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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-03-12(March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 1) A regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Albemarle County, Virginia, was held on March 12, 2003, at 6:00 a.m., Lane Auditorium, County Office Building, Mclntire Road, Charlottesville, Virginia. PRESENT: Mr. David P. Bowerman, Mr. Lindsay G. Dorrier, Jr., Mr. Charles S. Martin, Mr. Dennis S. Rooker and Ms. Sally H. Thomas. ABSENT: Mr. Walter F. Perkins. OFFICERS PRESENT: County Executive, Robert W. Tucker, Jr., County Attorney, Larry W. Davis, and, Clerk, Ella W. Carey. Agenda Item No. 1. The meeting was called to order at 6:00 a.m., by the Chairman, Mr. Dorrier. Agenda Item No. 2. Pledge of Allegiance. Agenda Item No. 3. Moment of Silence. Agenda Item No. 4. From the Public: Matters Not Listed on the Agenda. There were none. Agenda Item No. 5. PUBLIC HEARING: To receive comments on the County Executive's recommended Operating Budget for FY 2003-04. Agenda Item No. 6. PUBLIC HEARING: To receive comments on the FY 2004-05 through 2007- 08 Capital Improvements Program. Mr. Tucker began the meeting by making a presentation concerning the proposed budget. He spoke about some of the challenges and realities that the County is facing. Growth and urbanization are major issues. The County continues to grow at a healthy rate, but one that creates many more issues than an urbanizing county might have to consider. Citizen expectations are still strong. There is uncertainty in the economy locally, throughout the State and nationally. State mandates continue to be a major drain on County resources. There are security issues since 9/11 that still have not been resolved. The County has responded to these issues by listening to the citizens through the Citizen Survey which was completed in January, 2002. It is focusing on the strategic priorities adopted by the Board and stressing high performance for the organization, as well as creating a sound financial plan. Mr. Tucker said the strategic priorities will put things into context rather than just focus on numbers. Promoting high quality education: the Brights Stars and Family Support Programs were very successful, the school system has 87 percent of its second graders at or above grade level, the drop-out rate is less than one percent, 58 percent of graduates earned an Advanced Studies Diploma, SAT tests were taken by 72 percent of seniors (the national average was at 46 percent), and the County has six finalists for the National Merit Scholarship. Mr. Tucker said as to Protecting the Rural Character of the County, the Acquisition of Conservation Easements (ACE) program has protected over 1000 acres of rural land to date, the County is currently in the midst of drafting a master plan for Crozet, the greenway trails system is expanding and it is hoped that there will be a new boat launch site on the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir soon, citizens made a great response to the drought crisis last year, and a stream assessment and groundwater study has been completed for a portion of the County. Mr. Tucker mentioned the strategy, Providing a Superior Quality of Life. He said the County opened the new Monticello Fire Station about two months ago, Simpson Park was dedicated in Esmont last year, a Career Center was opened by the Social Services Department, the County helped to subsidize Woods Edge Apartments housing for the elderly, affordable rental housing is provided at Whitewood Village Apartments, and athletic fields have been expanded through various construction and maintenance efforts. Next, Mr. Tucker mentioned customer expectations. He said the County received a 93 percent satisfaction rate on the survey which was taken last year, the County's Web-site and other information services have been expanded, real estate records are now on-line, a Visitor's Assistance Center was opened in the County Office Building on Mclntire Road last year, the County has purchased the Wachovia building south of town to be used for a new County office building which is expected to meet the needs for space through the year 2025, and the County recently received a Triple A Bond Rating from Moody's Investors Services. Albemarle is now the smallest county in the nation to receive this rating. Mr. Tucker said that in continuing progress toward the County's vision, the strategic planning process will be continued, it will continue the focus on customer service, it will continue to improve business processes throughout all departments, it is keeping Albemarle's challenges in perspective, and financial planning for the future is continuing. Mr. Tucker said the Budget Goals for FY '04 are to maintain the property tax rates at the current levels, to support high quality education, to enhance the quality of life, to protect County resources, to improve service effectiveness and efficiency, to support the high quality workforce, and to program capital (March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 2) infrastructure improvements. He said the budget totals $215.7 million which is a 3.7 percent increase over FY '03, the Revenue-Sharing Agreement with the City of Charlottesville stands at $7.7 million which is a $1.0 million increase, it shows $2.0 million in General Government mandates and obligations, a $1.0 gap in the budget has been addressed by reducing department budgets and programs, community agencies have been level funded, but there are still many unfunded requests from both Local Government and the School Division. Mr. Tucker then showed a pie chart representing County Revenues. He said that local property taxes represent 38 percent, while State revenues are at 24 percent. Eight to ten years ago, State revenues stood at 34 percent. As to County Expenditures, the largest portion goes to School operations (47%). The School Self-Sustaining Fund is at 5.2 percent, and the majority of the Capital & Debt expenditures (16%) are for schools. General Government gets almost 27 percent which is an increase of about 2.3 percent over FY '03. The Schools will get an increase of about 4.1 percent, while the Capital Program gets about 2.7 percent, with the Revenue-Sharing Agreement with the City showing an increase of four percent. He said the total FY '04 budget increases only 3.7 percent over the FY '03 budget. Mr. Tucker showed a chart representing Five-Year Revenue Trends. He said that while real estate revenues have shown a healthy increase since FY '99, Other Local Revenues, the Personal Property tax, and State and Federal revenues have been fairly flat during that same period. That is why the County is in its present dilemma. Mr. Tucker brought the attention of the audience to Allocation of Local Tax Revenues. He said there is a projected increase of $5.8 million, less $1.0 million for the Revenue Sharing Agreement with the City, and less the transfer to the Capital Fund, that leaves $4.5 million which is split 60 percent ($2.7 million) to the School Division and 40 percent to Local Government ($1.8 million). Therefore, Local Government begins with $1.8 million, but Other Local Revenues are down $0.4 million and State/Federal Revenues are down $0.4 million, leaving a balance of new revenues at $1.0 million. New Local Government mandates/obligations (Ivy Landfill operations, COB South, Comprehensive Service Act, employee health insurance increases, the Monticello Fire Station, and the census increase at the Regional Jail) total $2.0 million, leaving a shortfall of $1.0 million. In order to close the gap, he has looked for expenditures savings such as: froze eight positions, reduced departmental operations by five percent, eliminated or deferred programs and initiatives, reduced capital equipment replacements, level-funded community agencies, and funded no new or expanded requests. No increase in the real property tax rate is recommended. Mr. Tucker then had a chart showing numbers for General Government Operations. It showed that there is an increase of 2.3 percent proposed in FY '04. Public Works shows the most significant increase due to remediation costs for the Ivy Landfill. For School Operations it shows a proposed increase of 5.8 percent, but that proposed budget has a shortfall of $1.733 million. Mr. Tucker mentioned the budget for the Capital Improvements Program. Revenue needed is $21.746 million for FY '04. Thirty-three percent of that will be in borrowed funds for the school system. Twenty-seven percent will be in borrowed funds for General Government, and local revenues for the General Fund total thirty percent. Expenditures for the schools (Monticello High School additional classrooms, Henley renovation & expansion, expanded school division maintenance/replacement program, and School Division wide area network upgrade) are proposed at 42 percent; courts & judicial (Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court) is at 27 percent, and public safety (Fire/Rescue stations & equipment) is shown at ten percent. The other projects are for the Ivy Landfill remediation, athletic field development, and $0.350 million from the Tourism Fund for the ACE Program. Mr. Tucker said there is a flat economy everywhere. The budget has been balanced despite the flat revenue growth. Essential services have been maintained through efficiencies and departmental reductions. He said that a compensation and benefit increase has been provided for employees. Although the market proposes a 3.8 percent increase for both schools and local government classified, only two percent could be provided for Local Government employees. If revenues increase, he will try to get the other 1.8 percent increase for those employees in January, 2004. He said the Schools are proposing a 4.0+ percent increase for teachers, as well as the 3.8 percent for classified employees. He said this budget funds School operations with a four-percent increase. The Board's capital investment strategy has been maintained by increased funding to the Capital Program. Mr. Tucker said the Board will hold a public hearing on the final proposed budget on April 9, 2003. Hopefully, it will approve the budget on April 16. Mr. Dorrier said before beginning the public hearing, he will remind everyone of the Board's guidelines for addressing the Board. He said the two agenda items will be combined into one public hearing, the operational budget and the capital improvements budget. The Board will listen fully to what everyone has to say and will treat everyone with respect. Each speaker will be given three minutes to speak. No one is allowed to give any portion of his or her time to another speaker. Copies of written statements are to be given to the Clerk. Speakers are to address the Board as a whole rather than to individual members. All applause, and any other forms of approval or disapproval, are to be held as a courtesy to each speaker. To show support for a particular position, the speaker may ask supporters to stand. The Clerk will operate a timer clock, and when the timer beeps the speaker will be asked to wrap up his/her comments. He then called the names of the first five speakers. Ms. Carrie Taylor said she is a teacher who has come to speak in support of the business of public education (copy of statement is on file in the Clerk's Office). In 2001 she changed her career to that of teaching 11th and 12th grade Physics students, and took a salary cut of over 55 percent to do so. In order (March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 3) to continue this career choice, she must take six courses in three years at a personal outlay of $3,000+. She receives $100 a year to help with this expense. She said that in order to get and retain the best staff, businesses look at overall compensation for their staff. Businesses consider compensation programs including health insurance, tuition assistance, performance bonuses, life insurance and a retirement plan. She thinks the County must do the same for its public school staff in order to remain competitive and continue the improvements made in the school system. She then listed some statistics pertaining to her salary and the education classes she must take in order to meet state and county requirements. Ms. Taylor applauds Dr. Castner's pilot program for tuition assistance for classified staff, but said the County must go further and extend tuition assistance to teachers. She listed several school systems in the state, and the amount they reimburse their employees for tuition. She thinks it is time the County focused on tangible benefits like tuition assistance so that its staff can grow as professionals. Ms. Cheryl Bradbury said she has lived in Albemarle for 57 years. She was educated in Albemarle County schools. She has a Master's Degree from the University of Virginia. She said the County assessment of her property went up 57 percent in three years. Her pay has gone up only three percent in that same time. She wants to live in Albemarle County when she retires in five years. Mr. Charlie Trachta said the one thing that has not changed in the last year is that parents are looking for more money for schools, employees are looking for raises, advocates for the ACE Program wish to increase their budget, the Police need equipment and officers, Fire/Rescue needs new equipment, etc., etc. He explained to the Board last year that its budget was faulty, but it did not listen. This year he will say it plainer: "You need to change the way you tax." Richmond spends money on education. He said Albemarle is rated a higher per capita county than others. Of the eight surrounding counties, and the two cities in the area, Albemarle is at the top of the list. On the list of 95 counties in the state, Albemarle is number nine, and even adding in the 41 cities, Albemarle only moves down to 14. He asked how it was decided that Albemarle is so rich. He said there are many rich people living in the County, but they do not get taxed on their money. It is the middle class that pays the bills, and he does not think they can pay them any longer. He likes it that the major share of his taxes go to education. He wants that money to educate students in Albemarle. Although taxes have not been raised, property assessments have gone way up. If the Charlottesville "extortion tax" were removed, the rate would only be 66 cents per hundred. He said he wants more money for education, but until this Board pulls its head out of the sand, there will be no money for anyone or anything. Mr. Brian Wheeler said (copy of full statement is on file in the Clerk's Office) he is the parent of two children at Murray Elementary. He is a candidate for the at-large seat on the School Board. If he were a member today, he would have voted to send the Board of Supervisors the recent School budget request. He would have worked on the partnership between the boards, demonstrating the schools could handle their own tough decisions about redistricting and capital projects. He said he knows the problems faced in Richmond, and knows the limits the Dillon Rule places on local government. He said the State is not funding its share of education in Virginia. The General Assembly has passed the funding responsibility to the Supervisors again. He said that the revenues necessary to fully support the School Board's funding request need to be found. The County has already cut that request by $1.8 million, but the budget summary noted that the funds provided should still assist the School Board in increasing compensation for employees. The Director of Human Resources reported that the proposed 4.08 percent salary increase for teachers is based on the median of a flawed market. Teacher salaries need to be based on something above the average, not median, of a true competitive market. The Superintendent was asked this year for a needs-based budget. The proposed cuts will force the School Board to again make classes larger, miss the mark on compensation, recruitment, professional development, and the school building's operational budgets. This budget cannot get the School System from good to great without addressing those fundamental needs. He asked that the School Board's budget be fully funded. He then asked those in the audience who supported his statement to stand (approximately 100 people stood). Ms. Pat Napolean said she is a native of Albemarle County and a teacher at Stone-Robinson Elementary. She said test scores in Albemarle County parallel or exceed the most aggressive areas in the State. The County's wealth and ability to pay abound, but resources are not being managed or allocated properly. Employees in Albemarle County are not being adequately compensated and this causes children and families to suffer. She is offended that teachers and teacher assistants are not compensated as well as the City does for its employees. She said the salary of senior teachers in the City is almost $4000 more than that of similar employees in the County. She said the history of longevity has brought strength to the School System, but this trend will not continue. She believes a true needs-based budget has been presented. However, basic needs are not met in regard to compensation. She said that year after year begging goes on and dedicated professionals give much to the schools because they care about children. She believes that political maneuvering has created a hurtful situation. A change in methodology for determining compensation has been mentioned. How would the County pay to a higher standard if it cannot pay according to an inferior criteria? She appreciates the Supervisors' efforts to protect and retain the natural elegance of the area with programs such as ACE. She asked that the ACE Program be fully funded again. She thinks the Supervisors need "to step up to the plate" and lead the community in providing an equitable system that includes fair compensation for educators. Ms. Karen Marcus said she is the principal at Woodbrook Elementary School. She supports Dr. Castner and the Albemarle County School Board in their commitment to the children in the County. The primary goal of the School System is to provide a dynamic environment for learning. Everyone in the community, whether or not they have children of their own, benefit from students who go out into the community prepared to contribute and be productive citizens. The School Division has high academic standards and expectations for its students, and all school staff people are committed to providing a environment in which students and their parents feel safe. She said the School Board's funding request (March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 4) supports high standards for values that contribute to citizenship and the continuous growth of all members of the community. The Albemarle County School Division is one of the best in the State. It aspires to be one of the best in the nation. Supporting Dr. Castner's needs-based budget sends a clear message to the public that Albemarle County recognizes the work that has been done and will continue to be done by the staff. She asked that the Supervisors support and fully fund the School budget. Mr. Steven Gissendanner said he works at Woodbrook Elementary School. He said families choose communities based on quality jobs and quality schools. Quality schools are built by quality teachers and without reasonable funding, the teachers will not stay. The current pay scale and the proposed pay scale for next year are not adequate. He then quoted statistics comparing Albemarle's pay scale to that of the City. He asked that the Supervisors fully fund the School Board's request and to also find additional support for the School Division. Ms. Babette Thorpe was present to present a statement for the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) (Copy of the statement is on file in the Clerk's Office). She said that since 1972, PEC has worked to promote and protect this area's rural economy, natural resources, history and beauty. Over 175,000 acres in the region are now protected by permanent conservation easements. This is one of the largest collections of privately-protected land in the country. When a landowner wants to protect his/her farm and can't give away their development rights, they turn to the ACE Program. Last year, ACE bought development rights on four farms, protecting over 1000 acres. ACE protected land high in conservation value permanently from development, retiring 102 development rights. Assuming that each house would have generated .47 pupils per house, that is about 5/6 of a school bus full. Over the long run, more can be invested in classrooms and teachers if fewer school buses are sent to remote rural areas. Given the success of this program, the rising cost of land and the long-term economic benefit to Albemarle's taxpayers, it does not make sense to cut the funding proposed for ACE by two-thirds as is proposed. She asked that this program be funded at or close to the $1.0 million level that has been provided over the past few years. Mr. Bruce Copeland said he is a financial consultant and senior citizen resident of the County. He supports the public school system which is the number one priority in the County's strategic plan. He said there have been a lot of achievements over the last three years as outlined in the County Executive's report. The only flaw he saw in the Strategic Plan was the suggestion that County services could be maintained and taxes kept at their present levels. If there is a level tax rate in the future, it is his opinion that all County services could slip into mediocrity. He believes the County's Strategic Plan should have a more visionary approach to the future which will likely require a tax rate of closer to $1/$100. With a broader tax rate, the best and brightest teachers could be recruited at a competitive salary. Environmental programs could be expanded. There could be a more secure police force. The community could move quicker to permanent water supply solutions. The County could take advantage of more modern technology to improve services and productivity. Rather than squeezing every department on the expense side, let's generate more revenue from the major source which is the property tax. He thinks that paying a higher property tax rate would be a better investment for his family than the same amount of dollars put into the stock market. He considers the property tax paid as an income tax deductible item to be a better investment for the future of his family, and for the good of Albemarle County. To move the educational system from good to excellent, he challenged the "commissioners" to increase the property tax rate by at least four cents for next year. Mr. Corey Cleland said he is on the faculty at James Madison University, and is a Destination Imagination coach. He is also the father of a kindergartner and he spends one morning a week working with the students doing critical thinking tasks. He then explained the situation with one child in that classroom, a child whose potential was being blocked who need individualized instruction. He mentions this story because the current budget proposal will have an impact on staffing. He thinks this budget will cause an increase in class size. That is important because a good teacher, even in a regular classroom can provide individualized instruction and mentoring, but not if they are overwhelmed with large class sizes. He thinks this could affect instruction for disabled students, for the gifted and talented students, and for the average student. The example he gave is that of a child who could be left behind. Ms. Laura Craft said she is President of the Scottsville PTO. She thinks teachers have an important job, but they are not treated that way. The teachers at Scottsville have been required to meet certain academic performance standards. By test scores, it can be seen that they have, but they are not compensated for those achievements. The PTO wants to keep the high quality of instruction at Scottsville. Without the Supervisors help, there is the chance that teachers will be lost to another school system or another career. She thinks the teachers need and must have a substantial salary increase. Second, small classroom size is very important. Teachers cannot be expected to accomplish the goals set by legislation, and not give them the tools they need to meet growing expectations. It is unreasonable to ask a teacher to abide by the 2001 "No Child Left Behind" Act, meet the SOL standards, and demonstrate academic growth for each individual student when they are made to teach in unreasonable classroom sizes. Third, schools need the funds necessary to keep up with technology. Teachers need to attend more workshops to enhance learning. Right now, Scottsville Elementary has only one lap top computer. This is not acceptable. She said a goal of the Scottsville PTO remains to provide the children at Scottsville the best education possible. The PTO's purpose should be to provide enriching activities that support student learning such as field trips and programs. However, due to the lack of funds available, the PTO is often asked to provide books to the library, educational software for the lab, and financial support for tutorial programs. The PTO is happy to support the school in a financial way, these things should not be a worry, a burden, or a roadblock for the teachers. She asked that the teachers be compensated for what they do each day for the good of the children. Ms. Patti Wilson said she is President of the Agnor-Hurt Elementary School PTO (copy of her full (March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 5) statement is on file in the Clerk's Office). She is present to voice their support of the School Board's budget request for the FY 2003-04 school year. She said the Albemarle County School System must be competitive with other counties in this state. Higher salaries enable the recruitment of highly-qualified teachers, and also helps to retain the teachers currently on staff. The PTO supports the prevailing market pay increase for classified staff in the schools. They urge the Supervisors to fully fund the School Board's budget request so that the English as a Second Language program is properly funded. Agnor-Hurt has 71 students in this program speaking 17 different languages. Funding is needed to pay teachers to assess the needs of new students and in order to support a better teacher/pupil ratio in classrooms. Approximately 17 percent of the population at Agnor-Hurt is in the ESOL Program. That number grows daily. They urge full funding of the School Board's budget so the School System can have a full-time Equity and Diversity position, and also greater access to the latest technology. She reiterated the need for salary increases for teachers as well as classified staff, proper funding to support the English as a Second Language program, and support for an expanded diversity program as well as increases in technology. She said children need to be taught the skills that will support them when they become adults. These programs support the quality education wanted for the children of Albemarle. Mr. Hank Childress said he has a son at Stone-Robinson Elementary. He supports full funding of the School Board's request. He has known many teachers over the past 25+ years who have had to leave teaching due to inadequate compensation. He thinks compensation has always been Iow for teachers. That has become an accepted thing, and it shouldn't be. He asked if it would cost more to stay the course and to further the improvements already started, or would it cost more to fix what is going to happen if things continue to decline. Teacher compensation is critical to moral. It is critical to what the children learn in school, to how schools are run, and if it is not handled at this time, when will it be handled? He urged the Supervisors to deal with this problem now, and to fully compensate teachers for the job they do. Ms. Pam Cochran said she is a Board member for the Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE) which strives to stop domestic violence, and to assist its victims. The Shelter offers both residential and non- residential services to victims of abuse, along with life-changing support systems. They are working to reduce the cycle of abuse through different programs. This year they added professional counseling services for children of Shelter residents, increased their legal advocacy, expanded their work in schools, and are seeking means to better their accessibility for walk-in clients. In cooperation with other community entities, they implemented a program for transitional housing and for emergency housing when their residential shelter overflows. She said that in these troubled times, all are stressed. Money is tight, and stress mounts. It is such conditions that exacerbate domestic violence. She said cuts to their funding request could jeopardize programs and services not offered by any other agency. The County has assisted in serving over 1500 clients in the last three years. She asked that the Supervisors fully fund their grant request for the coming year so they may continue to serve those caught in a web of intimidation and violence. The Shelter only requested a 3.2 percent increase, but they actually got a decrease in their funding amount. The reason for this seems to be their educational program which was rated as fair. She thinks that rating is unfair and asked that it be reevaluated and given a good rating. She said a decrease in funding in their educational services will affect their direct client services. They recruit and train volunteers who are crucial to their direct services such as the 24-hour hotline and for their residential shelter. Without volunteers, those services would be affected. They would also be unable to recruit volunteers and to make people in need of services aware of their services. She encouraged the Supervisors to revise their evaluation and to increase their funding. Ms. Laura Laffond said she is the parent of three children in the School System (copy of her full statement is on file in the Clerk's Office). She is here to represent the parents and teachers at Broadus Wood School. Twenty years from now, today's students will be making up the bulk of the workforce. She asked if the Supervisors are really thinking about the future of the children. She said they must be educated now so they will choose to live in this community, develop businesses here, and then educate their children here. She asked if the Supervisors have thought about what skills will be required for tomorrow's workforce. What is needed now is quality education. The bar needs to be raised from good to excellent. If excellent schools are wanted, then they need excellent teachers. They need more than just higher salaries. They need continuing education, adequate planning time, and manageable classroom sizes. She said everyone wants to leave a legacy. Teachers want students to reach their highest potential and be able to succeed in the workforce. She asked that the Supervisors find the money to support the School Board budget. Ms. Lisa Moorefield said she President of the Albemarle County Schools Parent Council. She has had children in the School System for 15 years, and has been involved in the budget process for the last five years. She is a local business owner. She depends on the qualify of life in the community, and the qualify of education to attract and keep her employees. She thanks the School Board for its support of quality education and their visionary approach to this year's budget process. The School Board listened to the parents, reacted to the wishes of the teachers and staff, and then submitted a needs-based budget. Their budget request addresses the immediate and critical needs of students, teachers and staff. However, it is $1.7 million over projected revenues. But, she thinks the budget request is realistic, conservative, and based on the goals they set, and Federal and State mandates that must be met. She said the Parent Council supports the visions and priorities set forth by the School Board. The Council's priorities are: fair and competitive compensation for teachers and staff in order to retain the brightest and best; to maintain current class sizes; to have additional staffing for literacy initiatives, SOLs and technology; and to provide teachers with additional resources to go beyond the requirements of the SOLs. While the Council appreciates the financial challenges faced by the County, and it is apparent that the State government will not be forthcoming with their fair share of education funding, it is up to the people of Albemarle County to determine how good or great the schools will be. She said parents expect success for their children. The burden of that responsibility has been carried too long by teachers and staff. They think it is time the voters and taxpayers of Albemarle County do their part. She asked that her taxes be raised to fully fund quality (March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 6) education and the other services that the citizens of Albemarle County expect. She asked those present in favor of her comments to stand - the majority of those present stood. Ms. Miriam Rushfinn said she is Director of the Parent Center. She lives in North Garden and has a child at Red Hill Elementary. She said if those who parent and educate the children are supported and successful, this insures a well-educated and prosperous community. She noted that the study conducted by the Weldon Cooper School listed education as a top priority for residents. She thinks this is a wealthy community that has the capacity to provide a high quality environment for all its citizens. She thinks the bad news is that this County has the lowest tax rate in Virginia for populations over 70,000. She said the children can't wait for better economic times. She thinks the School System needs full funding to maintain its quality, to improve in areas where it is deficient, and to address numerous mandated requirements from Federal and State levels. She said it is the County's problem that the State has continually under funded the educational system, even in areas where it has made its own mandates. It is left to the County to take care of its own, and pass on to the children a solid foundation for future success. Ms. Margie Shepherd said she is the President of the Albemarle Education Association (AEA), a teacher, parent and taxpayer (see copy of full statement on file in the Clerk's Office). She noted that in the County's report to the community for 2003 called "Pursing a Vision of Excellence, it is stated that 90 percent of the respondents to last year's citizen survey put good public education as very important, thus making it the number one priority of the residents. She said most residents don't have kids in the public schools, but education is the top priority. This report goes on to extol Albemarle's new Triple A rating from Moody's Investor Service which was given for "strong financial management, wealthy and vibrant economy, and modest debt burden." She said the County is wealthy and vibrant, has clear priorities for excellence in education and yet the Supervisors are too tight-fisted to fund what the Schools are doing. The needs-based budget submitted to the Supervisors has been shortchanged by $1.7 million. That budget includes few new initiatives, and those which were included are part of the School Division's vision of excellence. The budget does not go far enough to be visionary with salaries, yet it is not recommended for funding. She thinks the County can fully fund the budget by increasing fees (as the City of Charlottesville did), and not grant permits to developers until they give financial assurances sufficient to cover the impact on schools. She said quality programs and quality education require quality funding. Find the money. It's all in the priorities. Ms. Angela Farley Strauss said she has been a special educator for 29 years (copy of her full statement if on file in the Clerk's Office). She is currently with The Enterprise Center at Murray High School. She said when times were good back in the 90s, the elected leaders did not see fit to bring it's education force into equity in compensation. When the State and County said, go forth and raise scores, the teachers did not let the community down. Look at the test scores now. Look at the achievement of the students. The response of the governing community was to set goals higher without so much as a thanks for the hard work, much less a competitive salary for the teachers. She said education is on the verge of a crisis. How will Albemarle attract and keep teachers if they are not properly compensated? Times are tough financially, but when times were good, education salaries were not comparatively rewarded. The opportunity slipped by and now that times are tough, catch-up must be played. The State of Virginia used the composite index to indicate a localities' ability to pay for education. She suggested using the composite index as a comparative tool and then look at the salary schedules of communities who have a similar ability to pay. She suggested that the Supervisors not be complacent about the availability of excellence. Mr. Phil Marx said he lives in Ivy, and has lived in the County for 30 years. He and his wife came here to go to the University and remained in the community partly because of the excellence of the County school system. He has three daughters in the school system now. Twenty years ago they bought a house in Ivy thinking that the schools would probably be good. He had with him a copy of his recent reassessment for his house. The half acre lot on which the house sits increased in value by 56 percent since the last reassessment. They own another lot across the street, and it increased in value by 47 percent in two years. He is not complaining, and understands the problems the County has. He is giving the Supervisors permission to take his money and spend it on the teachers who teach his children. He hopes they will be rewarded for their excellence in the manner they should be rewarded. Mr. Billy Ballard said he is President of the PTO at Cale Elementary School. He supports full funding of the School Board's 2003-04 Budget. He mentioned the report of the County which says that quality education is the number one priority of the community. The PTO at Cale shares that priority. He thinks the School budget should be funded at 100 percent or more of their requested amount. He said Albemarle County has the means to support a fully-funded School budget. Albemarle has one of the lowest tax rates for a county of its size in Virginia, yet Albemarle County ranks as one of the highest with the ability to provide. He said Albemarle can afford to pay for what it wants. Cutting programs, reducing personnel, eliminating resources is counterproductive. He noted that Mr. Tucker had said the Jail population is going up, court system costs are going up, and he thinks that fully funding this budget will prevent that from happening. He said these cuts directly affect the student's parents, school employees and County citizens who share the vision of excellence. He thinks that everybody present at this meeting tonight is here because of education. Students are the future. The seed of imagination planted in a student today is the promise of prosperity and security of our homeland tomorrow. Don't shortchange their opportunities. Excellence is expected in the school system, so the means to do so must be provided. He asked that the School Board budget be fully funded. Mr. Joshua Blanthorn said he is a resident, a parent and a teacher at Stony Point Elementary School. He asked that the Supervisors fully fund the School Board's proposed budget. It appears it is the goal of the School Board to provide better educators for the students. These educators are continually improving themselves, as well as gaining higher level degrees. However, there is no incentive to do so. He (March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 7) presently holds a Masters degree and the compensation for that does not even cover his government- subsidized monthly loan payment. He has also stretched the terms for that loan out to 20 years. He is getting the message that he must bear the financial burden for the County. He said salary levels are being adjusted based on a comparison with counties which are vastly different in economic terms, such as Nelson and Greene. He thinks salaries should be averaged against counties where the cost-of-living and the cost of housing are similar. He thinks the salary study was flawed and was deliberately designed to produce a significantly lower average. He asked if the Supervisors want a system that is fair and encourages teachers to stay in the profession, or does it seek to have a continuous turnover of inexperienced teachers? He and his wife must work full time as well as second jobs in order to live in Albemarle. As a parent and educator, he feels the family should be the center of importance. The School System asked for results on the SOLs and they were delivered. It asked for cutting edge technology to be implemented, and the teachers delivered. Why should teachers stay in this profession when they can easily move to another and possibly double their salary? The answer is the children. Why should teachers be penalized monetarily for staying? He asked that the Supervisors appropriate the funds to support education and the educators in the County. Mr. Joe Mullen said he is the father of three children in the County schools. He is a taxpayer whose assessed land value just went up 100 percent. He does not think it is too much to ask that the tax increase be invested in the children and the future of the County. He thinks Dr. Castner asked for only the minimum to continue what is being done. He said three-quarters of the budget goes to the dedicated public servants who teach the children. He said the children in the School System far exceed a whole host of national performance measures. But, the teachers are paid far below the national average. Is it right to deny those people a wage increase that barely covers inflation? Is it right in the alternative to reduce the number of teachers? If the number of teachers is cut, it does not just change class size, but also eliminates programs in classes those teachers support. If that is done he thinks the Supervisors should have the guts to step forward and say which classes and what programs are unnecessary. He mentioned that a part of the budget shows $250,000 to replace school buses which are 13 years old. It shows $270,000 for science books from kindergarten to fifth grades. Children cannot learn if they don't have the textbooks they need. He asked if the Supervisors had the courage to do the right thing? Ms. Ashby Kindler said she and her husband have three children in Albemarle County schools. She asked that her taxes be raised. She is the Principal at Stone Robinson Elementary. She had not planned to speak tonight, but had come to support Dr. Castner. This past weekend she attended a conference in Northern Virginia on technology. Half of the people who organized that conference were from Albemarle County. She gained knowledge as to how tools of the century can help children learn the way teachers know their brains work. How can she find and put those tools in the classroom within the budget they have? She gave an example of one of her teachers who had found information on the Internet which provided her with hundreds of hours of research, and which brought it into the classroom for free. Had she had wireless lap tops a few weeks ago when she started this, it would have allowed her to bring prior knowledge, and extend it to every child in the classroom. She said there are 16 wireless lap tops at Stone-Robinson and the County only paid for five of those. Rev. Eltie Finn-McKinzie said there has been a lot of talk today about the schools, but she is here to represent JABA senior centers in Scottsville and Esmont. She is a pastor in the Esmont community. She said they deal with over 100 people in these communities. JABA provides weekly and bi-weekly programs and activities for seniors. They provide participants with hot meals. For some it may be the only hot meal they receive all week long. Their home-delivered meals program brings microwave meals into the home for those who can't get out. During this winter when there has been so much ice and snow, they also provided blizzard bags for those people. JABA's nurse practitioner provides weekly blood pressure tests, follow-up medication, advises patients about their medical condition, advises about exercise, diets and lifestyles. She communicates with doctors, administers flu shots and does monthly group presentations on health-related issues. Many of their activities are fun. JABA provides education programs on many topics such as insurance, legal aid, Medicare, prescription cards, bill consolidation, and how to make homes accessible. The most important thing JABA does involves socialization. The Senior Program is something they look forward to. It provides them with a time to meet and greet and catch up with people, it staves off depression. She said Scottsville and Esmont are active centers which provide an essential service for the community. They appreciate the Supervisors' support over the years, and are dependent upon that continuing support. She said these seniors served in wars and put the community together. She asked that the Supervisors give them its respect and support so they can continue to live as they have provided places for us to live. Mr. Peter Hallock said he would like to speak about protecting the County's natural, scenic and historic resources. In the slide presentation, ACE is noted as a high priority, and there was also a picture of the lovely mountains. Yet, funding for ACE is cut by two-thirds. He thinks this is a poor investment. Also, he asked if the teachers and schools are expected to pay for growth. Growth costs money, and the County is obviously not funding what growth costs. Mr. Don Vale said he is the principal of Henley Middle School, a resident of the County, and the parent of student in the school system (copy of his full statement is on file in the Clerk's Office). He said all know the revenue picture for the Commonwealth is of concern. Regardless, educational experiences for the children cannot be risked by cutting corners or being short-sighted. He commends Dr. Castner and the School Board for designing an educational needs-based budget. It is the responsibility of the community to see that the school systems go from good to great. The success of the schools is something to be proud of. Twenty-three of the 24 schools are fully accredited, SAT scores are 73 points above the national average, a record number of students take advanced placement courses, there are strong Stanford 9 scores, Iow dropout rates, and achievement gaps are closing. However, many challenges remain. Recognizing that the request exceeds expected revenues, it would be logical to ask "Can we trim the fat?" (March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 8) There is no "fat" in this request. Many of the increases are mandated or required. A savings could be realized by postponing the K-5 science textbook adoption, but current textbooks are outdated and do not support the needs of students or teachers. The bus replacement cycle could be increased to something more than 13 years, but at what cost? He urged that the Supervisors consider funding for the areas of staffing and compensation. Although a significant amount of money could be saved by increasing the class size ratio, increasing class size results in a reduction in the number of teachers and ultimately results in program offerings being cut. As to compensation, the School Board's request will keep compensation at an "average market value." He believes the gains in student achievement have been a result of the knowledge and skills of the teaching force, so compensation should exceed "market value." He then said funding to support implementation of the Design 2004 Model is important. Today, more is known about teaching and learning, and about how conscious decisions to use research-based instructional practices result in higher achievement gains. The ability to utilize 21st Century technologies is no longer "pie in the sky" wishes, but provides essential skills that students must have. He urged the Supervisors to support full funding for the education budget. Mr. James Powell said he is President of the Albemarle County Farm Bureau. They support the ACE Program. He said that during its first three years the program has shown its ability to benefit the County in terms of reducing growth and protecting natural resources such as watersheds, mountaintops and forest lands. It has benefited landowners and farmers such as himself who was personally facing the loss of farmland without this program. Without full funding of the budget in prior years, he would not have received full funding of his easement. If funding had to come solely from tourism tax dollars, he would not have qualified for funding. He said that 81 percent of the ACE applicants actually farm their land. With its ranking system, that shows that ACE is targeting the right group. There has been widespread support for protection of farm and forest lands and it is not just for aesthetics. It is also protecting a way of life that is disappearing from the landscape. It benefits both the County and taxpayers in that this open space does not require near the cost and services from the County that it would in development. In its first year, the program protected over 1000 acres, and now in its third year, it has the potential to protect almost 5000 acres. He thanked the Supervisors for starting the program. There is a shortfall noted in the budget this year, but they hope the Supervisors can find some way to restore funding back to this program. Ms. Emily Powell said she came to speak on behalf of JABA. She thanked the Supervisors for supporting some of its most important programs. They understand there are difficult decisions to make about which services to fund. They appreciate the County's plan to keep JABA's funding level for FY '04. Unfortunately, level funding will not provide the revenue needed to maintain services at current levels. They will not be able to provide the same level of home-delivered meals because the cost per meal will increase in the next fiscal year. For some clients, home-delivered meals are the only source of food they have. Over 50 of the County's residents rely on home-delivered meals. They live alone and may not be able to shop or cook their own meals, they may not have family members to help them out. There is a growing population of people who are aging. They are long-term residents of Albemarle County and want to stay in their homes. These people call JABA seeking information. JABA has one full-time case manager to assist seniors who request these services. She has already served 144 individuals in the last six months. They had hoped to receive additional funding for next year to hire a part-time case manager to meet the growing need. Unfortunately, there is no support for this request. She said they will try to reach out to seniors and provide them with the basic support services they need to be healthy and safe, but they need the Supervisors support. Ms. Joyce Gentry said she is a resident of the County. She thanked the Supervisors for its support of JABA and for keeping their funding level for the next year. She provides information on the systems and referral of JABA. The majority of her calls for services are from Albemarle County residents inquiring about home-delivered meals, home care, home safety and Iow-income housing. Referrals are increasing, so the one case manager in Albemarle who already has a large case load will not be able to keep up with the demand for services. The request for a part-time case manager is very critical. They appreciate the County's plan to keep their funding at the same level as in FY '02, but that funding will still result in cutting services such as home-delivered meals and case management to existing clients. She asked that the Supervisors give serious consideration to their request so these seniors may have the necessities in their last years. Mr. John Bushweller said he is the father of two children at Meriwether Lewis Elementary. He said their community has a vision of excellence for the schools. There is a literacy specialist at the school who has worked with his older daughter. This child has now been transformed into an avid reader as a result of this effort. The literary specialist position is funded as a quarter position. The Meriwether-Lewis PTO funds another one-quarter of this position to bring it to a half-time position. The community deems this position to be so essential that they are raising money for the position. His first grader has had the benefit of TA help made available to kindergarten and first grade classes. These positions are funded to seven hours by the County and the PTO contributes to increase this to 17 hours. It is clear that staffing is at a bare minimum, and that limited budget growth will degrade the quality of education. As a community, their donation of time and money demonstrates the importance of adequate staffing. He said the School budget must be fully funded in order to address the need to provide competitive salaries to attract the best possible personnel. Anything else will lead to the erosion of an outstanding school system. Mr. Chip Deale said he the President of the Crozet Elementary School PTO, a member of the Parent Council, and the father of two children in the school system (copy of his full statement if on file in the Clerk's Office). He requested that the Supervisors fully fund the School Board's budget. He said the County's "Report to the Community 2003" states that the results of a survey of County residents "... clearly identified quality education as the community's number one priority." He thinks that is a mandate, and the Supervisors need to provide above-average compensation to the teachers to show that they are valued and (March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 9) appreciated. Also, enhancing the focus on technology is critical to all students' ability to learn and be successful in the global marketplace. He said that funding teaching specialists and curriculum resources is vital if the County is to achieve and sustain full accreditation for all of its schools and ensure full compliance with the "No Child Left Behind Act." He said no one questions the difficult financial situation in which the County finds itself. He does ask that the Supervisors embrace their leadership function and find a way to overcome these challenges. He asked that the School budget be fully funded. Mr. Robert Hogue said the School system budget is short over $1.7 million without any plans to make any spending cuts. What does this teach the students? To spend money when it isn't available? No wonder there are so many bankruptcies and huge credit card debts. The Kentucky school system cut 700 administrative positions because of their budget shortfall. Virginia and Albemarle should cut back on administrative positions and on programs. Mr. Hogue said he will trade his yearly income with that of any full-time teacher. He said the tax system is not fair. His tax money goes to support those who have children in public schools, police and fire protection for the urban ring, also for other amenities in the urban ring, and for those using the parks and other facilities. He believes he receives little benefit for his tax dollars. Taxes continue to increase, but with job losses higher taxes hurt a lot of people. Albemarle is getting a reputation for not being business friendly. Assessments went up 20 percent. With this increase, he thinks the tax rate should be lowered. Everyone should think about the fact that for every dollar made, government is taking 50 percent of it in taxes. Not all Albemarle residents are wealthy. Some make minimum wage. It is the responsibility of the Board of Supervisors to see that the government is run efficiently and to hold down expenses. He urged the Supervisors to make more cuts in services. Mr. Floyd Artrip said he is a homeowner, a taxpayer, a businessman, and he has no children in the public schools. Taxes have gone up exorbitantly. The amount of revenues from real estate taxes have doubled in the last ten years. What was the motivation for that? The CPI went up only 28 percent in that same time period. The population has increased only 23 percent. The student population has gone up only 16 percent. But, money coming from real estate taxes doubled. His home, which was built in 1999, has gone up 43 percent in value. People have mentioned the ability of the people to pay in Albemarle County. The County also has a Iow tax rate when compared to other counties in the state. He said the American Chamber of Commerce does an index, and if you take the per capita income and divide it by the cost-of-living, Albemarle is at the bottom of that list. Fairfax County is almost 45 percent above Albemarle in its ability to pay. Why is that? It is because expenses are so high here. Income is not improving. A lot of companies are no longer located here. Premium jobs are going away. He thinks it is time to put a halt to the growth of taxes. The tax rate needs to be reduced to $0.64/$100 so it would be a flat tax income for real estate for this year. (Note: At 8:05 p.m., the Board recessed, then reconvened at 8:20 p.m.) Ms. Michele Bascle said she has two children in the Albemarle public schools. She is President of the Stony Point Elementary PTO. She thinks more money is needed for the budget, but until there is more, she will mention three areas which she thinks deserve priority. Salaries for teachers that reflect greatness - in order for the schools to go from good to great, the best teachers needs to be attracted and kept. She thinks professional development money should be added to the budget, and a merit pool should be included for outstanding teachers. She suggested fully funding medical insurance. She looked at the salary schedule and was disappointed at how little the pay raises are for teachers as their experience grows. Next, money is needed for equipment and supplies. The "No Child Left Behind Act" puts a greater responsibility on the schools. She said there are program options which should be funded, the Strings Program (a connection has been shown between music and math) and the Gateway Program (lifts great students to exceptional. She would like it extended to the good students in the standard level classes). She said to be great requires more money. Ms. Ann Etchison said she was present to speak for the Meriwether Lewis Elementary School PTO Board. She is the parent of two children in the County schools. She is an educator employed at UVA's Curry School of Education. She handed in a petition signed at Meriwether Lewis by over 180 persons asking that the School Budget be fully funded. She asked that the Supervisors be advocates for the children, parents, teachers and administrators of the School System by sending a clear message that Albemarle County values strong education, sound instructional programs, adequate pay raises for teachers and other staff, well-planned and executed staff development opportunities, sufficient and updated instructional resources and supplies, and resources necessary to abide by state and Federal mandates. She asked that the Supervisors join the educators and School Board in maintaining quality education in the County. She said the Meriwether Lewis School community urges the Supervisors to demonstrate a commitment to quality education by fully funding the budget passed by a majority of the School Board. Mr. Mark Usry said he is the father of two students in the School System. He is also President of the Burley Middle School PTO. He thanked the Supervisors for creating the quality of life in Albemarle County (fire protection, police protection, parks, water quality, ACE program). He said the citizens expect a great deal from the County government. Tonight, he is asking for continued support for the schools. The County's 2003 Report cites the successes in the schools, and successes of students in course work in SOLs, in college and vocational preparation. He said the County has produced great initiatives in the past: the strings program, a swim team, character education and countless others. This year the School Board passed to the Supervisors a needs-based and a bare bones budget. He said the budget tries to meet the needs of the schools. The Burley PTO endorses that budget, but it falls short of meeting their "wants." At Burley, they know their "needs" and hope the Supervisors do as well, but the Supervisors may not know their wants. They want what there is now in the budget. Beyond that, they want higher teacher salaries so that many of the best will not retire early, or move to other systems or careers. They want foreign language taught beginning in elementary school and going all the way through high school. They want expanded art (March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 10) classes. They want more money in the operating budget to support the teachers in professional development and skill mastery so innovations may continue in the curriculum. They want more updated computer equipment. They want smaller average class sizes. He said these things are essential to a quality education. They want these things in order to stem the flow of students out of public schools because their parents can only get these things in private schools. He said the quality of the schools impacts directly on the quality of life in the County. There are good schools in the system, but at Burley, they want excellent schools. He asked that the Supervisors find the money to fully fund the proposed School Board budget. Mr. Philip Harris said he is a long-time resident of the County. He has one daughter in middle school. He is not a teacher, but he wants to remind the Supervisors of a few simple concepts. He thinks the most important thing the citizens need the government to supply is education for the children. That starts with excellent teachers teaching. There must be competitive salaries and benefits packages to attract and keep the best teachers. Excellent schools will make for happy and productive citizens who have the skills to be productive. The School budget is not just pursuing a vision of excellence, it is pursuing actual excellence. The Supervisors need to support that idea. He supports the School Board, but they need help and support. He asked that the School Board budget be fully funded. Mr. Patrick McCann said he is the parent of two children at Western Albemarle and also represents the Warrier Club, which is Western's booster organization. He will speak about a capital project, the Weight Wellness Facility at WAHS. He said this is a small amount in the overall capital plan, it is a very important project for the WAHS student community. A specific request was put forward as far back as the mid-1990s. Now, with the help of a public and private partnership, this need can be filled at an attractive cost to the County. He said the current space is inadequate and ill-suited for its use. There are other needs also. With the switch of the girls' basketball season to a winter sport, there is now no space available for the wrestling team to practice. The new space will also be used to upgrade the PE curriculum with easy to use exercise machines, as well as aerobic equipment to focus on wellness for all the students, not just the athletes. With a nationwide childhood obesity rate of 25 percent, he is sure everyone sees the benefit of developing these lifelong skills. School officials have indicated that the wrestling part of the facility can be used as an activity room for many programs, including special education activities. This facility would not be used just by the sports programs. If action is taken now, about half of the cost of the project will be paid for from private sources. Allied Concrete and the Virginia Red-mix Association has agreed to donate the floor, the footings and the walls. The Warrior Club committed to raising the funds needed to equip the facility and over the last 12 months has contributed over $20,000 to fund equipment purchases and field improvements. This was accomplished without any major fund-raising campaign. It also subsidized a strength and conditioning coach to develop specific conditioning programs for the various sports. He thanked the Supervisors for listening, and thanked Mr. Al Reaser and his staff for moving the project forward in the approval process. Mr. Dave Phillips said he is the Executive Officer of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Association of Realtors. He is also the father of two students. He has come to talk about his volunteer capacity as a member of the Historic Preservation Committee. The committee submitted a budget request but it was not included in the budget. The request is for a little less then $60,000. They could use a person to establish a database of historic properties so they can be sure they do the right things to help preserve the County's history and heritage. He said there has been a lot of talk this evening suggesting the Board raise the tax rate on real property. He cautioned the Supervisors about doing that saying a lot of property owners can afford to pay a little more, but there are many people in the community who cannot do that. Anything the Supervisors do to decrease the affordability of homes hurts a lot of citizens. For those who volunteered to have their taxes increased, CAAR would be happy to collect those taxes and then turn them over to the County. Ms. Charlotte Hogue said in these days of a slowing economy and with more and more unemployment, why isn't the County trying to find ways to spend less, and downsize instead of constantly increasing the size of government and demanding more taxes with the excuse "we need." She said that not all citizens in Albemarle can go out and demand an increase in their income to cover these ballooning taxes. How many departments have been eliminated, or told to decrease their spending? How many vacant positions have been cut? How much has been cut by decreasing the number of County vehicles? How many social programs have been reduced? What happened to the idea of people working and taking care of themselves instead of generation after generation being on public support? With the additional money from new construction, why isn't the tax rate being reduced? For years, the cry has been for more money to provide quality education. When is this goal of enough money going to be achieved? Never! No one is satisfied. Are the schools using the money for educating the children or for more administrative staff, and extra curricular activities? The County should not be allowed to increase spending by more than the rate of inflation. The Supervisors are in charge of spending. Do your job! Ms. Nancy Damon said also present with her tonight is Ms. Althea Gibson. She thanked the Supervisors for their years of support of the Virginia Festival of the Book which is produced annually by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. She said that March 19 through 23 will be the ninth annual festival and she invited everyone to attend. She asked for continued funding for its tenth anniversary next year. She said the Virginia Festival of the Book reaches into almost every County school to bring authors and illustrators to enrich the children's lives. It is important to have a good time and people do so at the Book Festival. Last year the total attendance at the Festival was 16,896 people. People came from 34 states. They ate in restaurants and bought books and other things, and they stayed in hotels. The Festival has an important economic impact on this area. With the Festival, the County's money goes a long way. Mr. Peter Bernhardt said he and his wife have lived in the County for 33 years. Their assessments (March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 11) over the last two assessment periods went up over 118 percent on the land, and 61 percent on the houses. He thinks that anyone who is retired, whether they have children or not, at those rates will not be able to continue to live in the County. A friend, George Davies, who was not able to attend tonight, told him that he had a loft, which he has now sold, and it went up 267 percent in the last assessment period. That seems inordinate. He does not censure anyone here because the Supervisors do wonderful work, and so do people in the County Office Building. He suggests that as to increased cost in the assessments, that the Supervisors might consider some cap or if one is retired, their age, how long they have been residents in the County, a means test, etc. He said that in other jurisdictions there are precedents for that. He also suggested that as a new source of revenue, the County look to developers who build million dollar houses which many out-of-state people buy without great difficulty. He suggested putting greater fees on them for water hook-ups, for gas, for sewer, for roads. He said that would be a way in which additional money could be raised. If people can afford that kind of housing, he does not think it would be incommensurate with their means to buying a house. It is the increased demands by developers and new residents that caused the Albemarle County Service Authority to increase water rates by 300 percent last summer. Mr. Larry Lawwill said he is the Co-chair of the Albemarle County Building Level Administrators' Association, the Principal at Albemarle High School, the parent of two children and he has been a County taxpayer for over 25 years. He said the Albemarle School System has been one of the best kept secrets in the State. With the advent of the worldwide web, the publishing of test scores and school achievements, people are beginning to take note of what is going on in Albemarle County. He said that all of the high schools meet the standards under the SOLs to be fully accredited. In the System, over 95 percent of County schools have met State accreditation standards. System wide scores on the SOLs and SATs and Stanford 9 tests put this division as one of the best in the State. The County has gotten a quality school system for the investment made in the past, but cannot rest on its laurels. He is present to voice support for the School Board's funding request. Additional funds need to be allocated to the School System for next year. The Supervisors made a commitment, as did the School Board, to maintain employee salaries at the market median for the competitive market. The salaries and the benefits that the System is able to pay has had an impact on keeping veteran teachers and employees, but also in helping to attract new people and quality people to the County. People want to become a part of this quality system, but they also realize that living in this area is expensive. In looking at the results the system is achieving, just maintaining the market median salary should not be the goal, but salaries should be near the top of the market. He requested full funding for the School Board's request. Not doing so could force the school system to take some backward steps. The system needs to be maintained at the current level, and that is what the School Board's request does. Mr. Al Hughes said he is President of the PTO at Brownsville Elementary, and the parent of a third grade student at Brownsville. They support the School's budget request. He said the motto of the School System is "We expect success." That comes with a price. The children are achieving and excelling. With a strong partnership between the teachers and parents, the schools are making a difference in the community. Twenty-three schools out of the 24 meet the 2007 accreditation standards now. The teachers expect success and they deliver every day. Yet, County teachers do not get the salaries they deserve. Virginia ranks 24th in the nation in teacher pay. He said Albemarle County is one of the ten wealthiest counties in Virginia. It's cost-of-living is over 107 percent of the national average. But, teacher salaries lag well behind the national average. It is the responsibility of the Supervisors, as the elected officials, to make difficult choices. All appreciate that there are limited resources. The real property tax rates are well below the state average. If schools are not funded at the level which allows them to perform their duties, then the Supervisors fail to meet their obligations and responsibilities. He urged the Supervisors to fully fund the School budget. Ms. Jodi Denny said she is the parent of a student at Walton Middle School. She teaches language arts to eighth graders at Walton, and also speaks for several colleagues who could not be present tonight. She asked that the budget proposed by Dr. Castner and the School Board be fully funded. In times of budget crisis and economic uncertainty, money allocations need to be prioritized, but she does not think there is a higher priority than education in the community. She expressed appreciation for the Supervisors' support of the school system. There are also school communities which work hard and care about the students. However, hard work and care are not the only things that will continue to make the school system successful. There must be monetary support to move from great to excellent. Historically, society has not placed the value and emphasis on education that it should. It is good that today education is a popular item on the country's agenda. However, unfunded mandates, including higher standards for students and higher qualifications for teachers, are putting increased strains on the schools. More money will be needed in the budget to support these higher standards. He urged the Supervisors to adopt the budget proposed by Dr. Castner to show that its highest priority is the education of the children. She said the next two speakers are her students who recently wrote papers about what they would like to have in the schools if there were the money available. Mr. Ryan Tillery said he is an eighth grade student at Walton Middle School. He asked to share an idea which may have a positive affect on the schools that would require money. He asked that the schools invest in a facility where students could go to have fun, but also get tutoring, learn important things about life, and get assistance with the things that fall on teenagers. He said this facility should be a place where they could meet other students from Albemarle County. In this facility would be many rooms where they could talk to each other with an adult, or just by themselves. It should also include a gym. He thinks the facility would educate them as students and as people. This facility would help them become better students and better people. The schools need the funds it would take to organize this type of facility. He asked that the Supervisors adopt Dr. Castner's budget. Ms. Sarah Mallan said she is an eighth grade student at Walton Middle School. She thinks the school is in desperate need of funds to purchase books for their library. Many students at Walton do not (March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 12) live near a library or a bookstore. Therefore, they do not have access to updated literature. She said their library should have the most up-to-date young adult literature available. A library should be a place where all your dreams come true, but how can this happen if none of the books relate to the students? Reading opens the mind and also helps with school testing. If their library had a supply of the newest young adult literature, the students would be more likely to read and the end result would be priceless. She urged the Supervisors to adopt the proposed budget so that schools like Walton can get the money they need to update their libraries. Ms. Monica Pawinski said she is the President of the Woodbrook Elementary School PTO. She said the Woodbrook students are happy and thriving, and they are looking forward to passing their SOLs. Their education is enhanced with art, music and physical education. They are being enriched by the gifted and technology teachers. Their staff is hard-working, competent and dedicated. Parents hold them in high regard and most would like to see the teachers get a pay raise. Although enrollment at Woodbrook dropped by 30 percent last year because of redistricting, their PTO per capita fund-raising has kept up. Parents volunteer in the classrooms on a regular basis. They are big fans of public education. She said that each school is a team, and each team deserves a winning season. She asked that the Supervisors listen to the School Board and Dr. Castner and give them their full budget. Show the taxpayers that schools are the top priority for the County. Ms. Carol Krohn asked that the Supervisors go beyond the County Executive's recommended budget recommendation to fully fund the School Board's request for next year. Providing a high quality education for the children is a top priority for many people in the County. She said the recommendation before the Supervisors falls short of what is needed. While all are watching spending in the present economic environment, some expenses are crucial. Well-maintained facilities, small classes, and up-to- date instructional materials are necessary expenses, along with competitive compensation to attract and retain talented teachers and staff. In the past three years, she has seen the School System tighten its budget to the point where she considers the quality of its program compromised. Field trips have been cut, teacher aides eliminated from all grades beyond kindergarten, special projects have turned to parents for funding, and despite ceaseless fund-raising, the Woodbrook PTO cannot support the kinds of enrichment it would like to make possible because it is called upon to purchase basic equipment and to replace what is worn out in an aging facility. It has taken donations from parents just to fund a staff position so that someone is there to assist kindergartners in the cafeteria at lunchtime. She is not satisfied with the quality of education being provided in Albemarle County. The test scores look good, but in one of the wealthiest counties in the state, the schools are relying on wrapping paper sales to make ends meet. Fair and equal education opportunities across the system cannot be provided if it is relying on parents to cover basic expenses in the schools. Whatever the fiscal situation in the County this year, we cannot afford to not fully fund education. It is an expense that cannot be put off into the future. There is not the second chance to meet the education needs of the children. Albemarle wants and expects great schools and must invest in them accordingly. Mr. Jack Marshall said he was present tonight to urge that the ACE Program be fully funded. There is little debate about the merit of ACE. It is supported by a broad spectrum of Albemarle County citizens for a host of reasons. He is proud to be part of a community which was willing to allocate $1.0 million a year over the last few years to purchase development rights. He cannot in good conscience argue that money for ACE should be taken from already depleted line items for schools, public safety, and other basic services. The fact is that the County does not have enough revenue to cover all the needed expenditures. One unpopular but obvious answer is raising more money through taxes and fees to fund the ACE Program at the full $1.0 million level. He said he would like to note the irony of the County's ability to fully fund ACE without raising taxes. On the one hand, development rights need to be purchased because the population is growing at an unsustainable pace. The County is doubling in size very 32 years. Eliminating development rights helps to slow growth. On the other hand, there are not the funds to purchase development rights because the explosive population growth imposes pressure on the County to pay for expanding services of infrastructure for people recently arrived, and the people who will arrive on the County's doorstep in the next few years. The lesson is that growth does not pay for itself. The financial squeeze Albemarle County feels today is exacerbated by a weak economy and reduced state revenue for local governments. But, the core of the problem is the population growth. We cannot hide our heads in the sand and pretend that local government can provide high level services for the population which is increasing by nearly 2000 every year without raising taxes. The ACE Program eliminates the potential for growth in the Rural Area and thus reduces the future need to provide services and infrastructure in those areas. ACE is an effective program and needs to be funded even if in the short term higher taxes need to be collected to do it. Bite the bullet, raise our taxes. Mr. Blake Hurt said he is a County resident. He spoke about a young man who was recently stopped by the police, and they found $10 of marijuana in his car. Because of this he faces up to 10 years in prison at a cost to the taxpayers of about $22,000 a year. This community has an alternative for non- violent offenses, that is the Drug Court Program. This program accepts felons who admit their guilt and agree to participate in a year-long program where they must submit to multiple drug tests each week, attend group therapy meetings, work in a job or do community service, and meet with a judge. They are required to give up those things, places and people that got them into the crime. If this young many stays in the program, at the end of the year the felony charge will be reduced or dropped. The cost of this program is approximately $6000 per year per person. There are about 40 participants in the program. Thirty percent of them are County residents. The total cost is about $246,000 per year versus the $880,000 cost for incarceration of these felons in the County jail. In the past, the state paid for the program. This is one of the few communities in the state that has a drug program, and the State Legislature did not endorse the Governor's recommendation, and its funds were cut. In order to continue the program for this year, they secured a $136,000 Federal matching grant which requires that the remaining $110,000 be raised locally. (March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 13) They ask that the County contribute 40 percent of this, or $44,000, and will ask the City to contribute the remainder. He has spoken with the commonwealth's attorneys and judges, the social workers, and a number of the participants. They all endorse this program. Statistics show that the graduates of this program have only a six percent chance of returning to crime. The rate for drug offenders who stay in jail is 50 percent. He was impressed by these facts, and the endorsements, and found them to be persuasive. He also found it persuasive that for every $1.10 the County contributes, the Federal government will contribute $1.36. For that $2.36, the City and County together save $8.00 in incarceration costs. Therefore, he asks that the County provide $44,000 this year to support the Drug Court Program. Without it, the County will see a significantly higher cost at the jail. Ms. Pat Smith was present to speak for Offender Aid and Restoration. She said their Board members were present earlier, but have left the meeting, so she will speak for them. She thanked the Supervisors for the support they have always given to OAR. They appreciate being in the budget again this year, but the problem is that the Drug Court, which is a program they run, has been cut and one other program called PAPUS has also been cut. Both programs were cut by the state, and in order to access the funding they need from the Federal government, they must have a 25 percent match, and that part was not included by either the County or the City. They are asking that both the City and the County help with this funding. They cannot access the funding without the local match. She asked that the Supervisors consider this funding. Ms. Mary Gallo said she is a parent of a child at Crozet Elementary and also serves on that PTO. She supports Dr. Castner's funding request. A number of people have already spoken about the reasons to support this funding request. She will address her comments to those who do not have children in the public school system. She said the quality of life and property values enjoyed in Albemarle County are tied to the quality of education in this area. Many aspects of daily life are impacted by the quality of public education. She said if the community is interested in building economic development of the area, it must care about quality public education. In order to attract professional employment to the area, it must care about quality public education. Companies and professionals care about the quality of public education and will look closely at this before committing to relocating to an area. To those who do believe themselves to be stakeholders in public education, she asked them to look deeper. If only in self interest, all should support Dr. Castner's budget request. Ms. Maggie Leary said she is the President of the Baker-Butler PTO. They ask that the Supervisors fully fund the budget proposed by Dr. Castner and the School Board. She said the individual members of the Supervisors have been elected as the leaders because it was felt that they have the experience, knowledge and vision to make these difficult decisions. The Supervisors' responsibility is to represent the citizens of the County, and those citizens have identified quality public education as their number one priority. Mr. Tom Loach said he has heard two things tonight. People have expressed a need for more money for education, and other taxpayers said they need lower taxes. He would like to mention a program run by the County which he thinks is unfair to the taxpayer, and that is the land use tax subsidy. He does not think most people in the County know that the County wipes out over a billion dollars in taxable land value every year, and that costs the citizens over $9.0 million a year in taxes. There are 4991 parcels of land receiving the subsidy at an average write-off of $238,936. At the $0.76 tax rate, that is an average tax loss for each parcel of $1815. Those who receive the tax subsidy only pay the last five years of back taxes when they sell their property. When he asked what percentage of land currently in the land use program had been in the program more than five years, he was told that probably the bulk of the land in the program had been in more than five years. He said that 19 percent of those parcels is owned either by a corporate entity or an LLP. Most residents in Albemarle don't know they pay extra taxes because the money the County pays to the City is based on the total assessment of land in the County, and not the assessed value minus the one billion dollars that is wiped offthe books. In essence, the citizens get taxed twice for that property. There are three programs which support the rural character of the County. The land use tax subsidy, the ACE Program and the growth area program. The land use tax program is nothing more than a temporary Band-Aid, and is poorly controlled. The program is supposed to protect the rural area from development. He has been told that there are parcels in the program that have no division rights. He does support rural preservation, but he thinks the ACE Program which preserves open space for all time is a much better buy for each dollar spent. If the land use subsidy is going to continue, the Supervisors must explain to the nearly 50 percent of the citizens who live in the growth area why they should continue to subsidize rural landowners when there is not the necessary infrastructure funding for the neighborhoods. He thinks the Supervisors will have to prioritize the value of each of these programs and the funding that is needed to support them. Ms. Sheri Dunbar said she is the parent of three students, she knows how important it is for the school system to be backed. She feels the teachers need more money, they earn it, they deserve it, they work hard. But, she also backs the bus drivers. She has been a bus driver for five years. A lot of things have changed during that period of time. At one time, drivers worked for two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. Now, they drive two runs every day. Their pay does not show enough difference. They are having to find part-time jobs to help family income. Their day begins at 5:45 in the morning because they have to check the bus to be sure it is safe enough to make the trip to school. Since their day is split up, in order to get a second job they have to work nights or weekends. Parents can't do that. There are a lot of females who drive so they can be home with their kids. If a job is found in the middle of the day, the employer must be willing to have you not show up for work because of early release, or schools starting late because of snow, or there being inoperative fuel pumps. If there is a sick child on the bus, the driver must clean up. If there is a fight on the bus, there is no administrator to solve that problem. Sometimes they do not get through work until 6:00 p.m. From 5:45 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. is a long day. She is a lead driver (March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 14) and makes only $13,000 per year. She said they haul 80 to 100 children a day, and only dedicated people would do that for such little compensation. No wonder Albemarle County is in such need for bus drivers. They have received a letter for the third time taking away their personal leave. Through rain and snow they are out there. Without bus drivers to get the kids to schools, there are a lot of jobs that would not be necessary. The 200 bus drivers in the County were ranked in the top ten in the National Publication for Schools for safety. If the County wants to keep these people, there is a need to start looking at this. This has gone on too long without being heard. Mr. Walter Oliviera said he is a homeowner, a taxpayer, a voter, a community volunteer, a husband and a father. His son is a fourth grader at Murray Elementary. His son said there is a need for resources at the school, a need for teaching assistants, and support for the library. This child knows the difference between needs and wants. Dr. Castner and the School Board submitted a needs-based or bare-bones budget. It is not a wants-based budget, or a wish-list budget, or a pie-in-the-sky budget. He requests that the Supervisors fully fund that budget. Ms. Marie White said she is President of the Red Hill Elementary School PTO. Red Hill is a rural, diverse school of approximately 180 students which first opened its doors in 1905. She said the Supervisors have a challenging task trying to meet the needs and wants of the citizens on a limited budget. The parents at Red Hill want to keep the school staffed to maintain its smaller class sizes which provide a richer more personalized learning environment. They think the smaller class sizes also build a greater sense of community both among the students and their parents. At Red Hill, they want the students to have better opportunities to use technology every day. Last week at a Parent Council meeting, she heard about the Design 2004 Schools program for teaching students. They want their children at Red Hill in that program. They want the students to learn creatively outside of the parameters of the SOLs. Music, art and physical education are as valuable as reading, writing and math. Red Hill has a large Hispanic population. In 2002, Hispanics made up 11 percent of the school population. The parents think it would be terrific to capitalize on the school's diversity by teaching Spanish to all of the students. Red Hill also wants teachers and staff to be appropriately compensated for their work and dedication. For the best education, the County must have the best teachers. To keep those teachers, Albemarle must offer the best compensation packages. The parents at Red Hill would consider this money well-spent. Ms. Donna Shaunesey with JAUNT said she appreciates the financial challenges the Supervisors are facing. JAUNT faces similar problems. She is present tonight to give some insight into what they may have to cut with just the level funding proposed. They would like to know which services the County feels are most important so they can do what makes the most sense. It appears at this time that they will probably have to cut out the Crozet employment route. The next is to reduce the number of Big Blue buses on Route 29. Another piece would be to cut out the Sunday service for people with disabilities. People use that service to go to church and to jobs on Sundays. It was a hard fought battle to get that service, so they do not want to let it go. The other piece of that is the rural night and weekend service for people with disabilities. They want to talk with the County to find out what its priorities are. Ms. Bonnie Drumm asked that the education budget be fully funded. Her tax assessment rose by 51 percent. Her farm loses money due to tax, insurance and fertilizer expenses which exceed the hay income. In the meantime, she is operating a wildlife preservation farm paid for by her social security. She has not complained about the coming tax increase even though she does not like it. She will complain if education is not fully funded, and the tax rate is reduced. The state budget deficit was caused by the previous administration lowering tax rates and increasing spending. The previous administration spent millions on wastefully elegant Interstate signs saying "Speed Limit Enforced by Aircraft." How many speeders have been caught by an aircraft? Not only that, aircraft are expensive. You can't hire a pilot for what you pay a teacher. That is the most wasteful, dumb thing she has ever heard of. Instead of spending that money they should have funded education. What they did was pass the burden down to this locality. The cigarette tax should be considered. All should pressure the State to raise its taxes. They are shamefully Iow. If the State won't raise the tax for education, the locality should have a cigarette tax. She said all must be involved in the State tax program. Mr. Keith Crawford said he is the father of three children. He stayed this evening to express his thanks and his concern. He thanked the Supervisors for their service to the community and for the genuine care of his children at Hollymead and Baker-Butler Elementary schools. He is concerned that during these difficult financial times, the investments required for the schools may not continue. He urged that the schools be fully funded. He said education of the children is the highest priority and the greatest responsibility of the citizens of Albemarle County. He asked that a budget which reflects this level of commitment to the children be adopted. Ms. Jillian Galle said she is a member of the Albemarle County Historic Preservation Committee. She came to ask that a planner position for work on historic preservation projects be funded. She understands this position was removed from the budget, but since the Supervisors made historic preservation a priority, this position is necessary to accomplish the preservation goals of the County. The creation and implementation of a historic resources database using the County's program is essential to the identification of historical and archeological resources before they are destroyed. Additionally, the use of the database is required to accomplish the 11 tasks set out by the Supervisors when they adopted the historic preservation plan in 2000. The identification of historical resources early in the planning process saves the County, saves the developers money, and most importantly, saves the County's historic resources. These resources are essential in saving the character of the County which continues to attract residents and tourists alike. She asked that the Supervisors consider including funding for a planner for historic preservation in the budget. (March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 15) Mr. Dave Rogers said he is the Principal at Murray Elementary School. He wants to say he appreciates the Supervisors listening, it has been a long evening. He also feels fortunate to be employee of the County working in what he considers to be a fabulous school system. They have a visionary but pragmatic superintendent. He has the vision to carry the school system to greatness. He instills that in all of the employees as well. When he looked at a needs-based budget, he presented a budget which would keep the schools at the same level. Mr. Roger said he is fortunate to not only work with the leadership of the County schools, but also to work with a staff of teachers who are truly outstanding. They are excellent, dedicated and have the skill to make a tremendous difference in the students and do so every day. Last year there were over 8000 hours of volunteerism in the school, most of that in the classroom working with children. This year, they are again looking at the first of the vision statements of the Supervisors, the School Board, and the citizens of the County. That vision is to support high quality education. It all comes down to a simple, but not easy question, either taxes must be raised or services reduced. He said the Schools are not asking that much be extended. For the first time in his school's history, he had to ask the PTO to help fund teaching assistants for classroom support. They were able to do that. Those types of things happen as the real dollars and the value of those real dollars shrink. He asked that the budget not be cut back, but that the budget be fully funded as requested by the School Board. Ms. Lana Chassman said she is Director of Community Relations for WVPT. She gave their thanks for the Supervisors' proposed funding of their request. She said WVPT is the only station in Virginia which provides children's programming from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. WVPT has as its community outreach, events stressing community, family and the children. She then listed some of these events and some community partnerships. They provide a safe haven for the kids during these troubled times. Ms. Sarah Lee Barnes said she is Chairman of the Historic Preservation Committee. She said the Comprehensive Plan and Historic Preservation Plan identify the protection of the County's historic and cultural resources as a primary goal. The Supervisors tasked the Committee with 11 priority items to pursue this goal. The most important of those items is the creation of an historic resources database. After considerable work on the preparation of a budget for a database with a price tag of over $140,000, the Committee is now looking forward to using the County's Cityview system for its database. Using this system would save the County the cost of a consultant to design the database, a project manager to oversee the system, and assorted hardware. However, the system would be virtually useless without data on the thousands of historic, archeological and cultural resources in the County. Staff time is not available for data input of the level required to establish this database. Consequently, a planner level position has been requested to assist with data input into the historic resources database, and later with other historic preservation support functions in the Planning Department. The implementation of the Historic Preservation Plan relies on the creation of this database. Once established, the database will be a reliable tool in the development review process. Having the database in place will help to make the historic resource part of the review process more timely and more reliable. The Committee requires staff assistance beyond that which is currently available. Without additional focus on historic preservation, the historic and cultural resources which make the community a place different from all others, will remain in jeopardy. She asked that their request for a planner position be put back into the budget. Ms. Kathy Butler said she is a nurse and is married to a teacher at Cale Elementary, and has a daughter at Western Albemarle. She asked that the Supervisors support the School budget as they requested. She said that as we all age, we will experience increased medical needs. When looking at the number of health care providers who will be needed in the future, it is important to support the educational needs in the community. She asked what "you" want the quality of education to be for the health care providers. She said she is married to a veteran teacher who has a masters degree plus 30. He is especially gifted in challenging students to rise to their best potential. She asked if teachers are less important than nurses. She said she makes considerably more money than her husband, but because they both agree it is important to make a difference in people's lives, it has not been an issue. She asked why there are so few male teachers in this profession; it is salary. She asked that the Supervisors support the School budget. With no one else from the audience rising to speak, the public hearing was closed. Mr. Dorrier said the Supervisors appreciate all of the comments received tonight. Work sessions on the proposed budget will begin next Monday. Agenda Item No. 7. From the Board: Matters Not listed on the Agenda. There were none. Agenda Item No. 8. Adjourn. With no further business to come before the Board, at 10:50 p.m., motion was offered by Mr. Martin, seconded by Mr. Rooker, to adjourn this meeting until 1:00 p.m. on March 17, 2003, in Room 241. Roll was called, and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: AYES: Mr. Martin, Mr. Rooker, Ms. Thomas, Mr. Bowerman and Mr. Dorrier. NAYS: None. ABSENT: Mr. Perkins. (March 12, 2003 - Regular Night Meeting) (Page 16) Chairman Approved by the Board of County Supervisors Date: 04/16/2003 Initials: EWC