--------- before the public comments >> at this point. >> Yeah. [snorts and cough] influence. >> All right. >> Yeah. >> We got that power. [laughter] >> You're right.
>> Kina, you you ready? >> Sam, >> I'm ready. Oh my gosh. Sorry, that's me. >> Sorry, this computer takes some time to think. >> I call the Charlottesphere City Council
meeting to order for February the 2nd, 2026. Uh, Madame Clerk, will you please call the role? >> Councelor Fleer >> here. >> Vice Mayor Ashin >> here. >> Councelor Payne >> here. >> Councelor Snook >> here. >> Mayor Wade >> here.
Um there was um an express desire to move item number 17 on the agenda to um before the community ma matters. Is there a motion to approve or amend um the agenda to say so to to to be so
moved? Okay. >> Second. >> Is a second. Okay. Can we vote? Um we'll do a voice vote for now. All in favor, please say yes. >> All opposed, please say no. Great. Thank you all so much for that. Um the meeting
will be divided into um three sections. The first one will be we will hear and discuss presentations that do not require a council vote and then we will go into close session and then there will be a a regular business meeting at 6:30 today. We will hear two reports.
One is on the power purchase agreement and then um update on on plans for phase four of the Kindlewood housing project. So, first is Crystal. >> Hi. Good afternoon, Mayor Wade and counselors. >> Good afternoon. >> Um, hope everybody's staying warm and
safe. >> So, uh, I'm Crystal Rittervald, director of the Office of Sustainability, and I'm here today to provide you with an overview and update on our efforts related to solar power purchase agreements for two city of Charlottesville school sites. I'm joined
by Megan Milo, director of solar empowered schools from Madison Energy Infrastructure with whom we've been working on this opportunity as well as some other project colleagues. To start with, I'd like to set the context for the focus of this project.
As you know, city of Charlottesville adopted updated greenhouse gas emission reduction goals in 2019. These contemplate 45% reduction by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. Subsequently, the community's first climate action
plan was adopted in 20 in early 2023 with the understanding that a significant portion of emissions are associated with energy consumed in the built environment. The climate action plan identifies the installation of solar energy production systems on
suitable municipal sites as a key implementation strategy to to generate clean energy, reduce electricity bills, and reduce greenhouse gases. The climate action plan also identifies power purchase agreements or PPAs which I'll
describe and explain shortly as a mechanism to expedite this strategy. A recognized and cost-effective strategy is to install solar systems as soon as possible following roof replacements so that the life of the roof and the life
of the solar system are aligned. We've made some good progress with solar deployment lately. In 2025, a 31KW system was completed on the Bypass Fire Station, which is new construction and has a new roof. Also in 2025, a 263KW
system was completed on KEK, and this was a a site with a recently completed roof replacement. The next two eligible and largest buildings that have newly installed roofs are Charlottesville High School and Charlottesville Middle
School. Um, we've been eyeing these big buildings for quite some time now and now with new roofs, we've been working to propose strategies to get solar on them. So, the reality is that the potential solar system sizes for CHS and CMS come
with substantial installation costs that have been deemed infeasible to pursue at this time with local capital funding. So, interestingly, with solar projects, there is an alternate financing strategy, the power purchase agreement, which presents a compelling opportunity.
A power purchase agreement enables a customer to receive predictable and often lowerc cost electricity with no upfront capital investment while also enabling the owner of the system to take advantage of federal tax credits and receive income from the sale of the
electricity. So, what is a PPA? A PPA is a contract between a power producer, also known as the seller, and a buyer, also known as the purchaser, outlining the terms for the sale and
purchase of electricity over a set period of time. As you can see in the graphic here, the site owner in the middle middle, also known as the buyer or the purchaser, has arrangements with two power providers. a solar developer who finances, installs, and operates the
new power generation system on the owner's property and provides power directly to the site at an established rate. And then also the traditional electricity provider, in our case, Dominion Energy, who continues to provide electricity from the grid as
needed and then through a net metering arrangement compensates for any excess power from the solar system back to the grid. And we can come back to this graphic as needed, but I have a couple more slides that will help um describe these dynamics.
As I mentioned, the power purchase agreement model allows a private solar developer to finance, install, and operate a solar array through a long-term contract and site access agreement on the property of a host customer. The developer retains
ownership and operational responsibility of the system and the host customer purchases the systems electricity output at a negotiated rate proposed to be lower than the prevailing utility rate and for a predetermined period of time,
usually 15 to 25 years. PPAs provide price certainty for both parties. They can help the customer meet climate and clean energy goals while reducing long-term electricity costs. And the developer investors stand to
make a profit on the arrangement because they will receive stable revenue from the customer over the lifetime of the agreement. Here's another graphical way to show how a PPA works based on a guaranteed energy rate over the term of an agreement and
25 years is common. You can see this hypothetical cost comparison. Traditional energy costs in the upper portion of the graph graph trending upward and then the PPA energy costs in comparison in the lower portion of the graph stay low lower with less
significant increase. So over time the amount of savings or avoided costs increase as these two curves deviate. With respect to traditional e electricity rates based on historical trends and future projections, these
rates are expected to continue rising, projected to do so at rates higher than the rate that we have been using in the development of the PPA proposals we're working with. The PPA locks in a rate and that's the blue line in this graphic
for the electricity generated by the solar system along with an escalation rate. And this provides both assurance and predictability related to future energy costs. A PPA contract is negotiated to balance risk between the parties while ensuring
predictable revenue and/or savings for both parties over the long term. Project costs and project characteristics influence the rate and those include the agreement term, the escalation rate, as access to financing incentives, and o ownership of the
associated environmental attributes. The de the [snorts] developer's ability to access a 30% federal investment tax credit or ITC supports their financing strategy. [snorts] Um, and it is important to note that federal bill HR1, which passed in early
July of 2025, provides for early termination of this federal tax credit. So, per that legislation, projects must be for per that legislation, in order to be eligible for the tax credits, construction must be
initiated by July 4, 2026, and the project must be completed by the end of December 2027. At this time, we're well positioned to meet these deadlines, but executing the PPA and initiating these projects as soon as possible is critical.
So, Charlottesville falls in the electric utility territory of Dominion Energy. Dominion is one of three Virginia utility companies that have PPA pilot programs. Dominion's pilot program allows a third party who owns or
operates a solar-p powered generation facility [clears throat] to sell renewable energy to Dominion energy customers via a power purchase agreement. Um, there's a couple of more facts on here, but suffice it to say that Pilot actually has a generation cap limit for a category of customers called
non-jurisdictional customers, and we fall in that customer class. So, how have we gotten to where we are today? We've actually been tracking the PPA model for over 10 years, and there are various reasons why we've not been able to pursue these earlier. One of which is
the timing of new or replaced roofs. In late 2024, we restarted serious exploration, including confirmation that we could use an existing cooperative procurement con cooperative contract from Fairfax County. And so that um
simplifies and fasttracks the opportunity to uh receive proposals. Um and those the Fairfax County is a very reliable peer community in terms of work in this solar space. So we've been working through various steps. As of March of last year, we requested and
received formal preliminary proposals from Madison Energy for two separate PPAs through this cooperative [snorts] contract. We also submitted the interconnection application to Dominion for both the CHS and the CMS projects.
The [snorts] interconnection application is a technical process by which the solar system is connected to the grids and it it triggers reviews by Dominion on uh required grid upgrades for safety and communication.
uh we completed some due diligence work and that included tracking down about 30 public bodies in Virginia that have entered into PPAs and then also survey surveying over a dozen of them to to solicit their experience with PPAs and with their developers.
A financial due diligence assessment was also completed after which we entered into an exclusive negotiation agreement with Madison Energy. By September, Dominion had provided the grid related studies for CHS needed to inform the
project costs. Subsequently, reviews and studies to further inform and refine the CHS system design and layout were completed and then also by the end of last year, Dominion provided the grid related studies for the middle school. And so the next steps related to the
middle school are continuing in parallel [clears throat] to the work on the high school. So at this point we have preliminary proposals for both sites. These present system capacity and the amount of annual traditional electricity that the system
production will offset. We also have a comparison between the current average electricity rate for those buildings and the indicative PPA rate based on the preliminary proposals that we have as well as the projected 25-year total
avoided costs. So, what does this look like on a school? Here you see the layout for a solar system on CHS. And I it just makes me happy and it starts to look real. And
the reason there's no solar panels on that middle piece has to do with the structural integrity or ability for that part of the school to hold the weight of the system. But again, like just look at this picture and be happy. [laughter] >> Yes. >> So um now what's on track for going
forward? So for starters, I want to clarify an important detail in the summary memo that I sent out in mid January based on some recent legal deliberations and specifically this is regarding who should be the party to the
agreement and that has been established to be the site owner. CHS is owned by the school board and the middle school is owned by the city of Charlottesville. So the site owner is contemplated to be
the party in the PPA with Madison Energy as the purchaser of the electricity produced by the power the solar system. For CHS this will be the school board and for CMS this would be the city of Charlottesville. Site owners also contemplated to be
party to execute the site access agreement. [music] And again for CHS this would be the school board and for CMS this would be the city of Charlottesville modeling on the CHS agreement. So moving forward we continue to negotiate and finalize the proposal for
the high school PPA. We have this presentation this afternoon and a similar one to the school board later this week. Um we've been connected with and have already been in close collaboration with um the school the the CCS's uh legal council Madison is
completing the CHS project engineering design and they will initiate the permitting process in May April I mean sorry in March April [clears throat] the school board will have the opportunity to take actions related to the power purchase agreement and site
access agreement for CHS and once that's done. Dominion will be authorized to initiate the grid upgrades which are direct project costs. So we need those agreements in place before we have anybody start spending project [snorts] project related money. The CHS project could start could kick
off construction in early summer and be activated towards the end of the year and that is subject to sticking with our timeline and the Dominion upgrades. In parallel, we continue the process for the middle school agreement, which includes the diligence work, the design
work, the engineering work, and the negotiations. And then finally, city council will have the opportunity to take actions related to the CHS power purchase agreement and site access agreement. >> CMS, >> CMS. Yes. Yes.
>> We should just name those things differently. [laughter] Um, so in conclusion, we are excited to be at this point in the process and for the opportunity to fill you in. We see a number of benefits of going the route of power purchase agreements for Charlottesville High School and
Charlottesville Middle School. In terms of feasibility, power purchase agreements offer strategy to rapidly install large solar on our largest eligible roofs without local capital investment. They support the growth of renewable energy sources and help
advance climate and sustainability goals. They provide project projected cost savings. Combine the agreements for the two sites are projected to start saving money in year one with nearly $4 million uh projected in avoided costs
over the proposed 25-year term of the agreements. And they provide price stability and frankly stable revenue for the developer. And with that, thank you for the opportunity to present the update and I welcome any questions.
>> Yeah, thank you so much. Um, Jen, do you have any questions? >> I do have a couple questions. Thank you so much for laying this out so clearly. That really made it easy to understand. Um, what happens? So, that July pressure
date of starting construction is the only part that is nerve a little nerve-wracking, right? So what happens if the Dominion upgrades are delayed beyond the projected that July date? >> So the July date is to initiate construction. Okay.
>> And I'm going to invite my uh Megan to describe how beginning construction is going to be met. >> Oh, okay. Thank you. >> Hi everybody. I'm Megan Milo. Thank you for having me um and your interest in these projects. Um, so the short story
is we have a plan. We're going to work the plan and then we have a backup plan and a backup backup plan. Um, so the July um 4th start of construction deadline is one of the ways and the most
near-term way to secure ITC eligibility. There's another way to meet that uh eligibility through a deadline and that is to have commercial operations. So to turn these systems on by end of 2027.
So um there we're we're in very good shape to do that. We've uh gotten very far into the development process already. Um so we are going to plan for and push forward that start of construction deadline of July 1st. Um but we do have a very attainable backup
plan should any of those um elements not under our control um occur. Um there is an even another backup plan that has to do with purchasing um for safe harbor um that
we're also well positioned for. Um we have a wareh a warehouse full of modules that are eligible for those safe harbor that if we did get early indicators um that um these projects were going to be delayed due to
>> something we would be able to um allocate those modules toward this project to extend even past that deadline. >> Thank you. That's helpful. I have one more question. If the I'm thinking about my own solar system. So, if the system
ends up underperforming for some reason, do do the owners pay the who's at risk for that? Who pays the cost of that? >> Do you want to answer that? >> Sure. >> Oh, [laughter] sure. Um, there's two ways that we can
protect against that. Um the the easiest way to answer that is that we are our incentives are aligned with maximum production as well. So Madison doesn't get paid a dime until these systems go online and then our payment is through the energy generated. So the agreement
is that um we will produce solar and that um the city of Charlottesville or or um the whoever the PPA signatory is pays the agreed upon rate per kilowatt hour. So we are also incentivized to make sure that these are these systems
are producing um very well. There's also a contract mechanism. We typically offer a weather adjusted performance guarantee where we would compensate the the difference the delta between the expected yearly weather adjusted
production um the the difference in the rate between your utility rate and the PPA rate so that we would compensate you back for those foregone savings. >> Got it. Thank you. >> Oh yeah. >> Yeah. L a question that I have about a
little chart that you've got on page eight of the packet which I think translates into about page four of the the presentation. Uh and I'm referring specifically to it's a March 25 received proposal from Madison for two separate PPAs. Charlottville High School
electrical offset 70% Charleston Middle School electrical offset 100%. What's what's the deal with electrical offset? What's that all about? So, um I think the easiest way to describe it is if the school uses 100 units of power of of
electricity, the system that's proposed will cover 70% of that need and the other 30% will come from the grid in the traditional way. >> Okay. And it says the average annual electricity rate 12.5 cents per kilowatt
hour. And is that a constant over the 25 years or so of this? That's current. That's today's That's today's rate. >> Okay. >> Um and so >> that rate is established in negotiation with Dominion through our membership of the Virginia Energy Purchasing
Governmental Association. So it's a network of public entities that bulk negotiate with Dominion that those rates will escalate as energy electricity rates are moving and the rate that is negotiated through the PPA will be set
at a particular start point and we'll have an escalator rate that is in the contract. So that is why there's predictability in where that rate is going to go over those 25 years. So the agreement will even have a table that says here's your rate for the each of the 25 years.
>> Is it set as some percentage of some other number that Dominion is dealing with on a statewide basis or something? >> Uh the rate that's negotiated with Madison is independent of Dominion's utility rate. It's really based on the project cost and some of these other
project characteristics. Um the escalation rate and some of those other characteristics that we're negotiating. >> Okay. And just for comparison, um, as Crystal mentioned, the the rates from Dominion are expected to be, um, volatile and
maybe more unpredictable. Um, but we're we're forecasting about 3% escalate, an average of 3% overtime escalation rate from Dominion. Um, what we're contemplating in terms of escalation rates here is 1%. So that is intentionally kept lower. So that um you
know as the graph council showed um even as rates escalate over time with the PPA uh that the rate would the utility rate by comparison would be expected to be growing even higher. >> Yeah. I mean, I I clearly don't know and
don't care to know the details of the of the equations and so on, but I I'm I've I've seen firsthand in some other situations where some expectations
that get locked in in year one by year 20 are colossally out of whack for one party or the other and somebody's really getting screwed. And I don't know whether there has been a long enough time of doing these kinds of agreements
so that there are people on what I'll call the the nondomminion side of all of this who have enough experience in negotiating this so that they don't get in a sense taken by the superior experience and knowledge of Dominion
folks. So, um I think it's really important to clarify >> by saying that I don't mean to imply that they would intentional, but it just it happens. >> But I think what's really important is to clarify is that Dominion has nothing to do with a power purchase agreement
rate negotiation and setting. They are an independent separate owner and provider of an electric source from a clean power generating facility. So, they're not party to any of the negotiations. And so the negotiations around rate are
really the characteristics of the project and balancing that risk between the buyer and the seller. >> So the 12 the 12.5 cents per kilowatt hour is the product of negotiation between the city of Charlottesville
andor school board and Madison Energy. >> Yes, that's correct. >> Okay, that's all. Thank you >> Natalie. Hey. Um, this is exciting. I know this is something we've been talking about for a long time, so it's finally good to see that, um, you know,
we're we're kind of ready to rock and roll here. Um, I do have a couple questions. Um, when you mentioned the the Fairfax model, does that mean we just kind of cribbed what they had their agreement and are or what what does
Fairfax have to do with this? Sorry, I kind of missed that. Um, so Fairfax is huge and they have a massive building portfolio and a number of years ago, I think it was 2019, they issued an RFP and then they selected and um, executed contracts with developers to do power
purchase agreements. And one of the things that they incorporated both in their RFP and was incorporated in the contract was the opportunity for other public entities to use that contract vehicle. And so that's what we refer to as cooperative procurement. And it means
that they are good and fine with everybody else in Virginia who wants to use that same the same agree to the same terms and conditions can use that template. >> Gotcha. We can all copy paste, right? >> They know the the providers know the contract the um and that's all been
approved and that saves a step. >> Got it. Okay, cool. Thank you. Um and then in your presentation, um you indicated that we that in order to avoid the cancellation of the tax credits, we had to start building by July [music]
4th and have it turned on by the end of 2027. But then you said or can you clarify that please? >> Sure. Um there are there are ways to meet the ITC eligibility thresholds
through both the deadlines and then um purchasing decisions that allow that those um requirements to be met prior to those deadlines basically. So um we can either you know physically start work on
July 4th or you know complete the system construction and turn it on by the end of 2027. We will be working I mean we we talk about this a million times every day um but we'll be looking at these project timelines and um deciding whether we
want to put a like a purchasing backup decision in place and there there are two um avenues for that. I think the mo um one is to um purchase equipment like a transformer that would um would account for a certain percentage
of construction costs and that can be done to meet the physical work test in July. Um, in this case, we probably wouldn't do that because we would um want to see how the timeline plays out, but we also have a ready to go store of
safe harbored modules, PV panels that would meet that same requirement. And then if for whatever reason if something totally unexpected came up and we couldn't meet that 2027 threshold then as long as we had allocated those
modules towards the project once we once we signed contracts that's when we can secure that allocation. Um then that allows an extra four years of cushion. So it's so if the start construction is
the deadline then if we like buy something that counts as starting construction >> there there is I think there's a definition of initiating construction that has to do with procuring um materials and we the city or the school board would not be buying anything. it
would be Madison um Energy doing that purchase because ultimately they're the owners and they're the ones who would be accessing the investment tax credit. >> And so the the like warehouse full of >> units you have already that if we end up
using those that could count towards as we've purchased it before the July 4th deadline, so we're good here. >> There's a provision that um it's considered that you can start construction if you purchase a certain percentage of the project equipment. Yeah. So that's that's how that would be.
>> Okay. So I guess it is and but we have ways to get to the and is the answer. Does that make sense? >> Correct. Yeah. Uniquely and I would say uniquely positioned. Not every developer um has that available. So um and and we are
tracking it and um you know Crystal and her team have been amazing. We're pushing this forward as as quickly as we can while also making sure that we have the important eyes dotted and tees crossed and we're doing our our diligence to make sure that these projects are successful.
>> Okay. Okay. Thank you. Um and then um the can you sorry so just to clarify we have the roofs and it's kind of like a ground lease situation for your company who then comes and does all of the construction.
>> So um and I I could defer to April here as well but ra um currently the site access agreement is contemplated as a license. >> Okay. And so that's been used by other public bodies to basically provide the owner of the system the access they need
to do their maintenance of the system etc. >> Okay, cool. And um um how long has what can you give a little history to Madison Energy and just a little more about the company and >> uh Sure. So Madison Energy is a an
independent power producer. We uh do clean energy solutions. Uh we specialize in third-party ownership just like this power purchase agreements. [clears throat] We also do community solar. Um and we also have a um a really
big portfolio of schools. Um so we have done over 150 schools nationwide but widely concentrated here in Virginia and in the Mid-Atlantic. Um and uh we were just talking about today we also um you know through that work with schools we've really uh realized that there's a
a lot of value uh in engaging the community and students along with these projects. So we have a program called solar empowered schools um that will be part of these projects that brings curriculum engagement. We've already actually worked with some students at Charlottesville Middle School doing
solar circuit challenges where [music] they they're really using that same PV technology but just the size of their hand. Um so um yeah, so Madison Energy, we actually have an office. I just walked a block down the downtown mall. We're right
above Vita Nova. Um but we have several offices nationally. We're headquartered in DC. So we have strong investment and connection to this area. Great. That's awesome. Thank you so much. >> Um those are all my questions for now. >> Great, Michael.
>> Yeah, thank you. I guess um main question is obviously the 2026 and 2027 deadlines create pretty hard constraints. Um but beyond Charlottesville High School and Charlottesville Middle School, are there
any other locations which have been discussed for PPA deployment before those deadlines? Is that something are there any that are potentially feasible? >> Um I think the reality is that we don't have any what I would call eligible roofs. Um as you know the capital
improvement program has funding um allocated for roof replacement for three elementary schools over I think it's 27 28 and 29. Um those would be ideal candidates to deploy solar on. um we wouldn't necessarily have these investment tax credit incentives or
direct pay if we were to locally finance those. Um I guess I would submit that's going to be the cost of doing business in solar in clean energy in the foreseeable future. So I don't know that there's any projects that we can expedite to try to get in under those
deadlines given the condition of the buildings. Mhm. And then once um the deadline's passed where there's no way that you know we could be eligible for the tax credit um what's kind of the sense of the scale of impact that would
have on Charlottesville's ability to deploy PPAs in the future? >> Well, I mean I think there's a couple things. uh the the whole suite of solar projects that are on city and school buildings currently were done without
any tax incentives. So we've done solar without tax incentives before. Um the bypass fire station and the kek project are two projects that we hope we will be able to
realize the the elective pay which is the equivalent ITC for taxexempt entities and then I mean it's the business of the private sector to figure out how they're going to do business in a world without the tax incentive.
>> Yeah. I guess um I've mentioned it before, but one thing that comes to mind, which I think, you know, it's probably unlikely it would ever be able to come together in time before the 2026 or 2027 deadlines, but is using PPAs to deploy
solar at the airport. Um because we do control it together with Alb Marl County. We have representatives on the board and they've been asked numerous times because they have a substantial amount of land. they have um um the ability to deploy it and they've basically just said, "Ah, we don't want to think about it." You know, our
strategic plan is focusing on expanding um our uh parking services as our main source of revenue and not consider solar. All of which say I think I still feel like there's an avenue for us uh because together with Almoral we do
control them to demand you need to have solar in your strategic plan and I think there I I could see you know maybe PPA is an avenue to get it done there but I know that's the airport authority >> I agree with building sustainability and resilience into anything new that's
getting constructed. Yeah, and I know they do have um again a fairly large expansion project currently planned. Um again that they've said we're not you know interested in even thinking about solar as part of that at this moment. [snorts] >> I mean I would like to think that the
conversation is still open to seeing how that works. It's a gateway to our community so should reflect our community. >> No I think I think there is a opportunity there but those are all the questions I had. Thank you. >> Thanks.
>> Thank I just I just want to thank you. I know this has been a long road. I see um Nicole is here from the Charlottesville school board. Thank you so much. But this has been something when I was on the school board for many years that we have been talking about and seeing how we're going to do it. So it's great to
see all that blue on Charlottesville >> High School. Um so um just quickly, was there any, you know, obstacles or hiccups along the way that you didn't anticipate? No, it's been smooth sailing.
>> Good. That's good. That's great. I love it. Any other questions or comments? >> I would um like to add just because of the uh comments uh from council Payne in regards to the airport authority as the individual who represents the city's interests on that body. Um I think there
is an opportunity for us to have further conversations. Um it is not a done deal and a dead idea. There are a lot of things that are being discussed for the airport authority at this time. uh and you were able to be a part of a presentation that Jason just made to our leadership team and I think through that
we can have further conversations about what possibilities might exist. >> Thank you. >> Thank you so much. >> Thanks for um the next item is um Sunshine, are you going to present this? Thank you. >> Yes, he is.
[laughter] a clicker work there. Yes. Great. Um, good afternoon. Um, my name is Sunshine Mathon. I'm the executive director of Pedmont Housing Alliance. Uh, glad to be in front of you uh to discuss a really important um next step for the planning
for Kindlewood phase 4. Um, the reason I'm here is because we need your direction, city council's direction on the next step before we engage with the residents in earnest on the design of that uh of that phase 4 or at this fork in the road. Um, uh, last time there was
a a session, a city council meeting. Um, there had been some expression of desire to have additional resident input prior to this presentation. That was scheduled, but the weather last week derailed that timeline. So, I was not able to uh to meet with residents to get
additional input, but we did take that time to reflect back on past meetings, looking through past minutes to in, you know, to essentially insert and and influence um what I'm about to to discuss and talk about. Um
and as I was preparing for um and I hope that the text is large enough for you to see. Um as I was preparing for this, I was reflecting on past presentations. So, this is actually documentation from a presentation we gave uh to city council back in 2018, I believe it was.
Um, and the you'll note that the timeline there is as I go through this um we've we've gotten off track a bit and I can explain a bit more why in a moment. Um, but when we look back in time, uh, there were we planned for four
phases with zero displacement. Um there was planned for integration of tiers of affordability uh with section 8 uh replacement one for one some units at 30 to 60% AMI and some units at 60 to 80%. There [snorts] was a plan for over 30,000 square feet of
commercial space including an early learning center uh which is now under construction, the future park um that I think many of you know about coming by the end of phase three and then new neighborhood style public roads um in the site that will integrate the community with us the surrounding
neighborhoods. So all of that is back in time and that we that was you know uh eight years ago or so and we have been able to hold uh hold a line with that. Um where we are now um uh is on phase
two um and we've we are able to do this because we have uh that had open land on phase one to build. So essentially in phase one we built those buildings and the folks who are in that area the 50 families moved into phase one and now
we're building phase two there. Um and then we get to phase three. So by the time uh we get to end of phase three you'll note that the folks who are in the footprint of phase 4 will have been rehoused at that point. the time projections that you'll note there on
phase three um are not where we are uh in part large part because of COVID. Um we lost about a year and a half to CO before we could start construction like as we had originally planned and then uh in between phases one and two we lost
additional time due to pretty significant HUD red tape and their internal processes that no one really anticipated. Um but it is critical that um uh we've been been able to continue the progress and move move things forward.
Um originally in phase 4 uh you'll notice on this diagram we had um and again the text is probably too small for you to read initially there but we had originally estimated 75 to 150 units on phase 4 plus commercial space. Um, and we're still in that general trajectory,
but there are some things that we didn't know as we were doing this work back in 2018 that I want to reflect on. And all of that leads into the the, um, direction that we ultimately need from you. So, um, we knew that we had a long road
of hard work and creativity. We're going to need creativity to persevere. It's a really, really complex project, uh, structurally, financially, etc. Um, but what we didn't know, uh, is that we had a two-year pandemic in the middle of it. Um, we didn't know there would be
historic escalation in construction costs like nobody's seen in decades. We did not know that there would be a historic increase in interest rates that added millions to financing costs in that period. Uh we also did not know that HUD was going to ddesate the the
census tract as from having previously been qualified census tract to no longer having that. And that is a function it's a purely a demographic uh change function and has nothing to do with the redevelopment itself uh because the data that HUD pulls from predates the start
of construction. So there's no um there's no impact on that the redevelopment had on that DD designation but it has very significant implications for financing which I'll get into in a little bit. >> What is the basis for this ddesation? >> Uh essentially um gentrification that
the rest of the surrounding neighborhood was um increasing in its um average area median income essentially. There are other factors too, but that's the primary. >> The folks across Second Street and >> Exactly. Yep. Um, we also did not know
that there would be reams of red tape at HUD to get through to get funding approvals or we knew there'd be reams of tape. We didn't know how much. uh uh we also didn't know that there in recent this last year that there would be a massive upheaval in the federal administration that has created all
kinds of uncertainty to uh very riskaverse funders and lenders. Um and we also could not have predicted that uh the green building funding that had started to blossom and manifest uh would all be withdrawn and retracted.
So, all that's to say, um, you know, we've we've persevered through, uh, all of those challenges. Um, and we have literally, uh, put thousands of staff hours and consultant hours into getting to where we are now. And so, here's what
we've accomplished so far. So, we've completed phase [snorts] one. Phase two is well under construction, more than halfway, uh, with a goal of opening later this year. Uh the we have financed successfully financed the early learning center which is also under construction. Um and we have a uh an achievable uh
generally achievable financing horizon for phase three. So when we do wrap up phase two, phase three will be ready to start. Um and we've navigated all this through different finance financing strategies for three different phases
and not because we wanted to. Uh so in phase one um there was a purely not one 9% LITC or low-income housing tax credit application that funded that. In phase two, we relied on that QCT status to
pursue a 4% tax credit. We were able to make that work. Between phases two and three um or in the at the start of phase two, we lost the QCT status. we would have replicated the phase two financing strategy on phase three if we had not
lost it. Um but in that process with the and what the QCT does is it gives a 30% basis boost to the 4% credit value. So essentially adds 30% of the um credit equity to those to that financing. So
when we lost that uh it was not viable until we pivoted and we now have have split effect financially split phase three into two separate financial uh phases. One with a 9% one with a 4%. I know I'm getting into the weeds but I just want to highlight that it has been
an incredibly complex uh narrative about how we've pulled this off that has required uh you know pivots and just hundreds and thousands of hours of work to get to this point. Um so all that's to set the stage for uh
phase 4. Um and it's important to highlight a few things that are different about phase 4 than phase three. Um and things that we are doing our best to project in uncertain times. So um in phases 1 through three we will
have relied on section 8 subsidies, those section 8 rents to help us. they they they essentially pay more on the rent than the renter themselves pays. So it allows us to leverage more debt which allows us gives us more capital to build
with. Um in phase four we will not have those section 8 subsidies because everyone will have been rehoused by the end of phase three. So all those section 8 subsidies are on phases 1 through three and those those subsidies are not there for phase four. So that's one difference in phase 4. um in phase in
particularly as we approach uh phase 4 phase 3 has some similarity but there there is going to be essentially projecting sustained high interest rates and continuing escalation of construction costs I can't uh reinforce how important this third point is around the uncertainty of
the federal landscape over the next three years um what we've had to uh navigate this year to keep things on track not just for Kindlewood, but for all of our projects has been like nothing that I've experienced before.
Um, and the prospect of having another 3 years of that uncertainty not only impacts our ability to plan well in advance, but it means that our funders and our lenders are in the same boat. And so they underwrite far more conservatively than they have
previously. So it just it's hard to do that. And then the other thing that I've not spoken about publicly before but is a real trend is that there is a reduction in the value of LITC the low low-inccome housing tax credits over time that we've experienced. So you'll see uh underneath there the LITC pricing
trend starting on phase one 91 cents in the dollar then 81 cents the dollar phase three we're preliminarily getting numbers at 75 to 80 cents in the dollar phase 4 we don't know um each penny the difference there is equates to about
$1500 to $200,000 of actual equity that goes into support construction. So between 91 cents the dollar and 81 cents the dollar between phases one and two that's a million half to $2 million in equity that just disappears um you know
in a moment. So as we've been uh seeing this downward trend and that to be clear this is not specific to Kindlewood or or Charlottesville. This is a downward trend in general across the spectrum across the nation although our profile is a little bit different perhaps than
other regions. the what we can project for phase four, we have to be conservative in that projection, which means that there's just less revenue, less source going into supporting the the affordability that we want to achieve. Um, I already spoke to the different LITC strategies. I'm not going
to reiterate that. So, um, where we are now, the phase four question. Um so uh I want to focus on the upper leftand corner first
uh the projection there. So we have two sets of projections or one projection and then actual. So on the left hand side phases one through four the projection for how many units uh we thought we could achieve. This is when we made the agreement uh for
funding for the the bas essentially the master agreement with city of Charlottesville for funding and including it in the CIP over the years um back when we were doing phase one. So we were you know pure projections on phase 2 through four. They were informed projections but they were our best best
guess with what we knew at that time. So in phase one we knew what it was. It was 106 units at that point. So that was locked in. In phases two and three um you can see we had a range there from 103 to 114 88 to 102 and then in phase 4
75 to 150. The actual um has been uh we've been a little bit on the low end of FA for phases two and three um in for a number of reasons that we don't necessarily need to get into right now. Some of it relates to some of the zoning
changes. some of it relates to um uh assumptions for setbacks from um utility lines and that cut out units here and there. Just it was it was our best guess and then where we ended up was a little on the lower side on phase four. Um
where we uh I have in red there is you know originally you're projected 75 to 150 um and then the question right now is is it 90 or is it 130? And I'm using those numbers relatively firmly, not as a range between them. So either 90 end
of the spectrum or the 130. And I'll I'll talk a bit more about why in a moment. Um so in terms of one aspect of the agreement with the city, those projections by phase were generally on track for um with the exception of phase
three were a little bit low. The conundrum that we face, this fork in the road is that um there was a second projection in that master agreement that had a total um um minimum and maximum
that would be acceptable to the city by the time we were completed phase 4 and that is the 425 to 475 number. So if you look at the 372 to 472, that's the aggregation of the projected numbers
above. Um but we there was an agreement to have 425 to 475 be the the sort of middle ground and that was a negotiated um perhaps naively so uh middle ground as to as to where we thought we would end up. Um, so you'll note that on the
red to the right next to it is either 385 or 425. That's the the the pivot point here. So we have um and and the reason I should be transparent here part of the reason you're not seeing any diagrams as
at this point is that um we have not as I've spoken before we have not engaged with the residents on the full design work of phase 4 and I didn't want to enter anything into public record before the residents have had a chance to really dig in and start the the design work. Um but nonetheless in preparation
we knew we had the the um the architect and ourselves knew that we had to do some initial uh evaluation of what was possible on phase 4 financially and architecturally um so that when we came to the residence and we moving forward on a design
process that we were uh moving down a path of achievability and feasibility. So we had to have those guard rails in uh to know what we were p pursuing. So as we were going through that process um we came down to sort of largely two different versions. The version on the
right version B is if um city council holds us to that 425 minimum that total min max number the min number from the the left hand side of the screen. Version A is what I believe is frankly more achievable. And I'm going to go
down through each of these lines to talk that through a little bit. Um so the first line is the litec strategy. So, I mentioned before uh that we've had to pivot each time on our strategy for financing, LITC financing
for phases 1 through three due to the reasons that I mentioned a moment ago around um the reduction in value in LITC pricing, no section 8 subsidies, higher interest rates, all those things. um using the strategy that we are using on
phase three is not viable in my opinion around achieving just [clears throat] the 90 units on phase four uh phase 4. So essentially um we are going to pursue um two two 9% awards which are competitive awards as opposed to 4%
which are non-competitive. That's the only way I know how to make this work financially and still achieve the depth of affordability that I think we all want to see on the site. two 9% awards on a single project is
really hard. Uh version B to hit 130 units we do have to achieve three 9% awards which in to my knowledge in the history of LITC in the Commonwealth no one has ever pursued or achieved. >> So what
one out of 10 what are you what are we talking about five or six or three or four or two or three? Uh on version A, the two 9% awards is going to be really hard. I'm committed to making it work. We're going to do everything we can. I
give it a nine or a 10 because we're going to put every throw everything we have at it. Version B, 39% awards, I'd put out a one or a two. It's really really like I just I just don't I can't guarantee it. And part of the the the what I was referring to
before around the uncertainty of the federal landscape. If we knew we were in a different administration and there was a different landscape, then I might evaluate that differently. But because of the uncertainty that we are all facing, the ability to to commit to that
is just not in the cards. >> And you may have mentioned it. What is what does that look like as far as funding money? >> I'll get to that. >> Okay. >> It'll be coming in in the next line, in fact. So in version A um uh there is
actually already 4 and a.5 million in the CIP committed for phase 4. So that is already committed funding. You haven't passed it of course because it's not until your next you know the the appropriate fiscal year but it's in the CIP in the planning process. So that the
version a I don't believe I can't guarantee but I we said the uncertainty but I don't believe we would need to have any additional city funds come into play ver version sorry version a version B um in order to achieve that extraund extra
40 units or so um I believe or preliminarily estimate would need around another 5 million in addition to the four and a half already committed and the increase is mostly due not so much I mean yes there are some projected cost increases but it's
mostly due to the fact that there are reduced sources and so the delta between sources and uses just grows because we don't have those section 8 subsidies uh the value of the litec is going down over time those sorts of functions so version A no
new city money as far as I can project version B an additional 5 million plus >> that's a lot >> that is a And frankly, that's, you know, the the one really important question in this calculus is if council is going to
commit another 5 million, is this is an additional 40 units at Kindlewood the most efficient and best use of those resources? [clears throat] Personally, I would argue no. I would argue that there is actually you get better depth of affordability and better bang for your
buck if you use those five million in a different project at a different time. That's my personal opinion in that regard. Whether could be one of ours or could be somebody else's, but like I think that there's um 40 units for 5 million is a is a hefty
price tag. >> And [clears throat] is the primary reason that kind of cost per unit is growing because you would have to go up and that's just going to increase construction costs or are there other? Part of it, part of it is construction costs, but part of it is not the cost of
development, but part of it is that our resources to support that are are decreasing. So, since we don't have the section 8 rents, we get less debt into the project, which creates a gap. And because LITC pricing is continuing to fall, there's also less equity there,
which creates additional gap. So, it's a projection. We don't know for sure. We don't know exactly how LITC pricing is going to go, but with our conservative assumptions, that's where it lands. Um I'll just go through the rest of these relatively quickly just to make
sure that you have the full the full um uh picture. Um construction type it is a little bit taller in in order to do version B it's a little bit taller construction it is a more expensive construction type. So there is some additional cost associated with that for sure. The difference between commercial
and many space at least in terms of what we we estimate is there is some um there would be some gain of some additional commercial space but it's not significant. There's still a pretty ample amount of commercial amenity space in version A. You know 11 to 14,000
square ft. Um parking roughly speaking keeping it roughly 1 one that has been a a resident desire since the very beginning. Home ownership has been a core uh goal from the residents from the outset. And one I will say that one of
the um the reason we're holding 10 homes up there as for the for home ownership is as we are contemplating the number of home ownership units in phases two and three, the residents made a trade-off decision to say, okay, we'll accept only
four in phase 2, only six in phase three, but we want to have more in phase four. So that was a that was a trade-off they made for themselves, you know, quite some time ago. Depth of affordability. Um we are, you know, in in version A, um it' be 30 to 60% AMI,
uh with a decent number, uh 52 total below 50% AMI. Um the yes, there would be some additional units at those lower AMIs in version B, but there would be a much higher gain in the number of 60% units.
I know this doesn't I I don't know if you want to include this in the calculus or not, but with around existing trees, um I can almost guarantee that if we have to go version B, the mature trees will not make it through the process. Uh they're just the the the will have to
cut into the root zones in a way that will likely take those mature trees out. I can't guarantee that we will keep that we be able to keep all the existing trees in version A, but there's a higher chance that we can pull it off. um because of we can have you know
slightly greater setbacks most likely we can likely um have a little bit of separation between buildings and try to strategically locate those uh where there are tree roots and that sort of thing. So it's not a guarantee but it is a a much higher chance. Um and then the
last line just most fundamentally I sort of opened this the punch line in the beginning but I just I fundamentally think that the best chance of success is version A and I just can't guarantee version B. And the reason that I need your direction is because in the the master
agreement with the city, it's holding us to the 425 [clears throat] currently. So there's a fork in the road which is either city council is willing to amend that agreement and reduce it down [clears throat] to um 3 whatever it is
385. Um or and and then we can we can fulfill on that. Or alternatively, if you're going to hold this to 425, there's going to be need for an additional investment of significant resources um and and and recognition that the
chance of pulling it off is low. >> Is that >> that's it? >> Okay. But I do need direction tonight and I know it's not a vote situation, but the goal here and the part of the reason that that is uh imminent for us is that when you work backwards in the timeline, I know it may seem strange
because we haven't even started construction in phase three, but the way that LITC applications work and the sequencing of our funding in order to achieve our first LITC application for phase 4 in March 2027, we need to have a design in place and
that work with the residents needs to begin now to have that finalized and wrapped up by the end of the year because it's a slow, you know, process where we work through lots of details with the residents. So, I need your direction. Which direction am I going? Because if I I can't go down one road
and then pivot and act and and be expected to meet the the timeline otherwise. So, that's the direction I need from you all this evening if at all possible. >> Essentially, version A or version B. >> Correct. >> Okay. Michael, you have any you want to chime in?
Yeah, I guess you know in terms of um direction this weekend I I went back and read the Charlesville Tomorrow the reimagining of friendship court series which if anyone hasn't read I would strongly recommend is just um just tons of great information and highlighting a lot about
the history of not just this project but how the city has approached development and devising plans that communities are not involved with and that are imposed on them and just so many things. Um, and as you mentioned, this project has, you know, was initiated before the pandemic. It's gone through numerous city
councils, city managers. I think the reality is, particularly when you have an intervening event as extreme as the pandemic, and with the complexity of the project, we have to be willing to be flexible and adjust to reality on our end as the city, as you have done on
your end in terms of finding new financing strategies. All of which is to say, um, I know it's not anyone's ideal. I know it's not PHA's ideal either, but I'm okay with version A and kind of, um, you know, amending where our expectations are just as a
acknowledgement of reality of the funding and and cost situations fundamentally different. Um, so, and a couple just quick questions. I know nobody would want this to happen, but you said even version A is kind of hard
to happen. Um, do you know what it looks like if you know there aren't two 9% awards and maybe there's like a 4% award or just kind of and I know nobody wants that, but
>> there are two scenarios there. One scenario is we want to hold the timeline and as soon as constru phase three ends and we want phase four to start construction and if we've only been able to say get one of those 9% by that time frame
um a 94 could technically work but it would require additional city resources to close the gap or some other resources. Maybe there's other ones I can pursue as well but um there would be a there would be a gap there to fill put it that way. Alternatively, um if instead the goal was to ensure
that we had two 9%s before we started, it might delay construction while we spend a year trying to trying getting through going through the next cycle. >> Okay. Um and not kind of directly
related but um the project itself is obviously you know a mix of AMIs and people have talked about you know have a mix of um different affordability levels on site. Um 60% AMI I think particularly because
of the pandemic is now for one an individual making about $55,000 a year. For a family, that can mean an income of $80,000. Um, depending on unit type, the rent can be pushing at $2,000 or more. Again, for 60% area mean
income. So, there already is a range of affordability levels on site. Um and but just kind of what what's the cost? You know, if we want to take 60% down to 30% or just kind of the scale of
that challenge, what does that look like to actually feasibly do? Uh so the the challenge or the the challenge opportunity there is that um like when the city commits funds to a
project like Kindlewood phase 2 or MAC or whatever site we're doing, we use those funds to leverage LITC to leverage uh state housing trust fund dollars to leverage federal home dollars to leverage a whole host of other sources. So that say 50,000 per unit uh
commitment that the city makes which is an average over the 30% to 60% units. We're not like saying the the 30% units get 80,000 here and the 50 60% units get 40,000 here. We we average it out over them all. Um
that 50,000 gets leveraged by all these other sources. Um, by the time we get to the depth of affordability that I've highlighted, which is a certain percentage at 30%, a certain at 50, and certain at 60, we've leveraged all those sources.
So any additional ability to buy down affordability is much more expensive on a per AMI basis because there's no other sources to leverage. Um, so it can it varies a little bit depending on unit size and everything else, but it can be
a hundred to $120,000 per unit to buy down say a 60% AMI unit down to 30, but it could be less to go from 60 to 50 or 60 to 40 or 50 to 40. There's, you know, there there ways of of of threading that. And that and I'll just say my last
comment is that if the city were to contemplate additional resources into phase 4, I would rather put that money towards deepening affordability uh on the those 90ish units than adding more units where we're already stretched
and adding more 60%. >> Right? And I've I I say this all the time, but it's just a striking fact that now 60% AMI is higher than the median income of black families in Charlottesville. That's right. >> Um in terms of who is missed out. Um but
um and then final question, you touched on a little bit just those vouchers. You touched on how it's really different in terms of the funding you get. It's also really different in terms of the families in terms of what they pay is going to be based on their income. LITC is not going to be based on their income. if you could just kind of speak
on are there any challenges you're seeing with that? Um, >> you know, it's just a very big distinction for >> sure. And just for just for the public just in general to be clear, so when somebody has a voucher, whether that's a section 8 voucher, a housing choice
voucher, or a or is in public housing, any of those uh methodologies or even assist voucher that from the city, the resident pays 30% of their income towards their rent plus utilities. It's a combination of rent plus utilities. Um
if an income if a person or a household's income goes up then that als the rent/ utilities also goes up so that it's always at 30%. But if their income goes down then the rent goes down and essentially the voucher makes up the
difference. Litec is different. It's not a voucher based program. Uh to Michael's point uh it is a that is fixed at an AMI. So, if a 50% AMI unit um is set, and I don't know what the rent is off, but let's just say it's 1,400 a month.
Um that's the rent that is for a three-bedroom unit or whatever. That's the rent that is uh fixed and and someone income qualifies to be below that 50% AMI threshold. Ideally, they are close to that 50% AMI so that it
still is 30% of their income for rent plus utilities. But if their income changes either to the better or to the worse, that rent does not change. That's correct >> because [clears throat] there's no voucher associated with it. >> Thank you. And bottom line being we need more vouchers and maybe that has to come
from state government creating a new voucher program, but it's critical. But that's all I have. And again, in terms of my direction, I am okay with option A and having flexibility. >> Thank you, Natalie. [snorts]
>> Um, hey there. Um, I I really appreciate your presentation here, but also um I was able to meet with you and get some of my questions answered in advance. I want to kind of recap some of those here so people understand um
why I'm not going to make my usual quibbles because this is a unique um project with unique challenges um which as you you went over you know no one predicted a lot of the things
that happened after 2018. Um, so you know, we talked about structured parking and why that needs to be included if it gets to a certain height and that's because some underwriters won't even though we don't have parking minimums where we get the money is not
going to give us money unless that exists even if it's not needed by the residents or the community. Um, that's unfortunate. That's not something we can change at our level. That's a big cultural shift. We got to keep working towards that. um for uh the same reason
how you you know once you once you dig the ground up it's not like uh it's not like Sim City where you can just add a add a a story later when you get the money. Um so it is it is unfortunate that you know once these buildings are
done they're done. The project's over. We can't make it bigger and and and address the needs of more families after it's built. So that's why it's it's frustrating not to be able to do the bigger project, but also understandable given the conditions that we're
currently in. Um, which means this is not going to be as big as it could be, but that doesn't mean elsewhere is not going to be able to to grow later. Um the uh questions I had about income
mixes and adding market rate housing, the the LITC funding won't support a building that has market rate housing in it. So if we did allow market rate housing on the property, it would be in a separate income segregated building, which is the whole thing we're kind of
trying to avoid as we as we develop our low dedicated affordable low-income housing. Um, that's a bummer. Again, nothing we can do about that and probably something the residents would not support even if it did offset other
costs. Um, and then of course there's the the challenges with capital stacking which just is an inordinate amount of time [music] and and energy that your team and also the people you're working with have to put in to to figure out
where you can pull those those funds from. Um, on that note about capital stacking and funding, um, there's there's this challenge with publicly funded housing where because of all of
the red tape, the um, procedures, the the cross-checking, the the per unit cost winds up being higher than just a private investment. Um, building a a home. If there was some angel investor
out there who wanted to fund the phase 4 with the the fewest amount of red tape pieces for you to cut through. What's a number that would >> ballpark would be nice to have? >> I'm not offering any hope here. I'm just
curious about like how much savings would there be if it was without the LITC funding we could just it was just funded. So the litec funding um I'm doing math in my head here so don't hold me to this uh between in version A just start there
um probably is in the realm of 28 to 30 million. So if that were gone I'd have to come up with a different source for that 28 to 30 million.
>> Right. So then you but then if you if it's if it's more efficient because we don't we're not tapping into LITC maybe you can save 15 20% of that but you're still upwards of over 20 million. >> Sure you're still up there but but there's a 15 to 20% difference between
having to go through this versus private money. Yeah, there are there are significant um the there are significant inefficiencies in the lit system overall. It is an industry that we're that is mandated by
Congress to have this public private partnership structure that comes with a whole host of attorneys and uh experts and everything else that suck up resources in this process. >> The administrative costs are high. the administrative costs are very high. I
hate it. Um I don't see a different way around it. >> Yeah. So, if there are any angel investors out there listening, >> um thank you. And then um um I I am not obviously as well versed in
LITC and those funding sources as you are, but um once the like awards are granted, we have money, we've started construction, how much flexibility is there to change aspects of the design or the materials or is that all baked into the initial application?
>> Yeah, it's all it's all set out in the beginning. I mean, there might be minutia that you could change, but you've committed to a certain percentage of brick on the exterior. You've committed to square footages on the unit that can't alter. Uh, you've committed
to certain levels of window quality uh to meet energy efficiency requirements. Um, you've committed to certain flooring materials. So, all of those things have been committed to. Mhm. And so it's not like if like if let's say lumber suddenly
was 25% cheaper, those 25% savings would just can't get put towards some aspect of the project. They just go to pay back the loans earlier. >> Um uh that's a complicated answer. The short version is that it cannot it it
doesn't go somewhere else in the project somehow to change something. >> Okay. Yeah. >> Yeah. Um >> because inevitably even if you have savings on one thing, you have cost increases on the other and you typically just move it back and forth between. >> Okay. Um and then you mentioned this, but I didn't write it down in time that
there's 10 home ownership o uh home ownership units in the current phase 4 proposal. There were four in phase two and how many in phase three? >> Six as planned in phase three. >> Six in phase three. Um okay. Um thank you. Um yes, all of the things that that
you've presented today that we've talked about the um the need for the deeper affordability over quantity in this particular scenario especially. Um I'm fine with with I mean I we'll settle for option A. I think everyone's a little
grumbly about it, but um understanding the the kind of strings you're pulling, the the things you're you're tying together, um we'll we'll take what we can get. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Lloyd, do you have anything? >> Yeah, I've [clears throat] been curious
about this for I've asked the question in various ways in a number of years. How large are these uh apartments? Two-bedroom, threebedroom. So there's a uh I mean this is still a um >> sometimes it helps >> uh we haven't gone through the design
process with the residents so we haven't finalized any specific mixture of ones twos and threes but uh just like there are design criteria that we have to meet to maximize points in the litec competitive strategy they
have guidelines on that too. So for example, uh you can have no more than to to maximize points no more than 20% onebedrooms and you have to have a minimum of 10% [snorts] threebedrooms. Um and even though we've tried we've
contemplated at times having more onebedrooms or even studios they count as one bedrooms from their perspective. Um as soon as you do that you start to compromise some of your points which undermines your ability to pull it off in the first place. How about the size of a two-bedroom apartment? How many
square feet, for example? >> Uh, I don't remember offhand, but if I had to guess, it's probably in the realm of 800 to 850 ft² or so. >> How about [snorts] for three bedroom? Do you know? >> Uh, probably closer to 1,200 or so. I
mean, just to make a point I've made before, it's always seemed to me that one of the options uh when costs are rising, one of the options is to reduce somewhat the size of of the building or the size of the
units. Not to say we want to be squeezing people into really tiny places, but I I remember I got some I don't know adverse reaction during the the zoning rewrite process when I noted that I actually survived very nicely in
an 800 foot two-bedroom apartment coming out of college. uh and at a time when people were talking about $950 to,000 ft² for a two-bedroom apartment and the difference at $3350 a square foot uh if you save 200 square
ft you've saved $70,000. >> So I would if I might there are two things I would say in response. One is that um uh I agree with you. We we are, you know, as we go into this process, we're not going to be um egregious in the square footage, you know, as we look
at sizing everything else, but it's the math that you put out there is not as simple as you describe. The kitchen and the bathroom are by far the most expensive square footage. So, if you're talking about, let's say, bringing a 900 foot unit down to an 800 foot unit by trimming out bedroom space
and that sort of thing, um, it's it's a the impact is much lower on your overall savings than it would be as if you're taking out a kitchen or taking out a bathroom. It's just that it's just there's a differential in the square footage. It's not a simple >> Yeah. The cost of of the kitchen
appliances is there regardless of whether it's a an 800 or 900 foot apartment. Yeah. I mean just I mean sort of thinking about uh ways that that we end up having to economize
and thinking I I wonder what other ways there might be and obviously you're you're doing what you can do but that's that's one thing I I just think ought to be ought to be looked at with some with some attention. >> Thank you >> Jen.
>> Thank you. Um, I'm a version A and >> I'm pretty cool with version A, too, by the way. >> Okay, good. And, um, I wondered if you could just take a hot minute to explain why 9% is harder to get than 4%. Like
what the the 70% coverage it, you know, just so the public understands. >> So, sure. the um the way the program is set up um 9% is a there's a limited allocation per year from the federal government to each state for 9%
low-inccome housing tax credits. So it is a limited resource um that and each state gets an allocation based on their population based on poverty rates and everything else. And then that state uh has an agency in our case Virginia Housing the state housing finance agency which then
administers the program determines competitive guidelines and breaks up the uh the state into different regions. So for example you don't have a project in Northern Virginia competing with a project in south southwest Virginia because they are two entirely different
context different construction uh requirements costs etc. So they try to acknowledge that and break it up by region in effect. Um and those 9% credits are capped within each region. And so um one of the realities we've
experienced over the last um you know eight years when I talked about phase 1 through three and how we've had to pivot back in phase one we did 106 units with a single 9%. Yes, we had lots of soft money, other money that came in in
addition to LITC, but we were able to pull it off. Nowadays, uh we'd be stretching it to get 50 units out of a of a what we can get in our region for LITC because the value of the LITC has decreased. Cost of construction has increased and it just what you can fit
inside that cap because you can't break the cap. Uh you won't get any funding at all otherwise. So, you have to fit inside that cap. So it is a limited resource that's highly competitive because it brings in a lot of subsidy that 18 to 20 or that 20 million or so that that we were talking about a moment
ago. 4% uh four is less than nine. Uh four is about half of nine roughly speaking. That's about this the similar trend in terms of value of subsidy that comes in through the program. But 4% is not a
limited resource. It is not capped. Um historically it has not been capped. Um there we have in the last two years we have confronted an an unprecedented reality that there is that the um the
state has reached its bond cap which historically has never done before in modern history. Uh and so there's been this artificial cap because you it's a it's a 4% bond issuance effectively.
Uh so there's been this strange dynamic of having this artificial cap, but theoretically it is uncapped as long as there is bond capacity. So you're not competing for those resources. As long as you meet the minimum requirements, you can get them and you under can go [snorts] through underwriting. But the
9% brings in almost twice as much subsidy into the project um on a on a per credit basis, [laughter] but it's limited and competitive. Does that help? >> Yes, very much. I think when I studied it was very it was confusing off the get-go but when you realize that there's
a limited amount of 9% that really makes sense and then kind of >> and and just just to say the in the last few years the 9% uh the number of 9% credits and available each year the Virginia housing has been subscribed the applications have been uh more than
triple the available credits each year so it's highly competitive >> right hence the chance of getting three of them for one project is unlikely. >> I'm thinking about something Natalie had said about we can't get it going now and
this, you know, we commit once we do this, but are there if if you had a guess, are there other projects that PHA is working on where we may have more flexibility in increasing affordability or that you see opportunities coming down the road or just totally
unknown? So every project that we have in the pipeline has a somewhat without vouchers has a somewhat similar uh affordability profile of a certain percentage at 30% AMI certain at 50% certain at 60 because that's also about
maximizing the points to win competitiveness. That's what Virginia Housing sets out there as their goal. We can always go deeper more deeply affordable. That's that's uh that can always happen um as long as there is the subsidy or resources to offset the lost
revenue from rent which translates to debt. Um so there is absolutely opportunities in the future if even on projects like MAC or Parks through Christian Church or 501 Cherry if the city council wanted to uh put more resources towards deeper affordability.
Absolutely. That can happen on the fly. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Yes. So, u I'm going to support option A2 and we've talked several times on this and just not a lot of good options there and we want this project to
continue on. So, I'll support it as as well. This is a project that's been in the making for many many years. I said this before my wife you know started on this working with the residents and the youth to plan this and it's you know it's it's up and running. I mean, we
still have phases to go, but it's good to see the new developments there. So, I'm going to support it as as well. So, we can't vote um during this time. The other comments um at this time. >> So, what happens next is we get something we have to vote on that says we're okay with reducing the required
number. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Thank you for the direction. It immense help. It helps immensely as we move into the design process. Thank you. >> Thank you. So, um Sam's no other actions at this point. We will I will entertain
a motion to go into close session. >> So moved. >> I got to read the whole thing. >> Oh, you got to read the whole I was going to do this. So moved. [laughter] >> All right. >> Um pursuant to motion 2.2-3712 of the Virginia code, I move that this city council close this open meeting and
convene in a closed session as authorized by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act as follows. One, pursuant to Virginia Code section 2.2, 2-3711A88 for consultation with legal counsel employed or retained by a public body regarding specific legal matters
requiring the provision of legal advice by such council specifically contemplated council action with respect to federal immigration enforcement. Two, pursuant to Virginia Code section 2.2-3711819 2-3711819 for discussion of plans to protect
public safety as it relates to terrorist activity or specific cyber security threats or vulnerabilities and briefings by staff members, legal council or law enforcement or emergency service officials concerning actions taken to respond to such matters or a related threat to public safety. Discussion of
informationation subject to the exclusion in subdivision 2 or 14 of 2.2-3705.2 two, where discussion in an open meeting would jeopardize the safety of any person or the security of any facility, building structure, information technology system, or software program,
or discussion of reports or plans related to the security of any governmental facility, building or structure, or the safety of persons using such facility, building or structure. >> Now I get to say second. [laughter] >> Um, all in favor, please say yes.
>> Yes. Yes. >> All oppose, please say no. Thank you. We'll be back at 6:30 or thereabout. [clears throat] Part: 2
Missou. Thank you so much. I call this Charlott city council meeting into order. We are now um will get read out of close session. I move that this council certify by a recorded vote that to the best of each
council member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully exempted from the open meeting requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and identified in the motion convening the closed session were heard, discussed, or considered in the closed session. >> Second.
>> Second. Okay. Can we vote? Is everyone electronically signed in? >> I am not. >> Okay. All in favor, please say yes. >> Roll call. >> Okay. I'm sorry. >> Councelor Fleer >> here. >> Vice Mayor Ashin. >> Yes. >> Councelor Payne,
>> yes. >> Councelor Snook, >> yes. >> Mayor Wade, >> yes. Um, we will begin our meeting with a moment of silence. Thank you very much. Um, just for announcements, I just want to thank um
the community and particularly city staff for um dealing with um the last weather event that we've had. It's a somewhat unprecedented, but I was informed that it's it might be the new norm, but um it's um it's was unusual to
have the extended deep cold spell after the the um the snow and and sleet and it was made it difficult for um the removal of of the clearing of the streets and the sidewalks. But, you know, everyone pitched in. We still have some work to
do. schools um will have another two-hour delay tomorrow, but they were able to go. We, you know, got some more areas that we have to to clean up. And so, I just want to thank everyone for for pi pitching in um and I'm doing what we have to do to make sure that we can
um get to places safely. That's why we have the ordinance um so that people um can can get out safely. So, are there other announcements? I have one. Um, this Sunday is February's edition of the
neighborhood walk that uh the bike and pedestrian committee puts on. Um, this month it will be in Johnson Village. So, meeting at Tall Oaks Elementary at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday for an easy 2, three mile stroll around the neighborhood. Um,
please join. Please tell your friends. Um, yes, it will be a little snowy. Hopefully the next couple days of warmer weather will cause a little melt to make it a little easier to bypass. But in a big group, um it'll be it'll be good to walk around and and check out a neighborhood maybe you're not super familiar with. Um again, that is this
Sunday at 10:00 meeting at Tall Oaks Elementary. >> Okay, other announcements or comments? Um we don't have any um proclamations um this time. Um, you know, at a 4:00
meeting, we changed some things around for um to move the um the resolution regarding the recent immigration enforcement actions and reaffirming the city's commitment to um civil rights, due process, and community trust. We move that up to um the next item on the
agenda before we go into public comment. This is um an item that I mentioned at a previous meeting and and staff work really diligently to pull um this resolution um together is rather lengthy, but I we think that it's every
word makes um a difference, has an impact, and we just felt we all wanted to read this um a part of it. But before we do that, I wanted to just kind of go around and let counselors um um just comment before we read the the
resolution. Michael, I will start with you, sir. >> Yeah. Well, I have a number of of thoughts. We'll try to to be relatively brief. Um, but I think this is a step in the right
direction and I'm glad that it hasn't just purely been a statement, but involves as well some concrete local actions that we can explore to take. Um, I will say I don't think this is a moment for celebration for the city. I think this should be a moment of
humility because quite frankly this has been something that the community has requested for almost a year and it has taken until the murder of two American citizens that the Trump administration has uh celebrated said there won't be an accountability for and openly lied about
the context and situation of what happened. But for months before this, we've had the buildup of detention facilities, expanding of ICE budget by uh over quadrupling it. Um we've had the government openly declare that
immigration enforcement will happen purely based on the color of someone's skin. Um and the Supreme Court in what is now known as a Kavanaaugh stop has affirmed that that immigration enforcement can happen purely by a individual officer uh uh judging someone
based on the color of their skin or what they're wearing. Um so and the actions that we've taken tonight I think are a bare minimum in that these are actions that other localities in Virginia didn't just take months ago. In some cases, they took these actions
years ago, in the case of Arlington 2019. And I'm glad we're moving in this direction, but um I think this is just a start and I hope we'll be in a continued dialogue with impacted communities and those working in those areas to figure
out what additional actions we can take and not stop here. And I would also say I hope this can be a learning lesson for city council that when the community is coming to us with requests that we bring them in and don't wait for over a year
to even give a response of yes or no until what they're warning about finally hits the fan because we do have a voice as an elected body. We have a Democratic senator, Mark Warner, who voted for the Lincoln Riley Act, which helps set the stage for what's happening right now. We
have a voice as an elected body to signal to elected officials like that, as well as our governor, our position on issues. And all of these things are going to play out locally. We've had members of our local refugee community uh had their asylum denied recently and
targeted for deportation by ICE. People who are community leaders um and with businesses at farmers markets. And these issues intersect directly locally. Many of our affordable housing communities that are most at risk of displacement are where many of these
impacted populations live. Are we going to ensure that people aren't removed from our community via economic displacement as well? when Hanover is exploring uh the creation of a detention facility of over 500,000 square feet. And when this is directly from Washington Post in New York Times
reporting, individuals at detention facilities have had their genitals crushed. That's direct. Have had evidence of sexual abuse and rape and instances have been murdered with no due process oversight or accountability. Are we going to use our platform to weigh in on what's happening in Virginia on those
issues? because I know there's fear. But when we preemptively stop ourselves from speaking honestly and clearly about the truth, that allows the strategy of authoritarianism to win because that's the goal to have us be fearful. But I think if all localities can join together in coalitions and just take
small actions to no longer move in fear, we can start to change where our country is at and make it clear we are not going to let these tactics win. >> Vice Mayor um Austrian Uh to expand on something that Michael
just mentioned, which is the Kavanaaugh stop. Um one of the other things that uh uh you can be stopped for now is if you're speaking another language or have an accent. And one of the fun trivia facts that we always grew
up with was, hey, what's the official language of the United States? and there wasn't one until last March when by executive order uh Trump made English the official language. So growing when you have an accent
um it means you are trying something new. It means you came from a new place, you braved something um and you're you're learning a new culture, a new language maybe. um we all came from somewhere new unless we are uh
descendants of indigenous people or indigenous people which means that at some point whether by force or by choice we were new here. Um and the the actions of the current
administration specifically around um ICE and immigration enforcement and what we've been seeing happen in Minneapolis are violating the first amendment. they're violating the Second Amendment. They're profoundly unamerican. Um and and continue a tradition of um
breaking norms, breaking laws that we learned in middle school civics. Um that that is not something to be proud of. um the the the foundational document, the the principles that we were taught, that we
live with um are are casually being tossed aside. Um which is something that we I think all can agree in this room at least is uh not for the the best uh not for the betterment of our country and the people who live here and seek to
find a better life here. Um the actions we're taking today um are may not seem far enough for some people. They may seem too far for some people. Um we are trying to be very conscious of keeping
what we say and what we do and what we promise within our power. We know that if we overpromise and are not able to keep people safe because they take actions based on what they think we can do, that puts our residents, our uh people that we are
responsible for in a vulnerable position and we don't want to do that. Um this is not our a resolution here tonight is not our only recourse. Um we are you know people with agency who can advocate on our own time and as members of council. Um, but we are very
conscious of what we are able to do as an official public body. And I just want to clarify that we would love if we were able to do um bigger, grander enforcement or um resistance at an official level, but we don't want to
guarantee safety that we can't promise. Um, that being said, part of what we're going to hear tonight is our resolution, but also we're going to go over a couple of documents. um a letter to our senators and a staff uh memo that
trains, you know, we've seen uh people complain that the ICE agents haven't been trained, right? As if that's the big problem. But we are going to make sure that our staff understand their rules and regulations and their training. so that if people come knocking on our door demanding for entrance or documents or access of some
kind, our staff knows what they're able to do, where they can forward the request, and where they can push back if needed. Um, so we want to make sure that our staff are very clear on that, too. So, those actions outside of this this resolution are hopefully going to help
our our staff feel more prepared and uh let our senators know our community's thoughts. Thank you, Lloyd. >> Yeah. Uh, upon hearing the news of the invasion of Poland by Hitler's armies,
the English poet William H. Alen wrote a poem entitled simply September 1st, 1939. Odden's poem contains some important guidance. Quote, "All I have is a voice to undo the folded lie, the lie of
authority." I think we were all astounded, appalled, outraged by the killings of Renee Good and Alex Prey. I might have thought I could not be more outraged until I heard the ICE officials and Christy Gnome and
President Trump and Vice President Vance pushing out their obvious lies about Renee Good and about Alex Prey. And we need in Alen Alden's words to undo the folded lie of authority. This ICE effort with masks, without
identification, without accountability, marked by violence against non-violent protesters, make no mistake, is an intentional campaign to intimidate the opponent, the opposition, to stifle dissent, to isolate, and to arrest or
worse, the protesters. We're seeing the beginning of an intentional effort to interfere with the November 2026 elections in a way and to a degree that we had not previously accepted intellectually. We see the signs, but we're told, "Oh,
you're exaggerating. He wouldn't really do that." You may remember that President Trump told his supporters on July 26, 2024 during the election re-election campaign that if they reelected him, they'd never have to vote again. I'm quoting, "In four years, you don't
have to vote again. You we'll have it fixed so good, you're not going to have to vote." That's the end of the quote. Some people just dismissed this statement and the other statements as the idol ravings of a madman, as though that would make it better. Remember his
statement in December of 2023 that he would be a dictator on day one and then we were assured, "Oh, it'll be okay because on day two he'll go back to normal." or remember his statement March 11th of 2024 where he promised to pardon all of the January 6th riers. He
wouldn't really do that. We were told these statements were just rhetorical excess. We were told, make no mistake, he was saying the quiet parts of his plan out loud. And on the question of immigration, when Donald
Trump talked about deporting 12 million undocumented people, we were told, "Oh, he would never be able to do that. He's only going to be going after the worst of the worst." Well, we've seen what that means in practice. 78% of those being deported have no criminal records
at all. ICE is going after construction workers and restaurant workers and 5-year-olds. In 2024, we as a society had a failure of imagination. We just could not imagine that he would pardon the riers who attacked the capital and who were
looking to hang his vice president. We couldn't imagine that he intended to be a dictator from day one. We couldn't imagine that he would be seeking to deport 5-year-olds. And in deciding that Trump didn't actually mean what he was saying, we ignored Maya Angelou's
advice. When someone shows you who they are, believe them. the first time. Donald Trump seems to be realizing that the American people don't like to see nonviolent protesters murdered on their streets. But he's coming to that realization only because Americans have
been speaking out through demonstrations in the streets and on the nation's television screens or through public opinion surveys or court cases where the Trump administration keeps losing or through election results where Trump supporters are getting shellacked or
perhaps through expressions and resolutions from state and local governments. Alden's poem gives some other good advice. He kind of ends it towards the end. He says, "And no one exists alone. Hunger allows no choice to
the citizen or the police. We must love one another or die." And the poem closes with this. Defenseless under the night, our world in stuper lies. Yet dotted everywhere, ironic points of light flash out
wherever the just exchange their messages. May I, composed like them of aeros and of dust, beleaguered by the same negation and despair, show an affirming flame. We feel defenseless at times against the
relentless tactics of the Trump administration. We feel bleaguered, but we can't give into that despair. We must be those points of light as we unite with our immigrant friends here in Charlottesville and with our friends who oppose ICE efforts in Minneapolis and
Chicago and Los Angeles and Maine and across the country. We may we all show our friends that affirming flame that Alden talked about so that we can so that they can know that they are not alone. As we protest nonviolently
but insistently, persistently, let us reaffirm the dignity of every person, let us also remember Alden's ultimate suggestion that we must love one another or die. >> Amen. Thank you,
>> Jen. >> The moments we've seen in Minneapolis and elsewhere can feel unbelievable, but they're not accidental. As the People's Paper put it plainly, "This is not a moment. It's a season."
And seasons are long. In seasons like this, trust erodess, information fractures, and fear slows action. The harm that follows doesn't land evenly. for families already living
with uncertainty and for the local communities for whom state violence and overpolicing have been part of lived experience for many years. This is not new stress. This is cumulative and it can open old
wounds. So the response can't be to ask people to simply absorb more. It has to be to slow the harm and make the support needed easy to reach through trusted people and institutions for the city. Our resolution affirms our
commitments to civil rights, due process, and community trust. But to be a trusted institution on the ground, we also have to be prepared. And we recognize that that preparedness is longhaul work, not a one-time response.
Just as in a public health emergency or an environmental disaster, some of the most effective preparedness is also the most basic. It's having your neighbors phone number. It's knowing who might need food delivered, a pet walked, their kids picked up, or prescriptions filled.
It's knowing who to call and who can be counted on. Alongside our resolution, I invite us all to get in the know and share resources. Make sure you and your neighbors know where to find mental health support, legal help, healthy
food, and mutual aid. And more importantly, how to activate them when they're needed. Because seasons like this are endured not by waiting them out, but by building the capacity to elevate dignity and democracy under
pressure with the strength that sustains us into a new season of renewal, connection, and equal protection for all. >> Thank you. Um I agree with my colleagues. I think it's time for us to
support this. I think it's for me um as um in my position that before people see me as a father, as a husband, as someone who's given
countless hours in this community, as a volunteer for the last 30 years, as a former schoolboard member and his mayor. I'm a person of color and we are going to be impacted by the actions of ICE before more than anyone
else. And so I'm glad that we are um adopting this. And with that being said, um I'm going to read the the first part of the resolution. Whereas the city of Charlottesville is entrusted with safeguarding the health
safe safety and welfare of the community with expressing the values and priorities of the city and whereas the city of Charlottesville seeks to be a city where everyone thrives and where Charlottesville um is a diverse and inclusive community
that values fairness, equal protection under the law, the respect for the dignity and humanity of all persons. And whereas the city of Charlottesville seeks to be a welcoming community, including being welcome welcoming to immigrants from other countries. Whereas
recent immigration enforcement actions undertaken by federal authorities, including actions that have resulted in the serious um injury or loss of life, have generated widespread public outrage regarding civil rights, accountability,
and the appropriate use of action, use of force, and and such. And where such action, regardless of the ultimate outcome of any investigation, can profoundly affect public trust, communities, cohesion, and the
willingness of residents to engage with the local government and public safety. And whereas the city recognizes that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that the city has no authority or responsibility to regulate, direct or control the
operation of the US immigration and custom enforcement or ICE or other federal agencies. And whereas the city council ne nevertheless retains the authority and responsibility to speak on matters that affect the safety right the
safety rights and trust of the Charlottesville community to advocate for constitutional protection and humane treatment for all persons. Now for therefore it be resolved by the council of city of Charlottesville.
One, expression of condemnation and grief. Charlottesville mourns the loss of life caused by recent immigration enforcement actions. The city unequivocally condemns any enforcement tactics that needlessly endanger human life, disregard basic dignity, and erode the rule of law.
to affirmation of community values and practices. The city affirms its commitment to constitutional protections, equal treatment under the law, and the humane and respectful treatment of all individuals within the community. Charlottesville rejects the normalization of fear, secrecy, and violence as tools of governance. Public safety must never be achieved through
terror, humiliation, or the abandonment of due process. Peaceful protest is an American right and not a valid target for federal action. >> Three, public safety and community trust. The city finds that in the context of federal immigration enforcement, practices such as
concealing an officials identity, operating in plain clothes, using unmarked vehicles, failing to clearly and promptly identify their authority, or engaging in confrontational tactics without clear legal justification create an unreasonable risk of violent
escalation. Moreover, tactics that deny persons access to basic human needs and rights guaranteed by the Constitution, such as operations aimed at schools, medical facilities, courouses, and houses of worship, run counter to the American spirit and should not be
tolerated. Such practices do not merely undermine community trust. They place residents, bystanders, and the officers themselves in immediate danger and are incompatible with principles of transparent, accountable policing. Charlottesville police officers do not
hide their identities. Charlottesville police officers activate their bodywn cameras when working in the community. Charlottesville police officers have been trained to deescalate confrontations. Charlottesville police officers receive
extensive training on how to protect the constitutional rights of all persons. The city is proud of its police department's commitment to building trust with all residents, including through its long-standing practice of not collecting or maintaining information about a person's immigration
status, recognizing that community trust is essential to public safety. >> Four, federal immigration authority. The city recognizes that federal immigration enforcement authority is derived from federal statute and limited by the United States Constitution and that
unless the city and ICE enter into an agreement under section 287G of the Immigration and Naturalization Act, the city has no responsibility or authority to enforce immigration laws. Federal law does not generally authorize immigration officers to stop vehicles, enter private
property, or take enforcement actions absent lawful authority supported by probable cause, and where required, a judicially issued warrant. Moreever, the city finds that immigration enforcement actions aimed at schools, medical facilities, courouses, and houses of
worship, while potentially legal, are unduly disruptive to the community's well-being well-being and wrongfully interfere with human dignity and rights granted by law. The city rejects enforcement actions that exceed or evade these legal limits and find that such
actions erode public confidence, destabilize communities, and undermine the legitimacy of lawful authority itself. Five, call for transparency and accountability. The city urges federal authorities to conduct thorough, independent, and transparent investigations into incidents involving
the use of force and immigration enforcement and to make findings available to the public to the extent permitted by law. The city further calls on federal agencies to immediately re-evaluate and discontinue tactics that conceal identity, obscure authority, or rely on fear and force rather than clear
legal process. Six, the city recognizes that certain tactics now commonly employed in federal immigration enforcement, even when authorized or condoned by federal officials, can place federal officers at risk of physical harm, legal jeopardy, and moral injury. The city further finds
that enforcement practices that obscure identity, that rely on fear created by ambiguity, or that prioritize displays of force over clearly bounded legal authority, dehumanize community members while entangling federal personnel and operations that serve political objectives rather than public safety.
Limitation on scope and authority. This resolution is intended solely as an expression of the values and concerns of the city as expressed by its current city council. Nothing in this resolution is intended is intended to direct the city manager or city staff to interfere
with lawful federal activities or to alter any existing legal obligations or authorities. >> Eight, communication to federal and state officials. The city council as a body will communicate with Charlottesville's representatives in the United States Senate and House of Representatives as well as Virginia's
governor and attorney general to convey the city's concerns regarding federal immigration enforcement and to request they exercise their respective authorities to promote transparency, accountability, and adherence to constitutional and statutory protections
through any means possible, including appropriate legislative action. Uh, can I get a motion to pass? >> I move the approval of the resolution. >> Second.
>> Um, you signing, Lloyd yet? >> Sorry. >> Okay. Did you need to do a voice? >> No. >> All in favor, please say yes. >> Yes. >> All oppose, please say no. >> Thank you all so much. Um, as part of that, um, resolution, um, I think Jen,
you mentioned that we were going to be communicating with, um, our local, um, well, our state and federal, um, contacts. And I was going to have um, John to um, Mr. Maddox to to speak on that, please, sir.
>> Certainly. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, members of council. Um, in addition to the resolution you just adopted, um, we're taking two practical steps. The first is the letter that you mentioned that's going to be sent to Senators Warner and Kaine as well as Representative McGuire as well as Governor Spanberger and the
Attorney General Jay Jones. And it's requesting a number of uh actions. Uh as you may have heard, the federal government is currently negotiating in the in the uh in Congress about uh possible limits on federal immigration authorities. And this would be urging
and asking that uh our delegation take up uh the measures that you've propo that you've just discussed in your resolution as binding federal law. It's directing your advocacy to the people with the authority to do something about it. That is the hope. The second uh
action that we're taking is earlier this afternoon I issued guidance to all city employees regarding how they may interact with federal agents if they uh come onto city property. And at a practical level, the guidance makes a few core points. Federal agents may
enter public areas of city buildings just like any other member of the public. Um, but access to non-public areas of city facilities uh or to the non-public records or information that requires lawful legal authority. Typically, a warrant signed by a judge,
not just issued by an immigration official, uh, or direction from my office. So, city employees are not expected to make those legal calls themselves. It would be unfair to ask the poor people work at the front desk downstairs make the highly um uh important legal calls. They're
instructed to remain professional, to not interfere, and to immediately contact the supervisor and my office so those questions can be handled centrally and lawfully. And my team is well prepared to answer those questions if and when they come up to our office. Um, if agents present documents such as
warrants or subpoenas, employees are told to obtain copies and route them to legal counsel rather than trying to interpret them on the spot. Uh, in short, the guidance is designed to protect employees from being put in impossible situations, protect the city's legal interests, and ensure that any cooperation with federal authorities
occurs through clear constitutional process rather than confusion or pressure. So, taken together, these actions reflect the same principle as the resolution the city council just passed. The city will respect uh lawful federal authority, but we will also
insist on transparency, due process, and the dignity and safety of the people who live and work here. That's what else we're doing. >> Thank you. Thank you all so much. Um thank counselors for their comments and staff will pull in this together. That
being said, we will proceed now with the community matters. We have um eight um up slots for pre-registered speakers. Five have done that and 11 total additional total um for first part of
the community matters. The first speaker is Mike Henrietta Henrietta. >> Sorry. Mike Henrietta here. I just uh handed you traditional evidence about the auction block. Tradition refers to something handed down from a previous
generation. A tradition widely known and right up until present day was documented in 1940 by Holman W. Walsh. Between 1906 and 1928, his law office was located in the right hand of zero
Park Street. At the side of the office, there was a large stone, a very specific sign size, that is quote, which was said was the auction block for selling slaves. A sign on this southern side exterior
wall of his office facing the Montichello Hotel read Benson and Brothers auction rooms just over the auction block. Mr. Walsh also documented quote I have heard that the building was used as a
slave auction room. It was said and I have heard meant means that Walsh knew there was an auction block because knowledgeable other citizens told him so, passing down as tradition what they knew as fact.
There is even a more interesting second tradition about the block. When the firm of Brownfield Realy bought Zero Park Street in the early 1970s, the building's previous owner told Ms. Robera Brownfield, quote, "The auction
block was ready in use, already in use before my building was constructed in 1820." This means previous owners passed down verbally as fact an important forgotten issue, namely before it was zero Park
Streets, empty lot was used for tying up horses. auctioning of enslaved laborers beside the horse lot was a vital part of Charlottesville's economy. This was even earlier than the negro trader selling
south era began. Our requested sign should read traditional site of enslavement auction block. And thank you. And one other comment. Um, I'm not the best at hearing and the finger snapping thing interrupts
my uh ability to hear some of the speakers, please. So, thank you all. >> Alicia, >> good evening. My name is Alicia Lennahan. I live in the county. You you work in the shadow cast by the Unite the
Right rally in August 2017. Then your primary goal was to protect the First Amendment rights of white supremacists while hoping to keep the community safe. The epic failure on both counts must inform how you do your jobs today. What have you learned from that
world's changing event? The irony is inescapable. Those who dispensed the trauma of August 11th and 12th knew what they were doing. They generated clear definitions of the detestable other and the utilization of state power to eliminate the imagined enemy. Unite the
right can look on with satisfaction at the role they played in moving the national conversation and the federal government. They were actual 21st century Nazis who took action in the public sphere, shaped the public conversation and are getting the policy
outcomes that they desired. The administration assumes that we are insincere in our values and that principles of inclusion and unity are superficial. Will you abandon the tenants of your resolution at the first hint of retaliation?
Since the last council meeting, Alex Prey was killed. Robert Rich describes it as an execution because he was murdered intentionally. Bishop William Barber calls it a lynching because as in the Jim Crow era, masked men brutally murdered him in public, celebrated their
extrajudicial execution as a moral victory, and then lied about the w what the victim had done. The federal agents sent to LA, Chicago, Charlotte, Maine, and Minneapolis wear body armor and masks, bear long guns and sidearms, but their skittishness and brutality are
qualities associated with fear, not resolve. It takes far more courage to stare down the barrel of a gun when you're armed with only a whistle and a phone than it does to point a gun at an unarmed community member. What history will Charlottesville write
when ICE arrives? When we are confronted with street terror, concentration camps, and mass deportations, what will you do? We know that this paramilitary force has gutted the Fourth Amendment in a secret memo. question. When ICE breaks into a
home without a valid judicial warrant, should the pre residents call the police? If they respond, what will officers do when they are on the scene? Who will they serve and protect? Our freedom of speech, right to assemble and
seek redress from the government is being threatened at every turn. ICE agents have killed, seriously injured, and brutalized countless protesters and observers. Question. When ICE attacks community members who are defending democracy and protecting their neighbors, should we call the police? If
they respond, will officers do what will they do when they're on the scene? Who will they serve and protect? We're calling upon you to stand resolutely against violence instigated by federal law enforcement.
>> Thank you, Freddie. Hello everyone. >> Hello sir. >> Happy Black History Month. >> My name is Freddy Jackson. Um I'm the founder of the Love No Ego Foundation. That's Love No Ego Foundation, an
organization working with youth here in Charlottesville and the central Virginia area. I'm a descendant of enslaved ancestors and I live on or in the Charlottesville area, River Court. Originally from Buckingham County, uh my family there resides less
than two miles from Buckingham County's birthplace of Carter G. Wilson. This location receives numerous visits annually by tourists. My home remains the largest agriculture county in Virginia. For well over a hundred years
prior to 1865, its fields were plowed and forest cut down by thousands of enslaved laborers. It's very likely that during the Negro Trader era, large numbers of these Buckingham ancestors were traffic on court days at the auction block beside the number nothing
building. There were 600 such days when selling human beings south occurred. Many folks in our town of Buckingham County still carry that grief from those memories from this terrible commerce. I support CSM's
Court Square enslavement memory, the citizens advocacy group, their request that council reinstalls the slate mark on East Jefferson Street curb reading traditional site of enslavement auction block. I respectfully ask you to correct this eraser of history in our hometown.
I just gave you a photograph of the father of of African-American history. You will see his statue in National Park Historic Site in Washington DC and also you can visit the Carter G. Wilson Educational Complex in Buckingham County. I believe that Dr. Carter G.
Wilson is a great American of of whom Charlottesville can be very proud of. His intentional reputation as a historian merits and requires city council restoration of our rewarded and humanizing sign. Do we want the consequence of of it
being an embarrassing matter or the consequence of it being something that we own that we respect and come to pay homage to? The choice is ours. Um I see it as an opportunity.
Thank you and happy Black History Month. Thank you, Richard. I'm Richard Allen. You had directed us in previous meeting to reach out to descendant groups and we are actively doing that here over the last two weeks and we'll report on that to you at your
next meeting. But right now, I would like to speak with you about transforming Auction Block Corner from soul hurting to soulhonoring. It's been the mission of our group for five and a half years.
Does anybody here remember the date of Thanksgiving in 2004? Anon Parker and Scotty B. Williams certainly do. They shocked the Jeffersonian Thanksgiving festival with
a mock auction at the enslavement block site by critiquing the costumed glorification of town heroes. This ironic citizen activism shined light on three presidents darker side. The mock
auction became the talk of the town and within a few years the costume festival was discontinued. I'm going to give you links so that you can learn more about that. Citizens speaking out actively
about controversial issues. It's challenging to acknowledge painful historic facts. And here are two soul hurting headlines a few years ago. In the first one, I quote, "How can Charlottesville
commemorate the countless auctions that ripped families apart and enslaved people in Court Square?" And second, and I quote, "How will our city now mark its ugly past? The somber site where enslaved people were treated like
cattle, part of a long history of abusing, degrading, or ignoring black Americans. Today, counselors, on the other hand, our group salutes city council and UVA. You have led the way by removing
unwanted statues and installing the memorial to enslaved laborers. These have been deeds of civic repair. They have been soulhonoring. But there does remain one thing that
does need to be done. So councils, we ask of you today. Let's make Court Square curbside a place of acknowledgement. Let us follow UVA's lead by honoring the souls of our town's early builders. Our group will ask you to vote in March
to restore the rewarded traditional site of enslaved auction block sign. Thank you very much. >> Thank you, Wendy. >> Thank you, Mr. Hi. Um, I'm Wendy. I'm an organizer at FAR. I want to start out today by talking about ICE. ICE is not the issue
that I usually explicitly comment on, but ICE is inextricably connected to LV collective and low-income housing, and not only because a large number of refugees live in our communities. We didn't get to this moment of accelerated, moreovert fascism out of nowhere. This moment didn't begin with Trump's second term. We have to think
about ICE abductions in connection to the family separation system, which disproportionately police and separate black families. the horrible and heartbreaking murders of Sylvio Viegas Gonzalez, Keith Porter, Jose Castro Rivera. Because Renee Good and Alex Prey are not the first to lose their lives to
ICE. They are just the first white-bodied US citizens. But we must name them all. These murders did not happen in a vacuum. ICE shootings can't be divorced from the murders of Sonia Massie, George Floyd, Bana Taylor, Ahmad Arbory, Philando Castile, Freddy Gray, Tamir Rice, Mel Brown, Eric Garner, and
so many more at the hands of the police. The horrors of ICE detention centers are extensions of every prison and jail, which disproportionately, overwhelmingly lock up black and brown bodies. I say all of this to point out the inextricable interconnectedness of the liberation of all people. This
resolution is far too little, far too late. We have to imagine and fight for a world where ICE is abolished and where we abolish and divest from all deathmaking systems, prisons, police, the military, and invest in actual life-giving institutions that will sustain and feed and house us like
healthcare and housing. Don't wait any longer to change the zoning code around black core neighborhoods because it's not too late. Over the weekend, I saw a local prominent housing group made up of mostly white white professionals, so I think everybody knows who I'm talking about, fundraising for the Haven on
social media, which was really interesting to me. This group's motto is any and all housing, which by the way translates to all lives matter. But every time they support unhoused folks, I raise my eyebrows and give them severe side eye because it feels like white saviorism and charity instead of solidarity. Solidarity requires a root
cause analysis. And it's ironic to me that this group often shows out in hordes to support our street-based neighbors, but they won't say a word. In fact, they actively support the very luxury buildings that drive black people out of their neighborhoods and their homes and cause them to be unhoused or displaced in the first place. You just
heard the impact of gentrification on Kindlewood earlier today. And it goes both ways. Low-income housing is also often the pathway for unhoused people to gain housing stability. But this group won't say a thing about gentrification and displacement in those communities or in West Haven and FIL and Tenth and
Page. And yet this is the housing group that this council holds as the authoritative voice on housing and it's unfair. Please listen to the residents who are coming to you week after week telling you to change the zoning code. Um especially because they're all black and brown and the people who you all are listening to are all wealthy whites
professionals who don't live in the communities that you all are trying to build these luxury buildings over. Thank you. That was our last um um pre-registered speak with opportunity for um 11 more. Would anyone like Susan?
>> I'm Susan McCully and I own property in the city. Thank you for passing the resolution regarding ICE. We do consider it a good first step. In the nine months that we've been attending council meetings, an unprecedented number of people have died at the hands of ICE.
Countless people have been brutalized and injured, attacked, and abducted. Our demand for planning, policies, and actions that meet the challenges posed by daily historic injustices will continue as will our challenges to
inaction. Council cannot hide behind the supremacy clause. There are limitations on fed federal law. Primarily, they must be constitutionally valid and passed within Congress's enumerated powers. They
cannot infringe on fundamental rights or co or coerc states into enforcing unconstitutional federal policies. Scholar Timothy Snyder wrote, "People enforcing law do not wear masks. And
people wearing masks who trespass, assault, batter, and kill are not enforcing the law. They're violating it." Dylan's rule by limiting the actions a locality may make on its own own sanctions in action. The city council
will not be relieved of its ethical responsibility to protect the community because moral choices are available. We believe that the council should engage and mobilize in like-minded localities. Elected officials wield influence that
individuals do not have. A coalition will have a greater impact at the state and congre and congressional levels. Governor Spanberger's administration should be urged to join other states that are challenging Trump legally and
in the court of public opinion. John Maguire, among others, must be held accountable for policies that are hurting residents. And as a governmental body, please support the following le legislation. Delegate Jones bill to prohibit law
enforcement from wearing masks. Delegate Coulson's bill prohibiting arrests for civil infractions in or around courouses. The Immigration Safe Zones Act a which aims to prohibit ICE from entering schools, hospitals, universities, and places of worship
without a valid judicial warrant and proposals that restrict state and local police from participating in 287G agreements and limit the use of legal local resources for federal immigration enforcement. Take courage from Hanover and Augusta
counties. Both have had said no to the development of ICE detention facilities in their jurisdictions. ISIS's actions in Minneapolis remind us that people have good reasons to hide. And those of us trying to help them, protect them, or protest on their behalf
also have reasons to be afraid. We will judge your actions based using a measure of morality and justice. >> Thank you. Anyone over here like to speak? I'll get your dicks. It's been a long time since I spoke
here. I'm Kate Freley. I live in Charlottesville, V, Virginia. Um, I appreciate your resolution and your comments and the guidelines for staff. You unfortunately left out some people in the guidelines I think and that's the
police department. You mentioned public safety a lot and you mentioned that they can't the police department can't interfere with law lawful actions but you didn't make a policy and you have no guidelines for what the police can do
when ICE does illegal things, unsafe things, violent things. Our police department is known for not interfering in violent situations. We know from August 2017 both when the white supremacists came
with the torches and hurt people, burned people, scared people, injured people permanently, the police were lined up on the hill and did not move a muscle. They did not move a muscle. And the next day, they did not keep people safe in
Charlottesville. Even when we went to them and said, "There's somebody over there who's getting beat up. You need to take care of them." They did not move. They stood still and stared at us. It was awful. We don't want that to happen again. And if the police can't keep us
safe, we're going to have to keep ourselves safe. >> Thank you. Would anyone else like to speak? Yes. You >> see Hello to wait and >> people on the board. >> I'm a little nervous, but I'm going try
this thing. Okay, you got it. >> They use me as a guinea pig. My name is Melba Hill. I am a resident at Crescent Hall and also serve on the attendance association committee as vice president.
Crescent Hall um am also a part of the FAR program the internship. Now, one of the questions that they asked was, "Why do you think an eightstory building on West Maine
that overshadow West Haven is a bad idea?" My answer was it could be isolating the historic West Haven public housing. It is being a
giant wall creating um psychological burdens and that means um depression, anxiety, um so on so forth. Okay, getting nervous
here. It also reduce sunlight. It creates traffic congestion and it would be an eyes sore for the resident that live there. It would also cut off community uh cut the community off from the rest of the city. Thank you. I appreciate
y'all. >> Thank you, Miss H. Great job. >> Who else would like to speak? We have no uh you and then you next. Okay. You right. I'm Cy Flynn. I'm a climate justice policy manager at the community
climate collaborative. Um earlier today, the city's office of sustainability gave a presentation on a proposed power purchase agreement for two of Charlottesville's more energyintensive schools. Climate action is being hamstrung by the federal government, but there's almost a way to view this as a positive because we're being forced to
act fast to avail vanishing tax credits. It's kind of fine because the need to decarbonize our energy is only increasing in its urgency. This is one of the rare moments when C3 is not coming to you to say you need to put up more money now to atone for the climate betrayals of the federal government. We're excited to see how much work has been done by the Office of
Sustainability, allowing us to see the moment now. Second councilors, you're aware of a draft resolution asking that the city partner with Almarl County in public opposition against the proposed massive gas plant expansion in Fluana County sent by C3 with the endorsement
so far of the SCC Fluana NAACP community voices peont group of the Sierra Club Virginia chapter Shardsville DSA Live Seville. Your joint leadership can help to strengthen a decision by Fana's board of supervisors to reject the proposal which will cause early deaths in the region including Charlottesville. um and
if they know their peers across the border are opposed to the project that will strengthen their opposition. Um speaking for myself as a Charlottesville resident, I strongly support rejecting ICE from every part of society through boycotting agents socially and economically unmasking and exposing them. In particular, we need enforcement
and adoption of a policy that Charlottesville police will not collude with these inheritors of the Confederacy of the Confederacy agents of chaos. Toward the end of last year, I had a CPD officer knock on my door along with an agent that did not appear to have a visible CPD badge. On seeing my face,
the CPD officer said, "Oh, well, I'm guessing you're not who we're looking for. It's obvious my whiteness protected me in my house when he calmly said that and then went on to ask about the race and ethnicity of my neighbors or of anyone living at my address before me." I declined to respond. Um, but I don't
know if the second agent was ICE. It was disturbing in any situation to be asked to racially profile my neighbors by Charlottesville police. It's additionally so not knowing whether it was in collusion with ICE. Echoing others concerns, will CPD be explicitly directed not to collude with ICE? I
heard the city staff are instructed to be professional if ICE shows up on city property. What happens if they're treated with violence or deaf ears or obstruction of other forms? Can they call the police? What does resistance against tyranny actually mean in practice to Charlottesville? How will it instruct its police force to uphold its
purported values? In short, abolish ICE everywhere. >> Thank you. >> Hi, my name is Sophia Morero. I'm an organizer with the Public Housing Association residents. Um, I want to echo what everyone has said so far because everyone's made wonderful comments, but I just wanted to also
bring to light, um, recently a a bunch of different organizations went to Richmond and spoke with legislators for a tenant day of action. Um, and it was very powerful hearing people's experiences and their stories. Um, and so one thing I noticed, um, being Latina
myself, is that about half of the people in the room, half of the residents were also Hispanic. And so there were translators and there was accessibility and that was great. And so they gave out these t-shirts like this one that I had that says what community my community.
Um but I think when we're talking about ICE, when we're talking about public housing, when we're talking about housing in general, when we're talking about human rights, we have to talk about the fact that it's predominantly affecting black and brown people. And so I don't know if you guys saw last night,
but Bad Buddy won album of the year at the Grammys, which might seem like something superficial. Um, but for the community is actually very monumental. And so I come here to tell you no to ICE. Um, to tell you that ICE has no
place in our communities. Uh, that no one is illegal on stolen land. Um, and that, you know, refugees and immigrants make this country what it is. Um, and without them we would simply would not be there be where we are now. And so from my own experiences, I am not
technically an immigrant, but I am from Puerto Rico. Um, I would just like to say that please keep in mind that these people come here for a better life. Um, people who want a better life are not criminals. A 5-year-old is not a criminal.
And to say that they are is simply an abysmal just use of power. And um the ability to say that these people are actually harming our country when they're
actually not. People like my father who's a construction worker um who would be racially profiled because he is black. um that's what we need to talk about. And so I just come here to give voice to all the immigrant community. Um
but especially I wanted to bring my Latina brothers and sisters up um because as a very big population in the United States um this is something that is also disproportionately affecting them. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Anyone else like to speak? Good evening. Uh my name is Rosia Parker. Um I have not too much to say. Um I'm still want to be an advocate for the uh public housing uh residents. Still want to um ask for the resoning um
code to come up to be able to um correct the wrong that has been done to the disadvantaged and historic community. Um, also with ICE, um, being a victim of 2017 from the
beginning of March all the way up till I want to say, um, 2018, 2019, I was followed that whole year. Um, also being a victim of July the 8th, not
just August 11 and 12, but being hit by police shields, tear gas, um, being right there, right beside Heather, that's trauma that has been endured, but also historic trauma in
public housing. to watch the police stand down at that time and was told by the police assistant chief at that particular time to stand down. Damn right gas. Do you know how that felt to
be gassed and to actually hear a city official to say that? That's very harmful. And I still carry that today mentally, physically, and emotionally. But with ICE,
what relationship do y'all have with Albamar County? Because the city's here, Albamar County is here, right across the street. And to be told the other day that this lady witnessed ICE run up on a
family, run across 29, you know, and the family is just there and there was a child involved. That's very harmful, you know, and to be very racial profiled in the county and a lot of the county has Latino and a lot
of lowincome black families. And with me being a black woman, a woman of color, this is very disturbing because not only are we fighting ICE, but we're still fighting the police. But until things get under control, we're still at risk
of having our life taken. So, thank y'all for the resolution, but I just ask that y'all take heed to it and y'all actually work with what you're saying because I'm looking at you being here tonight saying what you're saying, but I
pray that you're right and you're wrong for 2017. Thank you. Who else would like to speak? >> Yes, sir. Hi, thank you. Uh, my name is Frank Becker. I live in Fville at 6 and a half
street in Dice. Um, first I want to thank uh the city council and and uh staff, whoever does the videotaping of these meetings. I think that's extremely helpful and I just want to bring attention to it. Not
only can people watch this now, but they can watch it later and I've done it many times and at the um and it's it's true of the bar meetings too which I've attended in which a lot of uh things have happened that that probably have
legal import. You know, things were said at those meetings and were submitted along with the letter of denial for the building on Seventh Street. to be referred to. Um, so at I I attended the
uh January 20th close session on I guess student housing. I I thought of it as on zoning on potential changes for zoning. And I just want to bring attention to uh tier one, tier 2, tier three. Um, and
let me preface by saying when I was really pleased with that meeting, there were what I saw as a community member sitting there was some degree of uniformity of agreement that there was there were serious problems
that needed to be attended to and that ideally would be attended to soon. No big gaps of time for attending to them. There were differences in in you know priorities maybe that various ones of you mentioned. A couple of you took heat but really all of you were supportive of
what community members in the affected areas have been saying. We really need urgent attention brought to to the zoning here and what officials have also said. Unpaid officials at bar for example. I believe I know I've heard them say after hours in their meetings that yeah it's it's difficult being
confronted with this with the rules that we have to follow because well I won't go into that but I want to bring attention to tier one tier two tier three what I heard at that meeting was all of you in on council in favor I heard the city manager say more than
once and I've heard him say elsewhere my job is to implement what you guys tell me to do and that's really cool. we elect you guys. You guys hire the city manager and he's trying to do what you guys tell him to do. Um but then I heard the director of neighborhood development
services when some degree of questions on urgency of certain matters were brought up, she said, "Well, then we we'd have to do, you know, a big study on that and we can get, you know, several months or whatever." I would say if it's a priority of the council to get
something done urgently, you need to tell the city manager, we want you to prioritize it. Tier one, tier two, tier three is described as well, maybe a ch oil change, brake change, or your engines on the street. >> You got your engine on the street, you
got a killer whale in a little goldfish that you've been trying to protect. That needs to be attended to now. And if there's legal matters or whatever, you need city staff to attend to those things now. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Opportunity for a few more speakers.
Yes, Miss McDonald. >> Good evening. >> Good evening. >> My name is Diana McDonald. I am the founder of R and heartwork health education coaching consulting and community health advocacy. I'm here to address fundamental
contradictions in recent funding pushes to support the grocery store project at 501 Cherry Avenue. the conditional funding um that council
um spoke about at the last meeting on uh January 20th acknowledges that there's a clear need for food access to be increased in this area. Yet, it has declined to ensure the structure itself is fully built
um to house a viable grocery store. I heard you all mention that there were fundamental things that the co-op, which is a volunteer group of community members that need to do in order for you guys to believe in that project.
Woodard Properties came to this develop site and there was going to be a grocery store built within the development. That has changed over time. The co-op has a fundraising that they
have to do for the entity of the grocery store. That does not have to anything to do with the structure. The sticks and bricks that we are asking council to support is for the changes that the
developer for um construction increases and things of that like um are saying that they changed over time. PHA is coming in to help support and keep that project going because the developer
couldn't make good on their promises. Not that they are doing so nefariously. Construction cost change. 2020 happened. There's I mean we've got a whole lot of list of things that have occurred. I as a community health advocate stepped in
to help a developer find a grocery store operator. I stepped in with community's help. Over 500 community members showed up to this project. There is a business plan that you all have reviewed. There is a pro-forma that you all have
reviewed that won out over a corporate entity already existing. The seeds of doubt that council are sewing related to a grocery store and making provisions that a developer could put in something else is not helpful. It's in fact
harmful. It's what's happened at Vinegar Hill. There's promises made to community and then they fall through and it's with plausible deniability. City council is here to serve the community. The community is doing their part. I am just here to urge you to let's really push this thing across the
line. I appreciate all of the things that you have done thus far, but really let's all partner and work together to really get this thing across the line. >> Thank you. Uh just for clarification, I think that we did approve the $1.7 additional
million dollars. Didn't didn't >> not directly for the grocery store. That's >> it's not directly for the grocery store. So s um Councilman Snook talk about how much money you're going to give and what happens at the grocery store, but that's benefiting the development. The people ask for a grocery store. Affordable
housing is definitely something the city needs, but the people that live in that neighborhood that have been displaced, that have suffering from a food desert, they need the grocery store, not the affordable housing. When you look at Mauslo's hierarchy of needs, food is the
basic need first and foremost. So, I encourage you to really put the money and the funding, help us. We don't even have exact numbers when we talk about what the co-op needs. We don't have exact numbers. So, we need the developers to do their part. We need city council to
partner with us to ensure that everybody is doing their part transparently and really in partnership to ensure this happens. >> Thank you. Thank you. Um, how many where are we? >> That was 13. >> That was 13. Okay. We have anyone would anyone else like to speak now? We have
another opportunity at the end. >> Yes, Miss Bart. Good evening. >> Good evening. >> Um, Ziana Bryant, uh, community member and school board member, but I just want to say before I start that I'm not speaking on behalf of the board. I'm not
allowed to do that, but I am speaking as a community member and of course in my capacity as a board member. Um, so first, thank you, uh, city manager Sanders for the budget, um, activity that we recently participated in. I learned a lot. Um, it was a hard
activity because with $10,000, we were making really big investments. Um, but I can say with the winter with the winter weather and the storm and all of the pipes bursting and things, I feel like we're seeing a return on um, the investment for those
of us who put monopoly money into the public safety bucket. So, thank you to our first responders for all of their work. Um, I have a couple of concerns. So, one being, as we know, it is budget season and there are really intense conversations happening about what will
be funded and what won't be funded. And of course, I'm going to advocate for the schools to get the funding that is needed, mainly because of all of the agreements that have been made um to improve living conditions for teachers and staff. And in order to uphold some
of those agreements, um it will require more funding. So, I think that's really important to name and to continue to advocate for. Additionally, with the snow and the ice, we saw um a lot of discussion around like safety for
students and families in the community. And I think it's easy to say like what didn't go well after the fact. Um but I would like to see improvement of some of the conditions that are currently continuing to exist and prohibit students from getting safely to their
bus stops. I think that's really important. Um, the school properties are looking better than they did a few days ago. And I know that the city has been working hard on it. I know that our custodial staff has been working hard on it, too. Um, but I do want to remind people that like these
are individuals who are putting a lot of work in to do that. And I do think that it will take the community. It will take people shoveling their sidewalks and doing their part to make sure that um the conditions are good for students to continue to go to school throughout the week and in the future. Um, but also we have to help each other. So, I
appreciate the initiative that y'all have with United Way um and other organizations to make that happen. We have to care for each other as neighbors and I think that goes without saying, but it's always good to repeat. Um, but I will continue to say that we need the funding um to our schools to continue to
do the work that's important. And I welcome, you know, continued accountability. I welcome as you know a community member for the questions to be asked and for closer collaboration so that the city council can feel more confident to fund the schools if there
are doubts that exist. But I mean I do think that there are a lot of big issues that our schools are being asked to fix and to address and it's way bigger than our purview. So it will take a lot of community organizations and um coalitions to get on board to solve some of these deeper inequities. Thank you so
much. >> Thank you. Would anyone else like to speak now? Okay. If not, we'll go to the consent agenda. Madam clerk, consent agenda number three, resolution
to appropriate funding from the Supreme Court of Virginia Behavioral Health Docket Grant, $78,150. Second reading number four, resolution to appropriate the Virginia Department of Social Services Family
Assistance Management Grant in the amount of $125,7546. Second reading. Five, ordinance approving amendments to previous ordinance authorizing a forgivable loan to support works housing for Vista 29, second reading. Six, a resolution
appropriating $700,000 and initiating an amendment to the terms of performance agreement supporting the 501 Cherry Avenue mixeduse development project. Second reading. Seven, resolution appropriating $390,000 to
support a rental aers intervention pilot program. Second reading. Eight. Resolution to appropriate funding from the International City County Management Association Economic Mobility and Opportunity Special Assistant Grant in
the amount of $354,000. Second reading. Nine, resolution to appropriate National League of Cities Southern Cities Economic Initiative Program Funds, $60,000, one of two readings. and 10 by motion consent
um and end to the January 24th, 2026 local declaration of emergency. >> Okay. Is there motion to pass the consent agenda? >> So moved. >> Is there a second?
>> Second. Um, we we're going to do um a voice vote or do you need >> you're in? >> If somebody could just tell me what step I'm missing here, I can get this thing going. >> We'll we'll we'll catch up with that.
So, um this has to be um a voice vote. I'm sorry. >> You can. >> All in favor, please say yes. >> Yes. >> All oppose, please say no. Okay. Um the next item is the city manager report. Good evening, council, members of the
public. Uh, I'm thankful that Miss Bryant has not left the room because I'm going to echo her comments because she stole all of my good material for what it was that I was going to say. But I definitely wanted to um because we've been really dealing with a very
serious situation in our community with the weather event. Uh, that was definitely not a storm that any of us planned for, thought would happen. And for those who don't know, I hate snow. So, I've been miserable for well over a week now. Uh, but still focused on
getting the job done. I definitely want to thank our citizens uh for their efforts to recover from this challenging storm. Thank our volunteers who have supported others in their time of need. We are not done. Uh, as a reminder, we are not done. Our kids have tried to go
back to school today. Most of them probably made it back today. Not all of them made it back today. We're going to have to continue to run intervention to make sure that we can get them all back. Uh we have learning loss at stake and it is important for us to get them back in the classroom as soon as possible. I
want to thank the city staff for their tireless efforts. Um it is not an easy task and it is a job that we all sign up for. So we we do it without expecting a lot of praise uh for that work. But I def definitely want to thank the team members who've been putting in 12-hour
shifts uh sleeping very little and working very hard making sure that we can get things done. Uh this snow ops proposal, this plan that we uh launched this year was a revision. It is better than it has been. We just did not expect this much uh weather. Uh the freezing
aspect of it is what made it complicated. So that's what we have to plan for and we've already started to think about how we will message uh future storms whenever there is ice in the forecast. Uh it is important for us just to remember that the ordinance as it exists today is a requirement. I have
a job to do in declaring the snowfall being done so that we all can get to work. That is the way it works. It is a shared responsibility of taking care of our sidewalks. I know some people don't like that. I don't make that decision so I can't change that decision. But we all have to embrace the notion that if we're
going to get kids back to school and make sure that the streets, the sidewalks are passable, we're all going to have to do our part. So again, I thank you for what you do in your efforts to make that happen. If you have it in you, we need more volunteers. We have a a a long list of people who are
still in need and we have a short list of people who are willing to help. So we need more help as much as we can. Call 211 if you're looking for an opportunity to help out. Also want to take a moment just to thank um the uh
I guess I'll say thank thank our our our team at schools for being able to push through and get things done. It was not an easy decision uh to open schools today. Um but I was able to lean on our police department and fire department to offer additional supports to help kids move through the bus routes uh to get to
their bus stops. We're going to do that again tomorrow. making sure that we have figured out where there are problem areas and can intervene. And I just remind the public, slow down, pay attention, and look for the little people and make sure that they can get where they need to go so that they can
get to school. So, I'll end there on that part. I also want to just uh call everyone's attention. There are two brand new staff members in this room. Jen Hendrick sitting in the back has joined the team as chief strategy officer. Uh in my last report to council, I shared that we are adding
capacity to do things that we haven't been able to get to. Uh strategic planning, which is your setting of the vision for this city and then our implementing that vision, needs a home and a set of hands and a brain around it. She's right there. So our goal is to help make sure that that gets implemented on a regular basis and we
will continually start to report to you how we're doing in that space. We're also going to be adding performance analytics. So, the team is so excited about reporting how well they're doing their jobs and they'll be someone who will help uh report back to them if they are and if they can do better, how they might be able to do that. Uh so, we
welcome Jen who started with us today. Also in the gallery, uh Sam Roman. Yes, another Sam in the city manager's office, but he has agreed to go by Roman. So, everyone will call him Roman effective today. So, Roman joins us as assistant city manager. He has the
public safety portfolio. He will uh support our police department, fire department, emergency management and human services teams and a coordinated plan for how we serve this community and make sure that we're always there when you need us. So, uh Roman comes to us from the city of Rowanoke and a long
history in local government service, which I don't mind, uh because it helps think through some of the challenges and complicated work that is to be done um by this local government. So, he joined us today as well and he has told me that he's very excited to meet as many of you as possible and get to work.
And then the last item for this report, our director of finance walked in. I was getting nervous, Chris. Uh, but Chris Cullinin is going to pro provide to you FY25 year end financial briefing. >> The lag on the video was a little longer than I thought it was. Sorry about that,
Sam. Uh, good evening, Mr. Mayor, members of the council, I'm Chris Cullin, the city's director of finance. Uh Sam has invited me uh to share part of his time to report on the fiscal year 25 uh general fund fund balance surplus.
Um we had one so we can start there. Uh the amount is roughly $8.5 million of the which is about 3.4% of the adopted FOY25 budget. uh you see here these and and these are the uh tables uh that are in your report but obviously wanted to
provide those to the public so everybody can see what we were talking from. Um this is just a little bit of a history over the last seven fiscal years. Uh I'm sure you'll recall uh we had some very large surpluses in sort of the postcoid years uh up through FY24.
um you'll see that the FY25 number um is more in line especially as a percentage of the adopted bud budget as what we saw precoid back in 2019 2020 and even before that in the 1617 those sorts of years that percentage of the adopted
budget uh figure is a is sort of a good bellweather as to how well are we budgeting um I'm not sure if it's an official best practice but with a budget of our size uh in terms of actual dollars, its complexity, the number of things that we do, the number of other
funds that we have. I would say 5% is probably a reasonable uh benchmark. And so in being inside of that 5% uh as a surplus as a percentage of the adopted budget, I think is a pretty good yard six by which to measure that.
And so just talk a little bit uh just some highlights of how we performed uh in FY25. Uh revenues were about 7.5 million better than expected or about 3% above budget. Expenditures were about 3.6 million below budget uh about 1.3%.
Overall these results are much closer to the budget amounts than in previous fiscal years on both the revenue and the expenditure side. >> Can I ask you a question about that right there? Why does the sum of those two numbers not equal 8.5? >> Good question. We'll get to that at the
very end because the >> when we talk about the surplus, we often say a budget surplus, but really it's a fund balance surplus. So, there's some other things that get mixed in with that calculation which I'll show at the very end. >> Um, but yes, they or as uh Sam said,
sometimes the math doesn't math, but it it will we'll get there. We'll I'll show my homework. Um so on the revenue side what you see here this is on the on the left or sort of that middle box. This is the template uh that we use for your quarterly
financial report on the revenue side. So it seemed to me this is sort of a logical jumping off point to talk about where we actually ended up. So the last report that you received on FY25 was in the third quarter uh up through the third quarter of that year. And at that time, uh, we were projecting for these
particular revenues, which aren't all of the revenues in the general fund, but represents the vast majority of them. Uh, we were looking at about a little over a $4 million surplus. Well, over there on the far right, that's how we actually finished up. And, uh, kudos to to Chrissy and her folks who prepare
that, we ended at about 3.9. So, about $100,000, uh, difference there. Uh, >> pretty good. I know it's kind of hard to see, kind of hard to read. So that's one of the reasons I put some colors up. So the green colors on the far left you have the the revenue source and on the far
right there how they ended up. So the green numbers, those were the revenues that performed uh better than expected. Sort of the big drivers. Uh and there's sort of the usual suspects. Real estate tax, personal property tax, public service tax, utility taxes. Uh we also have the bole uh licenses on there as
well as well as building and plumbing permits. But one of the things that is a little bit different here and this was noted in the third quarter report and actually I think the second quarter report of that year as well are the red figures uh sales tax, meals tax, lodging
tax did not perform as well as expected and that is that's very different. I think in the third quarter report it noted that the co years notwithstanding we hadn't seen those sorts of things since the late a um but as you heard last Thursday night
at your budget development meeting we are seeing those re those revenues start to rebound so hopefully this is just an anomaly uh for that year but obviously it still bears some watching uh given the sort of unertain economic uh state that we're in these days but I also
wanted to highlight below down below there you see these other revenues. So, these are revenues that are not included in those uh lines up above, but we're significant contributors to uh the revenue uh performance, interest income, and gains and losses on investments. This is uh the treasur's office
management of our idle cash. Um we're in high interest rate environment, so obviously interest income performs very well. The gains and losses on investments, those are typically fixed income type of products. So, those are also tied to uh interest rates. And so those uh both performed very well. And
then all other permits not including the ones that you see above also performed uh better than expected. I think the one thing I'll just point out as it relates to the interest income, the gains and losses. So when we talk about surpluses uh we talk about them as one-time events
uh or one-time money. Often times there are things that happen in a particular year which you don't want to or can't really expect to happen on an ongoing basis. And these two are are one of those. Uh interest rates as I mentioned are high right now. That's the environment that we're in. But we don't
want to build a budget predicated on past performance. What's the saying? Past performance is not an indicator of future results. This is an example of that. Certainly our treasur's office, they manage uh our cash uh to the best of their ability, but again, you know, there are a lot of factors are outside
of their control. And so we would not want to uh budget on this sort of an environment continually. We might make some some small upward adjustments, but certainly not as large a jump as that. So, so again, I think that's a that's a a prime example of, you know, how we
treat these um these monies and how we look at some of these revenues. Some of them are ongoing, have a robust tax base behind them, real estate tax being the obvious one, but that some of these are sort of subject to either unique events or one-time type of events. And so, we have to uh discern between those as we
project forward. There we go. And on the expenditure side, this is a very high level look at the city's budget. These are by classes of expenditures. Um, if you happen to look at our financial management system, all of our salaries and benefits are
start with a code 51 something something something something. So, this just sort of aggregates these our expenses into these large bud uh large buckets. Um, and again, these are, you know, overall as percentage budget. This is much uh much better performance than we've seen in some past years. And I think the one
I would really highlight uh our salaries and benefits. Um while it is the largest number up here, uh this number is much closer to budget it has been in previous years. In previous years, we've had uh some very high vacancy rates, uh which has contributed to us not spending all
of those uh salary and benefit funds that were allocated. And so I think what you see here, um this was Sam's really his first budget. This was the FY24 budget. This is being developed two years ago at this time. And so there's a renewed emphasis uh on
uh recruitment, retainment of city staff. Uh we went through the classic comp study. We modernized our HR systems. Uh that was a point of emphasis uh of his. Also, one of the things that happened in FY25 is there's about $900,000 that council approved that we
use transfer some public safety overtime costs to our ARPA funds because we are running into the deadline of December 31st, 2024 to encumber those funds. Uh in December of 2024, you approved uh using the money for that purpose so that we didn't uh send it back to Washington.
And so again, that's also a one-time event which, you know, had a pretty big influence on those salary and benefit numbers, uh, as well. And so, uh, Council Member Snook, to your question, uh, here's the math. So, again, it's a fund balance calculation.
And so, the the fiscal performance in a given fiscal year certainly is a, uh, drive some of this. But then there are some other things sort of down below that we also have to factor out as well. The single biggest one is our 14% uh and 3% long-term financial management
policies. We have to deduct those out and hold those aside. Uh it equates to roughly $45.1 million uh that we're holding aside per per those u per those policies. And so when you when you run all of that through, you get down to
what's left over in terms of fund balance surplus after we take these things out. things that we um set aside by policy such as fund balance targets or a land the landfill reserve which is part of our postclosure agreement. We have to maintain that for some period of years and then we also have open
encumbers of some other things which then get carried over into the next year to be spent to be completed. So this is the this is the portion where we actually start to get down to that number but again the performance in a fiscal year is a big piece of that. You see that sort of up above there um but there are some other factors that play
here as well. Um that concludes my presentation. Um the next step is we will have the year-end appropriation at your next meeting. Uh public hearing and resolution as well as a recommendation uh for how to use the surplus. Sam wasn't sure if he wanted to uh discuss
that this evening or not >> because this is this 8.5 could go towards some of that 11 million. >> No, sorry. kind of >> if it's one time he >> if it's one time right you caught it I
know you >> yeah it is important to remember that a surplus is onetime money therefore it is best to try to use it for a one-time expense because otherwise you don't have the money the next year that it comes due >> I really meant it could go towards some of the asks that we're considering
>> it could go absolutely go towards some of those ask which this is why it's good for us to always have it's I mean it's it's already part of the schedule but we get the surplus information and we then can use that information when we're considering requests that come in from staff and from agencies as well. Um I
will be asking you to shift this to the CIP contingency. That is our normal practice. That basically means our savings account and that gives us the ability to bring forward to you over a schedule of when it makes sense to bring projects forward for funding as well as other expenses. Um, but I would also
just to reinforce and reiterate because Chris is Chris and he's done his job that he was supposed to do for you tonight. Um, but then just to make sure that my public is connecting with me because I like to talk about making sure that they get it too. A surplus is a good thing because it means that you
have a little bit more to be able to do something else with that when you first put your budget together, you didn't know all these things might also come up. So that's what a surplus can benefit you to do is you can address things that you might not have been able to think about or plan for at the time you put
the budget together. As Chris referenced, we want to be within a 5% window. We're going to claim that as our best practice and try to aim for that 5% window going forward. We have not always hit that before and it has been a lot going on that contributes to that. But
as he said, we made some significant changes. Uh I'm happy that the number feels better than the other numbers. Although any po pool pull of extra money is money now we get to figure out what to do with but it never really sat well when it was a double-digit number and then we of course have questions about
why are you getting a double- digit number and if we raise taxes that year it really doesn't sit well. So, I do appreciate what that can feel like and my goal is to make sure that we can always explain if we get a surplus, what are we going to do with it? And that you will make every decision as to how every
one of those dollars gets spent, whether it gets carried forward for however long, which is what we did last year in support of what was happening in DC. We were able to hold on to a lot of the surplus to be able to withstand some of the things. It looks like that was really a good decision because as we get ready to go into another wave of
activities, we may need those onetime dollars to back up losses that we may have. So, just wanted to reiterate that as well and just point out that we'll move this into the CIP contingency. We'll immediately start to look at what are some project areas that we have a
gap or an inability to say yes to and think about bringing those items forward. And this will join the balance of funds that we have in that account and then we'll bring those projects forward as well. >> Any questions? If Thank you. Thank you, sir. >> Thank you, sir. Thank you.
>> I would like for um council to consider and entertaining a motion to move up item number 14 on the agenda for a male's way. Um it's a little bit further down and want to get Miss Walker um back back home. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Thank you. Um, all in favor, please say
yes. >> All oppose, please say no. Um, and so the next item on the agenda is um >> something that um it's a one of the um very special things that we can do as
council and um we all talked about and did a proclamation for me Walker when he passed away. Um and this is a way for that um for future generations. Not that they won't know, but that there will be a visible marker
um for people to know about um male males. Um and this is a res resolution to establishing a part of Main Street as a male's way. And James, I'm sorry. >> Give him a little pun there.
>> Yes, I know. Yes. Yes. Um um did are you going to >> you know I don't really have anything more to add. I think you're on a roll there. >> Yeah. Yeah. So >> introduce Charles. >> Yes. Yes. And um Charles and you um have
some family members um from Mr. Walker as well. >> Hello council. It's been a few years. Would like to thank Mr. Freeze council and supporting this resolution. Also, this is the hundth year for Black
History Month. Just want to bring that forth. And I also want to apologize to Miss Marie for keeping her here a couple hours. I told her it may be about 25, 30
minutes and we've been here a minute. So, Miss Marie, I apologize. I had to push her to get here. first and foremost because of the weather. But uh last May uh I was approached by uh Mel's
mom about doing something in his honor. Uh at that time I started the process. I talked to Miss Thomas. How can we uh proclaim or get something in honor of Melvin Walker? So we started the process
then and want to thank Mr. trees uh recently and assisted me. And so that's where we are at this point. This is a picture of mail. Since we've been here a while, I don't want the chicken to really excite you. You probably got
>> Mel's Cafe. So, uh, this is where we're at and I want to thank you and we look forward. Uh, people have already asked and called about when the designation is going up. And I said, hold let's >> get it first. >> Let's get it approved first and we'll
move from that point on. Uh, that we have male family members here. We have Miss Marie, his mother, uh, his brother Greg and his wife, his son Jeremiah, and his friend. And
He >> he must be gone. The niece was here. >> So, uh, do you want to have them to share comments? If anyone would like you want them to you want to read the resolution or you want them to make a comment or >> if you can read um, can you read?
>> Yeah, I'd be happy to read it. We It's not a We don't have a proclamation to hand out, but I'll be happy to read the resolution and then if anyone would like to say anything, please feel free. >> Please. Would you like to >> I would just like to say thank you. I had a good call. Yeah. You want to stand up? >> No.
>> No. >> You've been sitting for a while. >> Her little legs are not too good. Okay. >> Sure. >> We here. >> Uh Greg, Jeremiah, would you like to take a comment? >> I just want to say thank you to everyone
also. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, >> Jeremiah. Thank you. >> Okay. um the resolution granting the honorary street designation of Mel's Walk to a portion of West Main Street between 8th
and 7th Street. Whereas Melvin Walker was the owner and chef of Mel's Cafe located at 811 West Main Street for 39 years. And whereas Mel's Cafe was an essential community gathering spot and institution playing host to all people of the community from residents, students, politicians, and unhoused
community members. And whereas Mel's Cafe has served as the unofficial center of the historically black Star Hill neighborhood as it was the only blackowned restaurant on West Main Street. And whereas Mr. Walker contributed to West Haven, University of Virginia, the Boys and Girls Club, City of Promise, Prolific Run Crew, and many
other groups and organizations. And whereas Mr. Walker was a member of the First Baptist Church and was known for offering a free meal to those in need that the church sent over. And whereas Mr. Walker spent much of his life nurturing and nourishing family, friends, and community with not only his homemade sweet potato fries and fried
chicken, but also his infectious love of life. And now, therefore, be it resolved by Charlottesville City Council uh by the council of the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, that city council hereby grants the honorary street designation of Mel's Walk to the portion of West Main Street between 8th Street Northwest and 7th Street
Northwest. >> May I get a second, please? >> Second. >> All in. Oh, I'm sorry. Quick note, there are two small typos in that. They're not going to change the meaning or anything. We can address that later, but just to pass as corrected. >> Yes. >> Second that. >> Yep.
>> All in favor, please say yes. >> All oppose, please say no. Um I was >> We also have a few community members have come in support. I don't know whether they want to make a comment or not. >> No, >> they've been sitting a while.
>> Yeah. >> Okay. >> So, yeah. No. Um, I just wanted to say I was um telling um Miss Walker um that um a few weeks before Mel passed away, my wife and I had was having lunch there,
you know, and it was a staple in the community. And you know, he pulled me aside and said, "Um, Mayor Wade, I would like to talk with you about something, some ideas that I have that I'll give with you later." And you know, I mentioned this at the funeral that I never had the opportunity
to have that conversation. We talked about you never you would never promise tomorrow. And so you have to live fully today. And so I that's something that will always be with me. What did he want to talk with me about? you I would never know
any I'm sorry that's that's just one of those things because it's probably an idea to do something in the community something he wanted to do to help someone but I would never know um >> I hope we stumble across it anyway >> yeah yeah um um we're going to miss him
he was a staple in the community just someone just so humble what someone said that that he literally gave the shirt off his back to someone once that that needed it that was who he was so this is something that we can do as a city to
honor that future generations will see it. So, thank you so much um Alex for for arranging. >> No, thank you. >> So, you make sure she gets home safely. Okay. >> All right. Thank you. >> Now, cuz she's ready.
>> Yeah, she's ready. Okay. Um so, we will go back to our agenda. The next item that we have on the agenda is where are we? Is it 13? >> 11. >> 11. I'm sorry. >> And I am now hooked up. Thank you. Now,
>> yes, >> you got it. >> At first, you were sending me the link to last last meeting, but then I >> You go back to the home base. Yeah. >> I didn't notice that. >> Gotcha. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. >> John, you have the next two items, sir.
>> Okay. Thank you. >> Yes. Good evening again, council, Mr. Mayor. Um, so this is uh bringing forward an item uh that came out of the retreat. As we all know, under the uh city code, very few items in the council agenda may be adopted at the same meeting in which they are introduced.
General ordinances uh may be adopted at the same meeting. They are introduced upon motion and affirmative vote of four fifths of the city council. The existing first and second reading requirements were adopted to promote transparency and deliberation, but in practice they can delay non-controversial or uh
time-sensitive matters even where the council consensus is clear. For that reason, at this retreat, you all decided to uh you had a desire to retain the protections of a two reading process as the default while extending the mechanism to act at a single meeting
uh to all matters when circumstances warrant unless otherwise prohibited by law. That is to say, what you can do for general ordinances, allow it on one reading for by a four-fifths uh supermajority vote, you're going to be able to do from for all matters. This is uh every time the council acts to
appropriate money, imposes or releases taxes, authorizes borrowing, creates debt, or donates city property, you will able to do that in a single vote. And I know, for instance, there are some things on the agenda this evening that I think Sam would like to have passed in a single vote. So, by doing this, we I think we can make that possible. That's
why we've moved it up in the agenda. So, unless there are any questions, uh, I think it's ready for council action. >> Yeah. Any questions or comments, um, on this? I think we, you know, it's kind of Lloyd, do you? >> Well, the one comment I would make is that while it often seems like we're
just sort of wasting a little bit of time, I think there's a little there's an advantage to on a routine basis having a second reading simply because sometimes we have second thoughts. Sometimes somebody says to us after they heard the
first meeting said, "What the heck are you talking about?" And if we've already passed it, it's too late. So I and I I'm not saying never do it. I'm saying let's let's consider that the default will be second will be two readings. >> And that's what we discussed at the
retreat. And so this is >> keeping that but then being able to expand it to appropriations and things in case there is an instant where for example PHA needs the money now to make a deadline, we're able to now wave that second reading. >> Yep. And and I would note council that because this is a general ordinance, it
is eligible to be adopted uh tonight being a single reading with a four-fifths majority vote >> which would then make it applicable right now and we could use it for the remainder of this. >> I I would move the resolution for adoption by a four-fifth majority. I am now on online so we voting.
>> A second. >> Okay. Um uh all in favor let's I need to um >> the motion passes on 5. Thank you. >> Thank you. The next item is also coming
from the uh retreat uh deals with section 11-131 of the city code which deals with the settlement of claims by the city. Typically most of our claims are covered by insurance but through Versa. They provide us with uh legal representation which my office uh uh
coordinates and uh most claims are paid out by Versa when we have them. There are claims though that are not paid out by Versa. they're not eligible for coverage by Versa and those come out of the city's uh risk fund. Um, currently the uh limits in there, if the way it works is uh these limits were
established, I believe back in the9s, uh I have authority to settle claims for less than $5,000 on on my own. Um Sam and I together can authorize claims up to $15,000, but anything beyond $15,000 requires uh a vote of the city council.
Now, this is uh bring it more into modern times, at least accounting for inflation. Uh y'all decided at the uh um retreat to increase those limits to I can settle claims for $25,000 or less on my own authority. Sam and I together would be able to uh settle claims for
$50,000 or less. And anything beyond that would require a vote by the city council. In addition, for the first time, we're adding in here a reporting requirement. Anytime we settle claims under our authority, I would have a requirement to report that to out to you as soon as reasonably possible, most
likely in a close session just depending on the nature of the settlement that we did, but it would be in a way most likely that would retain confidentiality. So without further ado, it's ready for council action. >> Okay, further discussion on on this? Okay, if um
>> I move the resolution. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Okay, let's vote. Okay, the motion passes 5-0. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> The next item we have is a resolution um
for appropriating existing funds for the ebike voucher program. This is the first of two readings. It's um going to be going be a tag team approach here. Yeah.
>> Good evening. Um so I'm Tommy Sopranic. I'm the bike and pedestrian coordinator for the city of Charlottesville. And I have Trey with me. >> Good evening, council. Uh thanks for your time here this evening. I'm Trey Bassili with the office of sustainability.
Um, so yeah, we wanted to give you all an update on last year's pilot program for the ebike vouchers and u we might have a couple questions and recommendations moving forward with that program as well at the end. Um, so Remy,
if you could go to the next slide. >> Oh, forgot we have this. Oh, now I There we go. So, yeah. Um, if you recall, um, I was here last year and to give you an update on what we were
trying to accomplish, we started this program in January 2025. Um, the program, uh, re, you know, gives away 25 vouchers per quarter. Um, applica applications were taken for a
whole month, January, April, uh, July, and October of last year. We received over 4,000 program applications. We received um we we gave away 112 vouchers and about 91 ebikes were purchased. I
say about because maybe an hour ago I turned in an invoice um for um round number four. So we're still collecting invoices um on that. And we um we during the process of
application um the the folks could say answer a couple questions to collect some data. Um and we found that four new recipients were completely new to biking. 48 had some experience
um and 34 of them um a lot experience. Um, we built this program to be what I call like the Charlottesville version of an ebike program, uh, that you might see in places like Denver, um, DC, Portland. Um, so I got to know a lot of these
recipients. They came into city hall. I met them, um, or I went and dropped off a voucher at their place of business, uh, might be a school. Um, and I say all that to say is while some of them might be very experienced biking, a lot of
that was in earlier life and it was not necessarily with an ebike. So, this was a whole new experience for a lot of these folks. Um, and it was very rewarding, I might add. Um, and we throughout the year we built a lot of
ways to kind of support new bikers. Um, during bike month we had uh guided bike rides. some of you all joined us on that. Um, so this is a way to kind of like support not only biking as a recreational activity, but more importantly going through our streets
with city traffic. So before I move on to the next slide, I'm going to do one more slide before I pass it over to Trey. Um, we also uh created a website byce.com. So, if you look on this slide here and and a YouTube channel, if you haven't yet gone
to that YouTube channel to see and hear from the recipients themselves, I highly recommend that you do so. That's TC up there. He's a UVA um TA. And so, this voucher, and I'll let him explain it when you watch the video in his own
words, was life um it was transform transformational basically. and I'm going to share a couple more stories with other recipients throughout this presentation. So, some success stories. So, the voucher
recipients have been evenly distributed through across the city. So, this is giving you an idea of where all the recipients are coming from. We have them basically in every neighborhood throughout Charlottesville. Four recipients live in public housing. Five are school teachers. While um I'm
not eligible for this program and none of my co-workers here at city hall are, we made sure that folks who work at the library or the schools were eligible. Uh 34 women are new to ebike owners and at least five are carless now and several
others have downsized from two to one car in their household. This program has increased our credibility, our visibility, um, and significantly helped to promote um, other biking and walking programs and projects in the city of Charlottesville.
So, I'm going to pass that over to Trey now and I'll share those stories um, on the back end. >> Thanks, Tommy. So both within the office of sustainability and within NDS, one of our objectives with this program was to
advance transportation equity and affordability. And we feel that ebikes are a really great tool within a community the size of Charlottesville in terms of being a lowerc cost uh less polluting and very accessible transportation option. We wanted to go
ahead and ensure that as we provided ebikes to a large number of community members, we wanted to ensure that folks across the income spectrum were able to take advantage of our program. In the first year, in our pilot year, we divided the ebike program into two
separate buckets essentially. So, we had this flat voucher program and we had a separate bucket of $50,000 that we had allocated towards working with other city departments um with Department of Social Services, the downtown job center trying to pair um
appropriate users of their services who would be able to get around uh reliably with an ebike. for a variety of reasons through discussions with uh the attorney's office, we realized that that was not going to be a viable approach. So, we still have that money in the pot.
Um and we're pursuing a different approach this year uh with the voucher money that we were able to allocate and spend last year. Uh again, that voucher was flat. There was no differentiation across income levels or any other factors within the city. So, everyone who applied and won a voucher received
$1,000 towards an ebike at one of the local bike shops. Given that approach, as expected, there were differences based on income level in terms of how frequently those vouchers were redeemed and the amount of uh funding that outside funding, personal funding that
those recipients brought to go ahead and purchase their ebike. You can see from these graphs on this slide here that uh voucher recipients with household incomes lower than $35,000 redeemed their vouchers at a much lower rate, only about 60% and they also spent
uh roughly $500 less on their ebike purchase than recipients from higher income brackets. Uh and we heard anecdotally from a number of recipients uh particularly in the lower income tiers that the amount that we were able to provide to them was really not adequate for them to get an ebike that
would meet the transportation needs that they felt that they had in order to really provide a viable alternative to a car. So because of that uh what we saw in the income distribution here and our uh need to go ahead and transition away
from our original approach towards equity, we decided to go with a different tiered approach in 2026. So for this year we're proposing several new changes. Uh what our primary change is that we're we have a tiered approach
to distributing the uh the vouchers based on income and participation in government assistance programs. So we've lowered the base t the base u voucher amount to $500. That's open to residents
of any income level. For folks who live in a household at 80% of AMI or less, the voucher amount is $1,000. And then for recipients, residents who are recipients of SNAP, WIC, TANIF, or Medicaid assistance, the voucher for them is extended up to $1,500. So
hopefully that uh additional assistance will go ahead and allow them to pursue purchase of an ebike that really meets a greater variety of their transportation needs. Um in addition, all the recipients, regardless of income level, will be offered a separate voucher towards a helmet and a lock. Uh, we've
moved the program website over to the Connect Charlottesville platform and I appreciate OSA's help with that and we were hoping to issue 144 vouchers this year compared to the 100 that we planned for last year. >> All right, thanks Trey.
So, expectations and goals for 2026. So, by making these changes, we expect to better support community members that need transportation help the most, while also getting more folks out of cars and onto bikes. While many strategies are needed to make Charlottesville a bike friendly community, this program will
get us there, will help get us there. Ebikes can be transformative for the individual, but also for the community at large by reducing congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. So, I wanted to share who these folks are that you're looking at. Um, on your right is Gabby. Um she is a
teacher at Summit Elementary School. Um Charlottesville resident and and now an ebike um uh rider and user. Um and Lynn to my left um I I found out through conversation that we used to be on the same soccer team and she now is Carlos.
Um and both um women um are extremely appreciative of um their ebike. something that I don't know if Trey mentioned just now, but we're looking at doing a survey um in the coming months. And so getting more information from Gabby and Lynn and everybody else on how
they're using their ebikes is going to be a goal of that survey. >> And Lynn was featured in the um daily progress story. >> Yes. A couple months ago. >> Yeah. So Lynn and um Rean, who I don't have a picture up here, um were from
round two and they both were carless. um they chose not to have a car and they get around town using their ebike. Um and they were both in that story that you mentioned. Um and so I recommend checking out NBC 29. Um they did a great job. Um some other folks who aren't
mentioned um and I don't have photos for um uh there was a woman Sharon um and she she was so excited to get her ebike voucher that I never met her. Um I I
sent the email Wednesday morning. Um by Wednesday, like 10 minutes later, she called my office and said, "Is this real?" Um and she uh said, "Can I show up within the hour?" And I said, "Sure, but I'm actually not going to be here. I I give normal times open to the public
when they can arrive and pick up their voucher." And that was not one of those times. Uh but um my coworker was going to be around and I trusted that he knew what to say and how to support her. um and she picked up the voucher within the hour and went to the bike shop and
bought the bike within two hours. And so she lives in West Haven. Um we had somebody else from West Haven who was didn't have as much motivation, perhaps maybe not as much experience um biking. Um and so I actually went um knocked on
the door and make sure that she realized that she won because she hadn't responded to emails. and I I dropped off the voucher and she had some obvious concerns. Didn't know what to do and I said you should reach out to Sharon. Um she lives down the street. She's a
neighbor of yours and she also has become an ebike rider um because of that community. Um so those are a couple people I want to mention um that I've met through this process. Like I said, it's been a very fulfilling um program. Um the people in the photo, if I go
back, um this couple here, um couldn't meet me because of their commitments in life. Um during those time periods in my office and I said, "Hey, well, you know, I'm going to be at the um Fridays after 5 um valet. Um how about you come on
down and meet us then?" And that worked out great um for them. And our last slide here before Trey takes over. Um, I'll point out I I never caught her name, but this is from an ebike demo at
Tonsler Park that we did with Parks and Wreck during one of their summer concert series. This woman lives um just on the other side of the interstate on Fifth Street. So, she's county resident and she fell in love with an ebike. Um, she
doesn't have a car. She uses the bus, but it's very problematic for her to come in and out. We are seeing a lot of people from the county applying for this program who obviously aren't eligible. Um, but um the need is there um to be able to get through our community
easily. um um to for us as residents to get into the county. Um there is a need obviously from people who live in the county to be able to have um transportation, ebikes um because they're applying for this program. It's obvious.
So last year you approved a pilot program to fund ebike vouchers uh for to the tune of $150,000 $75,000 each from NDS and from the office of sustainability. As I mentioned previously, we still have $50,000 of
that funding left. So we're asking for uh allocation of $100,000 this year to continue this pilot program. Um, these are from existing funds. $50,000 from the climate action initiative fund, $50,000 from VO permit fees from the
docus mobility fund. And with that funding allocation, we really hope to advance equity and affordability in a way that we were unable to deal with the previous year. So, we we hope that council will approve this and we look forward to seeing how these changes are able to play out in the community.
Is there any questions? Thank you. Any questions, um, comments? >> Yeah, thanks for this program. It's obviously been a successful pilot and that's really exciting to see. Um, it's I have a couple of questions. How do we incentivize the bike shops to carry
bikes that will that are $1,500 that talk about? >> That's my question. >> Um, >> or so there's not such a big gap basically. >> Yeah, I don't I'm not going to have a great answer. Um, however, what I will say is, um, this past year, we have
learned a lot, um, we've learned a lot about, um, you know, what our community needs, um, in terms of price point, like Trey was pointing out. We've learned a lot about how, um, tariffs work um,
>> or don't, >> so or don't. Um, so I say that to say ebikes prices have fluctuated um, remarkably um, over the past 12 months. Um, and so
uh, that's been an issue. Um, ebikes themselves are are usually not um, that cheap. But what I will say is there was some push to have us open this program up to online retailers. And there are
definitely some great online um ebikes out there, but um it makes it much more difficult to find those. Um trusting and working with our brick-andmortar bike shops, I know that like our community is going to come home with a safe, reliable ebike. Um so I
guess to your point, some of our bike shops have changed some of their brands and have brought in new ones and some of those price points have changed. they just haven't been like as dramatic in and in and in and some of the bikes might be appropriate for some people and
not for the other. They're just it's kind of like buying a car in that regard. >> Sure. The other only other question I have is you mentioned that city staff are not eligible to uh enter the program. Is there any
movement to is there any way we can make that happen? It seems like city staff would really benefit from ebikes. >> Um yeah. Um there's been some talk um behind closed doors. There is a bike
incentive currently um that three people take advantage of and you can probably figure out who those people are. Um and um so there's been some talk about maybe what a new program might look like. Um,
but you know, there's a lot of people who work for the city of Charlesville. So, um, there's also a lot of benefit that could be had from in a better incentive program. Maybe like what UVA is doing, for example. >> Thank you. >> Yeah.
>> Lloyd, do you have any questions? >> Um, Natley, >> hey there. Um, so ebikes are cool. We like them. Is that >> the D? Okay. >> I don't know. Just checking. Um, this is something
that I'm very proud that the city has done. We were the first community in the state to have an ebike subsidy program. So, we are um setting the tone for the rest of the the Commonwealth, pardon me. Um, who will hopefully get on board. Um,
it's been it's great to see I I've had a lot of anecdotal evidence about people who are excited to get a voucher or jealous of their friend who got a voucher or um uh like missed it but keep applying and
um to see that kind of it's 112 because we would reallocate ones that people didn't pick up. Right. >> Correct. >> Which is why it's not an even 100. Correct. Um, but to have 91 of those convert, 91ish convert, um, I don't know, you know, the metrics are because this is the first time we've done it,
but that feels good. Um, that feels like a significant conversion rate. Um, >> yeah. Do you do you remember what DC's conversion rate was up to? >> I typically see like in the 80s or lower. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. So, that's exciting. Um, it's also
noticeable. I do bike around a lot and I see people on bikes and when I first started biking um before when I first started ebiking, sorry, before the subsidy program was available that felt like there were a handful of people and I would see if this someone was on a
bike, it was probably somebody I knew. And every time I see somebody now who's on a bike that I don't know, I'm very excited because it means they came to it either through this program or on their own and it's working. Charlottesville is 10.2ish square miles. Um, it is very
navigable by bike if you have the health for that and mobility for that. Um, and because of the hills that we have, a a classic bike is not always going to be the best tool if you're trying to get somewhere and still, you know, be professional when you arrive. Um, I
biked here tonight. Um, even in the the cold and the snow, if you've got good enough mittens, you're you're good to go. Um, so I'm very excited to see the the positive feedback and I'm also excited to see the adjustment for for income levels. Um,
that's something that I know was a concern when we first started this to see what would happen. So, it's, you know, we've done the pilot, we've gotten the data, now we're doing the the adjusted um the adjustments that hopefully will help. I, too, want the bike shops to kind of respond a little
bit to those market demands a little bit, a little bit more. Um, but I also understand that some people will bulk at the price of a of an ebike uh because they're thinking about, oh, I got like my last bike off Craigslist for 60 bucks or it was a handme-down or, you
know, unless they're serious like road bike people. Um, but if you think about it, not in contrast to an acoustic bike you can get at a yard sale, but a car, which is what it is really replacing, as evidenced by the feedback from the respondents, but also personal
experience, um, you're saving a lot of money. And if we have a community that is designed for cars, when a a car ownership is about a $12,000 a year um fee, then that money gets to go back
into the pockets of people to afford a different house or more activities or just to save whatever they want to do with that. instead of charging them that tax essentially to live in our community because requiring them to have a car would be needed, this helps change that that paradigm, which is which is great.
Um there's two other pieces that the city can do. Um not this program, but the city in general. Um which one of them as as Jen touched on was some way for city staff to participate in microobility. We
I I hear um in my meetings with um was the regional transit partnership, now Carta, the feedback from the UVA program where they have um uh rebates that go back to staff that that instead of driving, they either
carpool or bike or bus or walk. Um and other kind of benefits. They have a $400 ebike rebate program that they can um give to their staff. So, I would be excited to hear what what our HR and other departments are putting forward to
to kind of have some benefit for staff. Um, because uh I know not everybody works within a a distance where this makes sense, but there are a significant number that do. Um, and then the second thing is relatively
getting a bike is fairly accessible. biking as someone you something you can do as an individual. Um it's really hard for an individual to build a bike lane. That is a community responsibility. And so when we have decision decisions up
here that um relate to infrastructure um that is where we can make it easier for people to use those bikes that they have so that more people can um maybe the people who didn't convert didn't actually feel safe once they thought about it or people who can afford a bike
on their own are getting it because they're like I don't want to bike down West Main Street. Um, that's all very valid. And so we need to create an environment where people can do it easily and you don't have to feel brave to ride a bike. Um, our community is not
is is the right size to to get around by bike. And so to have more people do that would be beneficial for the environment, beneficial for people's wallets. Um, and also it's really fun. So it's great to have more people get out there. Um, so
thank you. This is very positive to see. I'm excited to see the data for conversion now that it's been income adjusted. Um, and hopefully we get we get an even bigger spread of people who are enjoying the program. Thanks, >> Michael.
>> Yeah, I would echo a lot of what other people said and the bigger picture. I think it's certainly far past time for the city to get more ambitious on uh pedestrian bike infrastructure and be as ambitious about something as like the creation of the downtown mall like bring the community
in on a plan to say shut down lanes of Preston Avenue and turn them into bike and pedestrian use only. But as for this immediate program specifically, I think clearly there's been a lot of success. I think it's a no-brainer to continue the funding. Um, the statistic that stuck
out the most to me was that one at $35,000 and below, the amount of people who don't redeem the voucher, even if they've received it, doubles to 40%. Um, which makes a lot of intuitive sense um, in terms of it's just the voucher is
still not enough. Um, and I think the changes that are proposed definitely move in the right direction to try to address that issue. Um, I would just note I know that 80% AMI was used as the cutoff and historically that's been an affordability cutoff for the city in the
pandemic. Really kind of exploded that and I would just note 80% AMI is for a oneperson household over $70,000 a year for a fourperson household an income of over $100,000. So, I'm wondering if we should bump that AMI down to try to
better address the problem since that inflection point seems to really be $35,000 and below um in terms of household income. Um but that's all I got. >> So, I think that y'all can look at that and maybe bring something to bring back
to us, you know, those changes. But, um um excited about this program. Um, I was new to ebikes, but thanks to Natalie and her extra bikes, um, and going out with Ben and the crew on Saturday mornings, um, it's a it's a great way to get around. I mean, we've gotten got over to
other side of UVA and I don't know, no problem. >> 7 minutes or so. It's just, >> it's really, really, really easy. And I was one who used regular bikes um, all through college and my first year year. Um, it's funny cuz now my daughter lives
in Northern Virginia in Route 50 and I used to ride my regular bike there to go grocery shopping. Could never do that that now, but you know, when you don't have a car, you you do what you have to do. But I'm excited about this about this program and um glad we could. It's something we can do. I don't think I
realized we were the first in the state um to do it. So that's another feather in the head for Charlottesville. Um so >> feather in the helmet. >> Helmet. Yes. Um, so this um we we won't vote on this
um today. We will um next next week. Um can we we put this on the consent agenda? So if it seemed like it's support to do that, thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> All right, >> thanks Trey. Um the next item is a resolution to um reallocate $45,000 for
the um from the strategic um council strategic um initiatives fund to support the YMCA um renovations. Um this is the first of two readings. >> So I'll be taking this item. Uh the next
two items are mine. They're um they're all offcycle requests. Um I don't have slides to present because I shared with you in the last meeting uh really the details. So just for the public's benefit in case they did not see that the request that um has been received
was for $45,000 um and this is um aligned with council strategic initiatives fund which is why I'm bringing to you in that manner. The YMCA has a an egress project. Basically, they're having to reconstruct um a secondary way to leave the building at
the Jefferson School City Center where the childcare center is located. It's $145,000 to do that renovation project. They've been able to raise addition raise funds already from uh multiple donors and they're $45,000 short. Uh they've been working closely with the
city's building official. Uh and in that it's been coordinating the project and um really being uh expansive on the timeline so that we can make sure that they do not end up having to shut down space and therefore eliminate access to child care which we already have a critical need in our community. So the
request is for council to consider using funds that you currently have in your uh council strategic initiatives fund which uh has a balance of 390,000. Was that right? Yes. $390,000 $390,63568.
So the request is for you to uh consider appropriating 45,000 from that fund. Any questions? >> Okay. Further discussion or questions on that? If not, I'll entertain a motion.
>> I would and I would ask that you uh move to approve this item. >> Yeah. in one vote if you would be so obliged because they've been waiting trying to raise funds for this project and this ensures that it can be done and we don't have the concern about the childcare slots. >> Yeah. And I think it's another
no-brainer and I would um move the resolution to reallocate $45,000 from the council strategic initiatives fund to support the Pedmont YMCA renovations project passing it on one reading contingent on a four fifths majority vote or more.
>> Second. Okay. Um, we will vote electronically on this. >> The motion um passes 50. Thank you. >> All right. And then the next item uh is a resolution to reallocate $469,000
originally appropriated for low barrier shelter operations. Uh since we do not currently have the low barrier shelter to operate that we planned at this time uh you had previously allocated an annual amount of $500,000 per year for
that particular function to be funded by the local government. This year's budget has this $500,000 at this moment sitting unused. Uh there have been three offcycle requests in association with sheltering which is why I've packaged them and brought them forward in this
manner. They are emergency situations uh and they are really aimed at continuing to care for the unhoused in our community. The first request is from Patchchum. They are currently experiencing a budget shortfall and need $65,000 to close their operating gap for
the current fiscal year. The Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless, Brack, is seeking $234,000 to replace funds that are needed for the continuation of permanent supportive housing. That program currently serves 32 households with direct rental
assistance and any interruption in that program would put those individuals on the street. The needs for this funding is a result of an interruption from federal programming. It appears to be temporary at this time, but we're not guaranteed that the current uh federal
administration is going to not continue to push to eliminate or defund in a significant way this program. So, this request is meant to be a temporary stop gap. Um there is a request from region 10 who provides the permanent supportive housing work to increase their ask under
our intergovernmental agreement with them. Uh so we have that as a part of the FY27 budget process for going forward. So these funds are for now through July of this year. And then the third request is to the Salvation Army for resources to support their act
they're opening six unhoused family shelter units at the current Ridge Street location. uh they were able to receive funds to improve those spaces and the mayor and I walked uh that space um last week, week before last, I can't
remember um to see what the um possibilities would be and there are uh six apartments that would be available for individuals as soon as the Salvation Army is able to secure the operating funds uh to open this space. Uh part of
the scenario here is that in opening uh this particular service which does not exist today at the Salvation Army. So these are new shelter beds which is important for everyone to know and appreciate. Uh when the Salvation Army relocates to the Cherry Avenue location as a part of their renovation plan at
Ridge Street, these families would go with them. that is part of what they've identified as the approach that they would take so they would not be displaced as a part of uh improvements occurring for the future center of hope. So those three requests total $469,000
of the $500,000 that you currently have in the budget right now unallocated for anything because we don't have a low barrier shelter. So I would ask that you uh move with the four-fifths vote to approve the items for these emergency sheltering functions for the city of
Charlottesville. >> Sam is the 170 is that like basically a capital expenditure >> that is operating. So that is half of their operating expenses for running the shelter that because they have staff and services that'll be provided to the families that will be there
>> at this point. Is there any kind of even very ballpark timeline estimate of when money would need to be deployed for the year- round low barrier shelter? We're not there yet. That's coming. Uh still
have to get a proposal from the low barrier shelter working group. Um they've been they've given me later this month as to when I should be able to expect that. And upon reviewing that and feeling like we have a viable option, I will bring that to council and we'll have a decision to make.
>> Okay. >> Weeks away, I would say weeks away from having that answer. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> But I can also say that we will not activate these $500,000 within the time period that they are allocated for, which is through June of this year.
>> And the extra $31,000 >> at this moment is to continue to sit until I'm sure there will be a need that pops up. My goal was to try to keep the use of the 500,000 in support of the unhoused, which is what you are previously allocated for.
>> I appreciate that. >> Okay. In um any discussion on this? If not, um I will entertain a motion to approve this to tonight. Did Did you request that? >> Yes. >> Yeah.
I have one more quick question before we move on for the Pochum budget shortfall. Um did was it a fundraising gap? Was it was the >> Yeah, it was indicated to me that it was about their fundraising did not come together for them to be able to secure
all funds. They still open the facility uh on schedule and hope that they would be able to close so that they would close the gap so that they would not have to actually shut down earlier. >> Okay. >> Yeah. But right now they're they're operating through midappril I believe.
>> Okay. Thank you. >> I would move approval of the resolution with one reading contingent on a four-fifths or greater majority vote. >> Second. >> Second. Okay. Shall we vote?
Okay, the motion passes 5. Thank you all. I think that those were all of the action action items. We had some things moved around. We're now um going to the um
community matters um for the second time. Would anyone else like to to speak? If not, can I get a motion to adjurnn? >> So moved. >> All um I need a second. >> Second.
>> All in favor, please say yes. >> Yes. >> All post, please say no. Okay. Be safe. Thank you.