Despite $38M cost increase, Albemarle County says all projects for 2024 are on track

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Supply chain issues and inflation are not only impacting Albemarle County families, but Albemarle County projects too. That was a major point of discussion during the board of supervisors’ budget work session on Monday, March 13.

Despite a $38 million cost increase, the Albemarle Office of Management and Budget says all of the projects in the Capital Improvements Program will stay on track for fiscal year 2024.

“We will be able to fund our three new schools, our high school center, our two elementary schools...” Supervisor Bea LaPisto-Kirtley said.

These cost increases stem from supply chain issues and rising costs from inflation.

“We have about 16.7 million that we’ll be using this year to make up for that. We will have resources to finish out our ‘24 to ‘27 spending”, LaPisto-Kirtley said.

Some of that is being redirected from school funding.

“Looking at the challenges that we mutually had and operations versus capital, we felt it was appropriate to - instead in fiscal year ‘24 - take some of that 4.9 [million] and operational funding and redirect it this year to the capital program,” Albemarle Office of Management and Budget Chief Andy Bowman said.

Supervisor LaPisto-Kirtley says she is very optimistic the county can move forward without raising taxes. If so, she says this would mark the fifth year in a row without a tax increase.

“We have a balanced budget without raising taxes, so the tax rate will drop more than likely remain the same. That’s what we’re looking forward to,” LaPisto-Kirtley said.

One topic that was shelved for a future work session was which athletic fields should be given priority -- four at Darden Towe Park or two at the future Biscuit Run Park.

“If I have a 5-6 million dollar option that I think is good to produce four fields and helps capacity throughout the whole system, I start comparing that to $3.85 to bring two fields online. That’s not dollars that I’m really interested in going in that route so wherever that conversation needs to take place, we’re going to get into that conversation,” Supervisor Ned Gallaway said.

The next work session will be held on March 14th.

Do you have a story idea? Send us your news tip here.