Albemarle hears it from the "Gang of 79"

Less than one one-thousandths of Albemarle County’s adult population took the time over the past month to let the Board of Supervisors and County Executive Tom Foley know what they think of Foley’s financial planning scheme known as “priority-based budgeting.”

Comments were submitted to County staff from 79 of Albemarle’s approximately 83,000 adult residents (a 2010 U.S. Census Bureau estimate).

Come to think of it, though, maybe some of the “Gang of 79” were commenters who don’t even live in the County. One of the survey questions asked whether the respondent was an Albemarle employee, but not where the person lived. There were only three respondents who said they are Albemarle County employees. Actually, there’s no way of knowing anything for sure about the demographics of the “Gang of 79.”

I will confirm one truth for you, though. I participated in the survey and I do live in the County, but I am most definitely not an Albemarle County employee.

The raw results to the four online survey questions can be found on the County’s website at: http://www.albemarle.org/upload/images/forms_center/departments/Strategic_Planning/forms/Online-Survey-Results.pdf

Wonder what conclusions the six rain tax and Bond Referendum tax-happy Democrats on the Board of Supervisors will make of this drizzle of “priority-based budgeting” input.

Topic-wise, results from this puny public participation show that interest in rural land and natural resources protection, preservation, and conservation doubles the two closest runner-up priorities: improving/expanding business development and solving continuing traffic concerns. Perhaps Supervisors Ann Mallek (D, White Hall) and Liz Palmer (D, Samuel Miller) convinced their 5%-only-growth-area groupies to share some of their outdoor time indoors at the survey’s online ballot box.

Other topics that received multiple comments of support, but not top billing included:

• stable or increased public safety funding, especially for the police department;

• spending on unspecified infrastructure;

• generalized support for public schools;

• better broadband, internet, and cell phone service.

Bike lanes, pedestrian crossings, and senior citizen issues also garnered some repeat votes from the “Gang of 79.”

Consideration of service-identified and location-specific special taxing areas known as “Service Districts” — a concept the Board continually brings up as a possible method of collecting more money — barely registered in the survey results.

What follows are some of the more concerning comments (in my opinion, of course) that I gleaned from the raw survey data. Your results may vary.

The language of priority-based budgeting is “soft and fuzzy.”

Priority-based budgeting “sounds like government doublespeak.”

“This seems more like an academic exercise in academic jargon than something with concrete ideas and readily understood language.”

“Please word the rankings as non government employees speak.”

“Many of the goals are ‘nice to haves’ and not core government duties.”

“They [goals] seem a bit vague.”

“The goals focus too much on preserving natural areas but not enough on actual immediate focus on economic development.”

The focus areas “reflect those of large businesses and developers.”

“Albemarle County employees are not focused on providing great customer service to their constituents.”

“County leadership has set a terrible tone from the top for the relationship with local businesses.”

“Board members should realize they are a temporary entity. Their aspirations may not be shared by new members in the future . . . .”

I don’t know about you, but I’m now eager to hear comments on all this from the six Supervisors at their meeting this Wednesday at 3 p.m. That’s when they’ll weigh in on what less than one one-thousandths of their adult constituents had to say about Mr. Foley’s “priority-based budgeting” financial planning scheme.