Albemarle Supervisors FY2017 Tax Rate and Budget Work Session (Tuesday, March 8, 2016)

Thank goodness for relatively small favors.

After three and a half hours of talk and four tie votes, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors passed a 3% tax rate increase today that, financially, is exactly the same as what was recommended three weeks ago by County Executive Tom Foley: 2.5¢ more than the current 81.9¢ rate.

It could have been worse.

Board Chairwoman Liz Palmer (Democrat, Samuel Miller District) started four rounds of failed tax rate motions by saying, “I’d be fine with 3.2¢.”

Palmer’s first unsuccessful motion — following 47 seconds of dead silence when no other Supervisor would even whisper a motion — started at 3¢ higher than what County taxpayers currently pay each year on every $100 of their property value. This figure, it’s important to point out, does not take into account any increase in re-assessment on one’s real estate.

On four straight motions, beginning at a new tax rate of 84.9¢ and dropping a penny at a time down to 84.6¢, Palmer’s requests for more money from Albemarle taxpayers’ pockets failed on identical 3-3 tie votes. Democrat Supervisors Ann Mallek (White Hall), Rick Randolph (Scottsville), and Brad Sheffield (Rio) voted no all four times while Democrat Norman Dill (Rivanna) and Democrat/Alleged Independent Diantha McKeel (Jack Jouett) both sided with Palmer.

When Supervisor Mallek couldn’t round up a second for her motion of an 83.9¢ tax rate (a half cent less than the County Executive’s recommendation), Supervisor Sheffield moved Foley’s original recommendation of 84.4¢ as the advertised tax rate for FY2017. This passed 5-1 with Chairwoman Palmer on the outs.

Following the four tax rate standoffs among the two trios of partners and the final sashay leaving Palmer on the sidelines, everyone joined hands in a 6-0 vote for a slightly modified $375 million spending package that will also go to public hearing on March 30.

The budget modifications ordered up by the Supervisors include:

(1) one million borrowed dollars (with interest payments starting in FY2019) to pay the design costs for a potential 300-student addition and remodeling at Woodbrook Elementary School (5-1 with Sheffield voting no);

(2) $73,000 toward a new CAT bus line to the Fifth Street Station shopping center (4-1 with Sheffield not voting because of a conflict of interest and Palmer voting no)

(3) $27,000 re-donation to Legal Aid which appealed the Agency Budget Review Team’s denial of this much money from the Justice Center’s FY2017 funding request. (6-0 all in favor).

These modifications of Foley’s recommended budget did not change the 84.4¢ tax rate his plan was based on.

However, Budget Director Lori Allshouse showed the Board a slide of what Albemarle’s tax rate — again NOT including re-assessment values — could end up looking like in two years.

If assessments in FY2018 don’t rise by 5%, the tax rate needed [my italics] could be 88.8¢. In FY2019, with a Woodbrook School construction project underway, the cumulative effect of an additional 2.6¢ on the tax rate could push the rate to 91.4¢ on every $100 of Albemarle County real estate.

Meanwhile, not to be forgotten — and to be the topic of strategy discussions in April and May — the Supervisors are continuing to fast track a potential multi-million dollar capital projects bond referendum on November’s presidential election ballot. If placed on the ballot and passed, and depending on when borrowing would occur, Foley reminded the Board that any interest on the bonds for such projects would go on top of a 91.4¢ FY2019 tax rate.

Can you say lots and lots of “pizzas and beers?”

But wait, there’s more. (Or is it less? For us.)

Beginning July 1, this Board of Supervisors wants $2.25 more per year from every owner of a vehicle registered in Albemarle County.

Hey, it’s a fee, not a tax.

Lastly, here are a few other meeting nuggets that caught my attention in no particular priority order:

Scottsville Supervisor Rick Randolph said: “I would prefer to delay salary increases for six months [for County employees, including teachers] and then increase salaries by 1% rather than 2% in the second half of the new fiscal year.” He never made a motion to this effect.

White Hall Supervisor Ann Mallek asked “Are we making the right choices by hiring so many [fire/rescue] providers?” She wants information on what the savings would be to go back to using only volunteers on nights and weekends at the Ivy and Seminole Trail Fire/Rescue Stations. County Executive Tom Foley said he would provide Mallek with a report.

Rio Supervisor Brad Sheffield, during a discussion on the Woodbrook School expansion project, asked: “Why are we not looking at a brand new elementary school? A new school this community would better respond to.” [A potential location for a new 400-student elementary school could be on the east side of 29 North near Polo Grounds Road.]

County Attorney Larry Davis: “CACs can’t advocate; they can only educate.” This was in response to a comment by Supervisor Sheffield that the Board could get their Community Advisory Committee members to push for passage of a multi-million dollar bond referendum on the November ballot.

Rivanna Supervisor Norman Dill was the first to suggest “three or three and a half cents” as the advertised tax rate, adding: “I’d like to think we could come down from that.”

Jack Jouett Supervisor Diantha McKeel: “It’s good to give the public something to react to.” This followed Supervisor Dill’s suggestion that the advertised tax rate be higher than what County Executive Tom Foley recommended.

Samuel Miller Supervisor and Board Chairwoman Liz Palmer: “Would anyone like to make a motion?” This was followed by 47 seconds of silence and then her four failed motions for a tax rate higher than what had been recommended by County Executive Tom Foley.