Podcast
Charlottesville Community Engagement
Hosted by Town Crier Productions · EN
Regular updates of what's happening in local and regional government in and around Charlottesville, Virginia from an award-winning journalist with nearly thirty years of experience.
communityengagement.substack.com
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Podcast for May 22, 2026: City Council gets updates on low-barrier shelter, current year's budget, and a pause on a sidewalk project
5d ago00:18:56Tap to summarizeHappy Birthday to the Associated Press which incorporated as a non-profit news cooperative on May 22, 1846 to share the costs of covering a war between the United States of America and Mexico. Charlottesville Community Engagement is an experiment in bringing people stories about an area that seems to be in constant change.Once a week there’s an audio version and this is a chance to catch up on what’s been said: * Charlottesville’s budget for fiscal year 2026 is on track for surplus (read the story)* City Manager Sam Sanders given an update on development of a plan to make 2000 Holiday Drive a functioning support center for homeless (read the story)* Work to build a sidewalk to support additional development in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood is on pause due to higher than expected right of ways costs (read the story)* Bike Month continues and one Charlottesville City Councilor implores people to log rides with a government agency to beat Richmond (read the story)* Charlottesville will commemorate the late Mel Walker on May 30 with the unveiling of Mel’s Walk (read the story)* Supervisor Sally Duncan wants Albemarle to consider creating rental inspection program (read the story)This edition has no shout-outs except this oneCrikey, I’m tired. I pretty much go at this work non-stop because there’s a lot to get to and I have a reputation to keep. A reputation for my dedication to doing the work. Is dedication or is it something more stubborn? Either way, I didn’t put shout-outs in this one because I want to get it out the door so I can move on to writing two stories for C-Ville Weekly, possibly doing land use transactions, prepping what will likely be a fairly short Week Ahead, and then getting ready for next week’s stories. But Fridays are a good day to send out this list of social media sites where you can help share the work. And here are some social media possibilities:* I created a BlueSky account because I missed Twitter but I don’t do much except post links to Information Charlottesville stories. That may change.* There are 445 followers of the Town Crier Productions Facebook page which is currently solely used to let people know when a story has been posted to Information Charlottesville. I may begin using this to do live video of podcast recording. Interested?* There are slightly more followers on Instagram, but I have paused posting here because I want to make the images look better and so far that’s not been worth investing the time.* I post a version of the Week Ahead on Reddit each Sunday which is a little shorter. This is intended to attract people to the newsletter and many of you got here from there. But there is no official page and you have to know my username. Maybe I’ll change that in the future?* Except for reposts of this show, there is no new content on the Charlottesville Podcasting Network but it predates this newsletter by 15 years. I had a good idea and all I wanted to do was tell stories about the community. Here I am still, hoping to get more people involved.* I’m not doing video. Not everyone has to do video.Thanks for reading Charlottesville Community Engagement ! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe
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Podcast for May 16, 2026: Two stories on future homeless shelters, two stories on AC44, and five more on Charlottesville area government
2w ago00:55:45Tap to summarizeWhere do you get your information about what’s happening in the greater Charlottesville area? Hopefully from multiple sources in order to expose yourself to multiple perspectives. But perhaps this is your first time looking at (or listening to) the opening words of a sonic edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement, a newsletter and podcast that seeks to get more people to understand what’s happening at local and regional government.Longtime readers are aware that there is a podcast edition of this newsletter that eventually shows up. No matter the day of publication, the sonic version also serves as a way for people who refuse to listen to still have an opportunity to sample stories from the past week that have since been posted over at Information Charlottesville.This particular edition is a longer version than usual as there was no dedicated podcast last week. That means this one has audio stories from two WTJU radio editions plus some that didn’t fit in the broadcast version for May 16. There’s a lot happening in this community and I’m determine to cover what I can through the lens of local government.I’m Sean Tubbs and I’ll remind everyone that this work is only possible due to paid subscriptions to Substack as well as charitable contributions. Since July 2020, this newsletter seeks to bring information to as many people as possible in the hope of improving conversations.In this edition:* Salvation Army launches fundraising campaign for Center for Hope (read the story)* Many details remain to be worked out for how three groups will work together at Charlottesville’s future low-barrier shelter (read the story)* Albemarle staff working on five projects to implement new Comprehensive Plan (read the story)* Albemarle Supervisors leave Comprehensive Plan amendment process as is (read the story)* Charlottesville to form committee of developers to encourage more Missing Middle housing (read the story)* Council holds first reading on how to use Community Development Block Grants CDBG funds in 2026 (read the story)* Tree Commission presents recommendations for how City Council can help improve tree canopy (read the story)* In a divided vote, MPO Policy Board moves forward with two Smart Scale projects without city support (read the story)* Albemarle and Charlottesville both mark Older Americans Month (read the story)First shout-out: Camp Albemarle!Since the middle of 2020, one way I’ve brought in revenue for Charlottesville Community Engagement has been by offering shout-outs to those who were willing to pay a little more to help this venture get off the ground.For six years, one of those people has been someone who wanted you to know a little about Camp Albemarle, which has for over eighty years been a “wholesome rural, rustic and restful site for youth activities, church groups, civic events and occasional private programs.”Located on 14 acres on the banks of the Moorman’s River near Free Union, Camp Albemarle continues as a legacy of being a Civilian Conservation Corps project that sought to promote the importance of rural activities.Rebuilt in the early 1980’s, a legacy of 4-H programming thrives along with a wide range of additional activities. Educational initiatives from schools across the region spark environmental learning moments at every turn. Visit the website to learn more!Second shout-out: Support this journalism with a paid subscription or a charitable gift! Every day I wake up and think about what I need to do to get stories out about what’s happening. Over the past six years, I’ve built an engine to remind me when I clock in what I need to do next. If life is a role-playing game, I rolled the dice and ended up in the weird category of observer.I’m able to do this work and be prolific because of the investments of others over the past 20 years. For almost six years now, this newsletter has sought to document upcoming decisions about the future. There is a value to having someone consistently paying attention to help others understand how we got to here and how we might go forward.Perhaps you want to help ensure the work continues?* A paid subscription through Substack is the most effective. There is little to no content behind the paywall, but this helps pay the bills.* You can make a charitable contribution through the Tiny News Collective. This directly supports journalism and is likely the way I’ll be able to hire people. Learn more here.* You can become an experimental advertiser! For a very low price, you can support the work by getting a message out in the form of a shout-out, a sponsorship message, or a display ad over at Information Charlottesville. Message me for more information.But perhaps the most important thing is to share this newsletter with people you think might be interested. Right now I’m very close to 5,000 subscribers to this newsletter and it would be nice to cross that threshold some time this year. Do your part and find out what the share button does! And here are some social media possibilities:* I created a BlueSky account because I missed Twitter but I don’t do much except post links to Information Charlottesville stories. That may change.* There are 444 followers of the Town Crier Productions Facebook page which is currently solely used to let people know when a story has been posted to Information Charlottesville. I may begin using this to do live video of podcast recording. Interested?* There are slightly more followers on Instagram, but I have paused posting here because I want to make the images look better and so far that’s not been worth investing the time.* I post a version of the Week Ahead on Reddit each Sunday which is a little shorter. This is intended to attract people to the newsletter and many of you got here from there. But there is no official page and you have to know my username. Maybe I’ll change that in the future?* Except for reposts of this show, there is no new content on the Charlottesville Podcasting Network but it predates this newsletter by 15 years. I had a good idea and all I wanted to do was tell stories about the community. Here I am still, hoping to get more people involved.* Except for instructional videos on how to produce audio, I’m not doing video. Not everyone has to do video. But I just found this very unwatchable thing I did for Patreon supporters back in May 2021! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe
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May 5, 2026: Charlottesville City Council hears about the State of Homelessness but little about next steps for 2000 Holiday Drive
3w ago00:22:01Tap to summarizeToday’s edition is sponsored by Nola BuildsFive times five is not 125, but May 5 is the 125th day of the year and goes by 5/5 no matter what side of the Atlantic you are on. Charlottesville Community Engagement has so far been produced on the Western side but one potential future would be for at least some editions to be created in other parts of the world. After all, it has now been three years since the World Health Organization declared the end of the COVID-19 pandemic global health emergency. This opening paragraph was written while listening to an Italian radio station.In this edition:* Four nonprofit groups that provide support for unhoused people present the annual State of Homelessness report to Charlottesville City Council* There’s no new public information about how three of those groups will operate a low-barrier shelter at 2000 Holiday Drive* More support has been requested for those in encampments along the Rivanna River but at least one Councilor said another plan is neededFirst shout-out: Upcoming Charlottesville Area Tree Steward walks to celebrate MayThe mission of the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards is to support rural and urban forests and promote knowledge and understanding of the value of trees for present and future generations.One way the group does that is through holding guided tree walks and there are two opportunities coming up this month.* Charlottesville’s Belmont neighborhood is a good example of the city’s tree canopy. Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards Steve Huff and Scott Syverud will lead walks on at 9 a.m. on both May 7 and May 8 for people age 14. Sign up for May 7 here or register for May 8 here.* On May 9 at 10 a.m., Charlottesville Area Tree Steward Emily Ferguson will lead a two hour walk at the Virginia Department of Forestry to help identify Hickories, Oaks, and Pines - Oh My! Register here!* On May 12 at 9:30 a.m., Syverud will begin a walk to celebrate Springtime in the Forest at Ivy Creek. Sign up here.All walks are free, but donations are always appreciated. Thanks!The State of Homelessness 2026: Low-barrier homeless shelter edition Every year, nonprofit organizations that work with the unhoused population present City Council with an update on their efforts. The annual State of Homelessness report provides an opportunity to get a big picture look at an intractable issue that the City of Charlottesville is investing millions to solve including the recent purchase of an office building off the U.S. 250 bypass.“This year takes on a different lens because we’ve had a lot of conversations in regards to 2000 Holiday Drive,” said City Manager Sam Sanders. “This is a chance to go beyond that one facility that we’ve been discussing and gives the providers an opportunity to provide the Council and the public an update.”Since the last report, several groups have come together to develop an operations plan to run a permanent shelter around the clock. That would include roles for The Haven, People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry (PACEM), and the Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless (BRACH).BRACH leads the Continuum of Care The executive director of the latter went first.“Overall we’ve seen an increase in numbers across the board, stronger collaboration and partnerships between the agencies that are represented here today and just better cohesion of services,” said Shayla Washington. “So I think the overarching message is we’re all working together, but there’s still a greater need than what we can achieve as single entities.”BRACH is the lead agency in the Continuum of Care, a framework established by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in 1994 to coordinate services. BRACH formed in 1998 and became a tax-exempt non-profit in 2009.“We are the HUD-designated system, mostly handling the HUD federal application for funding,” Washington said. “Currently, our CoC only receives funding for permanent supportive housing from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. But we do oversee regional planning, data collection and data performance, and really just trying to be that main body that’s coordinating all the regional housing and homeless services for folks who are experiencing homelessness.”Every year, BRACH also coordinates the Point in Time count which records population data for HUD. This year’s event was held on January 28 in the middle of a long cold snap exacerbated by an ice storm. There was an emphasis on getting people inside that night through emergency hotel room stays but Washington said seven people slept in the cold overnight.“We found four people who were sleeping outside and chose to stay outside for that night from Charlottesville and Albemarle, and then three from Louisa County,” Washington said. “We did not receive numbers from the other counties in our catchment area. We had 87 people who were hotel through emergency hotel stays.”BRACH also runs the Coordinated Entry Management System which contains the names and identities of people documented as homeless. As of May 4, there were 333 individuals on what is referred to as the By Name List.“This is people who are either outside or sleeping in a shelter, any place not meant for human habitation,” Washington said. “So if they have a roof over their head, it’s because it’s an emergency shelter or it’s because they are sleeping in a car or a place that doesn’t have running water or electricity. If they’re couch surfing or staying with friends or family and just kind of unstably housed, that does not count towards our by name list.”Of those 333 people, 58 identified the City of Charlottesville as their last permanent address and 21 said from Albemarle County. Around two-thirds either did not say or were not asked. Washington said that could be improved over time through better training.“Sometimes people aren’t willing to give a lot of information at the first point of contact with them,” Washington said. “And so it’s just reminding service providers to continue just trying to collect that data anytime you can.”At the moment there are only 54 permanent shelter beds available year-round operated by the Salvation Army at their facility on Ridge Street. That number increases to just over 100 when PACEM operates night shelters in area churches. There are 30 spots for rapid rehousing. And 30 permanent supportive housing spaces.“With permanent supportive housing, these are folks who are mostly older,” Washington said. “One third of them don’t have income and they all have disabling conditions and were homeless for very long periods of time before they got into this housing. And it’s the most stable that they’ve ever been in some cases, many cases.”Supportworks Housing are building another 80 permanent supportive units at their Vista 29 facility on U.S. 29.Rapid rehousing offers up to 24 months of case management to assist a person with handling their finances to stay in a place.Washington also presented data on some of the reasons why Charlottesville is an easy place for some to fall out of the housing system. For instance, the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is between $1,700 and $1,850“As a reminder, affordable housing is defined as not paying more than 30% of your income towards rent,” Washington said.The City of Charlottesville now designates BRACH as a fundamental agency so it receives $250,000 a year to provide services deemed to be vital. That has allowed them to hire a full-time grants and data manager. This year the agency will for the first time conduct a Point in Time count for unsheltered people in the summer.PACEM began operations in 2003 and Deputy Director Cindy Chambers said the organization has traditionally relied on volunteers to operate the shelter in the cold weather months.“One of our churches who hosted 40 men for two weeks required at least 100 volunteers and spent roughly $7,000 to do it,” Chambers said. “So we are an organization that has always thrived on the giving and the compassion of the congregations in our community.”In recent years, staff has undergone some professionalization with additional resources from the City of Charlottesville.Seven people work for the organization year round and there are 27 people who work during the season. In addition to the cold weather shelter, PACEM also runs a secure housing program which offers a year of case management to help a client get through to permanent housing.“It’s similar to rapid rehousing in the sense that we give intensive case management,” Chambers said. “However, we do not get any sort of state funding. It’s all pr...
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Podcast for May 1, 2026: A new non-profit for public housing, the history and future of CAT, Emily Couric Leadership Forum scholarships, and two stories from UVA
4w ago00:28:22Tap to summarizeNo matter what late April got up to, the first day of May brings another shower of sonic stories made up of various reports from this week’s text editions of Charlottesville Community Engagement. I’m Sean Tubbs and I got my professional start as an intern at a public radio in Roanoke over thirty years ago and believe the audio form is a good way to get information out to people. If you’ve not heard any of these stories before, today is a good day to listen. If not, this Friday edition of the newsletter provides links to just some of what I’ve reported this week:In this edition:* City Council allows CRHA to form a nonprofit for fundraising purposes (read the story)* Charlottesville Area Transit director briefs CARTA (read the story)* Emily Couric Leadership Forum awards $250,000 in scholarships (read the story)* Regional cigarette tax board turns five this October (read the story)* UVA Finance Committee briefed on need for tuition increase (read the story)First shout-out: Piedmont Master Gardeners’ Spring Plant Sale Spring is well underway but there’s still time to get your home and garden the way you want. Get ready for the Piedmont Master Gardeners’ Spring Plant Sale coming up on Saturday, May 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Albemarle Square Shopping Center, U.S. 29 North at Rio Road, Charlottesville. The Piedmont Master Gardeners’ Spring Plant Sale will offer thousands of annuals, perennials, vegetables, fruit-bearing plants, herbs and houseplants, including a wide selection of native plants. Bags of locally produced compost also will be available.In addition, shoppers can purchase gently used tools, yard ornaments and outdoor furniture at The Green Elephant, a garden-themed thrift store. Cash and credit cards will be accepted. Master Gardeners will be on hand to help customers with their plant selections and will staff a Help Desk for answering gardening questions. An array of displays and information tables will cover such topics as conservation landscaping, soil health, composting, pest management, and controlling invasive plants.All proceeds support the many free and low-cost programs the Piedmont Master Gardeners offer to the community. Learn more at their website! Second shout-out: Inaugural Charlottesville Filipino Spring FestivalThe Inaugural Charlottesville Filipino Spring Festival is coming to the IX Art Park on this Saturday from 3:00 to 8:00pm. This free, family-friendly event celebrates Filipino culture through cuisine, music, and dance, with performances by local and regional artists, including traditional and contemporary Filipino dance and musical groups. There’ll be a marketplace showcasing food vendors, retail businesses, artists, crafters, and nonprofits. The celebration aims to promote greater understanding of the Filipino American community in Central Virginia. Check them out on Instagram! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe
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Podcast for April 24, 2026: A budget adoption in Albemarle, budget reallocations in Charlottesville, and City Manager Sanders gives an update
Apr 2400:23:29Tap to summarizeThe British government subsidized the publication of North America’s first continuously published newspaper which was produced for the first time ever on April 24, 1704. All issues of The Boston Newsletter had to be approved by the Royal Governor. Aside from one very brief ad buy that was discontinued, Charlottesville Community Engagement receives no contribution from the government and relies on readers and listeners to maintain its independence. I’m Sean Tubbs, and I’m glad to get to report on the details of local and state government as best as I can.The links below go to Information Charlottesville, the companion website to this newsletter. In this edition:* Albemarle County Supervisors adopt a budget for FY2027 that includes $7 million for affordable housing and $386,000 for the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial Foundation (read the story)* Albemarle Supervisors thank staff for turning meeting minutes around faster (read the story)* Council briefed on use of just under $4.5 million in surplus funds including $1.1 million for Angus Road crosswalk improvements (read the story)* City Council poised to reallocate $1.8M to cover cost overruns for Meadow Creek Trail, Pollocks Branch bridge (read the story)* Charlottesville City Manager Sanders provides update on work plan (read the story)* Charlottesville seeks applicants for boards and commissions (learn more)New here? Sign up via email to get all of the various items. Next up: The Week Ahead on Sunday!First shout-out: Piedmont Master Gardeners’ Spring Plant Sale Spring is well underway but there’s still time to get your home and garden the way you want. Get ready for the Piedmont Master Gardeners’ Spring Plant Sale coming up on Saturday, May 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Albemarle Square Shopping Center, U.S. 29 North at Rio Road, Charlottesville. The Piedmont Master Gardeners’ Spring Plant Sale will offer thousands of annuals, perennials, vegetables, fruit-bearing plants, herbs and houseplants, including a wide selection of native plants. Bags of locally produced compost also will be available.In addition, shoppers can purchase gently used tools, yard ornaments and outdoor furniture at The Green Elephant, a garden-themed thrift store. Cash and credit cards will be accepted. Master Gardeners will be on hand to help customers with their plant selections and will staff a Help Desk for answering gardening questions. An array of displays and information tables will cover such topics as conservation landscaping, soil health, composting, pest management, and controlling invasive plants.All proceeds support the many free and low-cost programs the Piedmont Master Gardeners offer to the community. Learn more at their website!Second shout-out is a PSA for ways to pay for this newsletterThe above shout-out is something someone has paid for at an introductory rate that enables me to continue experimenting with using this space to bring in a little extra revenue in order to keep my living afloat. I’m not ready to publish the media kit, but the hope is to have a low-cost way for businesses to get their work out and for me to have a little more of a cushion.Running Town Crier Productions is a seven day a week job, something I’m very glad to do because I believe this work is important. About 90 percent of my time goes into the reporting and other production related tasks. The other ten percent? Murky. Mysterious. Crucially important.We’re close to 5,000 subscribers on Substack, and just under a fifth of the audience is a paid subscriber or makes a charitable contribution. . These days there’s very little premium content and there likely won’t be for a while. There could be in the future, but I do this work because I want as many people as possible to know what’s happening in local and regional government. I want to double the number of stories.Want to help? There are many ways to do so and let me once again put all the social media links.* I created a BlueSky account because I missed Twitter but I don’t do much except post links to Information Charlottesville stories. I’m not interested in live-posting anything, but I do miss interaction sometimes. I may experiment.* There are 442 followers of the Town Crier Productions Facebook page which is currently solely used to let people know when a story has been posted to Information Charlottesville. I may begin using this to do live video of podcast recording. Interested?* There are slightly more followers on Instagram, but I have paused posting here because I want to make the images look better and so far that’s not been worth investing the time.* I post a version of the Week Ahead on Reddit each Sunday which is a little shorter. This is intended to attract people to the newsletter and many of you got here from there. But there is no official page and you have to know my username. Maybe I’ll change that in the future?* There is no TikTok page nor anything else with video because I do not know how to do that very well. One day I’d like to experiment, but I also don’t like being seen.* There is no new content on the Charlottesville Podcasting Network but it predates this newsletter by 15 years. I had a good idea and all I wanted to do was use to to tell stories about the community. Here I am still, hoping to get more people involved.Now on to the next set of stories but I think I may take the afternoon off now that this is posted. Thanks for reading or listening!Thanks for reading Charlottesville Community Engagement ! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe
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Podcast for April 17, 2026: Albemarle Supervisors find an additional $2 million for housing fund in FY2027 and four other stories
Apr 1700:23:40Tap to summarizeCould it be that a pattern has emerged with another Friday edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement? And how will this burgeoning habit be affected by the WTJU Rock Marathon, a weeklong celebration of music that will preempt the April 25 radio edition of this newsletter? I’m Sean Tubbs, and I look forward to seeing how that goes.Until then, here are the stories for this edition:* Albemarle Supervisors will not move forward with a personal property tax rate increase in 2026 (read the story)* However, Supervisors do find an additional $2 million for the Affordable Housing Investment Fund (story forthcoming at C-Ville Weekly)* Area planners hear from VDOT about a desire to coordinate transportation projects (read the story)* UVA representative to city PC reports on various projects including new access for Center for Politics (read the story)* Charlottesville’s Department of Neighborhood Development Services announces changes to the city’s Development Code (read the story)A programming note for CCE-1035AThe second story uses two soundbites from the first story. That’s because I opted to write up a follow-up piece on Albemarle Affordable Housing Investment Program for C-Ville Weekly. Interested in learning more about decisions I make in the process of reporting? Ask questions in the comments and I’m glad to answer.First PSA: Olympic swimming champion Gretchen Walsh to speakThis year’s recipient of the Emily Couric Leadership Forum‘s leadership award is Olympic swimming champion Gretchen Walsh. She will be the speaker at a luncheon to be held at the Omni Hotel Charlottesville on Monday, April 27th at noon. Walsh, a 2025 UVA alum, is one of the most accomplished swimmers of her generation, holding 13 world records across long-course and short-course competition. Online ticket sales for the luncheon are available now. For more information, visit, Emily Couric Leadership Forum dot OrgSecond PSA: Raising Courageous Humans in an Anxious WorldThe Charlottesville Waldorf School is hosting “Raising Courageous Humans in an Anxious World”, a panel discussion on children, anxiety, and resilience, in partnership with the 14th Annual Tom Tom Festival, Thursday, April 23rd at 6:00PM at the Violet Crown Cinema on the Downtown Mall. This timely panel discussion explores one of the most pressing concerns facing families today - the rise of anxiety among young children. The event is free and open to the public. Community members, educators, parents, and caregivers are warmly invited to attend.Thoughts at the end of CCE-1035AAt publication I still have to find seven more minutes for the version that will air on WTJU tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. That is a volunteer activity for me and this podcast is the companion. Next week there is no radio show and sometimes without that deadline it is difficult to get the motivation to produce the podcast.I do not have the capacity yet to hire an editor and in the meantime, producing the audio version before I do the print version goes a long way to improving quality. I am hopeful to hire an editor, but that will take bringing in additional resources. While paid subscriptions through Substack help, I now have a way people can make charitable contributions to this journalistic enterprise. You can do that here. I am not going to give up the audio even though the total amount of listeners is fairly low. I know many enjoy it, and that’s enough for me to keep going as long as I can.For now, I post this image to give Substack something to use as the main frame. Questions? Comments? Leave them in a comments or drop me an email. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe
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Podcast for April 10, 2026: 83 percent of this edition has to do with either Albemarle or Charlottesville’s FY27 budget
Apr 1000:31:00Tap to summarizeFriday has rolled around again which means it is time to scramble out another audio edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. This time around there is a big focus on municipal budgeting because the purpose of Town Crier Productions is to focus on the details of revenues and expenditures with a hope toward greater community understanding. At least, that’s the way this version of Sean Tubbs is programmed.In this edition:* Charlottesville City Council has adopted a budget for the next fiscal year that increased the real property tax rate by a penny, one fewer cent than had been proposed (full story below!)* Albemarle Supervisors have a few remaining decisions to make for the county’s FY2027 budget (read the story)* Albemarle and Charlottesville commemorate Dark Sky Week (read the story)* A preview of the Week AheadShout-out / PSA #1: Friends of JMRL Book SaleThe Friends of the Jefferson Madison Regional Library’s Spring Book Sale is running now through this Sunday from 10:00am to 7:00pm each day at Albemarle Square Shopping Center. Additionally, April 11th and 12th are ½-price days. Choose from thousands of books, DVDs, CDs, LPs, games and puzzles, with restocking occurring throughout the sale. Proceeds benefit our regional public library system. Visit jmrlfriends DOT org for more informationCharlottesville goes with penny increase on real property tax rate rather than twoNote: The podcast edition of this budget story is stitched together from several reports. This is a consolidated version used for a script and lacks hyperlinks and other resources.One of the most important duties of governing bodies in Virginia localities is to adopt a budget for each fiscal year.For Charlottesville City Council, the process began this year on March 2 when Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders introduced a budget that was built on a two-cent increase in the real property tax rate to an even $1 for every $100 of assessed property.Since then, there have been several work sessions in which Sander’s recommended budget gradually became the one that Council adopted on April 9.These were mostly held on Thursdays beginning on March 5 with a work session dedicated to the Vibrant Community Fund on March 12. That’s the process through which the city provides money to nonprofit organizations.Informal budget hearingOn March 19, the city held an informal public hearing during what is billed as the Community Budget Forum.The only speaker was Jim Moore who said he has eight rental properties within Charlottesville.“I tend to try to keep my rents a little below market, and I have some tenants that really can’t afford much more than that,” Moore said.Moore said the property assessment for one of those rental units increased by 74 percent from 2021 to 2025. He asked for the city to lower the anticipated rate increase.The budget forum ended up being more like a work session with staff presenting information to the City Councilors on potential ways to lower the rate. But first, budget director Krisy Hammill explained why the two cent real property rate increase had been proposed.“Most of the new revenue for the tax increase was put in the budget to offset the deeper transit investments, the increased match for the schools, and also the impacts of collective bargaining,” Hammill said.That two cent tax increase generates $2,467,724 a year.To help eliminate one of those pennies, Hammill said staff were comfortable projecting slightly higher revenue forecasts and also showed some ways to reduce revenue, including less funding for Charlottesville Area Transit, tapping into a reserve fund, and eliminating funds for Council Strategic Initiatives.“One other option would be to move the schools back to the original 2 million that we had originally built the budget around, thus reducing their increase by $569,000,” Hammill said.The budget anticipates hiring ten additional drivers for Charlottesville Area Transit. Under one potential scenario to reduce funding, money would be in place to hire five in July and the other five would be hired in January as well as additional mechanics and supervisors. That might also mean scheduled service improvements might be delayed.City Manager Sam Sanders said this would defer spending and Council would have to build positions into next year’s budget. That would create a structural imbalance that would have to be addressed.“Any creation of a structural imbalance is a risk,” Sanders said. “The question is how much of a risk are you willing to take. When you create the imbalance this year and solve it this way next year, you’re saying that your reassessment should be higher to start with. And you can’t guarantee that.”Councilor Jen Fleisher said she liked the idea of limiting the real property tax rate increase to a penny as a middle ground option.Councilor Natalie Oschrin said she did not support delaying expanded transit.“I appreciate coming up with the CAT adjustment scenario to try and make it fit,” Oschrin said. “I would prefer not to do that since it just kind of kicks the can down the road a little bit.”Oschrin said she could support using the reserve and eliminating additional funding for Council’s strategic initiatives.Councilor Michael Payne said he could support a one penny tax rate increase but said the risk to split funding for CAT personnel would be too high.“I don’t like in the past when we’ve set ourselves up with kind of fiscal cliffs,” Payne said.Mayor Juandiego Wade also said he could support a penny increase.“I appreciate the work that I’ve done to kind of bring back because we’ve been hearing from residents about the, the cost of living, the, the tax increase and this I believe is a good, won’t satisfy everyone,” Wade said. “But I think it’s a good, good compromise if we decide to go in this direction.”No decisions on tax rate at March 26 CIP work sessionThe March 26 work session dealt with the Capital Improvement Program.That’s the portion of the budget that sets out what a locality expects to spend on infrastructure over the next five years.“The CIP plan for 27 is just over $47 million with $196 million over the five years,” Hammill said. “If we were to look in terms of dollars spent, education is the highest in this plan, followed by transportation and access, and then affordable housing coming in third.”There were no major changes in this year’s CIP. The Charlottesville Planning Commission had a work session on the capital budget in late November and later had a public hearing in December.The five-year CIP currently includes $500,000 a year for a line item called Parks and Recreation Master Plan Implementation. Sanders said that number will increase in the years to come because the master plan adopted by Council in March 2025 had a $78 million price tag over ten years.“We know that those numbers need to be dramatically different if we’re going to come anywhere close to that,” Sanders said. “But we now have an assistant city manager here who’s going to be working with the team to try to figure out how do we allocate better over the next five year cycle.”Part of the plan calls for major changes to Market Street Park, Court Square Park, Washington Park, and Tonsler Park. Sanders said each will be expensive and staff still needs to work out the timing.Parks and Recreation Director Riaan Anthony said the department will seek grants in addition to tax dollars to pay for the various projects.“In order for us to get there, we have to right size our department and the city,” Anthony said. “We are working in partnership with Public Works, reaching out to their department to say hey, do you have any resources?”There was further discussion of the parks and recreation master plan at the April 6 City Council work session.March 26 work sessionAt the March 26 session there was a further discussion on the possibility of a one cent sales tax increase, what to do with anticipated payment-in-lieu fees for student housing projects, as well as miscellaneous discussions.Toward the end, Sanders hit reset on the discussion of the tax rate. On March 19, there had appeared to be consensus to limit the increase to a penny but Council still had to make decisions.“We’re looking for you to finalize what scenario we are actually going with for offsetting, for addressing the fact that you’re stepping back from two cent increase on the real estate tax to a one cent increase on the real estate tax,” Sanders said.However, that discussion did not happen at the meeting. Instead, Councilors sent suggestions to Sanders and Hammill via email on how to offset the funding if they wanted to proceed.April 2 wrap-upThe April 2 budget work session was described as a wrap-up session.“The items that are open for discussion that we’re looking for answers on is closing out the review of the Vibrant Community Fund process and how Council is looking to utilize your Strategic Initiatives fund,” Sanders said.The Vibrant Community Fund process had been covered at the March 12 work session. This is how nonprofit organizations seek funding from Char...
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Podcast for April 3, 2026: Three Downtown Mall stories, two on transportation, and one on short term rental rules in Charlottesville
Apr 300:33:41Tap to summarizeThe term “prevailing wisdom” can only apply if such experience exists, and there is still no certainty about the best time to post the audio edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. I’m Sean Tubbs, still dreaming that every newsletter edition could still be sonic but this one is ready to go with eight stories where you can hear the voices of local government.In this edition:* Downtown Mall crossings will be closed this spring for repairs (read the story)* City Council gets a briefing on action to get the Downtown Mall ready for its 50th anniversary (read the story)* Business leaders talk the future of the Downtown Mall at a Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (read the story)* Albemarle Supervisors recognize April as Child Abuse Prevention month (read the story)* Albemarle Supervisors approve a zoning amendment to allow 40 additional units at Hollymead Town Center Area C (read the story)* Work to begin this year on Crozet park and ride lot (read the story)* The Charlottesville Planning Commission gets transportation update including info on Rose Hill restriping project (read the story)* Charlottesville staff recommends no amendments to city’s homestay rules for now (read the story)PSA #1 The Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards are hosting their 2026 Spring Tree Sale at the Virginia Department of Forestry, 900 Natural Resources Drive, Saturday, April 11th, from 10:00am ‘til Noon. The Stewards maintain their own volunteer-run tree nursery, planting saplings and nurturing them until they’re large enough to be planted out, concentrating on hard-to-find native trees. Spring is a great time to plant, and by purchasing directly from C - A -T - S, you help their mission of supporting forests for present and future generations. Plan to get there early as they sell out fast!PSA #2The Friends of the Jefferson Madison Regional Library Spring Book Sale runs from Saturday, April 4th through Sunday, April 12th from 10:00am to 7:00pm each day at Albemarle Square Shopping Center. The members’ preview sale is Friday, April 3rd from 5:00 to 7:00pm, and you can join or renew online or at the door. Additionally, April 11th and 12th are ½-price days. Choose from thousands of books, DVDs, CDs, LPs, games and puzzles, with restocking occurring throughout the sale. Proceeds benefit our regional public library system. Visit jmrlfriends DOT org for more information.Thoughts at the end of #1027AMondays and Fridays are the days where I seem to have the most to do and I would like to try to get the podcast out on this day. I’m much happier with the audio set-up than I have been in the past and even experimented today with doing a live-stream of some of the production work. In any case, this was a busy week but I still lament that I did not get to everything. Much remains and with this podcast out of the way, I can spend my Friday night figuring out how to proceed in the first full week of April. While this may not seem like fun to most, any moment I am working is one in which I am honoring my end of the bargain. I produce stories that you won’t get anywhere else and you can decide if you want to pay me. That come in the form of a paid subscription on Substack or a charitable contribution. Don’t want to pay but want to help out? Share this post, please! Tell a friend or neighbor! Invite me to a panel discussion! All kinds of things are possible. Thanks for reading Charlottesville Community Engagement ! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe
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Podcast for March 30, 2026: Five stories about recent events including a briefing on a low barrier homeless shelter
Mar 3000:31:25Tap to summarizeWhat has happened in the last week? There are many different organizations that document current events and affairs through the telling of stories and then packaging a look back. This is a journalistic tradition that dates back many years and Charlottesville Community Engagement seeks to continue with this Monday morning look and listen for people to catch up.Most people read the material while others look forward to every installment of the podcast edition which offers a chance to hear what people sound like. I’m Sean Tubbs and here are five stories you may have missed:* Charlottesville City Council briefed on low-barrier shelter might work groups that provide the programming (read the story)* City Council agrees to hire consultant to develop public arts commission for Charlottesville (read the story)* One of Albemarle County’s community advisory committees weighs in on what they’d like to discuss at this year’s meetings (read the story)* Albemarle County Executive Jeffrey Richardson shares data points on Albemarle services with Supervisors (read the story)* The director of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority gives an update on Long Bridge and expansion of service to Christiansburg (read the story)You can help get more information out to more people by sharing the links above or sharing the newsletter! Thoughts at the end of CCE-1023AI really enjoy doing this work. I’m producing this into the evening of March 29, way past when I would usually be working but I need to at least make sure the script is ready to go. I want to make sure this goes out in the early morning of March 30.I know that most people will not listen to the audio when presented as an optional thing to print. You can read the stories so much faster, but there’s something to hearing people’s voices that I feel is important. I like producing long audio versions because I like to use a skill I began to learn a long time ago. One day maybe others will help me with the editing and such.Now it’s the morning of March 30 and it’s taken me an hour or so this morning to put this together, but that’s mostly because I got caught in a research problem related to a new interface the Virginia Department of Elections has for their historical database.In any case, there are no shout-outs in this post because I don’t have anyone underwriting them. That’s in part because I’ve not had time to spend connecting with those who might be interested. I’m more of a journalist than a person who runs a company. You can support the work through a paid subscription through Substack or making a charitable contribution via the Tiny News Collective.There will be another edition later today as well. I have two stories written and will aim to get another two written as well. Thanks for being part of this experiment!Very quick look at the Week Ahead:I am going to memorialize this here as an example of how this gets made. This segment was done to fill a one minute hole in the version for WTJU that aired on March 28. At the time I publish it, I’ve already written a fleshed out version but this served as an initial glimpse that then allowed me to do that work faster.This is from the script for the radio show. Sometimes if I don’t write it down, I’ll go way over length. Improvisation is fun and all, but I mostly have to get the work done.Finally today, a look ahead to what’s happening in local governments next week:* In Albemarle County there will be two more town hall meetings related to the FY2027 budget with one on at 6 p.m. on Monday at Lakeside Middle School and one on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Albemarle High School.* On Wednesday the Board of Supervisors will meet at 1 p.m. and will get an update on transportation before having another budget work session. In the evening session at 6 p.m. there will be a public hearing on the Great Eastern Management Company’s request to add more homes at North Pointe and reduce the amount of commercial space.* Charlottesville City Council will have a budget work session on Thursday at which they’ll wrap up discussions in anticipation for adoption in the middle of the month.* Fluvanna County Supervisors will have a budget public hearing on April 1And that’s that! Please share with others!Charlottesville Community Engagement is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe
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Podcast for March 20, 2026: A glimpse into budget season in Albemarle County and Charlottesville
Mar 2000:32:27Tap to summarizeIn a democracy, local governments play a vital role in providing services to the people who live there and the budget process is a glimpse into the priorities of a locality. There are many complexities for decision-makers to consider, knowing their time in office only continues if they have support of the electorate. This podcast edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement is a snapshot of the budgets in Albemarle County and Charlottesville just before the equinox.Here are links to stories as they appear on Information Charlottesville.In this edition:* No major comments at Charlottesville City Council’s first public hearing on two-cent tax rate increase for FY2027 budget (read the story)* Albemarle County Supervisors make adjustments to their proposed budget for FY27 and opt to advertise an increase in the personal property tax rate to dedicate additional revenue to an affordable housing fund (read the story)Comments on CCE-1019AIt is entirely there may not be a regular newsletter today. I need to write a story for C-Ville Weekly and I know what it will be so I may go find a place to get a bite to eat and work on that as opposed to working at home. I’ve not been doing that as much because money is getting tighter even as more revenues come in to Town Crier Productions.There is a loose energy in the interstitial moments of the podcast. I began work on this at 5 a.m. because I wanted to get it done so I could move on to the next set of stories. I have so many from this week to get to and I’m looking forward to doing what I can.A reason I don’t work outside the home a lot is that my productivity drops to near zero if I’m in a place where I am likely to see people. In any case, I’m going to repeat the social media info from the other day. * I created a BlueSky account because I missed Twitter but I don’t do much except post links to Information Charlottesville stories. I’m not interested in live-posting anything, but I do miss interaction sometimes. I may experiment.* There are 437 followers of the Town Crier Productions Facebook page which is currently solely used to let people know when a story has been posted to Information Charlottesville. That website is the archive for stories that go out first in this newsletter. There is almost no engagement because that websites’ algorithms prioritize conflict and I’m not trying to manipulate anyone’s emotions.* There are slightly more followers on Instagram, but not many as posts are not quite optimized. I spent time trying to make some fancy images on Sunday but I got the formatting wrong. I’m going to keep trying to experiment because there’s a business owner in Waynesboro who one day I hope to actually impress.* There is Substack notes which I post status updates about newsletters. I don’t really know how people find these. I deleted the Substack app ages ago.* I post a version of the Week Ahead on Reddit each Sunday which is a little shorter. This is intended to attract people to the newsletter and many of you got here from there. But there is no official page and you have to know my username. Maybe I’ll change that in the future?* There is no TikTok page nor anything else with video because I do not know how to do that very well. One day I’d like to experiment, but I also don’t like being seen.* There is no new content on the Charlottesville Podcasting Network but it predates this newsletter by 15 years. I had a good idea and all I wanted to do was use to to tell stories about the community. Here I am still, hoping to get more people involved.So that’s that. Please do follow some of the above and help me share some of the content when you see it. That will help me grow the audience which in turn will hopefully allow me to bring in more revenue. Paid subscriptions are nice, as are charitable contributions! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe
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