Albemarle County Executive Jeffrey Richardson will unveil his recommended budget for fiscal year 2026 tomorrow at a special noon meeting of the Board of Supervisors.
On Monday, county staff published an annual report for the calendar year 2024 that pointed to several accomplishments. In a message to readers, Richardson explained that the budget is shaped by Albemarle’s strategic plan.
“Every initiative, investment, and service improvement was guided by our commitment to enhancing quality of life, fostering economic vitality, and delivering responsive, customer-focused services,” Richardson wrote.
Albemarle’s strategic plan dates back to October 2022 when the Board of Supervisors adopted new priorities. Since then, the county has put together a program with the acronym SPEAR to analyze how well the plan is being executed. A final report came out last in August, as I reported in September.
In his message, Richardson points to the opening in December of Biscuit Run Park, a public-private partnership with Home Depot, and the launch of automated speed cameras in school zones. He also said the county seeks to build on the $58 million purchase in 2023 of 462 acres around the Rivanna Station military base.
“The Rivanna Futures project is laying the groundwork for the Intelligence & National Security Innovation and Acceleration Campus (INSIAC), positioning Albemarle as a national security hub,” Richardson continued.
The report also claims success in community engagement with nearly 5 million people who saw posts made on social media. The county’s new streetsweeper drove 631 miles and picked up 145 tons of debris from roadways.
There were 75,402 calls for service for Albemarle County Police and 18,820 for fire and rescue services. Nearly $220 million was spent on social services.
Page six features more information on the status of the Rivanna Station project, which was conceived of during the last presidential administration.
“Since acquiring the property in December 2023, Albemarle County has focused on site readiness efforts through zoning, environmental assessment, and infrastructure planning. Initially ranked as a Tier 1 site under the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s ranking system, Rivanna Futures has progressed to Tier 3 of 5,” reads the relevant paragraph. “Strategic partnerships remain essential, and the County is actively pursuing state and federal funding to ensure infrastructure improvements position the site for future economic opportunities.”
Senator Creigh Deeds (D-11) had submitted a budget request seeking over $11.16 million in funding.
“Rivanna Futures is an opportunity in Albemarle County to develop an intelligence and national security innovation acceleration campus (INSIAC) adjacent to Rivanna Station, a sub-installation of Fort Belvoir,” reads the budget request. “Phase One (50 acres) site readiness includes grading, road extension, and utility extension.”
However, the House and Senate conference committee did not agree to the funding in their February 20, 2025 report.
Before you go: This post was originally published in the February 25, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement, a newsletter powered by Substack since July 2020. The idea is to get as many stories out as possible each day, and then some of the material ends up here. Sometimes stories are posted here first. All of this is an experiment powered by Town Crier Productions, currently a one-person company that seeks to be as prolific as possible.
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