Sandbox-City Government

See Main Article: City Council

See also: List of City Councilors

See also: Mayor of Charlottesville

The Charlottesville City Council, 2020-2022, is the current governing body of the City of Charlottesville.

Council’s configuration & power

Council’s configuration and powers are defined by its city charter. The City Council is composed of five members, including the Council President (mayor). Each member is elected at-large, by voters to four-year, staggered terms, with elections held every two years.

• Current City Council: Term runs from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021
• 

  Nikuyah Walker (I), Member Since: January 2018; Next Election: November 2, 2021

• 

  Heather Hill (D), Member Since: January 2018; Next Election: November 2, 2021

• 

  Sena Magill (D), Member Since: January 2020; Next Election: November 2023

• 

  Lloyd Snook (D), Member Since: January 2020; Next Election: November 2023

• 

  [Michael Payne]] (D), Member Since: January 2020, Next Election: November 2023

From of Government

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The City of Charlottesville operates under the Council-Manager form of government as granted by the Code of Virginia and the City Charter. From within council, by simple majority vote, the President (called mayor) and the Vice-president (called vice-mayor) of the Council are elected at the first regular meeting of the new term. The City Manager, among the City Officers appointed by the Council, acts as the Chief Executive Officer. The City Manager is responsible for day-to-day operations, as well as carrying at-large out policy decisions made by the City Council.

Configuration & powers

Council’s configuration and powers are defined by its city charter. Charlottesville’s current charter, approved by the General Assembly in 1946, gives Charlottesville a “council-manager” system in which the five elected members (Council) hires a city manager to run most city operations. Council is in charge of policy oversight and some approval powers (refer to Chief of Police).

Relative to local populations, Charlottesville has one seat for every 8,700 residents.

non-partisan elections

As for historically under-represented groups, the city has about the same percentage of blacks in council as in the general populations; in Charlottesville, blacks makeup 18.3 percent of the population and 20 percent of the council.

The council post videos of council meetings online as well as searchable databases of legislation. Council does not post members’ personal financial disclosure statements or lobbying records.

Charlottesville has one of the highest average salaries for council members in Virginia, $xx,xxx council, $xx,xxx mayor. Total budget including employee benefits Council consumes x.xx percent of city general-fund spending,

Budget per resident

Number of council employeesincluding members

Number of residents per council employee, including members

Charlottesville's average council tenure at the end of 2019 was xx.x years while first-term members held xx percent of the seats

Frank Buck had been in office 8 years, longer than any other Charlottesville City Council member since at least 1920, and xxx other members have served for more than xx years.

council consumes 1.01 percent of city general-fund spending

City population

Population Census (April 1, 2010): 43,475.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau Quickfacts, the estimated population in 2018 was 48,117, which represents a 10.67% population growth since the last census.

The area within the city limits was 10.27 square miles, giving it a population density of about 4,600 people per square mile.

Elections

Three open council seats (previously held by Kristin Szakos and Bob Fenwick) were up at the last municipal election held on November 5, 2019, Kathy Galvin, Mike Signer and Wes Bellamy each declined to seek re-election.) See also 2019 election.thtee new members were chosen by the city voters - [[]], [[ ]] and [[]]; See also: 2019 election. The November 2019 municipal election will include three open seats on the city council. (Incumbent