Council holds second vote on $8.69 million appropriation from CIP contingency

On June 2, 2025, Council held the first reading on a resolution to use $8.69 million from the Capital Improvement Plan’s contingency fund for a series of items.

The second was held on June 16 with a 4-1 vote.

“As we’ve discussed, this fund is basically generated from funds for prior year surpluses and last,” Hammill said. “At the last Council meeting, City Manager Sanders presented to you a PowerPoint that listed a bunch of what he termed community interventions.”

That makes up about half of the resolution. The other items are budgetary items such as paying the Teamsters additional money required under their collective bargaining agreement.

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 “urgent infrastructure” projects
• $250,000 for 12 bus shelters
• $1.1 million for parks and recreation improvements (Downtown Mall, Meadow Creek Trail)

This vote was also done by voice.

The no vote came from City Councilor Michael Payne because he said he was opposed to the $1.2 million to come for the Clean Team pilot.

“Anytime we outsource work, I’m very concerned that we’re undermining our unionized workers,” Payne said. “And it’s almost guaranteed when we outsource, they will not be unionized. They will have lower wages and they will have worse, potentially no benefits.”

City Council next meets on July 7, 2025

Before you go: This particular story was produced as part of the audio edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement that went out on WTJU on the morning of June 21 and out in the podcast version on June 20, 2025. This is a crazy world I’m living in at the moment producing all of these stories as an independent publisher. I’m quite pleased to be able to do it, and do encourage you to seek out the audio. It may explain why I do this. And maybe you’ll learn more by hearing voices of people.