Earlier this year, dozens of organizations sent a letter to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, demanding it increase the real estate tax and put at least $10 million a year toward affordable housing projects.
“We ask that you support strategies to increase deeply affordable housing and address unmet needs in Albemarle County,” reads the letter from January 25. “These initiatives will advance equity, secure a strong workforce, and strengthen the economy.”
An annual $10 million commitment would match what Charlottesville City Council pledged to do in an affordable housing plan adopted in March 2021.
When County Executive Jeffrey Richardson released his recommended budget for the next fiscal year, he included a four-cent increase on the real estate rate and devoted four-tenths of a cent toward the county’s affordable housing fund.
The tax will generate at least $1.2 million a year under current property assessments. Three cents of that tax increase will go to pay for firefighters and EMS personnel recently hired to reduce response times. Another $1.2 million will go toward schools.
Richardson’s budget includes another $3 million that will be dedicated to the fund in the next fiscal year, using one-time money left over from the previous year, bringing the total to $4.2 million for FY26.
Albemarle will hold a second public hearing on the budget on April 23, as well as one on the tax rate on April 30. On April 7, supervisors took a series of votes to shape the final version they will consider on May 7.
At the end of Monday’s meeting, Supervisor Ned Gallaway offered a suggestion to move $1.2 million from the Board’s strategic reserve to the affordable housing fund. Supervisor Michael Pruitt suggested adding $200,000 of that amount to the available funding for the Albemarle County Emergency Relief Program. That motion passed, bringing the total amount of funding for affordable housing in the FY26 budget to $5.2 million.
Albemarle’s budget also includes a $20,175,533 payment to the City of Charlottesville to satisfy a revenue-sharing agreement that’s been in place since 1982.
There is one budget town hall left on April 14 at 5:30pm at Journey Middle School.
The extra affordable housing funding is positive, but not enough, says Matthew Gillikin, co-chair of Livable Cville, an organization advocating for the increased real estate tax.
“While we are pleased the Board of Supervisors increased affordable housing funding, they are still falling far short of the financial support needed to seriously address Albemarle County’s most pressing issue: the affordable housing crisis,” Gillikin said.
There are three seats open on the Albemarle Board of Supervisors this year, and there will be at least one contested election in November. Two incumbents have announced they are not seeking reelection.
Democrat Fred Missel is currently slated to face Republican Scott Smith in the Samuel Miller District. The Democratic primary election on June 17 has a race in the Jack Jouett District between Sally Duncan and David Shreve. So far, Democrat Ned Gallaway has no opposition in seeking a third term in the Rio District.
