City Manager’s Report Feburary 2023 1 UPDATES FROM INTERIM CITY MANAGER MICHAEL ROGERS • The firm Raftelis has been selected as the Strategic Planning Consultant to update the current strategic plan. The firm will lead the planning process with internal and external stakeholders over the next four months. • The Economic Development Authority has launched its strategic planning process using Renaissance, a firm out of Austin Texas. The economic development strategic plan will support the city-wide strategic plan, though they are being developed on different cycles. • The Compensation study will be delivered on February 15. The consultant Gallagher will report the results at a future Council meeting. • The selection of the Labor Relations Administrator is down to two firms and after negation there will be s selection imminently. After selection immediate steps will be taken to kick off petitions and elections for the three authorized unions. • The City Manager held a citizen Budget Forum at Carver Recreation Center on January 31. • Following action by the City Council and the County Board of Supervisors in December, the amended Memorandum of Agreement related to the co-located General District Court and the associated parking access has been fully executed. The County will assume control on the 7th Street surface parking lot during weekday business hours for use by court staff and visitors beginning February 1, 2023. Previous users of the lot were given 45 days’ notice and have been offered alternative parking options. Preliminary work on the new court complex in Court Square is now underway. UPDATES FROM DEPUTY CITY MANAGER ASHLEY MARSHALL • 2022 National Community Survey o The Office of the City Manager would like to thank the members of the community who responded to the Polco National Community Survey either by mail, or through the internet website. The Survey closed on December 27, 2023 and results will be presented to the City Council and the Community at Council’s February 21st 4pm workshop session. UPDATES FROM DEPUTY CITY MANAGER SAMUEL SANDERS • Pupil Transportation o To date, nearly 500 school kids are not assigned to bus routes and transit staff, schools staff, and the city manager’s staff continue to work on the issue. o CAT continues to hire personnel for both Transit and Pupil Services with the recent base pay increase to $21/hr. We are training and putting new drivers on the road as quickly as possible. o Our Safe Routes to Schools priorities remain active as we work to support school requests for improvements that are aimed at delivering kids to school safely; we anticipate this continuing through this Summer and intend to double down our regular SRTS work with added capacity for this work. o CAT is preparing an RFP to secure a backup provider to support pupil services in the Fall. The goal will be to ensure we have enough drivers for all routes to be in service. 2 o CAT is also working with Albemarle County Schools with hopes of aligning special needs services to relieve duplicate driver scenarios so both systems can gain additional efficiency. – for CAT that would mean another driver to activate a paused route. o CAT needs drivers. $21/hr is the top of the greater regional market. • Plastic Bag Tax Update o City-sponsored reusable plastic bags are being distributed to WIC- and SNAP-eligible households through the Department of Social Services. o DSS is also hosting special bag giveaway days at a variety of locations. o Community Solutions staff is working with The Sierra Club and others to arrange for reusable bag collections and re-distribution to households needing bags. o City staff will monitor our supply of bags and hope to bring additional ideas for council to consider once we begin to receive the tax revenues and can program those dollars further. o Recent complaints of stores charging and not charging correctly are being reported to the state Taxation Department who has compliance powers on this matter. 3 CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE UPDATES • Office of the City Manager – Executive Assistant Terry Bentley (she/her) The Office of the City Manager would like to remind the public that they continue to provide support as the main information line for the community. To reach them, please call 434-970- 3333, but also the public should be aware that the phone tree system is active to ensure quick transfer to the proper departments. • Office of Budget and Management – Director Krisy Hammill (she/her) The Office of Budget and Management is hard at work on the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget. Please be sure to check out the City's Budget webpage. There you will find all the latest public information pertaining to the budget. Information on the current year's budget and the FY2024 Budget Process can be found at: https://charlottesville- va.civilspace.io/en/projects/charlottesville-fy24-city-budget • Office of Communications & Public Engagement – Deputy Director David Dillehunt (he/him) The 25th Annual Grand Illumination event and TV broadcast was a success, utilizing most every member of the Communications Office. For the December 2022 event, there is an estimated attendance of roughly 3,500 members of our community and visitors. Further, the Communications team came in nearly $2,000 under budget! We would like to thank our Presenting Sponsor – UVA Credit Union for their continuous support of our annual holiday event. Additional thanks go to our Holiday Music Sponsor – Ting; and our Community Supporter – Dominion Power. In additional staffing news, Caroline Rice is now in charge of the “Cville 360” employee newsletter and released the latest edition to City staff earlier in January 2023. Remy Trail continues to handle all of the CitySpace hybrid meetings. Kyle Erving, our Public Safety Information Officer, is currently working with Chief Kochis and Acting Chief Thomas on determining various departmental needs. Finally, our Community Media Center is operating full-time with regular usage by citizens. There are roughly 35 active members and Deputy Director David Dillehunt continues to support their regular needs as well as our weekly broadcasting schedules. • Office of Community Solutions –Director Alex Ikefuna (he/him) o The Office of Community Solution (OCS) is happy to announce the addition of Taylor Harvey- Ryan, Grants Program Manager to its team. Ms. Taylor Harvey-Ryan started work with the city on January 30, 2023. She will provide administrative and technical support to city departments and agencies regarding preparation of proposals and grant applications. Ms. Ryan was formally Housing Program Manager for the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. We are thrilled to have her join the City Team. 4 o The 2023 Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund (CAHF) Notice of Fund Availability will close on January 31, 2023. The fund is designed to support creation of affordable housing in Charlottesville. This will conclude the city’s 2023 Notice of Funding Availability for Housing- Related Activities. o OCS is working on centralized clearinghouse and tracking system for City property leases, acquisition, and disposition. o The City of Charlottesville and Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) Consortium are currently preparing the 2023 - 2027 HUD-mandated Consolidated Housing and Community Development Plan, which will be completed in May of 2023. The current 2018 – 2022 Plan is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2023. This multi-year plan is required for all “Entitlement Communities” in the United States. • Office of Economic Development – Director Chris Engel (he/him) The City of Charlottesville’s Office of Economic Development has concluded its thirtieth vacancy study. First conducted in July 2008, this study provides a detailed glimpse into the economic health of the City. This report only studies retail properties within the six City shopping centers: Barracks Road, Downtown Mall, McIntire Plaza, Preston Plaza, Seminole Square, and The Corner. Overall, the total vacancy rate for the six shopping centers is 4.68%, which is down from 7.21% recorded during the January 2022 study. The full report can be found on the OED website. Additionally, the City’s Economic Development Strategic Planning effort officially kicked off recently with the first meeting of a 16-member steering committee. Resonance, the selected consultant to develop a comprehensive economic development strategic plan to help guide the City’s development activities for the next five years, led the meeting and made their first visit to the City. The plan is expected to leverage existing assets and envision a future that builds a more inclusive, resilient business and entrepreneurial community. In addition to the data analysis work being done now, a community business survey will be released in early February. The project is expected to conclude in July 2023. • Office of Human Rights – Director Todd Niemeier (he/him) The Office of Human Rights has continued to provide excellent services to the community. For calendar year 2022 the office conducted over 4,300 incoming and outgoing contacts, including 2,500 contacts that were classified as providing community navigation services that are outside of the office’s normal charge through the City’s ordinance. In calendar year 2022, inquiries based in the Charlottesville Human Rights ordnance focused on housing issues, with employment discrimination concerns as second, and public accommodation concerns as third. Race and disability remain the top protected classes most often cited inquiries and complaints received by the office. As of January 2023, the office currently has nine (9) open complain cases and two (2) new complaints pending assessment. The Office is currently preparing its Calendar Year 2022 annual report with an anticipated completion date of March 1, 2023, and will present that report to the City Council and public in spring of 2023. Administrative 5 Updates: Currently the Office continues to work with the federal Housing and Urban Development department as they work to become a Fair Housing Assistance Program. Staffing Updates: The Office of Human Rights has begun hiring for their Intake and Administrative Specialist – the opening closed on January 20, 2023. Intern Ginny Helmadollar continues to provide administrative support to the Commission even while studying abroad this semester in France, and Intern Lily Gates continues to provide hybrid individual service provision support to the Office while attending her final semester at UVA. Outreach Updates: Victoria McCollough, Community Outreach & Administrative Specialist, continues to connect with and develop relationships with community partners, including participation in weekly meetings to support our community’s homeless population and monthly meetings with service providers to get updates on public housing, re-entry after incarceration, and addiction recovery support. She also continues to provide individual service follow ups, navigation, and is working on new educational materials. o Human Rights Commission: The Human Rights Commission would like to welcome Suzanne Lynn (she/her) to the Commission as she was appointed by City Council in December 2022. Her term will begin on March 1, 2023. Jessica Harris (she/her) was reelected as Human Rights Commission Chair and Ernest Chambers (he/him) was re-elected as Vice-Chair by their peers on January 19, 2023. Congratulations to Jessica and Ernest – the Office looks forward to continuing to work with you both. Finally, the Commission is planning an annual retreat and strategic planning meeting for early March 2023. • Office of Equity and Inclusion  Americans with Disability Act (ADA)– ADA Coordinator Paul Rudacille (He/Him) The City of Charlottesville’s ADA Coordinator can be reached by email at ada@charlottesville.gov or by phone at 434-970-3182. Information is on our website about the ADA grievance procedures, and our ADA complaint procedures at https://charlottesville.org/274/Americans-with-Disabilities-Act-ADA-Coor  Home to Hope Program – Employment & Financial Opportunity Manager Roy Fitch Jr. (he/him) The Home to Hope Peer Navigators participated in the recent One Stop Shop held by The Fountain Fund and OAR on January 12, 2023. The event was held at Carver Recreation Center, and additional One-Stop events are being planned to continue through the Winter months at that location. Further, the Home to Hope team participated in the soft Launch of UVA’s Pipelines & Pathways employment program on January 17, 2023 at Carver Recreation Center. More information on the program can be found at: https://prescouncil.president.virginia.edu/pipelines-and-pathways  The Home to Hope program is free of charge for members of the community who are reentering the community after “time-served.” For assistance please email Home to Hope at hometohope@charlottesville.org, call them at 434-970-3601, visit their office on the Pedestrian Mall at 507 E. Main Street, or you can fill out an 6 intake form on-line at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HometoHopeIntake  Downtown Job Center – Employment & Financial Opportunity Manager Roy Fitch Jr. (he/him) The Downtown Job Center was in attendance at the first of many Goodwill Site Visit Monthly Meetings that took place on January 12th. The feature presenter was PepsiCo. Further, the Downtown Job Center participated in the soft Launch of UVA’s Pipelines & Pathways employment program on January 17, 2023 at Carver Recreation Center. The Center’s Lead – Roy Fitch Jr. – is a member of the working group for Pipelines & Pathways whose goal is to increase the number of disadvantaged community residents hired by the University, decrease their rate of turn over, and increase the number of incumbent Academic Division and UVA Health workers who advance up the income ladder. More information on the program can be found at: https://prescouncil.president.virginia.edu/pipelines-and-pathways  The City of Charlottesville Downtown Job Center is now located on the Pedestrian Mall at 507 E. Main Street. Assistance is free of charge to anyone who visits the center. For more information, please call then at 434-970-3933 or visit Tuesday-Thursday from 9:30-4:30pm. Mondays and Wednesdays are by appointment. 7 CITY DEPARTMENTAL UPDATES • Charlottesville Area Transit – Director Garland Williams (he/him) o CAT is working with Albemarle County to launch a Microtransit Program later this year. o CAT is working to transition to radio operations that put it in alignment with other emergency personnel in the region. o The Alternative Fuels Study will be complete in the Spring. • Charlottesville Fire Department – Interim Chief Michael Thomas (he/him) o The Charlottesville Fire Department is actively working on the smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and rangehood fire stops community outreach program associated with the Community Development Block Grant. Thus far we have installed 55 new smoke alarms, 443 carbon monoxide detectors, and 419 stovetop fire stops. This is a city-wide initiative; however, the focus has been on Westhaven, 10th and Page, 6th Street, and Madison Avenue. This effort will continue until all devices have been installed in the community. o The Charlottesville Fire Department is in the beginning stages of implementing the IROL program. Letters have been sent to vendors that will be participating in the program. Training for vendors and Fire Marshals will be conducted on February 15th. The projected start date to receive fire inspection reports will be March 1st. o In the first six months of FY23, the Charlottesville Fire Department has responded to 4341 calls for service:  Fire incidents 74  EMS incidents 2884  Other calls for service 1383 o Recruit School #8 graduation is projected to take place in May. o We are currently working on the awarded S.A.F.E.R grant audit with the Finance Department. o Hiring- The application process for the Charlottesville Fire Department is planned for February 6th through March 6th. • Charlottesville Police Department – Chief Michael Kochis (he/him) [Report submitted on 1/19/23] The Charlottesville Police Department would like to welcome again Chief Michael Kochis to the department and community, as well as thank Major LaTroy Durrette for his work as Acting Chief. The Department has begun its 90-day transition plan, which includes meetings, program briefings and an all-staff town hall. Incidents: Recently the Charlottesville community experienced two shootings within three days in the area of Cherry and Prospect Ave. (no injuries). After the last shooting on January 18th, Chief Kochis and the CPD command staff conducted a command walk in the area and met with several residents who live on Prospect Ave. The conversations were very 8 productive and yielded a better understanding of the challenges faced in the area. Residents requested that officers spend more time in their neighborhood getting to know residents and build relationships. In response to that request, Chief Kochis has implemented a "walk and talk" detail where two officers will be assigned to the area either on foot or bicycles. These officers have been advised that the primary purpose is to meet with and speak to build dialog and trust between officers and the community. This detail will run for two weeks. [Please note that this report was submitted on January 19th to meet publishing deadlines and does not intentionally leave out any incidents that occurred after January 19, 2023, but their omission is simply due to the submission deadlines for Council packets] • Emergency Management – Coordinator Jeremy Evans (he/him) o The city’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is now complete and under review by the City Manager. The next step is to present to council approval before submitting to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.  Several grants with an emergency management focus have been submitted on behalf of the city:  The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Grant (BRIC) for generator replacements to city facilities. This grant was submitted to FEMA in mid-January. Hoping to hear a result by late summer.  The Local Emergency Management Programs Grant (LEMPG) is a 50/50 grant match for $15,000. The city would spend $7,500, and the grant would cover the additional $7,500 towards EM projects in the city.  The Chesapeake Gateways grant. This grant is a no-match grant that would award the city $50,000. The NPS Chesapeake Gateways focuses on advancing equity, inclusion, accessibility, and community engagement across two strategic themes: Advance a Major Inclusive Interpretive Initiative with an Equity Lens and Promote Resilient Communities & Landscapes Through Tourism, Sustainability, Conservation & Local Economies.  The Emergency Shelter Upgrade Grant, which will be used to potentially replace generators at city shelter sites. Those are to be determined. This grant was submitted in mid-January with hopes of hearing results by late summer. • Human Resources – Director Mary Ann Hardie (she/her) The Department would like to extend a warm welcome to Jimmy Morani, the City’s Labor Relations Manager and Victoria Falleck, the City’s new Human Resources Recruiter.  The Department of Human Resources continues to work on completing many hires in multiple departments. Please go to our website to see all openings and encourage eligible applicants to apply: https://www.charlottesville.gov/695/Employment-with-the-City-of-Charlottesvi • Department of Human Services – Director Misty Graves (she/her) 9 HIRING: We have selected a candidate for the Hotline Supervisor position and will start onboarding in the next few weeks. This position will provide additional support to the Community Resource Line (Pathways Program) as well as the Homeless Information Line. We will be posting for a Human Services Planner position later this month. ENGAGEMENT: The Department of Human Services will partner with the UVA Masters of Public Policy program to update the "Stepping Stones Report" last published in 2019 (posted on the web here: https://www.charlottesville.gov/1623/Stepping-Stones-Report) to report on community well-being metrics for Children and Families in Charlottesville/Albemarle. Staff will present to students on Feb. 9th. Youth programming staff from our department has also been invited to a Community Wellbeing event hosted by the Boys and Girls Club on Feb. 9th. TRAINING: 13 members of the Department's Leadership Team has attended the first in a three- part series from Equity in the Center titled: We Can Get There From Here: Exploring Racial Liberation In a Time of Change. One Jan. 4th, one of our staff co-facilitated with a DSS staff member an introduction to Stress First Aid for the City of Charlottesville LEAD team to mitigate, prevent, and recover from stress injuries in the workplace. • Department of Information Technology – Director Steve Hawkes (he/him) The Department has successfully completed two major projects: the “H: Drive” to Microsoft OneDrive and the “J: Drive” migration. Both projects were major undertakings by and because of the two projects the organization is much better positioned for teamwork and collaboration. Cybersecurity: The Department has recently completed its staff phishing email training campaign. Results showed a 15% failure rate among staff, which is an improvement over the previous campaign’s 20% failure rate. The Department will continue emphasizing cybersecurity training and pushing out phishing email training campaigns. Further, in January 2023 the Department held a tabletop Security Team exercise mimicking a Cybersecurity incident. In the exercise we learned a great deal and will be making updates to our Incident Response Plan (IRP) to address gaps in the IRP. City Education: The Department is proud to announce that in conjunction with the City iTeam the first WIFM or “What's In It For Me” workshop was completed on January 18. Twenty-nine (29) city employees throughout the organization learned more about key features in Microsoft Teams and then participated in small groups labs to help provide hands-on experience. The second part of the Microsoft Teams WIFM will be held on February 15. The goal of the WIFM’s is to help staff better leverage many of the enterprise software tools licensed to the City. Applications: A new alerting system, CivicReady, is being implemented. The new system will automatically enroll all City phones and City email addresses so that every staff member will be alerted City closures or delayed openings due to inclement weather or emergency. Additional scenarios will be added to the system over time. The Applications Team is also working on enhancing the existing help desk system to include our PC inventory. This is a long-needed enhancement and will be a major benefit to the PC replacement program. Staffing: The department would like to welcome Ray Liu, our new Software Engineer who began in January 2023 and we will soon be interviewing candidates for the vacant Technical Support Specialist position. 10 Additional Information: Additional top priority projects being worked on include the SAP Upgrade, re-engineering our processes for new employees and new PCs, and addressing sensitive and stale electronic files throughout the organization. • Neighborhood Development Services – Director James Freas (he/him) o NDS released the first module of the Cville Plans Together zoning rewrite on Friday, Feb 3. Details on the module and on upcoming community engagement opportunities can be found on the project website - https://cvilleplanstogether.com/. This module includes the proposed zoning districts and zoning map. Planning Commission will be discussing this draft at their work session on Feb 28 and Council is welcome to attend. o The TJPDC has been identified as a recipient of a Safe Streets for All planning grant. The City was an active partner in developing this application and will be very involved in the development of this plan, with a focus on what we can accomplish to enhance transportation safety on Charlottesville’s streets. Following development of this plan, the City will be eligible for federal construction funds for projects identified in the plan. The amount of the grant is $857,600, making it the 2nd highest award in the state. • Parks & Recreation – Director Dana Kasler (he/him) o Golf will be partnering again with The First Tee Blue Ridge to provide youth programs at Meadowcreek Golf Course. More info coming soon. o Garden Plot Renewals and Registration Began. More info at: Garden Plots | Charlottesville, VA o Shelter registration has begun. o Tree planting project will begin in March. o Carver held our 1st Annual Winter Ball on Sat., Jan. 21. We had over 100 people and 40 participants from Adaptive Recreation o Summer Camp Registration opens on Monday, March 6 for City Residents and Monday, March 20 for Non-residents. o Youth basketball had an enrollment of 354 kids for the winter season. • Police Civilian Oversight Board – Deputy City Manager Ashley Marshall (she/her) The Police Civilian Oversight Board continues to meet and discuss priorities as a new Executive Director is hired. The Office of the City Manager and the PCOB Chair William Mendez are working closely together to secure its next Executive. The process is moving into the second interview phase, where both Chair Mendez and Member James Watson will participate in the process along with key city staff including members of the Department of Human Services and Home to Hope. • Public Works – Director Stacey Smalls (he/him)  Engineering: 11 o Belmont Bridge Replacement continues in construction phase. Currently installing NE stairs, north tunnel extension, south street curb lines, moving private utilities. Old bridge structure has been completely removed. Traffic flows are now on the new deck surface. Anticipated completion of construction early 2024. o Dairy Road Bridge Replacement will be the city’s first Design-Build project and design development phase will be initiated this year with the assistance of AMT consulting engineers. It’s fully funded with State of Good Repair funds.  Environmental Sustainability: o Charlottesville’s first Climate Action Plan formally adopted as an amendment to the 2021 Comprehensive Plan. o APWA Mid-Atlantic Honorable Mention award the new Community Engagement category for our Climate Action Plan o Grant concept paper submitted for DOE’s Renew America’s Schools funding opportunity (projected $8.8M project focused on Charlottesville High School and including both energy efficiency and renewable energy (solar PV) generation). Full application due April 21, 2023.  Facilities Development: o Buford School Project will go out to bid on February 6th. Bids will be expected by March 14th. Based on bid prices, Public Works will require swift decisions from Charlottesville Public Schools and City Council on options based on any foreseen escalations that exceeded our original estimate for construction.  Facilities Maintenance: o APWA Mid-Atlantic Project of the Year Award for Structures Less than $5 Million – Smith Recreation Center Indoor Air Quality Renovations • Utilities – Director Lauren Hildebrand (she/her) o The Department of Utilities’ Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey is now open. Utilities values customer feedback and welcomes the opportunity to gather information that helps us continue, and build on, our range of services, programs, and initiatives. Customers will be able to access the survey link through Utilities’ electronic newsletter and on our website at www.charlottesville.gov/utilities. Paper copies of the survey are available upon request by contacting Utilities Outreach at (434) 970-3686. All responses will be kept completely confidential. Thank you in advance for your participation! o The Department of Utilities has selected the engineering firm Black & Veatch to conduct the Decarbonization Study for our natural gas utility. Black & Veatch brings substantial experience in consulting and engineering and has prepared similar studies for other organizations in the United States. An initial kick-off presentation 12 of the scope of work for the Decarbonization Study will be held by Black & Veatch at the City Council Work Session on March 20th at 4PM. o The Department of Utilities knows that for many people the start of a new year means a list of resolutions. And if your list includes streamlining the way you pay bills, Utilities can help. Utilities offers payment options that help simplify your expenses, such as the Budget Plan. The Budget Plan estimates your early cost for utilities and divides that total into 12 equal installments. These installments become your “level payment amount” for each billing month. Periodically, your account is reviewed to determine if your level payment amount needs to adjust to achieve a zero balance at the end of your budget year. To learn more about this and other available payment options visit, www.charlottesville.gov/billpay or contact the Utility Billing Office at (434) 970-3211. • Social Services – Director Sue Moffett (she/her) The Department is proud to announce that Family Services Specialist Lynzi Williams has been promoted to the position of Family Partnership Coordinator. Programing: The Department received 634 applications for Fuel Assistance between 10/11 and 11/14. We were able to approve 88% of them. The Department is currently accepting applications for the Crisis Energy Assistance Program. o Should any member of the Charlottesville community need assistance please contact the Department of Social Services at 434-970-3400 for additional information/ Comuníquese con el Departamento de Servicios Sociales al 434-970-3400 para obtener información adicional. 13 APPOINTEES AND ELECTED OFFICIAL UPDATES • Circuit Court – Honorable Lizelle Dugger, Clerk of Circuit Court (she/her) No update at this time • Commissioner of the Revenue – Commissioner Todd Divers (he/him) No update at this time • Finance Office – Director Chris Cullinan (he/him) No update at this time • Treasurer’s Office - Treasurer Jason Vandever (he/him) After completion of the second half the 2022 tax billing cycle, the Treasurer's office has begun notifying taxpayers of past due balances. Additionally, the office is working on semi-annual mailings for new Dog Licenses and continue our work with DMV Select and U.S. Passport Services. Finally, the office continues to work improving online payment options and cashiering solutions with Neighborhood Development Services, Parks and Recreation, and the Commissioner of the Revenue's Office. • Voter Registrar – Registrar Taylor Yowell (she/her) No update at this time 14