In brief

Taxed for time Charlottesville City Council worked down to the April 15 statewide deadline to approve the city’s budget for fiscal year 2025. Tax increases were a topic of hot discussion, with council reworking and amending levies repeatedly during the months-long budget process. Coming in at a whopping $253,335,298, the city’s general fund will finance […]

In brief

Money talks Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced on April 8 that he would not veto the entire state budget created by the legislature, instead putting forward a swath of broad-reaching amendments. The governor’s “common ground budget” has some key differences from the version passed by the state legislature earlier this year: It cuts all tax increases […]

In brief

Peace talks Charlottesville City Council passed a resolution on April 1 that calls for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The resolution was first introduced at the March 18 council meeting and failed, with three councilors voting no. Though he originally voted against the resolution, Councilor Brian Pinkston joined Councilors Michael […]

Judge rules

For nearly three years, the Department of Justice has investigated whether Sentara made false claims for $665 million in Affordable Care Act subsidies when it jacked its rates 266 percent in Charlottesville in 2017, making them the highest in the country. In November, the DOJ took the unusual step of petitioning a federal judge to […]

In brief

Learning experience Sen. Tim Kaine visited the Thomas Jefferson Adult Career Education division of Piedmont Virginia Community College on March 25. Located at Ix Art Park, TJACE works with adult learners to build education, language, and career skills. Classes through the center are free, ranging from English for Speakers of Other Languages courses to entrepreneurship […]

Penciled in

The Albemarle County School Board approved a redistricting plan on March 14. While some parents are celebrating, others are less than thrilled that their children will be attending new schools. The decision to redistrict was prompted by a population surge in the northern part of Albemarle County, and significant overcrowding at Baker-Butler Elementary School. As […]

In brief

Bill-ding blocks Virginia’s state legislature adjourned on schedule March 9, with members saying they’d balanced the budget and passed a swath of bipartisan legislation. The session—which ran for 60 days—was the first time Democrats held control of the legislature since the election of Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The governor signed 64 bills into law, amended 12 […]

Budgeting for time

Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders presented the proposed budget to City Council on March 6, prompting discussion and debate on funding allocations and potential tax hikes. Coming in at 350 pages and $251,526,900 in total revenues and expenditures, Charlottesville’s budget for FY25 is hefty in several ways. However, nothing is final yet. Councilors have until […]

Wading in

Juandiego Wade never expected to settle down in Charlottesville, let alone be elected mayor. When Wade met with C-VILLE—in a tiny meeting room in an under-construction City Hall building—on a snowy late January morning, the mayor arrived in a heavy winter coat and hat. He had just finished shoveling snow with a neighbor. Despite the […]

In brief

In the zone While C-VILLE took a brief break for the holidays, Charlottesville City Council unanimously approved the long-debated zoning ordinance on Monday, December 18.  New zoning has been a hot topic in Charlottesville for months, with hundreds of residents weighing in during the discussion window. Broadly, supporters of the ordinance believe that increasing density […]