CHARLOTTESVILLE (WINA) – Charlottesville City Council quickly and unanimously passed a 2024 budget that’s a little more than $4-million more than what City Manager Michael Rogers proposed this past winter, and keeps taxes were they are. Budget director Krisy Hammill said some $1.9-million left over from this year’s revenues role over into the 2024 fiscal year, and there’s more than $2-million additional revenue than projected when Rogers proposed a budget in February. While Rogers’ plan was $226.2-million, the plan Council passed Tuesday was nearly $230.4-million.

Vice Mayor JuanDiege Wade tells WINA News he’s very comfortable with the budget passed last night. The additional revenue and surplus from 2023 helps fund initiatives they heard the public wants that were not in Rogers’ proposing such as AHIP, Child Health Partnership, and ReadyKids. On the bigger side, Council has also identified ways to add a new auditorium back into the Buford rebuild plan.

The initial plans included the new auditorium, but it was taken out as the city a couple of years ago passed a $75-million plan. However, staff in the past couple of weeks has been able to identify funding to help finance the construction of the new auditorium, and council approved it in the 2024 plan. While Wade says it brings the total Buford price tag to over $91-million, the plan accomplishes no tax rate increase to fund it. Wade says it’s cheaper now to build the new auditorium than it will be in the future.

Click here to see the whole plan.