Thoughts and Observations from the Albemarle TAX INCREA$E Town Hall at Jack Jouett Middle School — T

The most enlightening moment for me at the Albemarle Board of Supervisors’ TAX INCREA$E Town Hall Tuesday night at Jack Jouett Middle School came when a man (who said he had spent many years in government and educational management work) stood up, took the microphone, and asked how many people in the audience were not on the County payroll. Eight hands went up, sixteen stayed down.

Here are some of my other observations from the meeting, in no particular priority order:

Five of the six Democrats on the Albemarle BOS were in attendance. White Hall representative Ann Mallek was not. Attendance was not mandatory. The advance instructions from County Executive Tom Foley, however, were for Supervisors not to — yes, not — to “engage” with attendees’ questions and comments during the meeting. This admonition was only broken once during the 90-minute meeting when Jack Jouett Supervisor Diantha McKeel, a former School Board member, took the microphone to explain why the Agnor-Hurt Elementary School addition ended up costing more than budgeted and being smaller than planned.

Peter Thompson, Executive Director of The Senior Center, Inc., which is asking the Albemarle BOS to fork over $2 million in taxpayer dollars for his private organization’s new $20 million dollar Belvedere center, was in the audience. Thompson’s money plea was not brought up, questioned, or discussed during the TAX INCREA$E Town Hall.

“We are not a big, fat county government.”

So said County Executive Tom Foley during his 29-minute opening monologue in which some permutation of the word “engagement” came from his mouth with most of the slides shown on the screen behind him.

“Call the County Executive’s Office and we will get you the answers you’re looking for.” Again, Tom, this time in response to a question about the total debt facing Albemarle County in the future. Tom’s reply here came after he had to say he didn’t have the figure the woman was looking for, but which was quickly provided ($168 million) by a different woman in the audience. For which, the ever courteous and calm Tom, proffered a very sincere “thank you.”

Speaking of slides,

Tom showed NO slides showing:

• the proposed 3% increase in the current tax rate;

• the 4.07% effective tax rate increase;

• comparative tax rates and median home values of Albemarle’s 7 peer counties.

Tom did show slides that:

• substituted the term “market increase” for “pay raise” for the recommended 2% salary hike proposed for County employees;

• suggested that tax rates need to go up when assessments go down;

• showed the tax on average home values in Albemarle County from 2007.

Deputy Superintendent of Schools Matt Haas also spoke (for 17 minutes), using his own set of slides on education spending. Matt was grilled, during the Q&A from several obviously very knowledgeable residents of the Woodbrook neighborhood. They were not happy with the inclusion of a new million bucks for a design study of a Woodbrook Elementary School expansion and the possible expenditure of another $14 million for the actual work. They contend that the 300-student addition is not needed and that it will do nothing to stem more disruptive redistricting.

One Rivanna Magisterial District resident fired a double-barreled blast of criticism at the recent reassessment increase on her family’s property. She said her home’s value was raised $35,000 by County assessors. She triggered her second verbal volley at Supervisors Rick Randolph (D, Scottsville) and Norman Dill (D, Rivanna) sitting next to each other right in front of her. She appeared to point at Rick and said she didn’t appreciate “that man telling me it might be a good time to sell.” There was no obvious reaction from either Rick or Norman as I looked at them from three or four chairs to their right. County Executive Foley cut some of the tension by telling the woman she could appeal her assessment to the Board of Equalization.

The final question of the evening came from an urban ring resident who asked County Executive Foley how he expected property owners in the Route 29 North area to survive all the road construction, business disruptions, a major school remodeling internal to the Woodbrook neighborhood, and increased assessments and tax hikes all at the same time. Her specific question was: “Do you really expect home values to go up in that scenario?” In his reponse, Tom concentrated on the road work: “Home values are going to go up based on the market for the properties. I don’t think I can completely answer your question, but if you’re talking about the road I think when it’s finished and it’s a better road system that it will enhance people’s experience living here and getting around. I think our Board of Supervisors are fully supportive of that and we believe that although it’s difficult during construction, when it’s finished we’re going to have a much improved system, and this is an attractive place for lots and lots of reasons.”

To my way of thinking, Tom answered her politely and sympathetically [but not necessarily empathetically]. His reply was right in line, though, with what I suspect his six BOS road bosses would have wanted him to say.