Boston calling: work and leisure travelers may soon be able to fly direct between CHO and BOS. Photo: Eze Amos
In an ever-changing national political climate, it can be easy to miss the latest local goings-on. So rather than a look at what’s happening nationally, this week’s C-VILLE dives into the “state of the union” in Albemarle County, from money matters to flight paths.
Assessments
Per the county’s 2026 reassessment, property values are up across the board in Albemarle. The overall tax base rose 6.17 percent compared to last year—a substantial but not unprecedented jump in county property values.
At the low end, commercial properties saw an average taxable assessment increase of 3 percent. Residential properties up to 20 acres had the largest increase of any property type, with an average increase of 8.1 percent. Reevaluations also varied significantly by magisterial district, ranging from a 3.6 percent increase in the Rivanna District to 9.8 percent in Samuel Miller.
County staff assessed more than 16,000 properties this round. Owners can appeal their property’s evaluation through March 2.
Among those affected by the increased property evaluations is Albemarle Board of Supervisors newcomer Sally Duncan. Though Duncan empathizes with citizens’ frustration over heightened property assessments, especially as tax season creeps closer, she still sees the 2026 assessments as a sign of growth to come.
“I know people are upset that their assessments went up. You know, mine went up like 15 percent and I’m a renter, so I don’t even get to sort of enjoy the fruits of increased property values,” says Duncan. “But we need to build more housing. We are still in a housing crisis, and so I am very excited about the possibility of more housing, of more community, more neighbors. Making space for the people who work here to finally be able to live here.”
Budget
Peak budget season is also fast approaching, and with it questions about what will—and won’t—make the cut.
At press time, Albemarle hasn’t released the county executive’s draft budget ahead of the February 25 presentation to the Board of Supervisors.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how the county executive has laid out the schools in the budget,” says Duncan. “It is such a large part of the budget.”
Based on previous years’ spending, the largest expenditure category for FY27 will likely be schools, which accounted for 54 percent of the $638,093,637 expenditures in the FY26 budget.
This year, Albemarle County Public Schools’ draft budget request totals $311,317,157—$27 million more than the FY26 budget. Per a February 16 press release, ACPS’s budget request is balanced around an anticipated 7.2 percent increase in local tax revenue and a 16.5 percent increase in state revenue.
Collective bargaining
Roughly $11.8 million of the proposed ACPS budget will fund compensation increases negotiated by the Albemarle Education Association, which ratified its bargaining contract on February 12 after more than four years of organizing.
“Most bargaining campaigns that last this long do not succeed, so simply reaching this point is a major accomplishment,” said Mary McIntyre, AEA President, to the Albemarle School Board ahead of the vote on the agreement. “We now have the second-highest membership density in Virginia. For the second year in a row, we have the highest membership growth in the entire [Virginia Education Association]. … You don’t just have a unionized workplace. You have one of the strongest public sector unionized workforces in Virginia, and that is something that we should all be proud of.”
After adopting the agreement, the AEA met its end-of-school-year membership goals early, adding more than 50 percent of licensed staff and more than 25 percent of education support personnel to its ranks. As of February 23, 1,075 ACPS employees have joined the union.
Growth
The U.S. census estimates Albemarle’s population at 117,313 people as of July 1, 2024, a 4.3 percent increase compared to 2020 data. With that population uptick in mind, both the Virginia Department of Transportation and Charlottesville Albemarle Airport are working to improve travel in and to Albemarle County.
On the ground, VDOT wants to improve the span of U.S. 29 between the I-64 interchange at exit 118 and the interchange at Fontaine Avenue. A November 2025 Project Pipeline survey found the greatest community support for reintroducing the US 29 South ramp onto I-64 East, removing the loop ramp from I-64 East onto 29 North, and combining the I-61 East traffic onto 29 North and South into a ramp with a signalized intersection.
Up in the air, CvilleBioHub is partnering with CHO to explore potential for direct flights to and from Boston. The first stakeholder meeting is set for February 27 at North Fork Town Center Four at 11am.
Duncan sees potential for development in the county with both the transportation movements. While the proposed Route 29 changes could more tangibly help to increase housing density, the direct flights present an opportunity to expand Albemarle’s tourism economy.
“Anything that’s sort of related to economic development and tourism, I am very supportive of because I think we need to diversify our economic base even more and really grow those sectors,” says Duncan.
