Thread by @socialistdogmom

councilors bellamy and signer won’t be joining us tonight for the ten millionth city budget work session.
you can watch it live here

facebook.com/cvilletv10/vid…

the powerpoint tells me this is actually only the 3rd budget work session. budget season feels infinite.

we’re talking 1-1-1 tonight — one percent increases for the real estate, lodging, and meals taxes

divers says that in 2001, a one bedroom apartment in charlottesville cost $500. in 2018 that same apartment cost $1000. this is in the context of adjusting the max benefit of the city’s rent relief program for the elderly, disabled, and veterans.

maybe i’m missing something but it seems impossible that the line item for real estate tax relief would be the same dollar amount if we do vs do not increase the real estate tax rate?

i feel like i need to see some spreadsheets or something. does the $772k increase in revenue for a 1 cent real estate tax increase account for the amount that would go back out for the tax relief program? if not, what’s the actual realized increase?

there’s a lot i’m confused about when it comes to taxes. like why we’re still pretending that a meals tax increase in any way affects restaurant owners.

hill & galvin are talking about the importance of supporting & being grateful to restaurant owners. now that’s a boot i wouldn’t want to lick - kitchen floors are filthy.

tHe FrEe MaRkEt

i strongly identify with the small child who clearly wishes she weren’t at this meeting

talking about bringing city employees up to a living wage, kathy galvin is concerned that just raising everyone’s wages to something they can live on is “bad for morale,” and that it should instead be tied to performance.

mike murphy says one issue with a pay for performance increase is that not every city employee even received an evaluation last year.

kathy says she thinks it’s “wonderful” that we’ve determined we don’t need to raise real estate taxes this year... have we determined that? both scenarios are in the packet tonight and we’re short two councilors. this doesn’t seem settled to me.

“one cent is just the tip of the iceberg,” galvin says. she says we have another year before the real estate tax needs to be increased, during which time a lot of community engagement will need to be done about the need for increased revenue for big projects.

since bellamy and signer aren’t here tonight, it sounds like we will be having the tentatively scheduled march 27 budget work session. kathy interjects, outraged, asking what guarantee we have that they’ll come next week.

now moving into public comment. the ever present reporter from WINA is standing at the mic next to the speaker, holding his handheld recorder. heather says “you know we record these...”

there is some truly horrific feedback coming out of the mic for public comment. the speaker is now sitting at the table speaking into one of the mic’s that would’ve been bellamy’s or signer’s.

“what are the real repercussions of raising the meals tax one cent?” asks @ZyahnaB
heather says it’s in the plan. there isn’t consensus, but it has the votes to pass.

she also asks about the half a million dollars the city schools were forced to cut from their budget. mike murphy says they had to cut that amount but the school board chose what to cut.

https://twitter.com/socialistdogmom/status/1098705651533049857?s=21

planning commissioner @RoryStolzenberg up now (speaking as a resident, not a commissioner). “what’s the purpose of the parking enterprise funds accruing balance?”

(i don’t always know what’s happening. now is one of those times.)

talking about moving imaginary dollars between accounts for inscrutable reasons. money is fake.

lmao kathy definitely interpreted rory’s comment that he was in high school back when kathy was on the school board as a dunk on her for being old. i think he just meant her experience is outdated. she does not handle criticism gracefully.

nikuyah recommends that rory reach out to the school board to have a more in depth outcome of the effects on student outcomes of transitioning 5th grade back to the elementary school.(it’s unclear if the funding for a study on school reconfiguration includes study on this?)

rory asks if there’s any discussion of raising the monthly rates in the parking garage, seeing as there is a waitlist & more money could be made. a staffer says they equalized the rates between the market & water st garages this year ($135/mo).

rory cites a study that says rates could be raised to $165/mo, $200 for reserve spots. the staffer says he doesn’t agree that’s the best course of action.
there is... a lot of resistance to this idea & many at the table conflating it with raising hourly rates.

this is curious. in my experience most of the monthly spots are owned by downtown businesses. maybe that’s where this resistance comes from?

kathy says the plan to build another garage on market street was a critical component of the plan that ensures the city & county courts all remain downtown.

oh ok, meeting adjourned. that was fast! nikuyah says she thinks all councilors should be present for the decisions that need to be made.