CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
                                   November 20, 2020
                                Virtual/electronic meeting

1:00 PM SPECIAL MEETING – FY2022 Budget Development Work Session

        The Charlottesville City Council met in an electronic meeting on Friday, November 20,
2020, in accordance with a local ordinance approved July 27, 2020, to ensure continuity of
government and prevent the spread of disease. Mayor Nikuyah Walker called the meeting to
order at 1:02 p.m. with the following members present: Mayor Nikuyah Walker, Vice Mayor
Sena Magill, Councilors Heather Hill, Michael Payne and Lloyd Snook.
       Acting City Manager John Blair opened the discussion with guidance to Council that
the desired result of the meeting would be to provide fiscal clarity to guide staff, as the next
few years of work would be guided by budget decisions and Council priorities. He turned the
meeting over to Krisy Hammill, Senior Budget and Management Analyst, who began review
of the Authorized But Not Issued (ABNI) List for bonds. She advised of a date change in the
budget planning calendar, where the December 8 meeting with the Planning Commission was
changed to January 12, 2021.
      After answering questions from Council, Ms. Hammill turned the meeting over to
David Brown, Director of Public Works, who began the discussion on the West Main Street
Project.
      Jack Dawson, City Engineer, shared results of the Value Engineering Study, which
recommended keeping with the vision of the initial West Main Street Project proposal, while
estimating a maximum of $3 Million in savings for all four phases. Council expressed
concern about competing priorities for large scale projects. Mr. Brown, Mr. Dawson, Marty
Silman, Deputy Director for Public Works, and Jason McIlwee with the Utilities Department
answered questions for Council and advised that they would come back to a future meeting
with additional information about scope and potential changes. They advised that with State
funding tied to this project, certain scope changes could require renegotiation.
     Michael Goddard with Facilities Development provided an update on the School
Reconfiguration Project, with a focus on Buford and Walker.
      Kristel Riddervold, Environmental Sustainability and Facilities Development Manager
shared additional information about project goals proposed by the school system.
      Lisa Torres and Jennifer McKeever with Charlottesville City Schools joined the
meeting at Council request to answer questions about student transitions, segregation of
students who are bussed to a school other than their neighborhood school, school
reconfiguration, school modernization, and the benefits of reconfiguration versus upkeep.
      Questions arose about other capital improvement projects, including the bypass fire
station. Emily Pelliccia, Deputy Fire Chief, provided an overview of fire station needs. Scott
Hendrix, Senior Project Manager, provided more technical information about the funding and
design of the facility.
       Councilors shared a summary of their takeaways from the meeting discussion. Mr.
Blair advised Council to send any additional questions so that staff could follow up.
       Mayor Walker proposed creating a committee for developing a strategic plan to
influence the Fiscal Year 2023 budget process. Councilors agreed that the current strategic
goals in place would continue to be the guide for budget planning this year.
      Mayor Walker opened the floor for public comment.
        Elizabeth Stark, city resident, asked that Council prioritize schools, affordable
housing and community support for items such as streetscape and parking garages. She asked
Council to also thoroughly review the Police Department budget and offered ways trim funds
for transferring to other priorities. She asked that Council find a better way to get better data
on policing in Charlottesville.
       Lisa Torres with Charlottesville City Schools offered assistance in answering Council
questions about schools and thanked Council for their support.
        Richard Morris, Program Director of the Urban Agriculture Collective, shared
information about challenges faced by urban growing spaces, and asked that urban
agriculture be included in future planning.

Mayor Walker adjourned the meeting at 4:03 p.m.

BY Mayor Nikuyah Walker                                       BY Kyna Thomas, Clerk of Council