Charlottesville City Council reviewed the City’s 2010 fiscal year budget Monday night, approving a series of amendments discussed at last Council’s meeting added to the budget proposal.
The amendments include a tax cut for energy efficient buildings. City Manager Gary O’Connell said the tax on energy efficient buildings will be $0.475 on every $100 of assessed property — half the tax for non-energy efficient buildings. Council moved to carry the ordinance to its April 14 meeting, though Charlottesville “is one of the few budgets in the country that does not have a tax rate increase” depending on the type of building, O’Connell said.
In addition to the proposed tax cut for energy efficient buildings, Council members approved other budgetary proposed changes to the $142,556,639 budget including $50,000 for urban tree planning, $100,000 for park acquisition and maintenance and $25,000 for bike infrastructure repair around the city. Council also proposed to include funds for the maintenance of the wading pool in McIntire Park, which is in need of drain repairs according to federal regulations.
Council discussed and approved budget changes for some of the city’s private agencies, including $39,250 to be reserved for Charlottesville’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which also acts as the City’s pound. That budgeted amount is nearly twice the amount the City currently provides.
O’Connell said Council also decided to allot $22,000 to the Real Dads Program, which is aimed to help educate fathers on being positively involved in their children’s lives.
Aside from budget changes, Council members discussed the status of the performance analyst position, which was in charge of the efficiency study presented to Council earlier in the year. The study was meant to evaluate the city’s operations and make recommendations about how the city could use its budget more efficiently. Members had conflicting opinions about whether to continue the study.
Vice Mayor Julian Taliaferro said he did not support keeping the performance analyst position, nor did Council member David Brown. Brown however, asked whether “It [would] be okay to hire someone for a year or two years” instead of contracting the position as a permanent full-time employee.
Council member Holly Edwards, meanwhile, said she believed the efficiency study along with the analyst position “may be an opportunity for how we can be better stewards with our money,” noting that analysis of the City’s budget during the current economic downtown may provide a learning experience.
Council will meet again April 14 to further discuss the City’s budget.
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