Charlottesville City Council (2012-2013)

See Main Article: City Council

See also: List of City Councilors

• Preceded by the Charlottesville City Council (2010-20011)
• Succeeded by the Charlottesville City Council (2013-2014)

The two-year term of the Charlottesville City Council (2012-2013) ran from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013. Of the three seats that expired, Satyendra Huja was the sole incumbent to seek re-election. The two members of the council whose terms did not expire this year were Kristin Szakos and Dave Norris.

• Charlottesville City Council (2012-2013): January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013
• 

  Satyendra Huja (D), President (mayor)

• 

  Kathy Galvin (D)

• 

  Deirdre “Dede” Smith (D)

• 

  Dave Norris (D)

• 

  Kristin Szakos (D) , Vice-president (vice-mayor)

Form of government

Council–manager government

• Charlottesville City Council Appointments
• 

  Maurice Jones, City Manager; 2010 - 2018

• 

  Craig Brown, City Attorney; 2001 - 2018

Compensation

Salary

• Councilors made $18,000 a year and the mayor made $20,000 a year; the maximum range allowed under state guidelines.

Fringe benefits

Credit card account: Mayor Satyendra Huja’s was issued a credit card with a monthly limit of $2,500. Records dating back to 2009 also show that former Mayor Dave Norris, who was in the post from 2008 to 2011, also had a credit card.

City budget

FY 2011 Budget: The City Council Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2011 – FY 2012 Budget: Total operating budget represented an increase when compared to the previous year’s budget of $126,001,345.

2011 election

Three seats occupied by David Brown, Holly Edwards, and Satyendra Huja were up for the November election. The Charlottesville Democratic Committee held a firehouse primary on August 20, 2011 to choose three candidates to run in the November 8, 2011 election. Incumbents Edwards and Brown did not seek re-election. Huja, Galvin, and Smith won this nomination wherein 2,524 ballots were cast, including 284 absentee votes, which surpassed the 2009 election record of 1,609. The results caused Mayor Dave Norris and others to criticize the process for not resulting in any candidates who are African-American.

Organizational meeting

January 3, 2012

Satyendra Huja was elected mayor for the next two years. Kristin Szakos was chosen as vice-mayor.

Regular meetings

Regular council meetings were held in City Hall on the first and third Monday of the month.

2012 Noteworthy events

• January 17 - The Charlottesville City Council adopted a revised Critical Slopes ordinance granting the council the ability to waive, (and impose conditions on the granting of a waiver), the critical slopes ordinance's prohibition on development if: the benefits to the public of disturbing the slope outweigh the benefits of an undisturbed slope; the ordinance would unreasonably restrict the use of a property.
• May 2 – Fringe benefits: Councilors voted to include themselves in the city’s employee medical and dental insurance coverage plans.

• December 3 – Flats at West Village: On a 4-1 vote, council approved a special use permit (SUP) for Increased Density & Height for the Plaza on Main (later know as the Flats at West Village), despite concerns that the 595-bedroom mixed-used development on the 2.25 acre lot would negatively impact the character of West Main Street. On motion by Szakos, seconded by Norris, the resolution passed. (Ayes: Szakos, Norris, Galvin, Huja; Noes: Smith.)

2013 Noteworthy events

• February 19 – Stormwater Utility Fee: Council voted 4-1 to enact a utility fee on all property owners. The fee (referred to as a “Rain Tax’’ by detractors) is intended to increase funding for the city’s water resources protection program from $945,000 a year to more than $2.5 million. On motion by Ms. Szakos, seconded by Ms. Smith, the ordinance passed. (Ayes: Szakos, Smith, Huja, Galvin; Noes: Norris.)

2012 Retreat

Council frequently holds strategic retreats to address the City Council vision. While no votes are taken at these meetings, staff acts on priorities identified at these meetings.

• February 2012 retreat at Wintergreen

• September 2012 retreat in Staunton

Council Vision Statement

Council discussed their priorities and decided to work to narrow the list to four or five items for specific focus over the next two years.

1. Reduce poverty by increasing sustainable employment among less skilled and educated residents
2. Provide comprehensive support system for children
3. Build interconnected network of multi-modal transportation, including bikeways,trails, transit system
4. Develop City Market District Downtown
5. Redevelop City corridors
6. Cultivate healthy streams and rivers through effective stormwater management practices