Albemarle releases community report  listing 2023 highlights

(Note: To those who get these via e-mail, this post has been backdated to February 28, the date it came out in the Charlottesville Community Engagement newsletter)

Tonight is the public hearing for County Executive Jeffrey Richardson’s proposed FY25 budget of $629 million and it begins at 6 p.m. in Lane Auditorium. Last week, the county released a 24-page community report for 2023 that may serve as a sense of what the local government has been working on. 

Richardson’s message points out that the county finished up one strategic plan and began implementing a second plan adopted in October 2022. A common theme is support for the defense industry, the second biggest sector in Albemarle County. 

“One project that bridged the two strategic plans is Rivanna Futures, the County’s acquisition of 462 acres of land along Route 29 North adjacent to Rivanna Station, a sub-installation of

Fort Belvoir and home to several federal defense intelligence agencies,” Richardson writes. “The vision for this acquisition is to solidify the long-term vibrancy of Rivanna Station in Albemarle.”

The purchase was announced last May as I reported at the time. 

The report is a good primer for anyone who might want to know how Albemarle County works with Richardson as executive and the six-member Board of Supervisors serving as a legislative body. There are details on top officials and initiatives that happened in 2023. 

• The county’s first streetsweeper got the name Sweeping Beauty and removed 170.76 tons of debris and trash from 419.02 miles of roadway. 
• The Southern Albemarle Convenience Center opened in Keene after being paid for by the county and now operated by the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority. 
• Five climate-related grants were given out through a new program in August, as I reported at the time
• Ground was broken for the new courts system in June 2023
• A new Human Services Alternatives Team was formed and assisted nearly 150 people in the first six months
• An on-demand transportation pilot called MicroCAT launched in late October and is already slated for permanent funding beginning in July 2024 in the recommended budget

There’s more in the report. What jumps out at you? 

Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment comes from the February 28, 2024 edition of the newsletter and podcast. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.