CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) A vote to approve funding for the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail was removed from the agenda for Monday night’s Charlottesville City Council meeting, but the community group opposing the project said they still plan to make their objections heard during the public comment period of the meeting.

Fraleigh hopes to have as many as six presenters speak at Monday’s meeting.

“They’re going to put a wall up so people driving on Avon Street won’t see barbed wire. And that costs $1.9 million,” Kate Fraleigh, who works with the People’s Coalition in opposing the project, told Cville Right Now on Monday morning. “They’re not going to finish all the other stuff if they have to stay in budget. All the stuff that is the primary reason for doing is going to get pushed aside. The people who go in the jail don’t care what the outside looks like, how they’re treated and when they’re going to get it.”

Fraleigh said she supported a less expensive option for the renovation that focused on what she believes are the more important upgrades.

Originally proposed by the jail’s board in 2021, the project – with its proposed $49 million price tag – includes the demolition of the 50-year-old east wing and the construction of a new two-story structure to take its place.

Jail superintendent Martin Kumer has said the facility is in need of upgrades to bring the conditions up to standards and has pointed out that the renovation will not increase the jail’s capacity.

City Council vice mayor Brian Pinkston is on the record saying the improvements are needed to make the jail humane for both inmates and staff. He’s noted inadequacies in the facility’s HVAC system and upgrades needed to make it ADA compliant.

Fraleigh believes there are better ways for the city to spend the money.

“People don’t get well in a cell,” Fraleigh said.

In her remarks, Fraleigh will focus on what she says are the unnecessary costs baked into the proposal, including the construction of a new façade that Fraleigh believes is purely cosmetic.

“This design came out so late, really, and it was presented to the board,” Fraleigh said. “The board never voted on it and it’s not being included in the packet for the discussion. That’s a problem. People don’t know what they’re voting for. A big beautiful building because people don’t want to see barbed wire.”

Clerk of Council Kyna Thomas confirmed the jail vote was removed from the agenda Friday and “the item was moved to a yet unconfirmed future date.”

“Col. Kumer has asked to delay the vote as the staff and board need additional time to review bid proposals to set the construction costs for the project,” Charlottesville director of communications Afton Schneider said in an email to Cville Right Now. “The City Manager is working with (Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail) officials to determine a date for rescheduling a vote on this item.”

The city would have been the first of the three localities potentially sharing the cost for the project to vote had the item remained on Monday’s agenda.

Albemarle County’s Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold its vote on Wednesday. Nelson County’s next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 10. The agenda is not available yet.