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Home My WebLink About2006-03-08 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FINAL MARCH 8, 2006 6:00 P.M., AUDITORIUM MONTICELLO HIGH SCHOOL 1. Call to Order. 2. Pledge of Allegiance. 3. Moment of Silence. 4. From the Public: Matters Not Listed on the Agenda. 5. Recognitions: Proclamation - Virginia Festival of the Book. 6. PUBLIC HEARING to receive comments on the County Executive's FY 2006/2007 Recommended Budget. 7. From the Board: Committee Reports and Matters Not Listed on the Agenda. 8. Adjourn to March 13,2006, Room 235, 1 :00 p.m. ACTIONS Board of Supervisors Meeting of March 8, 2006 Monticello High School Forum March 13, 2006 AGENDA ITEM/ACTION ASSIGNMENT 1. Call to Order. . Meeting was called to order at 6:05 p.m. by the Chairman, Mr. Rooker. All BOS members were present. Also present were Bob Tucker, Larry Davis, and Debi Movers. 4. From the Public: Matters Not Listed on the Agenda. . Stephen Bach spoke about world crude oil and that the County should keep bicycles in mind when makinQ decisions. 5. Recognitions: Proclamation - Virginia Festival of (Attachment 1) the Book. . Chairman PRESENTED Proclamation to Nancy Damon, Program Director, Virginia Festival of the Book. 6. Public Hearing to receive comments on the County Executive's Recommended Operating and Capital Budget for FY 2006/2007. . HELD the public hearinQ. 7. From the Board: Matters Not Listed on the Agenda. David Wyant: . Asked about putting a piece of land from the Crozet Development area into the ACE program. Sallv Thomas: . Ms. Thomas made a motion which was Clerk: Prepare appointment letters, update seconded by Mr. Slutzky to REAPPOINT Boards and Commissions book and notify Robert R. Humphris, Donald J. Wagner and appropriate persons. APPOINT Liz Wagner to the Albemarle County Service Authority with said terms to expire April 16,2010. 8. Adjourn to March 13,2006, 1 :00 p.m., Room 235. . The meetinQ was adiourned at 7:49 p.m. /djm Attachment 1 - Proclamation - Virginia Festival of the Book WHEREAS, WHEREAS, WHEREAS, WHEREAS, WHEREAS, ATTACHMENT 1 VIRGINIA FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK Albemarle County is committed to promoting reading, writing, and storytelling within and outside its borders; and our devotion to literacy and our support of literature has attracted over 1,000 writers and tens of thousands of readers to our VIRGINIA FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK; and the VIRGINIA FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK celebrates the power of books and publishing; and businesses, cultural and civic organizations, and individuals have contributed to the ongoing success of the VIRGINIA FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK; and the citizens of the County of Albemarle and Virginia, and the world, have made the VIRGINIA FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK the best book festival in the country; NOVll, THEREFORE, I, Dennis S. Rooker, Chairman, on behalf of the Albemarle Board of County Supervisors, do hereby proclaim Wednesday, March 22, 2006 through Sunday, March 26, 2006 as the Twelfth Annual VIRGINIA FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK and encourage community members to participate fully in the wide range of available events and activities. 2 SUllllllary Albelllarle County Financial Plan FY 2006/07 - Recommended Operating and Capital Budget www.albemarle.org Budget Calendar March 1 County Executive's Recommended FY 07 Budget and FY 06- 10 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) is Presented to the Board of Supervisors March 8 Public Hearing on County Executive's Recommended Budget and CIP March 13 Board of Supervisors Work Session March 1 5 Board of Supervisors Work Session March 20 Board of Supervisors Work Session March 22 Board of Supervisors Work Session April 5 Public Hearing on Board's Proposed FY 07 Budget and 2006 Calendar Year Tax Rate April 12 Board Adopts FY 07 Operating and Capital Budgets ~ (~LC!/ (" tV',./" Integrity - Innovation . Stewardship . Learning Building Our Budget - A Look at the Critical Factors that Shape Our Financial Plan FY06/07 Operating Revenues - $259,288,720 FY06/07 Operating Expenditures - $259,288,720 Property Taxes 43% School Self- Sustaining 6% Special Revenue Funds SO"" Debt Service SO"" General Fund 27% Federal Revenue 6% State Revenue 28% Revenue Sharing 4% Other Local Revenue 22% School Div Operations 5~"" Overall Budaet Hiahliahts: ~ Proposed Operating Budget is $259.3 million, an increase of $26.2 (11.2%) over FY 05/06 ~ FY06/07 Capital Budget is $36 million ~ The budget is built on the current real property tax of $0.74/100 of assessed value ~ 63%, or $16.5 million, of the increase is attributed to the School Division budget ~ 14%, or $3.7 million, of the increase funds public safety initiatives ~ $885,000 is placed in reserve for the Board ~ The revenue sharing agreement with the City of Charlottesville totals $10,134,816, a 4% increase from last year ~ Funds $1 million in recurring funds for the Acquisition of Conservation Easements (ACE) program Meetina Emeraina Needs This budget is based on our county's continuing transition from a predominantly rural and suburban county to an urbanizing locality that is beginning to face challenges and service pressures more similar to a small city. As jurisdictions evolve and grow, the costs to support this growth do not increase in a steady upwards progression. Programs we are funding today to meet our community's emerging needs, from paid firefighters to storm water management to acquisition of conservation easements, simply did not exist even as recently as ten years ago. This financial plan responds to the impacts of this steady population growth, while it provides additional funds to our capital budget to address the more intensive development in our urban areas such as sidewalk and road construction as well as improved public safety and increased human services. In the midst of this transition, our citizens continue to value the rural character and agricultural heritage that has always defined Albemarle County. Our 2004 Citizen Survey told us that above all other issues residents are most concerned about how well the County is doing in managing the impacts of growth and in preserving open space in the roughly 690 square miles that comprise our rural areas. While we have very specific land use policies to protect the open spaces, natural resources and rural character of our county, the success of our protection efforts depends on our ability to concentrate growth, including new homes and businesses, in our established urban areas. BUDGET AT A GLANCE FY 06/07 OPERATING REVENUES $259.3 Million Federa' Revenue 6% Fund Balance 1% State Revenue 28% Other local Revenue 22% OPERATING SUMMARY ($ in millions) General Fund (ine! Rev Sharing) School Division School Self-Sustaining Debt Service Funds Special Revenue Funds TOTAL-Operating Property Taxes 43% Budget FY 05/06 $71.0 123.0 12.9 13.5 l2Z $233.1 FY 06/07 OPERATING EXPENDITURES $259.3 Million School Self- Sustaining 6% Special Revenue Funds 5% School Div Operations 53% Recommended FY 06/07 $79.8 138.0 14.4 13.8 l1..l $259.3 Debt Service 5% Revenue Sharing 4% $ Inc/Dec $8.8 15.0 1.5 0.3 M $26.2 FY 06/07 RECOMMENDED CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT EXPENDITURES $36.7 Million Courts 4% Schools 36% Stonnwater 2% Public Works 10% CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS ($ in millions) Courts & Judicial Public Safety Public Works Community Development Human Development Parks, Recreation & Culture Libraries Technology & GIS ACE Stormwater Schools Total Public Safety 15% Libraries 10% FY06/07 $1.5 5.4 3.7 4.4 0.1 2.5 3.6 0.5 1.0 0.6 13.4 $36.7 ACE 3% Community Dev 12% Parks 7% FIVE YEAR CIP FY05/06 . 09/10 $7.1 23.3 10.5 22.1 0.1 5.4 12.6 5.9 5.0 3.6 60.9 $1 56.4 % Inc/Dec 12.4% 12.2% 11.6% 2.2% 4.7% 11.2% FY 06/07 TOTAL RECOMMENDED EXPENDITURES $296.0 Million Debt Service Funds 5% Administ rat ion 4% Public Safet y r 11% / Ge ne ral Se rvice s 3% School Self- Sustaining 5% Human Development 8% Parks, Recreat io n &. Cult ure 4% Community Development 4% Contingency Revenue Sharing Reserve/Ot her 3"" 1% School Division 50"" Total Expenditures FY 06/07 FY 06/07 FY 06/07 ($ in millions) Operations CIP Total Administration $10.2 $0.5 $10.7 Judicial 3.5 1.5 5.0 Public Safety 26.3 5.4 31.7 General Services 3.8 4.3 8.1 Human Development 23.9 0.1 24.0 Parks, Recreation & Culture 6.0 6.1 13.1 Community Development 7.6 5.4 12.0 Revenue Sharing 10.1 0.0 10.1 Contingency Reserve/Other 1.7 0.0 1.7 School Division 138.0 13.4 151.4 School Self-Sustaining 14.4 0.0 14.4 Debt Service Funds 13.8 0.0 13.8 Total, All Expenditures $259.3 $36.7 $296.0 TAX RATES Real Estate Tax* Personal Property Tax* Machinery & Tool5* Meals Tax * Per $100 assessed value $0.74 $4.28 $4.28 4.00% GENERAL INFORMATION Area Population (2005) Median Family Income (2000) Unemployment Rate (2005) 726 sq. mi. 90,400 $66,175 2.0% For the 35 square miles that compose our urban areas to function successfully as compact, pedestrian-oriented, mixed use communities with effective transportation systems and adequate public safety response, local government must provide broad and diverse services. Challenaes to Service Levels and Infrastructure The following are examples of the ways in which our budget has changed during the last ten years in response to the urbanization challenges that have grown at a pace significantly beyond the increasing population. These figures reflect comparisons from the FY 1997 Adopted Budget to this year's Recommended Budget. OPERATING FY 1997 FY2007 ... # of Paid Fire Rescue Staff 3 54 ... Volunteer Fire Rescue Operations $759679 $1,519,073 ... Police - Full Time Emplovees 111.5 147 ... Public Transportation $321,507 $978,603 ... Affordable Housing Trust Fund 0 $250,000 CAPITAL ... Transportation - Roads $500,000 $2 490,000 ... Infrastructure $61.000 $1 388.000 ... Stormwater (federal and state mandates) $110.000 $650,000 ... Fire Stations $250000 $4.372.000 ... ACE (Acquisition of Conservation Easements) 0 $1,000,000 Much of the increase in this year's recommended budget is found in the Capital Improvements budget, where specific projects that address many of the urbanization pressures are funded. For example, the 06/07 Capital Budget includes $470,000 in funding to begin the planning and construction of two urban fire stations, the Northern and Pantops Stations; $3.6 million in funding for the new Crozet library; $2 million for a partnership with the YMCA and PVCC for a recreational center; $2.5 million in road construction projects; and $827,000 in neighborhood planning, roadway landscaping and sidewalks for our urban communities. While these projects have been recognized as critical to the needs of the communities they will serve, the cumulative effects of constructing and operating the facilities have a significant effect on the budget that does not necessarily correspond with our community's rate of population growth. Our Budget Choices Support Priority Goals In the 2006/2007 Recommended Financial Plan, which incorporates operating and capital budgets, our resource allocation choices support our priority goals. As with budgets for the last several years since the Strategic Plan was adopted, our funding decisions are closely linked to the citizen feedback we receive about community values and desires. ... Provide High Quality Educational Opportunities for Citizens of all Ages · The County will transfer $91.2 million to the School Fund for operations, an increase of $10.2 million, or 12.2%, over last year. · The Capital Budget allocates $13.375 million to school projects, with major projects including ongoing work on the Monticello High School auditorium and a new addition for Cale Elementary School. · Continues the county's support for technology in schools and for Workforce training through new support for the One-Stop Workforce Development Center. · Coordinates with the schools to help close the achievement gap by funding the Urban Vision Educational Equity program to help children succeed in school. .. Protect the County's Natural, Scenic and Historic Resources · Demonstrates our continued commitment to protecting the county's natural resources by providing on-going support for the Acquisition of Conservation Easements (ACE) Program, which for the first time is funded with $650,000 in recurring general funds and $350,000 in recurring tourism funds to sustain our annual $1 million contribution. · Continues support for the Ivy Landfill and for our expanded storm water program. · Provides for ongoing recreational enhancement efforts like our greenways and our river and lake access programs and allocates new funds to providing handicapped accessibility to the fishing facilities at Mint Springs Lake. .. Enhance the Quality of Life for all our Citizens · Continues support for building the Northern fire station due to the increased development in the northern area. Funding for all these Northern fire/rescue initiatives totals over $700,000 next year alone. · Other fire/rescue system efforts, which total $4.27 million, include the first phase of new stations at Pantops and Ivy, capital equipment purchases for the volunteer fire departments, and a fire/rescue training facility/police firing range. · Additional police support, totaling $483,000, is provided for new positions including three sworn officers, a civilian property clerk, an investigator, an animal control officer and a records clerk. · The new Crozet library at $3.6 million. · $2 million in funding for an indoor recreational facility to be constructed in collaboration with YMCA and PVCc. · Continued focus on affordable housing with $250,000 in funding for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and additional support to Piedmont Housing Alliance for housing counseling and loan development help for Albemarle residents. .. Create Quality Urban Places · Neighborhood Plan implementation, roadway landscaping and our sidewalk program, which totals $824,000. · An increased commitment to transportation allocates a total of $2.5 million to road projects. · Funding for small business development to assist our business development facilitator in supporting the creation of vibrant "downtown" centers in our master planned communities. .. Serve the Public Efficiently and Effectively · We continue to focus on increasing our effectiveness and efficiency - for example, last year we documented $750,000 in one-time savings and $500,000 in ongoing savings and 5,800 staff hours that were saved and redirected towards high priority projects. · New Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and a GIS support person. · Additional Information Technology staff to support and maintain many of the interactive business processes that will allow us to serve citizens better like on- line payments, applications (permits, reservations, dog licenses, employment, etc), tracking payment information, and others. · Additional training in technology to keep productivity at high levels · A new records management system for Community Development records. Before I review the highlights of the budget, I would like to take a couple of minutes discussing the basis or drivers in this budget. By that, I mean this Financial plan is more than just numbers on a spread sheet. It is the roadmap that sets priorities and puts resources in place to achieve our vision for the community as identified by Board of Supervisors' Strategic Plan, the adopted Comprehensive Plan and CIP Program. 1 The Board's vision of Albemarle County features walkable and self-sufficient communities. 2 It envisions a rural countryside where the County's natural resources and beauty will be maintained. 3 4 5 Our guiding document for our County's growth and development, as you know, is our Comprehensive Plan, where the primary focus since 1971 has been to direct growth into designated areas while preserving the rural character and natural resources of the County. As you can see by the slide here, this approach created the potential for 35 square miles of an urban, city-like environment in addition to the 690 square miles of rural area to be protected and preserved. 6 Our goals for the urban areas and the rural areas are the same today as they were in 1971. 7 8 Citizens consistently have shown their support for these dual priorities The concept of focusing growth in designated urban areas to prevent sprawl and protect the rural character of the County continues to be supported by a significant majority of county citizens When asked to rank the most important priorities for our strategic planning - these rural area and resource protection-related goals all ranked in the top ten Given this mandate from our citizens, our challenge is to anticipate and plan for the future of both our urban and our rural areas with sound operational and capital investments now that will save taxpayer dollars later on 9 ... ... .And our citizens have provided guidance and input regarding quality urban areas During our citizen survey in 2004, respondents were asked to rank the importance of Services that would attract people to live in urban areas - According to residents of Albemarle County, core infrastructure services are key to increasing the likelihood of someone preferring to live in an urban area as opposed to a rural area as you can see from this slide. 10 97,200 84,186 . 1980 . 1990 0 2000* 0 2010 Many of us are aware that the county is growing at a steady pace between 1.5% to 2.00/0 annually, which translates into approximately 1,500 new residents every year. As this chart indicates, that pace will bring the county's population to over 97,000 by the year 2010. It is critical to note that the challenges we face are not only related to the number of new people in our community, but also to where those people are choosing to reside. 11 We are now seeing a shift in where the majority of the county's residents are living - in the past 8-10 years, we have seen an additional 14,500 people, or 530/0, living in the designated development areas. With the majority of the county's population now living in these urban areas, this means that those areas are reaching, or have reached, the densities that require us to plan for and invest in them in a different way. Achieving this vision brings challenges and service pressures more similar to a small city than a traditionally rural or suburban county 12 As we transition, we are funding programs and services that did not exist even 10 years ago, or were certainly funded at much lower levels 13 14 This recommended budget supports the Board of Supervisors' vision for Albemarle County as a community that offers a high quality of life and preserves our natural resources and visual beauty for future generations by... ... 15 16 17 This slide illustrates where revenues are generated. 18 SCHOOLS Operations Self-Sustaining Debt 53% 6% 4% 63% 19 20 As I mentioned earlier, this budget reflects investment in the building blocks that are necessary to create quality urban places. So, let's look at some of the major components of the budget beginning with Public Safety... ... 21 OPERATIONS Funds 6 FF/ALS to provide EMS service to the Northern Station area beginning October 2006 Hiring of 12 FF/ALS for the northern station in March 2007 For the first time, we are providing 100% of operating costs associated with the County's portion of the operations for CARS along with all other volunteer Fire/Rescue services. Funds 3 additional Police Officers on the street, 1 Police Investigator, 1 Animal Control Officer 22 CAPITAL 23 24 25 26 Such as mowing of medians of our Entrance Corridors that VDOT does not provide. 27 28 29 Provides an average 6.5% increase to community agencies Contributes $40,000 for PVCC Science Building Funds an additional 3 FTE Eligibility Workers and 2 FTE Adult Protective Service Workers Restores Family Support Workers to 40 hours/week and adds a additional half-time Family Support Worker at Jack Jouett Middle School Provides first time funding for One Stop Workforce Development Center, Piedmont Court Appointed Special Advocates, and Urban Vision Allocates $250,000 to the Affordable Housing Fund and Additional $48,568 to Piedmont Housing Alliance projects 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 December 29, 2003 Center for Public Service University of Virginia P.O. Box 400767 Charlottesville, VA 22904 Attn: Dear, This letter is written to express the County Of Albemarle's wishes to renew the contract agreement dated January 23, 2002 by and between the County of Albemarle and Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia on behalf of its Center for Survey Research for a Citizen Satisfaction Survey Services for the County Executive's Office for the Fiscal Year 2003 - 2004. The original proposal for consulting services and technical assistance was dated July 20, 2001. As stated in the original proposal, "these services shall be provided over an initial contract period beginning on or about January 23, 2002 through June 30, 2002. The County Executive's Office shall have the option of extending the contract period for an additional year or more, contingent upon the availability of funds for this purpose. The County Executive's Office wishes to exercise this renewal option. Terms and conditions of the original contract shall remain in full force and effect. Thank you for continuing service to our Office. Sincerely, Hugh M. Gravitt III, CPPB Purchasing Agent Cc: Lori Allshouse, Executive Assistant December 29,2003 Center for Public Service University of Virginia P.O. Box 400767 Charlottesville, VA 22904 Attn: Dear, This letter is written to express the County Of Albemarle's wishes to renew the contract agreement dated January 23, 2002 by and between the County of Albemarle and Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia on behalf of its Center for Survey Research for a Citizen Satisfaction Survey Services for the County Executive's Office for the Fiscal Year 2003 - 2004. The original proposal for consulting services and technical assistance was dated July 20, 2001. As stated in the original proposal, "these services shall be provided over an initial contract period beginning on or about January 23, 2002 through June 30,2002. The County Executive's Office shall have the option of extending the contract period for an additional year or more, contingent upon the availability of funds for this purpose. The County Executive's Office wishes to exercise this renewal option. Terms and conditions of the original contract shall remain in full force and effect. Thank you for continuing service to our Office. Sincerely, Hugh M. Gravitt III, CPPB Purchasing Agent Cc: Lori Allshouse, Executive Assistant Public Hearing I noticed in the paper today, that the County Executive said the budget is planning for Albemarle's' future. A plan that does not adequately provide for people who cannot afford market rate assisted living is inadequate. With the aging of the population, there are more and more people needing assisted living. It is a proven means for postponing or avoiding nursing home care. JABA is doing what it can to fill a gap and provide affordable assisted living, but we can't do it without a continuing partnership with the County. We need to assure there is affordable assisted living for our seniors, some of who are retired County employees. The program review recommendations to the Board of Supervisors does not recommend continued support for assisted living in Albemarle County. In early 2002, Windham Assisted Living owned by Genesis was going to close its doors permanently displacing 143 residents. Because there are so few assisted living accommodations that are affordable to the aging seniors and no other organization stepped up to the plate to provide assistance, JABA took over the operations in June 2002 without any prior experience in assisted living. JABA developed a business plan which established a private/public effort to keep Mountainside Senior Living (formerly Windham) viable. Although the information received from Genesis to develop the plan was faulty and the lack fQ1ime before the doors would close, JABA hastily assembled1>>an of action, shared it with the County and City, and thus a partnership has turned Mountainside Senior Living around. It is now favorably viewed as a well run, sustainable facility. It continues to have an occupancy of 90% or more each month. It provides a mix of private pay with auxiliary grant residents that is healthy and stable. However, since the state only funds approximately 62% of the cost for each AG resident, JABA continues to need contributions and public support from the County and City to keep the facility viable and a good place to live. As a partnership we have created an assisted living facility that professionals in the business have said is the best example they have seen to meet the housing and service needs of the this population group anywhere. Should one funding element be withdrawn from the project weakens the very foundation we have worked so hard to create. With the average costs of operations per resident at approximately $1,600 and the state subsidy at only $982, private pay, contributions, and public support are critical. We have significantly raised the private pay population from anf average of 14 residents in 2002,to an average of 39 in 2006. JABA has also raised more than $560,000 from donors who are also interested in maintaining Mountainside Senior Living as a viable place for our seniors to live regardless of their income means The County's budget review team also stated that they were concerned about continuing subsidy for one adult living facility over others. Not only is JABA a non profit, we were initially created by local government. We are quasi governmental, members of our board are appointed by the Board of Supervisors - therefore, we are not just another agency applying for funds, but we are an integrated part of the County. Other assisted living facilities are either far too expensive for the self-paying residents we house, or will not take AG clients (today we have over 60 AG clients). All residents living at Mountainside Senior living are Albemarle County residents. All AG residents at Mountainside senior living are followed by and reassessed by Albemarle County Social Services. The 18 Albemarle AG clients referred to by the program review committee lived in the County prior to coming to Mountainside. However. ALL residents are NOW Albemarle County citizens. We also subsidize care for persons with insufficient means for market rate assisted living . -~-,e. I know that the Board of Supervisors wants Albemarle County to be a-geed best place to grow old in, regardless of one's income. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you reconSider and continue partnering with JABA to provide affordable assisted living housing for over 100 Albemarle County residents. ~"'~ \:::._ "-- \ c-....J '[-.:J r- (~ 0---<, -- (<:)I) '\..> '\ C'-*'I.-0'\ \.f') - \. _ \ v (\ \-\l.fi5\:) ~ l-\c,\-\:- ~ l-\ -~.9-:..--t (:5-" \ \~\ t~ ~ ~ -Dr< v e o \.., c- Qo \:-\VC) .:1 \ \, \€ I CA. d-~C\O \ j.g. () ~ (p .tJ!;v1 March 8, 2006 Mr. Rooker, Members ofthe Board, Mr. Tucker: My name is Carole Hastings. I am spokesperson for the Principals and Assistant Principals in the County Schools and current principal of Holly mead Elementary School. I am also a taxpayer and parent of two graduates from our school system. First, we'd like to thank Mr. Tucker for recognizing the needs of the schools in his 2006-2007 budget proposal. It is very heartening to have a County Executive that is so aware of the School Division and its needs. We'd also like to thank: this Board for its support of our schools. We are very excited about our new Superintendent and believe that Dr. Moran will provide the vision, leadership and connectivity with the schools that are needed to accomplish our strategic planning goals of making Albemarle County a world class educational system. We know that you support this goal also. The budget presented by Dc Moran covers a great deal of needs that have begged to be addressed for some time. We commend your commitment to maintaining competitive salaries for both school and local government employees. In addition, we support the need for more police officers and fire and rescue staff to protect our citizens. We have placed more lofty goals in front of our teachers and administrators than have ever before been in place. We support the desire to be world class but also recognize that this takes resources. We do not want to place our new Superintendent in a position of not being able to address the School Board's strategic planning goals due to lack of resources. Your support of the Division budget will do what is needed next year to move us forward on this goal. The budget proposal addresses not only salaries but also building level staff development funds, an increase in building level budget allocations, staffing to support growth, and the replacement of textbooks and computers in the schools. With the challenge of using data to plan instruction, the budget supports the data warehouse that we feel is essential for our effective management of the data we accumulate. The K/1 teaching assistants, extra elementary nurse hours, school counselors at the high schools and testing specialists at the middle schools are all necessary to our commitment to eliminating the achievement gap. In summary, the budget development process involved wide representation and provides the resources our Superintendent and her staff need to move us forward. We appreciate your giving the School Board and Dc Moran that support. Thank: you for your attention and for what you do everyday to support our schools. - - , c:~ :,: .,';,. ~ ~';: ,..,I.::;'; .. c-. ~-~. -. '_'_~~~3---------" , ..':.' .....(.,:;7,. ..., . f" .' ..' . Remarks of Charles ("Chip") Deale President, Albemarle County Schools Parent Council 3.y.() f.rJ (p ArfV) I Before the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Wednesday, 08 March 2006 Good evening, Mister Chairman; Mrs. Thomas; and gentlemen of the Board. Mr. Slutsky: I especially would like to congratulate you on your election as a Supervisor and to belatedly welcome you to the Board. My name is Chip Deale, and I come before you for the 3rd straight year as President of the Albemarle County Schools Parent Council, which represents each of the county's public K through 12 schools. I seem to have a different theme or overarching message when I appear each year at this public hearing. Last year, it was to urge you to hold the line at the 2~ tax rate reduction that was being considered. The year before, in 2004, I joined many others in tossing Tootsie Rolls into a jar - an expression of our opposition to the then-proposed tax rate reduction. In both of those two years, I was pleased with the final actions you ultimately took. This year, my focus largely mirrors that which I had in my initial remarks nearly three years ago to the day. Namely, to express my appreciation for the level of funding for school operations that Mr. Tucker has included in his balanced budget proposal to you, and to encourage you to retain that 1 . I financial commitment to our public schools when you adopt the final budget next month. I know that many people this evening will be asking - deservedly so - for their fair share of the budget pie. And there's also likely to be some who will decry the fact that 47% of the proposed budget is for public education. That ultimately leaves each of you with very difficult decisions to make in terms of how funds are allocated. But I cannot stress strongly enough how important it is to the quality of life in this area and to our children's - and community's - future that the full $138 million for the School Division that is recommended by Mr. Tucker remain at that level. The funding request for education is justified when compared to other jurisdictions in the state. For example, when looking at per capita expenditures for education at like-sized localities, Albemarle County (at about $1,300) is comparable - a bit less than Hanover; a smidgen more than Roanoke and Montgomery. Albemarle is a notch below the average for the top 20 jurisdictions and about $75 less than all counties in the state. But perhaps more important than what other localities budget for education is what we need in Albemarle County to reach our lofty - but achievable - goal as a world-class educational organization. The increase in expenditures and the total education funding that is earmarked in the 2 , proposed budget is critical to sustain the excellence that our schools are enjoying and to continue to ensure that our students achieve success both locally and in the global community. The Nobel Prize-winning poet Yeats once wrote that, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." The support you as a Board provide to the Albemarle County School Division helps light that fire in our 12,000-plus student community and awakens in them a desire for lifelong learning. On behalf of the Parent Council, I appreciate that support and urge your adoption of the funding request. Thank you. Thank you. 3 ) .. j. g' (j (, 0; RJ7Y\ My name is Lynda Harrill. I reside in Ivy. I am here to express my concerns about an apparent disconnect between the County's customer satisfaction survey, the FY 07-10 Strategic Plan Goals, the County's current Business Plan and the FY 06-07 Budget you are considering this evening. In the last Customer Satisfaction Survey in 2004, the County received mostly high marks. One exception was Albemarle citizens' opinion of the County's efforts to manage growth which received one of the lowest ratings at 56%, hardly a stellar grade. With a customer satisfaction rating of only 56%, one would think this significant shortcoming would have been addressed in the County's Business Plan in a substantial way. The County's Business Plan (page C-9) says under Item #5.1- Establish and implement a schedule for completing the Master Plans for each of the County Growth Areas (Tied for First). Item #5.2 says - Implement all strategies in the Rural Area Plan within 4 years (Tied for First). Those are the only two strategies adopted that address growth management issues. I don't think those two are sufficient given the customer satisfaction rating and the current climate in Albemarle County. There is no time deadline specified in the Strategic Goals for completing the Master Plans for the Growth Areas even though development continues unabated without them. ZMAs are being considered without the context of Master Plans. ZMAs are being considered without the front-end involvement of the public which is the hallmark of the master planning process. There is also no strategy to address the disconnect between development and infrastructure in the County. The County continues to entertain and encourage growth while not providing the roads, public services and amenities promised for Growth Areas in the County's Comprehensive Plan. Finally, I have been told there is only $115,000 budgeted for master planning for the next fiscal year in the Community Development Department's Budget and until one of the Master Plans for either Places 29 or Pantops has been completed and presented to the Board of Supervisors, work on no other Master Plan can commence. This is due to a staffing shortage. Oddly, no additional staff has been requested in next year's budget for the master planning process. I have also been told that the current schedule is to complete Master Plans for all the designated growth areas in FY 09-10. With a 56% approval rating for Growth Management, don't you think that is all TOO LITTLE TOO LATE. ) " The Business Plan also indicates potential strategies to manage growth. I urge you to adopt two of those potential strategies immediately. #2 - Do a better job of connecting governance to the citizenry #4 - Utilize talents in the community to help solve our problems Involving the public on the front-end of the development process via master planning sooner rather than later will address both strategies. Following the County's Comprehensive, Land Use and Master Plans as WRITTEN without all the revisionary changes of late would go a long way toward engaging the citizenry. In dosing I would like you to ask yourselves this question - Would Albemarle County's efforts to manage growth serve as a model for other counties? Last time I checked, 56 % wasn't even a passing grade. March 8, 2006 .tL.S_:_~__~ ... . H1t?N' r:rrfl Mr. Rooker, Members of the Board, Mr. Tucker: My name is Carole Hastings. I am spokesperson for the Principals and Assistant Principals in the County Schools and current principal of Holly mead Elementary School. I am also a taxpayer and parent of two graduates from our school system. First, we'd like to thank Mr. Tucker for recognizing the needs of the schools in his 2006-2007 budget proposal. It is very heartening to have a County Executive that is so aware of the School Division and its needs. We'd also like to thank this Board for its support of our schools. Weare very excited about our new Superintendent and believe that Dr. Moran will provide the vision, leadership and connectivity with the schools that are needed to accomplish our strategic planning goals of making Albemarle County a world class educational system. We know that you support this goal also. The budget presented by Dr. Moran covers a great deal of needs that have begged to be addressed for some time. We commend your commitment to maintaining competitive salaries for both school and local government employees. In addition, we support the need for more police officers and fire and rescue staff to protect our citizens. We have placed more lofty goals in front of our teachers and administrators than have ever before been in place. We support the desire to be world class but also recognize that this takes resources. We do not want to place our new Superintendent in a position of not being able to address the School Board's strategic planning goals due to lack of resources. Your support of the Division budget will do what is needed next year to move us forward on this goal. The budget proposal addresses not only salaries but also building level staff development funds, an increase in building level budget allocations, staffing to support growth, and the replacement of textbooks and computers in the schools. With the challenge of using data to plan instruction, the budget supports the data warehouse that we feel is essential for our effective management of the data we accumulate. The K/l teaching assistants, extra elementary nurse hours, school counselors at the high schools and testing specialists at the middle schools are all necessary to our commitment to eliminating the achievement gap. In summary, the budget development process involved wide representation and provides the resources our Superintendent and her staff need to move us forward. We appreciate your giving the School Board and Dr. Moran that support. Thank you for your attention and for what you do everyday to support our schools. ,. ,.. COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE Office of Housing 1600 51h Street Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 Phone: (434) 296-5839; FAX (434) 293-0281 March 1, 2006 Mr. Dennis Rooker Chairman Albemarle County Board of Supervisors 401 McIntire Road Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 Dear Mr. Rooker: The Albemarle County Housing Committee adopted the attached resolution at its February meeting requesting an additional financial commitment of general funds to support housing initiatives. Since May 2005 previously appropriated funds have provided assistance for eighteen lower-income families to purchase homes in the County. Two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) appropriated in FY05 combined with approximately $50,000 in funds repaid to the Albemarle Housing Initiative Fund provided this assistance. Based on the current performance and anticipating units proffered by developers to begin becoming available during FY2007, we believe the additional request is conservative but is a step in the right direction to address our commitment to affordable housing. We respectfully request that you consider our request during the process of developing the County's FY2007 budget. Thank you for your consideration. 02\lbemArle Count, ~usin9 Committee copies: Members - Board of Supervisors Ella Carey, Clerk Robert Tucker, County Executive Integrity - innovation - Stewardship - Learning Website: w",w.albemarle.org Resolution to Request Increasing General Fund Contributions for Albemarle County's Affordable Housing Fund ,. Whereas, Whereas, Whereas, Whereas, Whereas, Whereas, Whereas, Albemarle County adopted an Affordable Housing Policy in February 2004; and, the County set goals for inclusion of affordable housing in all new developments undergoing development reviews for rezoning and special use permits; and developers have proffered and the County has accepted over 400 units of affordable housing with the potential for over 750 additional units from projects in the development review process; and, the County and its nonprofit housing partners will identify potential purchasers for the proffered units; and, it is estimated that the average down payment subsidy necessary to make these units affordable will be at least $30,000 per unit with approximately one-half of the subsidy available through Albemarle's Homebuyer Assistance Program; and, the County's program provided assistance for eighteen families to purchase houses in 2005 using approximately $300,000 of County funds; and proffered units will begin coming to the market in fiscal year 2007 with the number of units expected to increase annually; Now, therefore be it resolved that the Albemarle County Housing Committee requests the Board to increase its annual appropriation to the County's housing fund from $250,000 to $500,000. Adopted February 8, 2006 ) ,/ r+ J \.'~ Vito Cetta, Chairm Albemarle County Housing Committee