Sanders reduces contingency spending request after appearing on Sanctuary City list

In late May, Charlottesville City Council was briefed on some of the details of a proposal to spend $12 million on a variety of “community interventions” as well as a list of administrative spending items.

“This is a request to spend some of the surplus funds that have accumulated from multiple years, including FY24 which was a little over $22 million,” said City Manager Sam Sanders on Monday evening.

When the matter came up at their meeting on June 2, the amount requested from the Capital Improvement Plan contingency fund was less than expected at nearly $8.7 million. Sanders said he removed some items to allow for money to be on hand in case of a reduction in federal funds.

“I also tried to take into consideration where there might be moments that staff may need time to actually begin spending the money anyway so we can work to prepare for the expenditure without actually needing to allocate the funds in case something were to change in the posture and we end up losing federal dollars that we are relying on at this time,” Sanders said.

Sanders said one reason for the reduction is to keep more money on hand in case the federal government decides to withhold funding from Charlottesville for perceived violations of immigration policy.

The item had been advertised as only needing one reading but Councilors opted to add a second one to make sure the public had an opportunity to weigh in.

On June 2, Council also learned about spending from the CIP contingency fund that would not be spent on community interventions but on administrative costs.

Budget Director Krisy Hammill explained.

“We are adding a few things that we are considering our budgetary guidelines or policy compliance issues,” Hammill said.

That includes $3.5 million to replenish a reserve the city uses to pay health care premiums for employees. Another $1.1 million will be added to the pension fund related to the addition of a contract for a fourth collective bargaining unit. This one is held by the Teamsters. Another $175,000 goes toward third-party legal services the city has utilized in the past year.

The items removed from the resolution are:

• Mall Lighting Improvements ($233,000)
• Mall Manager ($260,000)
• Temporary Shelter Demonstrations ($375,000)
• Meridian Barriers ($600,000)
• Two drones for the Charlottesville Fire Department ($75,000)
• City Environmental and Mobility Policy Plans ($1.5 million)
• Asset management system implementation ($300,000)

Sanders said those items will come back for Council’s consideration at a later time. He also said at least one of them will be paid for through other means. The new total requested amount from the Capital Improvement Program contingency fund is $8.69 million.

The item had been advertised as only needing one reading but Councilors opted to add a second one to make sure the public had an opportunity to weigh in.

When the public hearing was opened, one person attempted to speak about the Flock camera system but that was not germane to the surplus resolution. The item will return on June 16. At that same meeting, Council will learn more about what would be covered by the City Environmental and Mobility Policy Plans.

Community interventions included in the $8.7 million are:

• $280,000 for a long-term solution for a public restroom on the Downtown Mall. The city currently rents from York Place.
• $425,000 to hire two employees for two years to do “street outreach” with individuals who are unhoused
• $100,000 for a generator for Key Recreation Center, which serves as an emergency shelter
• $1.2 million for a “Clean Team” for a two-year pilot to assist with upkeep of the Downtown Mall
• $500,000 for the “urgent infrastructure” projects
• $250,000 for 12 bus shelters
• $1.1 million for parks and recreation improvements (Downtown Mall, Meadow Creek Trail)

Earlier in the day, transportation planning manager Ben Chambers provided details on $500,000 worth of funds for “urgent infrastructure” projects. I’ll try to write that up when I can.

The second reading will be held at Council’s meeting on June 16.

Before you go: This story was originally posted in the June 4, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. This version includes more than a few edits to make it better. To learn more about how you can support Town Crier Productions, check here!