CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Following a series of work sessions to review County Executive Jeff Richardson’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027 recommended budget, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors took community input during a public hearing on Monday night.

The majority of those who attended were members of IMPACT Charlottesville, a group of 29 congregations of Charlottesville and Albemarle County that works to build strong relationships across racial, ethnic, and socio-economic lines to significantly address local community problems at their source. The called in unison on the Board to address affordable housing.

“We’re grateful that the current budget proposal allocates five million dollars to go towards the Affordable Housing Investment Fund,” said Rev. Susan Carlson of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation. “Unfortunately, the housing crisis in our community is a huge problem that you well know because you’ve heard about it every single year. People cannot afford to live in Albemarle County. They have to live far away from their jobs, from their healthcare, from their children’s schools, from their places where they have to take cars that maybe they can’t afford either. We cannot abide by this moral travesty, for we believe that a budget is a moral document, and this is getting worse and worse every single year. I cannot urge you strongly enough to fully support the investment fund so that the housing crisis doesn’t blossom and bloom even more.”

Jane Colony Mills, Executive Director of Loaves and Fishes, who said she was there to thank the board, but also to help raise awareness of the area’s affordability crisis.

“With Albemarle County’s first ever funding for Loaves and Fishes in the FY26 budget, we’ve provided a week’s worth of free healthy groceries customized for dietary restrictions, cooking and storage capacity, and cultural preferences to nearly 97,000 people since July 1, 2025,” she said. “Fifty percent of those people are Albemarle County children, adults, and seniors, more than 6,000 Albemarle County residents each month. The need has grown 13% over the previous year.

“I’m very grateful for Albemarle County’s support for what we do, and that Mr. Richardson and the county finance budget have proposed a 7.3% increase in funding for Loaves and Fishes, the largest direct-to-the-public free food distributor in our community. I hope the Board of Supervisors will approve this increase, and I want to thank you for partnering with us to increase access to healthy, culturally appropriate food for our neighbors.”

A handful of others gave input on different matters.

“This may come as a surprise to some of y’all, but we actually have a lot in common, and we can agree on a lot,” said Mike Pruitt, who thanked and shared an anecdote with each individual board member.

“I think one thing I want to start working on and have an open mind and open conversation about, is the revenue sharing agreement and how we can bring some of those funds back into the county and how we can help specific county causes,” he said. “We have an agreement. We have to follow it to a certain extent, but we should at least be willing to have a conversation and an open mind about what we could possibly do to renegotiate, get out of it, whatever, and just collectively have positive thought. And I think we can achieve that.”

In March, revenues are reviewed again for potential updates, after which the Board of Supervisors finalizes the real estate tax rate for advertising purposes and approves the Proposed Budget.

In April, public hearings are held on the advertised tax rate and on the Board of Supervisors’ Proposed Budget. In mid-April, the Board of Supervisors sets the real estate tax rate and adopts the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. On July 1, the new fiscal year begins.