and 15 volunteer personnel. On a daily basis, CFD operates out of three fire stations which serve the City of Charlottesville, the University of Virginia and Albemarle County. For more than four decades, CFD has provided firefighting services to UVA and Albemarle County. Presently, both UVA and the County fire services are provided through contractual agreements. These contractual services outline specific areas/levels of response and automatic mutual aid. CFD operates with a daily staffing compliment of four engine companies, an aerial tiller unit and a quint/tower unit and a battalion chief. The daily minimum firefighting force is comprised of three persons per unit plus the battalion chief (daily minimum staffing of 19). Staffing levels are in place to meet the daily response needs, provide adequate coverage for firefighting needs, to maintain an ISO 2 rating (1 being the best) and to meet department accreditation requirements. Annual responses for 2013 were 5583 total incidents of which 3528 were EMS incidents. All of our fire fighters are also trained as EMTs and there are approximately 20 fire fighters trained/certified as advanced life support medics. CFD also operates a Prevention Division consisting of a Fire Marshal and p/t Asst. Fire Marshal. This division is responsible for developing a strategy for community risk reduction, building plans review, public fire education and fire code enforcement to ensure that buildings in Charlottesville are safe. CFD also facilitates and staffs a regional Hazardous Materials Response Team and receives limited funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia and $40,000 of the UVA annual revenue is earmarked for replacement and/or purchase of hazmat equipment. As a collaborative effort, CFD also will be housing a C-ARS ambulance in each of its fire stations which increases accessibility to members and ambulances can be utilized and staffed by CFD personnel if necessary. The new Fontaine Fire Station and Training Center also includes a training tower, high angle training features, below grade/commercial confined space vaults, rappelling, a future City Operations Center, a City continuity of government space and a community/training room. All of which are available for use regionally. F. Rivanna River Planning Historically, Charlottesville's and Albemarle County's economies grew in relation to the major roads and the James and Rivanna rivers. The smaller Rivanna River had manufacturing mills and a system of dams, locks, and canals for navigation. Nine miles of the Rivanna River and its south fork between the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir and Woolen Mills are designated as part of the state Scenic River system. Both Charlottesville and Albemarle County are responsible for regulating land use along the Rivanna, and both governments are now recognizing the growth potential of the river as a shared asset. Both planning commissions have advocated for, "creation of a plan that incorporates a unified vision for land uses adjacent to the Rivanna River which supports the river corridor as a destination; and that develops a shared vision for parks, trails, and recreational opportunities associated with the river." There is potential for valuable synergy in the City and the County further developing the riverfront as a place to play and live. Albemarle's draft comprehensive plan states, "The City and County will create a unified vision for land uses adjacent to the Rivanna River that supports the river corridor as a destination while ensuring the protection and improvement of the river’s water quality." The City has a River Initiative and River Corridor Plan which notes the need for coordinated planning, and the City's comprehensive plan states, "Work with regional partners to draft and implement a plan that better utilizes and protects the Rivanna River as an environmental, recreational and economic amenity." By working together, the Board and Council can help to make the riverfront more beautiful and valuable. G. Solid Waste Albemarle County Long Term Solid Waste Solutions: The Board has discussed the solid waste services provided at the Ivy Materials Utilization Center (MUC) since the City ended support for those operations in 2010. At the April 2, 2014 Board meeting, staff noted that the longer-term evaluation of solid waste service issues, options, opportunities and challenges will require significant public engagement and active citizen and stakeholder participation. The Board established the Albemarle County Long Range Solid Waste Solutions Advisory Committee (AC LR SW SAC) as an advisory committee to the Board to do initial work on long-term solid waste solutions and appointed the County’s appointees of the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority (RSWA) Citizens Committee to the advisory committee. The Board has since appointed Supervisor Palmer to serve as the Board liaison on the committee and has authorized advertising for additional members for its consideration. The advisory committee’s charge, goals, timeline membership composition will be considered by the Board in July. It is anticipated that the committee’s work will be completed next year in time for consideration by the Board as part of its 2015 five year financial plan cycle and FY17 budget process. Near Term Solid Waste Issues: The County’s consideration of near term solutions regarding the Ivy MUC is made necessary by a Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) directive to the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority (RSWA) to close its transfer station at the Ivy Materials Utilization Center (MUC) by June 30, 2015, unless DEQ receives a narrative plan for replacing the existing facility with one that meets current regulatory standards. Pursuant to DEQ, that plan would need to be provided to it by April 1, 2015. As part of this assessment, the County will consider making improvements to the current transfer station such that it meets DEQ requirements and can continue to be operated as a transfer station, or asking RSWA to close the transfer station in favor of constructing and operating a convenience center only, thereby excluding commercial waste haulers. As part of this evaluation, the County will consider its on-going relationship with RSWA for collection and hauling services. The County currently participates with the City in the McIntire Recycling Center which is operated by the RSWA. In addition, the County contracts with RSWA for newspaper recycling services at three other locations in the County. As part of its assessment of near term issues, the County is exploring possible enhancements to its current recycling services while anticipating that the long term solid waste solutions process will identify other viable options and opportunities for the future. City of Charlottesville Curbside Trash Collection The program involves weekly contract collection of household trash placed at the curb by customers. This “pay as you throw” program was first implemented July 1, 1992. Customers purchase individual trash stickers or annual decals. The program changed from in-house to contract collection on July 1, 1999. Trash is tipped at the Van Der Linde MURF ($39/ton) where recyclable material not source- separated by the customer as part of the curbside recycling program, is pulled from the trash stream and recycled. Sticker and decal revenue offset a portion of program costs. Average annual tonnage is 7,000 tons. FY 15 budget $ 1,532,519. Curbside Recycling Collection The program was first implemented on November 1, 1991, and involved free contract collection of household recycling curbside with 18 gallon recycling bins. Effective July 1, 2014, the program will change from weekly collection of 18 gallon bins to bi-weekly collection of wheeled carts (95, 65, and 35 gallon options). Once collected, recyclables become the property of the collector, who is required to recycle the material. The new bi-weekly/wheeled cart citywide program is being implemented because of cost savings, and customer satisfaction and increased recycling tonnage data from pilot programs in the Greenbrier and Belmont neighborhoods. Average annual tonnage is 3,200 tons but is expected to increase with the new program. FY 15 budget $ 282,000. Large Item Collection Our in-house program was first offered on August 1, 1993 and involves by-appointment collection of household trash, white goods, and brush too large to collect as part of the curbside trash collection program. Customers pay $35 for the first collection, $ 50 for the second and $ 100 for the third and subsequent collections in a rolling year. White goods and brush are recycled while large household trash is tipped at Van Der Linde. Average annual tonnage is 700 tons. FY 15 budget is $ 205,678 and is partially offset by appointment fees. Leaf Collection In-house Program involves November through January collection of leaves. Each street is worked twice for loose leaves raked to the curb, and there is weekly city-wide collection of bagged leaves (first offered November 1, 1993) placed at the curb. The City provides free clear leaf bags for the bag option. Collected leaves are tipped free at Panorama Farms, where they are composted into topsoil. Average annual tonnage is 2,000 tons. Commercial and Multi-family dumpster trash collection In-house program privatized May 16, 1994. H. Transportation/Transit Road Improvements All public roads in the County are maintained by the State (VDOT) and are part of the State Primary/Interstate or Secondary systems. Road improvements in the County are identified in the State Six Year Improvement Plan (SYIP). Major projects identified for improvement in the SYIP are identified below. Primary and Interstate System: There are a total of twelve (12) projects identified in the SYIP including various road alignment and safety improvement as well as sidewalk (Ivy Road) and streetscape improvements (Crozet Avenue). Of most interest recently are the recommended improvements from the “Route 29 Solutions” advisory panel process. The following projects have been included in the SYIP FY15-20 recently adopted by the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB).  Best Buy Ramp (Construct 2nd Lane and Merge Lane) (complete funding of programmed project) (City)  Hillsdale Drive Extension (Construct New Roadway) (complete funding of programmed project) (City)  Route 29 N. Widening, Polo Grounds Road to Town Center Drive (complete funding of programmed project)  Adaptive Signal Time Improvements, Barracks to Airport (complete funding of programmed project)  Hillsdale Drive Extension to Holiday Drive (Construct New Roadway)  Berkmar Drive Extension (Construct New Roadway)  Route 29 / Rio Road Grade Separated Intersection  Route 29 / Hydraulic Road Grade Separated Intersection (Funded for PE only) (City & Co.)  Amtrak Regional Service – Lynchburg to D.C. Secondary Road System Improvements: VDOT has provided the following projected funding allocations for secondary road system improvements in Albemarle County for the six year period from FY15 to FY20: FISCAL YEAR SECONDARY UNPAVED ROAD FUND CTB UNPAVED ROAD FUND REG. STATE FUNDS1 (Telefee Funds) SECONDARY FORMULA FUNDS3 TOTAL FUNDS 2014-15 $0 $208,838 $298,065 $0 $506,903 2015-16 $0 $390,726 $298,065 $0 $688,791 2016-17 $0 $571,125 $298,065 $0 $869,190 2017-18 $0 $578,873 $298,065 $0 $876,938 2018-19 $0 $622,461 $298,065 $0 $920,526 2019-20 $0 $602,355 $298,065 $0 $900,420 Totals $0 $2,974,378 $1,788,390 $0 $4,762,768 Note: 1- Funds can be used for a broad range of secondary road improvement projects (construction, paving, etc.) Based on available funding, the following secondary road projects are scheduled for improvement:  Dry Bridge Road (Rt. 708) bridge replacement (under construction)  Black Cat Road (Rt. 616) bridge replacement  Broomley Road (Rt. 677) bridge replacement  Dick Woods Road (Rt. 637) bridge replacement  Dickerson Road (Rt. 606) bridge replacement over the N. Fork Rivanna River  Pocket Lane (Rt. 703), from Rt. 715 to end state maintenance – paving project (RRR project)  Midway Road (Rt. 688), from Rt. 824 to Rt. 635 – paving project (RRR project)  Keswick Drive (Rt. 731), from Rt. 744 to Rt. 22 – paving project (RRR project)  Rio Mills Road (Rt. 643), from paved section to US 29 – paving project (non-RRR paving project)  Doctors Crossing (Rt. 784), from Rt. 600 to Rt. 640 – paving project (RRR project) Bicycle and Pedestrian Access The City of Charlottesville’s 2014 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Update is the next phase of making bicycle, pedestrian and multi-use trail connections in the City. It will be a physical and action-oriented plan that builds upon the 2003 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and will complement the Context Sensitive Street Design Guidelines work that will also take place this year. The Master Plan Update will focus on integrating the on-street and off-street networks identified in past planning efforts to create safe, comfortable transportation corridors that appeal to a wide range of users of all abilities. It will provide the recommended network improvements for Charlottesville’s on-street bicycle and pedestrian corridors, as well as a phasing plan for implementation. Transit Public transportation in the Development Areas is provided through three separate agencies: Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT), the University Transit Service (UTS), and JAUNT. These three agencies often collaborate to improve services within the region, but each has their own service responsibilities and goals. Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT): Operations: CAT’s operations are based at its operations facility at 1545 Avon Street Extended, just south of the City limits (Avon Facility). CAT also operates the Downtown Transit Station (DTS) at 615 East Water Street near the Downtown Mall. CAT provides public transportation for City residents and residents of certain parts of Albemarle County via a network of eleven bus routes most operating 17 hours per day, 6 days per week. Two routes - Route 7 and the Free Trolley – also operate limited Sunday service for up to eleven hours. CAT maintains its own fleet and bus stop facilities. The City Facilities Division maintains CAT’s major facilities (Avon Facility and DTS). Funding: CAT system operations are funded by passenger fares, City funding, and federal and state grants. Because the City accepts federal assistance for the operation of the system, the system is required to adhere to federal codes governing the use of its equipment and facilities, follow federal guidelines for employee substance abuse testing and Commercial Driver licensing (CDL), and follow all federal acquisition regulations and procurement guidelines applicable to capital equipment purchases and third party contracting. Federal and State grants also fund all major capital purchases at CAT. Currently, state and federal dollars fund 84% of capital purchases made by CAT with the City providing a 16% cash match. Currently, CAT is carefully examining the federal reauthorization process and is working with the Virginia Transit Association to urge Congress to return funding for bus only systems to pre-2012 levels. With the passage of MAP-21 in 2012, funding levels for bus only capital projects were reduced 57% as that bill placed a heavy emphasis on passenger rail systems. Ridership: Since FY 2009, the CAT system has transported more than 2 million passengers each year. Changes: In January 2014, the CAT system realigned and restructured most of its routes to improve system performance, provide more direct service to major destinations, and eliminate duplicative services in many areas. The result of this restructuring was a downturn in overall ridership which has slowed in recent months. Future Planning: As the City and many areas of the County change and new commercial and residential areas are created, CAT will continue to study community growth and ridership patterns and adjust services as necessary to meet changing transportation demands. The County contracts for services from the City for transit service (CAT) and funds all or part of the following routes:  Route 1, serving PVCC  Route 3, serving the Fifth Street corridor to Southwood community  Route 5, serving the corridor west of Route 29 (Barracks Road SC to Fashion Square Mall)  Route 10, serving the Pantops area  Route 11, serving the Rio Road east corridor (Downtown to Fashion Square Mall) University Transit Service (UTS): UTS provides service to University of Virginia affiliates and the general public in the vicinity of the University. University of Virginia students, faculty and staff can ride the Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT) for free with a valid UVA ID. This program, funded by the University of Virginia, makes it easier for the UVA community to get around Charlottesville and reduce traffic and pollution by not using their own vehicles. Jefferson Area United Transportation (JAUNT): JAUNT is a regional public transportation system providing fixed-route and demand-response transit and para-transit service to the general public, agency clients, the elderly, and people with disabilities throughout Central Virginia including existing communities in Albemarle’s Rural Area. The City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County jointly fund para-transit service.