Concerns about the regional water supply are based on the projection that, come 2055, we’ll require 18.7M gallons per day. But the county’s own water resources manager says we’ll need 20% less than that, Hawes Spencer writes in The Hook, which is an awfully big difference. Greg Harper wrote in an internal memo that water usage has been declining over the past decade, contending that the natural replacement of old plumbing fixtures with modern ones will only accelerate this trend. The debate over dredging and a new dam is all about trying to anticipate future demand; if our demand forecasts are pessimistic, we could potentially waste millions of dollars on unnecessary supply increases.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith
Page 134 of 549
Tom Perriello has been certified as the winner in the 5th CD election, Brian McNeill reports for the Daily Progress, with a lead of 745 votes. Rep. Virgil Goode is challenging the outcome, and understandably enough. It’s being called a “recount,” but no actual recounting takes place. It’s more of a re-canvas, making sure that the total number of votes on each machine matches the recorded total, and that those add up to the recorded total for the precinct. The numbers will change a little, maybe by a few dozen votes, but the odds of Goode gaining 746 votes are slim-to-none. Perriello is proceeding with his transition, planning to start his new job as Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA) come January.
Good news from the university: they say they’re planning to expand up, not out. They’re going to focus on infill, taking buildings up (or down, underground) and increasing density. As UVa grows, acquiring land, they remove property from the city and county property tax rolls, shrinking the municipalities’ tax base. That’s a source of significant tension between the university, Charlottesville and Albemarle. This new approach is a part of the university’s 20-year master plan
After years of increasing property values—and property taxes—the collapse of the real estate bubble has left both Charlottesville and Albemarle are facing some hard decisions on their budgets and tax rates. They don’t know how to forecast revenues for the upcoming budget years, and that makes it tough for them to know what they’ll be able to fund. Worse still, state budget cuts will likely reduce services to local governments (but without corresponding state tax cuts), leaving localities having to make up the difference.
Rachana Dixit explained Charlottesville’s situation in the Progress on Tuesday. The city has to raise its tax rate in order to maintain existing services, unless they want to end up with a $1.8M deficit (about a 1.5% overrun). Alternately, of course, they can cut $1.8M worth of services. Council has assumed no tax rate increase as their starting point, Sean Tubbs reports for Charlottesville Tomorrow, though that’s a philosophical approach that doesn’t indicate how they’ll ultimately plug that gap.
Brandon Shulleeta explained the county’s predicament in the Progress a week ago. They’re facing a $4.9M shortfall with their existing 71¢ property tax rate. County staff figures they’d have to let 47 positions remain vacant, get rid of all raises for employees, delay the Crozet library by two years, push back maintenance on the jail for five years, eliminate much of the funding for new fire stations, and slash funding for transportation. In part because their board is split between Democrats and Republicans, the talk there is all about tax rates. BoS chair Ken Boyd wants county staff to establish a budget using a 74.5¢ rate, a number that would preserve the same dollar value of tax payments as the current rate, but would require lots of spending cuts. David Slutzky, on the other hand, wants the budget to begin at a 90¢ rate, the level at which the county could maintain services, and figures they can decide what to cut out from there.
Given the state of the economy—bad, with genuine fears of sliding into a depression—it’s tough to see how municipalities can justify increasing real estate taxes now. We’ve all got less money, and the sensible among us are cutting our spending as a result; Charlottesville and Albemarle will have to do the same.
Work on the new Whole Foods has stopped, Rachana Dixit writes in today’s Daily Progress. The store wouldn’t comment on the status of the development, and the land’s owners—who have provided a 99-year ground lease to Whole Foods—have no idea why construction has halted. The national chain’s profits dropped sharply this past quarter.
11/20 Update: It’s back on. Apparently the city shut it down for a few days to work on the stormwater pipes, which is considerably less dramatic than some thought.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
-
Archive for Sideblog »
Recent Comments