CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors held the second of four scheduled work sessions on its Fiscal Year 27 budget Wednesday night, a meeting that ran beyond its scheduled 8 p.m. ending.
“Once the county executive makes his recommendation, it’s our budget now,” Chair Ned Gallaway said. “And we have to walk through it, page by page, to make sure we understand. Because then advocacy starts to happen.”
The first work session included public safety and judicial functions. One of Wednesday’s items was affordable housing, which falls under the budget’s health and welfare umbrella, which comprises 7 percent of the full budget. For the second year in a row, county staff is recommending a $5 million total investment in the Affordable Housing Fund, which is used for developer incentives and other initiatives that expand affordable housing options.
Since its creation in FY19, the board has invested more than $22 million into the fund.
“And those investments have resulted in the construction and preservation of over 1,700 units of affordable housing, both renter and owner occupied,” said Chief of Budget Katelyn Malcolm. “It’s resulted in shelter and supportive services for over 280 victims of domestic violence and 539 individuals experiencing homelessness. And it’s also resulted in housing counseling and navigation support for over 788 individuals and families.”
The health and welfare budget also includes $8.2 million for transit, $7.7 million for libraries and tourism, $4.1 million health and welfare and $3.5 million public works.
The $724,021,078 budget was balanced with no tax rate increases.
The third and fourth work sessions take place on Monday and Wednesday, with a fifth work session, if needed, on April 4.
