City Manager’s Report March 2023 1 UPDATES FROM INTERIM CITY MANAGER MICHAEL ROGERS • Charlottesville Albemarle Airport (CHO) continues to bounce back from the pandemic with two big announcements: o Avelo Airlines announced exclusive nonstop service to Orlando from Charlottesville Albemarle Airport (CHO). Avelo is the only airline at CHO offering nonstop service to the Theme Park Capital of the World. Avelo will service Orlando’s most convenient airport, Orlando International Airport (MCO), bringing a new era of affordable, convenient and reliable air service to Charlottesville. Service will begin on May 3 and operate twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays on Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft. Introductory one-way fares between CHO and Orlando start at $49*. Customers can make reservations at AveloAir.com. o Direct flights from CHO to PHL are scheduled to return this spring. American Airlines will resume service from the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport (CHO) to Philadelphia, PA, beginning April 4, 2023. This service will be operated with regional jets. • As required by the City’s Collective Bargaining Ordinance requires, The City has selected a Labor Relations Administrator. Sarah Miller Espinosa an experience Labor Relations professional who also represents Fairfax County and the City of Alexander in the same role. Prospective Union Representatives participated in the selection process. The Labor relations Administrator will issue rules in 21 days that will guide the petition and election process. After agreement a schedule will be set for petitions and elections and the first round of negotiations will follow. • We will be holding the City’s first collective bargaining training presented by our Labor Relations Manager, Jimmy Morani, for our Lead Team & Deputy Directors (only) at this time. If you have a Deputy Director in your work group that I may have inadvertently not included in this training invite, please forward this to them. • Labor relations Training will be held for City Councilors on March 6th. It will be conducted by Robin Burroughs of Venable. • The Strategic Planning Process will launch on March 6th with the Staff Strategic Planning Committee, conducted by Raftelis. • The Council Strategic Planning retreat will be held May 5th and 6th. Further details will be provided. • As a measure which is consistent with our strategic goal of having a well-managed and responsive organization, I have approved the development of an Executive Leadership Academy for which attendance is required for all members of the City’s Lead Team. This initiative is a multi-faceted program designed to improve processes and procedures and strengthen communications for senior executives in order to enhance our skills in leading the City organization as we continue our organizational transformation. o This progressive training program has been developed in cooperation with Piedmont Virginia Community College’s (PVCC’s) Division of Workforce Services and will occur over the period of the next several months (beginning March 1st) in 2- hour sessions on site at PVCC. The course tracks and subtopics included in the program include: § Change Management (Dates: 3/1; 3/14; 3/23)* • Leading Through Change • Achieving Designated Outcomes 2 • Resistance to Change § Leadership Dynamics (Dates: 4/5; 4/11; 4/20; 4/25) • The Role of the Leader • Communicating in a 24/7 World • Working With Differences • Unchartered Leadership § Performance Management Skills (Dates: 5/3; 5/18) • Leadership in Performance Management • Understanding Resistance to Performance Management • Avoiding the Pitfalls of Performance Management § Emotional Intelligence (Dates: 6/7 & 6/20) • Understanding Emotional Intelligence, or “EQ” • Techniques to Grow Your EQ • Building & Managing Conflict and Difficult Personalities (Dates: 7/12 & 7/27) • Contributing Factors of Conflict • The Impact of Trust • Strategies and Tools for Managing Conflict and Difficult Personalities Better Relationships Using EQ 3 UPDATES FROM DEPUTY CITY MANAGER ASHLEY MARSHALL • Virginia Women’s Municipal Leadership Institute o Congratulations are in order for Department of Human Services Program Supervisor Ms. Kamisha Spencer for being accepted into the Virginia Women’s Municipal Leadership Institute cohort – representing the City of Charlottesville. Ms. Spencer has over 15 years of service with the Department of Human Services, and we know she will contribute much to the cohort through her education, professionalism, and experience. Congratulations, Kamisha! • Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Charlottesville City Market with Parks & Recreation o Parks & Recreation would like to announce that the City Market is preparing for its upcoming season, which starts on April 1, 2023. The Market will be celebrating its 50th anniversary of providing quality food and supporting local businesses in our community. The Market is holding a poster competition, and we encourage all community members – young and old – to participate. Information on the contest can be found at: https://www.charlottesville.gov/1638/50th-Anniversary-Poster- Contest. All entries must be received by March 12, 2023, at 11:50 p.m. EST and the winning artist will receive a $500. • Reminder from the Commissioner of the Revenue o The Commissioner of the Revenue would like to remind the community that Rent Relief for the Elderly and/or Disabled BEGINS on March 1st and runs through May 1st. To qualify for the rental relief grant, you must meet all the following conditions: the applicant (or their spouse if they reside together) must be age 65 or older or be permanently and totally disabled as of December 31st of the previous year; combined income during the previous year for the applicant and all relatives living in the same home must not exceed the sum of $50,000 -- If the applicant or their spouse is permanently disabled the first $7,500 of your income shall be excluded from your total household income; the applicant (and their spouse if applicable) must have a combined net worth of $125,000 or less; the applicant must have paid rent for a dwelling within the City of Charlottesville during the previous year and were a resident of the city on December 31st of the previous year; the first $8,500 of income of each relative other than spouse shall be excluded. More information can be found on the Commissioners website at: https://www.charlottesville.gov/192/Rent-Relief • Office of Equity and Inclusion Partnership for “Children’s Financial Literacy Workshop” o The Office of Equity and Inclusion was proud to partner with the County of Albemarle’s Office of Equity and Inclusion to present a Black History Month Event: Children’s Financial Literacy Workshop on Saturday, February 25, 2023, at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia. This educational event, for grades 3 and 4, celebrated Black History Month by promoting the possibilities and opportunities for sustainable financial knowledge and growth for youth and their families. The event spotlighted local African American author Janisha “Jay” Bradford and her book “Mahogany Goes to Wall Street.” The children and their families we able to learn more about helpful resources related to financial wellness from local financial 4 banking representatives, and the City’s Department of Social Services were also on hand to provide information and education. Each family received a copy of Ms. Bradford’s book and a new piggy bank to start their savings journey! UPDATES FROM DEPUTY CITY MANAGER SAMUEL SANDERS • Staffing Additions o Avery Thompson has joined Public Works as a Management Analyst, to focus on the management of financial operations to include grants and VDOT budgets. o Steven Hicks joined Public Works as the new Sr. Project Manager who will help to lead our transportation portfolio with VDOT. Steven has prior VDOT experience, and we look forward to benefitting from that knowledge as we continue to reboot our efforts. 5 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 continues to work on the Fiscal Year 2024 budget with the Interim City Manager. Members of the Community can find dates of upcoming budget work sessions and meetings on the Budget webpage at: https://www.charlottesville.gov/169/Budget • Office of Communications & Public Engagement – Deputy Director David Dillehunt (he/him) The Office of Communications & Public Engagement is continuing its process to secure a new Director of Communications & Public Engagement which should result in a top choice for appointment. Operationally, Ms. Caroline Rice has assumed the editorial duties for the Cville 360 employee newsletter and has expanded the frequency to bi-weekly. Mr. Kyle Erving continues to facilitate community outreach with CPD, helping to coordinate the recent Community Forum on gun violence and active shooter press conference. Mr. Remy Trail assisted Kyle with live streaming of the Community Forum and continues to handle all live streams at CitySpace. The staff is also working to develop a series of video vignettes featuring our various department leaders, serving as a veritable “Get to Know Your Government” series, which will be posted to social media and our PEG-TV stations, with Ms. Rice filming and editing these vignettes. Mr. Dillehunt is focused on supporting any off-site budget live streams and worked with Mr. Trail to coordinate coverage of the remaining budget meetings. Mr. Dillehunt also continues to manage our Media Center with steadily increasing activity and provide media support to all City Council broadcasts. • Office of Community Solutions –Director Alex Ikefuna (he/him) Grants: Recently revised the standard operating procedures for grant pursuits, grants management, and letters of support so all practices are standardized and managed for compliance priorities. Grants: We submitted a $30,000 grant request to ICMA to support ongoing project management team building between the city and public housing residents as originally funded by CACF. Entitlements: Working to develop technical assistance plan for new members to the Task Force so members can engage in proposal review to recommend funding awards. Housing: Working with the new membership of the HAC to support their first meeting on March 15th at Noon. Housing: Interviewing candidates for the Housing Program Manager. Redevelopment: Working to develop standardized procedure for acquiring and accepting property. Redevelopment: Working on lease renewals for the Historical Society, LEAP, and City of Promise. Neighborhood Services: Preparing for the first Neighborhood Leaders Meeting which will be held on March 23rd. 6 • Office of Economic Development – Director Chris Engel (he/him) Charlottesville Pavilion Economic Impact Study Released The Charlottesville Pavilion, currently operated as TING Pavilion, recently completed its 18th season of operation. The pavilion is a public/private partnership involving the City, the Charlottesville Economic Development Authority and a local concert promoter. In addition to national artists featured each year, the venue regularly hosts Charlottesville tradition, Fridays After Five, as well as numerous local and regional events. In 2022, the pavilion hosted over 135,000 people across 63 separate events. To better assess the impacts of the pavilion, the Charlottesville Economic Development Authority recently commissioned an economic impact study. The study seeks to understand the economic and fiscal impact of the pavilion, in the city, based on 2022 data. The highlights include a 2022 impact of $12.5 million dollars, 108 jobs supported by the venue and over $375,000 in local tax revenue. The study was conducted by Chmura Economics and Analytics of Richmond, VA and can be viewed at: https://www.charlottesville.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9246 . City and County to Host Business Piedmont Pitch Competition: The City of Charlottesville Office of Economic Development (“OED”) and Albemarle County Economic Development have joined forces to offer educational programming leading to a pitch competition for local small businesses. Entrepreneurs and small business owners in Charlottesville and Albemarle can apply to participate in the 10-week program including 8 training programs (Business Essentials Training) offered by Central Virginia SBDC and work with a business advisor to hone their pitch and develop a solid business plan. To learn more about the program or to sign up, please visit the Piedmont Pitch website at: https://cvsbdc.org/piedmont-pitch/ GO Start-Up Applications – Open: OED is excited to announce that the Minority Business Program is currently accepting applications for the GO Start-Up entrepreneurship training program. Classes will be held in person on Tuesdays and Thursdays, April 11-20, from 4pm to 7pm. The deadline for applications is Monday, March 13th at 4:00 pm. OED staff will be in touch to schedule virtual interviews. You can find more information about the program and apply by filling out the application online at: https://cvilleminoritybusinessprogram.org/programs • Office of Human Rights – Director Todd Niemeier (he/him) No Update at this Time • 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) Home To Hope welcomed two new Peer Navigators to the team on Tuesday February 21st. They are Devin Coles, a local Pastor and formerly a staff member of the non-profit Brave Souls On Fire, and Courtney Brown, formerly a staff member of the Westhaven Nursing Clinic. Welcome to Pastor Coles and Ms. Brown! o 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 7 the Pedestrian Mall at 507 E. Main Street, or you can fill out an intake form on-line at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HometoHopeIntake § Downtown Job Center – Employment & Financial Opportunity Manager Roy Fitch Jr. (he/him) 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. 8 CITY DEPARTMENTAL UPDATES • Charlottesville Area Transit – Director Garland Williams (he/him) Currently working to finalize an RFP for the Microtransit Service as a service in Albemarle County. We expect to release the RFP in March and anticipate service launching late Summer 2023. Reviewing an opportunity to seek funding from the FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program; considering opportunities to jointly apply with JAUNT for any opportunity to secure more resources for the region. • Charlottesville Fire Department – Interim Chief Michael Thomas (he/him) 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. We installed just under 400 Rangehood Fire Stops in February at 100 ridge street Midway Manner. In addition, CFD installed over 250 smoke alarms throughout the city, working with Woodard Realty. The neighborhood included 10th and Page, Hardy drive area, and Rose Hill. The Charlottesville Fire Department is beginning to implement the Incident Report Online program. Letters have been sent to vendors that will be participating in the program. The projected start date to receive fire inspection reports will be March 1st. Hiring- The application process for the Charlottesville Fire Department is underway. • Charlottesville Police Department – Chief Michael Kochis (he/him) The Charlottesville Police Department is continuing our community walks. Over the past month, CPD has visited Downtown, 12th and Grady, UVA Corner, and the 10th and Page communities. We have identified our new Community Involvement Coordinator and added a full-time Detective to the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. This past week, CPD held a community forum in the 10th and Page Neighborhood to address the gun violence/ Homicide that is affecting this community. Over the past 30 days, we have averaged 1 shots-fired call for service per day. The department has increased our present thought Hot Spot intelligence through overtime assessment. On Feb 28, 2023, the Department also held its first regional COMP STAT meeting with Albemarle County Police Department (ACPD) and UVA University Police Department (UPD). • Emergency Management – Coordinator Jeremy Evans (he/him) The Emergency Management (“EM”) office has been working on completing the City’s Emergency Operations Plan (“EOP”). The basic plan is now complete. The EOP will need the CM’s signature and require Council approval. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management is currently reviewing the EOP. Several grants have been submitted on behalf of the city. We are awaiting those results. Potentially June 2023 The Locality Emergency Management Performance Grant (LEMPG) Requires CM ‘s signature and Council approval for allocation and is set to be completed by end of May if possible. The Office has created a work plan for FY 23/24. The document highlights work that is completed, in progress, and to- do. 9 Development of a comprehensive Integrated Preparedness Plan is underway. This provides a direction for training and preparedness activities for the City. The office plans to provide basic courses in VEOCI, a virtual emergency operations center software, to 4-6 City personnel. This will build bench depth and expand VEOCI knowledge throughout the city. The Charlottesville-UVA-Albemarle Emergency Coordination Center (“ECC”) has graciously sponsored this class for the City, Albemarle County, and the University. ($37,800 for the course). The course will be taught the week of April 3rd. The Office of Emergency Management and Physical Security is conducting ongoing site vulnerability assessments throughout the City. • Human Resources – Director Mary Ann Hardie (she/her) Our new Recruiter (in HR) has been very busy working with our departments that have open job postings, setting up proactive recruitment efforts and coordinating/scheduling job fairs with our community partners. Upcoming Job Fairs: Future Night – Fluvanna High School March 28, 2023, 6 PM – 8 PM; PVCC 38TH ANNUAL JOB FAIR 2023. Wednesday, March 29 10 AM - 2 PM; Charlottesville High School Career Fair – Late April (Day & Time TBA); Albemarle High School Career Fair – mid to late April (Day & Time TBA); CATEC Hiring Event – First week of May (Day & Time TBA). There are many other community contacts, programs, opportunities and resources we are working with to support a diverse and inclusive outreach and recruitment process and to help fill our job openings. § 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) Pathways Fund Update: The Department of Human Services would like to note that its Community Resource Hotline (Pathways Fund) has dispersed $821,000 to city residents this fiscal year with four months remaining. In FY 22, the total amount dispersed to city residents was $657,285, which indicates a continued need for financial assistance and that citizens continue to access the resources provided in this community. Staff Celebrations: One of our Program Supervisors, Kamisha Spencer, has been accepted into the Virginia Women's Municipal Leadership Institute cohort representing our locality. Ms. Spencer has over 15 years of service with the Department of Human Services and will both benefit and contribute significantly to the institute. In addition, she was awarded a grant to fund her tuition for the program fully. Strategic Doing Model: Next month, DHS will work with Dr. Selena Cozart on a Strategic Doing model that will help us define and shape our Department's strategic priorities for the next two years. • Department of Information Technology – Director Steve Hawkes (he/him) Cybersecurity: The monthly phishing email training campaign for February 2023 saw a 15% failure rate among staff which is almost the same failure rate as the previous campaign. We will continue emphasizing cybersecurity training and pushing out phishing email training campaigns to reduce our failure rate. We continue our ransomware testing and will undertake our annual network penetration test using an external Cybersecurity partner. The annual penetration test is considered a best practice 10 and will occur over three days. The City's Networking team is also making performance and security improvements to our VPN infrastructure which will improve service for remote access to City resources. iTeam: The iTeam/IT's second What's In It For Me (WIIFM) workshop took place on February 15 at Cityspace. Twenty-six (26) employees throughout the organization were given a presentation on using Microsoft Teams for collaboration and project management. Following the presentation, attendees participated in small group labs to help provide hands-on experience. The next WIIFM Workshop covers Microsoft Outlook and is scheduled to be held on March 15. Data Analysis: The City's Data Analysis Group held a meeting on March 1, 2023 with Michele Clairbourn, Director of Equitable Analysis and UVA Professor, as the presenter. She will discuss some of the social equity work she’s been doing recently. Operations: In Operations, the City's central computing resource and software for the resource were upgraded, which ensures we're using the most current version of the system. Other top priority projects include re-engineering the PC deployment process and new employee setup process, addressing sensitive data being stored in the City, building out Microsoft Profile cards for staff and creating an org-wide Microsoft Team to improve communication, and finishing PC replacements for FY 2023. Applications: On the Applications side, the Helpdesk system was enhanced to include PC inventory functionality. This will allow us to track City resources better and assist with the City's PC replacement program. Staffing: In staffing news, Alonzo Braxton started work in IT on February 6 as our new Technical Support Specialist. With Alonzo, the Helpdesk team is now fully staffed! • Neighborhood Development Services – Director James Freas (he/him) Working on Module 2 of the Zoning Rewrite which will be released March 13-17. There will be a Joint Planning Commission – City Council meeting on Wednesday, March 29th at 5pm. This will be an opportunity for commissioners and concilors to ask questions and delve into certain sections of the module. We encourage the public to continue to engage with the CVille Plans Together website for additional information and opportunities to comment on the materials under review. cvilleplanstogether.com • Parks & Recreation – Director Dana Kasler (he/him) Market: The City Market is preparing for its upcoming season which starts on April 1, 2023. The Market will be celebrating its 50th anniversary of providing quality food and supporting local businesses in our community. The Market is holding a poster competition and we encourage all members of our community – young and old – to participate. Information on the contest can be found at: https://www.charlottesville.gov/1638/50th-Anniversary- Poster-Contest. All entries must be received by March 12, 2023 at 11:50 p.m. EST and the winning artist will receive a prize of $500. Golf: Golf is preparing for the upcoming prime season which typically begins in Spring of each year. The City Council recently approved a $300,000 loan/line of credit to the golf course for needed improvements to the course and infrastructure to create a better playing experience which in turn will be repaid through customer fees. Staff is outlining a plan on how to best utilize those funds and priorities and timelines of projects. Further, the 11 Meadowcreek website will also get refreshed with a new design and a mobile app will be rolled out this spring to golfers for their use while playing the course. The app, created by Gallus who specializes in golf course technology, will provide digital scorecards, GPS positioning and yardage, food and beverage ordering and more. Skate Park: The Charlottesville City Skate park retaining wall project down by the Flo bowl is underway, and will be completed by March 15th. Recreation: The Programs Division Winter Session II began on Monday, February 27. Further, Parks and Recreation Summer Camps have officially been scheduled and registration start March 6th. The Department will be offering four (4) regular day camps, but we have added fourteen (14) new specialty camps including: chess, dance, filmmaking, and art. To ensure access our Adaptive Summer Camps are going back to full day and we will be offering six (6) weeks of camps so all partisans may have an opportunity for summer fun. Further, our Adaptive camp offerings will welcome children 6 years and older this summer. The Department hopes to hire enough counselors so that they can operate at pre-pandemic numbers. • Police Civilian Oversight Board – Deputy City Manager Ashley Marshall (she/her) The Office of Civilian Oversight is working towards finalizing its hire for the new Executive Director. More information will be forthcoming. Police Civilian Oversight Board: Chair William Mendez would like to thank Mr. James Watson (current Vice Chair) for continuing his service on the Board. The Chair would like to welcome the following new members appointed by City Council: George Dillard (Law Enforcement Representative), Charles Fleming (General Member), Patricia Jones Turner (Social Justice Representative), Susan Krischel (General Member), and Lakeshia Washington (Community Representative). The Board is working on organizing a retreat and scheduling training for new and returning members. • Public Works – Director Stacey Smalls (he/him) § Administration: Continuing to pursue new hires for various vacancies. Public Works is hiring! § Engineering: Orienting critical staff new hires. § Environmental Sustainability: Staff is currently working to finalize the FY23 Climate Action Plan Work Plan to outline the efforts of the team; this will be an annual document that frames the effort to implement the plan as we strive to meet our GHG reduction goals. § Environmental Sustainability: Staff coordinated and hosted a meeting about C-Pace as a potential opportunity to implement locally in support of climate infrastructure improvements in the private sector. § Environmental Sustainability: Staff is coordinating a discussion on Green Banks to define a research opportunity for business students at UVA. • Utilities – Director Lauren Hildebrand (she/her) The Department of Utilities is excited to announce that the Arbor Day Foundation’s Energy-Saving Trees Program is back! Building on last year’s tree-mendous success, Utilities customers in the City of Charlottesville have another opportunity to receive a free tree to plant on their property. The program provides 200 free trees for strategic planting to help conserve energy and reduce energy bills for 12 individual households, while simultaneously providing additional benefits to the broader community. With guidance from the Charlottesville Tree Commission, customers can choose from five different trees to plant: Serviceberry, Black Gum, Ironwood, Willow Oak, and Tulip Poplar. Tree reservations are limited to one tree per service address and made on a first-come, first served basis beginning Monday, March 6th. Reservations can be made by accessing Utilities’ interactive tree portal provided by the Arbor Day Foundation at www.arborday.org/charlottesville. For more information about the Energy- Saving Trees Program contact Utilities Outreach at utilitiesoutreach@charlottesville.gov. • Social Services – Director Sue Moffett (she/her) Reusable Grocery Bag Update: The Department of Social Services staff have continued to work with community partners; including area churches, Charlottesville City Schools, Jefferson Area Child Health Partnership, Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority, the Haven, Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, and Loaves and Fishes to distribute reusable grocery bags. Exemplary Program Review and Staff Accolades The SNAP-Employment and Training program recently underwent a regularly scheduled program review. The State reviewer noted: “During the monitoring review, several noteworthy practices were identified [including] outstanding case management services provided by Mr. Eli Chanin. His dedication and commitment to the success of participants was thoroughly detailed in the client case files reviewed during the monitoring visit.” Additionally, the review noted that the Department’s development and use internal and external partners. The reviewer stated that “…this level of collaboration increases the probability of meeting the needs of each program participant.” Finally, the reviewer also found that the “cohesiveness of your employment and training unit” was noteworthy given the level that their “teamwork, mutual support, and camaraderie displayed breeds success throughout the unit.” Job well done to the team! Black History Month Participation: The Department would like to thank Job Developer Mary Grant for her participation in the Black History Month event “A Mini Financial Workshop for Mini Ones” that was co-hosted by the Office of Equity and Inclusion for Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville’s Office of Equity and Inclusion. 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) This time of year is the busiest for the Office of the Commissioner of the Revenue. The Office would like to remind the community that March 1st is the due date for business license renewals, as well as the deadline to file for Real Estate Tax Relief (for Elderly and/or Disabled persons). The Office is also working hard to put out a personal property tax supplement, followed immediately by work on the 2023 Regular Personal Property book (with all of the manual assessing, revenue projecting, and personal property rate estimating that goes along with it). Rent Relief for the Elderly and/or Disabled BEGINS on March 1st and runs through May 1st. BUSINESS TAX PORTAL: The Business Tax Portal went live at the beginning of February. After a soft roll-out, we sent out a postcard announcement to businesses a couple of weeks ago. Businesses can now file and pay the following taxes ONLINE: Business License; Meals Tax; Transient Occupancy Tax; Short-Term Daily Rental Tax; Business Tangible Personal Property Tax. The link to the portal can found on the COR page of the City’s website at www.charlottesville.gov/COR or www.charlottesville.gov/online-business-portal. Meals and lodging tax payers were already able to file and pay online through a different payment mechanism that will be taken down on April 1st as we transition everyone to the new portal. Questions should be directed to 434-970-3170 or citycorbiz@charlottesville.gov. • Finance Office – Director Chris Cullinan (he/him) No update at this time • Sheriff’s Office – Sheriff James Brown (he/him) No update at this time • Treasurer’s Office - Treasurer Jason Vandever (he/him) The Treasurer's Office has been busy processing business license payments, working on FY24 revenue projections, and preparing to mail personal property supplement bills. Additionally, we have been working with Information Technology and Public Service on some enhancements to the annual trash decal system that will improve service delivery and expedite the renewal process in June. • Voter Registrar – Registrar Taylor Yowell (she/her) No update at this time 14