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Agenda Item
17. 22-201 County Executive's Recommended Budget. The Recommended Budget contains summary information on the total County budget, organized into several funds to provide appropriate accounting and budgeting control, including: the General Fund (expenditures for general operations of the County), Special Revenue Funds (expenditures restricted for specific governmental purposes such as state and federal grant funds), the School Fund (expenditures for general operations of the County school system), Other School Funds (expenditures restricted for specific school purposes such as the Food Services Fund), Capital Improvement Funds (expenditures for acquiring, constructing, or maintaining capital facilities), and Debt Service Funds (expenditures for paying principal, interest, and charges on general long-term debt). The Recommended Budget contains a complete itemized and classified plan of all contemplated expenditures and estimated revenues and borrowings for the Fiscal Year.
I have read through the County’s recommended budget for 2023 and was pleased to see that Climate Action is listed as a strategic priority. Protection of our forests and natural habitats is not only a key part of addressing climate change, but it is key to protecting the County’s natural beauty which draws people to visit and live here. The Biodiversity Action Plan calls for the protection of natural areas. The second goal in this planning document calls for the promotion of conservation easements for the protection of important biological resources. As a County citizen and member of the Albemarle County Natural Heritage Committee, I hope that the Board of Supervisors will continue to support land conservation easement programs to protect our native hardwood forests, water resources, and wildlife habitat.
We have an underutilized, potential gem of a community resource, that if improved, could be combined with the area's natural, agricultural, historical, entertainment/hospitality and educational resources to create an economic development engine that would yield a return many times over. Not to mention it would provide more exercise space for kids and contribute to overall improvement in public health (and boy if we learned anything these past two years, it's that we need more focus on exercise out-of-doors).
I have read through the County’s recommended budget for 2023 and was pleased to see that Climate Action is listed as a strategic priority. Protection of our forests and natural habitats is not only a key part of addressing climate change, but it is key to protecting the County’s natural beauty which draws people to visit and live here. The Biodiversity Action Plan calls for the protection of natural areas. The second goal in this planning document calls for the promotion of conservation easements for the protection of important biological resources. As a County citizen and member of the Albemarle County Natural Heritage Committee, I hope that the Board of Supervisors will continue to support land conservation easement programs to protect our native hardwood forests, water resources, and wildlife habitat.
We have an underutilized, potential gem of a community resource, that if improved, could be combined with the area's natural, agricultural, historical, entertainment/hospitality and educational resources to create an economic development engine that would yield a return many times over. Not to mention it would provide more exercise space for kids and contribute to overall improvement in public health (and boy if we learned anything these past two years, it's that we need more focus on exercise out-of-doors).