Board of Supervisors Chairman Ken Boyd has invoked the nuclear option in city/county relations, suggesting that Albemarle cease sharing revenue with Charlottesville, Jeremy Borden writes in today’s Progress. Boyd’s threat is hollow: Albemarle can’t simply stop paying — a court would certainly order the county to adhere to the contract.
The 1982 deal was struck between the two entities to end the city’s long-standing habit of occasionally expanding its borders, which is how Charlottesville grew from its original one square mile to its current ten. As 29N began to expand economically, the city threatened to grow north to encompass it, with Fashion Square Mall being the target. Albemarle, tired of expanding its revenue base only to have it seized by the city, agreed to share a chunk of its real estate tax with Charlottesville if Charlottesville would stop annexing land. It was put to a referendum, and county citizens overwhelmingly agreed.
The General Assembly put a temporary hold on annexation in 1987, and has extended that temporary hold ever since. It’s due to expire in 2010. Del. Matt Lohr’s HB1979, introduced last year, would have extended it to 2020, but it was vetoed by Governor Tim Kaine. Sen. Emmett Hanger got SB742 through the legislature last week, though it’s not clear whether it will meet the same fate as Lohr’s bill.
To hear Boyd’s comments and read more about the BoS meeting in question, see Sean Tubbs’ report for Charlottesville Tomorrow.
For more on this story here’s an NBC29 link:
http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=7977571
Albemarle County has been humiliated long enough by this injust treaty.
I propose that we raise an army and march on the Barracks Road Shopping Center, which any thinking person can plainly see is, in spirit, a part of Albemarle County. We have serious concerns about the status of ethnic Albemarleians who are living in the Barracks Road area. This simply an effort to unite all Albemarle-speaking peoples together under a single flag.
Meanwhile, it would be wise to station troops along the Scottsville border. Merely to protect ourselves against any incursions from Buckingham County, you see. The nominal autonomy of Scottsville is certainly something that we can discuss maintaining, assuming that the current leadership is replaced.
Albemarle uber alles!
Although I don’t recall reading that this current agitation was instigated by actual constituent request, or simply Mr. Boyd’s own volition, one thought amuses me slightly: some of the county folks unhappy about paying ten cents per thousand dollars to the city (of the 68 cents total they pay) suddenly find themselves annexed by the city and paying 96 cents. I think the best deterant the city could produce would be a phased annexation master plan, to include 29N up to Wal-Mart and Pantops to I64. Just In Case.
Heck, I say Cville and Albe. County combine, call itself Charlottesville, and impose taxes at 82 cents for all!
I think the oppressed people of Albemarle should move their tax-exempt offices and courts to Ivy or Pantops and give more credence to their cause. Then they should get Council to fly the flag of all Albemarle-speaking people at City Hall as a show of solidarity. Now, it we could only get them to build homeless shelters and public housing, and house region ten and its clients, hmmm.
Sean Wrote:
And… Make sure that Supervisor Boyd’s residence/neighborhood is included in that annexation master plan.
I thought that under current state law annexation was no longer a possibility?
Waldo’s third paragraph above beginning with “The General Assembly…” indicates the State has a moritorium on annexation that is due to expire in 2010.
The revenue sharing agreement does not bother my concience any as long as the County does not pay the City for the sizable amount of tax-exempt real estate it has within the City’s borders.
sizable real estate? You need to complain about UVa first. There is ZERO chance that the tiny bit of taxes that Charlottesville is missing from county real estate come close to balancing out the $17 million that the county will pay to Charlottesville in 2010. How much real estate would they have to annex (steal) to equal $17 million. The city doesn’t want to annex because it could cause a lot of unforeseen problems. Court cost, angry new city residents, increasing the size of the school system, providing new city services.
Charlottesville just wants the money
For those of you who haven’t read the actual origina agreement, we’ve posted it to our site:
http://www.albemarletruthintaxation.org/blog/2008/03/citycounty-revenue-sharing-101.html
Take a look…
Perlogik, then I take it you don’t mind the County moving out and washing its of the City in return for keeping its tax revenue? I definitely could support that. Besides, very little of UVA is in the City altough the City has surrounded the Lawn. The City, through annexation, has encroached upon UVA, not vice-versa.
Correction: “Perlogik, then I take it you don’t mind the County’s moving out and washing its hands of the City in return for keeping its tax revenue?”
Cville Charlie,
Your suggestion would make things miserable for a lot of people in the County. The City of Charlottesville has a lot of laws and rules that make sense for an urban place but which would be totally inappropriate to apply to people living in rural areas.
Laws against the keeping of certain types of livestock and the discharge of firearms, limitations on the construction of outbuildings and other city regulations would extremely unwelcome to long-time rural people in Albemarle County.
Charlottesville has a good body of law and regulations for a city and Albemarle has a good body of law and regulations for a County. The two entities should remain distinct.
Cville Eye, you don’t address any of the concerns I bring forward. The County has almost no land in the city and the University has already taken a great deal of city land. Much of the University use to be city land that became county land once the University turned it into state property. Yeah it sounds silly but it is true.
But to address the silliness of your proposal; Would I support moving the COB for never paying any more money to the city- sure.
I imagine the $17 million saved in the first year would make for a fine new building.
Understood,Jackson; however laws can be re-written to accomodate the varying conditions encountered through-out the entire area. Also, many services could be consolidated. Many many years ago, the City of Virigina beach annexed Princess Anne County and the entire area, both urban and rural, were combined. Resort, business, residential and rural are working in that area.
Perlogik, the City started around Court Square. UVA started around the Rotunda. Through successive annexations, the City encroached upon UVA. Now, some of UVA is in the City and some in the County. If UVA didn’t exist, Charlottesville may be the size of Scootsville, the former county seat.
I have no idea what your point is but it doesn’t make any sense to me.
Maybe this would be a good time to take a look the whole system in virginia of independent cities which have no way to grow except by annexation. this system (as mentioned in the agreement between the city and county) creates and environment of mistrust. I think the city and the county were ahead of the times when they came up with this and its worked. otherwise we could have an arrangement where the city and county are constantly fighting (look at richmond) In the end the government is supposed to provide services for the people. If you think people who live in albemarle arent taking advantage of the benefits of a cooprative relationship between the city and county or are city services. take your money and we’ll take your land. we’ll take over albemarle place and pantops you can keep the walmart