I’m Kevin, a life long Albemarle resident. I want to see the county focus on climate action, especially related to improved transit and support for active transportation. I bike to work everyday, but very few of my coworkers do because the infrastructure doesn’t support it and Albemarle’s development is very spread out. E-bikes extend the range people are willing or able to bike, so are a great tool to get people in previously car dependent areas moving carbon free. The city offers its residents an e-bike voucher so I’d love to see the county offer the same thing to its residents too. Commuters trying to stop their emissions need your help now. Please add additional climate funding to this year’s budget!
We are falling short in funding progress on our climate action and biodiversity action plans, riding on our green reputation but not fulfilling it. Fund the ACE program, which preserves habitat and mitigates climate change impacts in perpetuity. Get going on the Climate Action Plan. Right now the two-person Climate Action office has a single person and an insufficient budget.
We need to balance our investments in economic development, schools and affordable housing with investments to protect our environment and preserve biodiversity, as well as get after the actions in our Climate Action Plan to reduce emissions. This is so basic: we cannot have a safe, equitable community or a thriving economy unless we have a healthy environment to underpin it. Our annual budget should reflect this.
My name is Adam Stievater, and I am a UVA student living in Albemarle County. I would like to see in the proposed budget a specific line item for climate action. We are not meeting our greenhouse gas reduction goals, and more needs to be done to get there. While the money pledged to environmental services such as street sweeping and storm sewer projects is important, these don’t directly reduce our emotions. As a county, we need to directly address our CO2 emissions, and the best way to accomplish this is to create a climate action fund, and fund it specifically through a distinct line item in the budget separate from environmental services. Money from this fund would go to programs like rooftop solar, EV chargers, energy efficiency, and electrification projects.
The 2020 Climate Action Plan commits Albemarle to reducing its emissions by 45% of 2008 levels by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. It serves as an example to other localities, encouraging them to adopt similar commitments on climate action. The Board has stated that “leadership at all levels of government is required in order to meet the global challenge for climate action”, but we’re falling behind on our targets. In this draft budget, just $200,000 is allocated for climate action, with a lack of specific information of how it will be used to reduce emissions. Albemarle can support its commitment under the Climate Action Plan by matching Charlottesville and adopting an annual $1m fund for climate action. To lead by example and fulfill our commitment to a sustainable future, I urge you to commit to a better funded plan: to save our planet, protect our county and people, and fight for a world where future generations can live safely.
The School CIP needs are much greater than what is currently funded. The board should make a near term decision to use Public Private Partnership agreements to fund school facilities. If done properly, this could also address facility energy and water usage, which are key contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and the climate action plan.
I urge the Board of Supervisors to:
- approve the ACPS operating budget request, and
- commit to collaborating with the ACPS school board to develop a strategic plan to fund capital improvements for schools.
CIP -- The long-delayed investment in our public school buildings has resulted in significant overcrowding and poorly maintained buildings. Both have a negative impact on student learning & teacher retention, and fall embarrassingly short of commitments in Albemarle County's long-term plan for a thriving community.
Operating -- The budget presented represents significant cuts in services, and puts our division at serious risk of losing educators to nearby school systems including CCS. Please continue to partner with advocates at Family Council to hold decision-makers accountable, and providing funding for our community's kids to learn & grow.
I'm urging the Albemarle Board of Supervisors to prioritize climate funding. Climate disasters—from hurricanes to wildfires—are worsening, and without action, my generation and future ones will bear the consequences. The $200,000 left for Albemarle’s Climate Action Plan is far from enough to meet critical goals like a 45% emissions reduction by 2030. We need a dedicated Climate Action Implementation Fund, one that grows annually and reflects our commitment to a livable future. I understand local budgets are tight, but how can a community be safe when it fails to invest in the planet that sustains it? Albemarle once led on climate—now is the time to lead again. Please fund our future.
I’m commenting to strongly encourage Albemarle County prioritize investments in both the Climate Action Plan Implementation Fund and affordable housing. The latest emissions inventory shows we’re not making progress and 2022 emissions were at the same level as in 2019. I think the community is in need of clarity on how the Climate Action Plan and emissions reductions will be funded going forward. The funding for the Climate Action Plan could be used for incentivizing community co-benefits, green building initiatives, green building grants, energy efficiency and electrification grants, and ultimately promoting both economic and environmental sustainability. Investing in affordable housing in our community could also be useful in promoting economic and environmental sustainability. Affordable centrally located housing can reduce emissions associated with longer commutes and energy burdens, and would provide economic and social benefits to marginalized groups within our community.
I'm Veronica Vitko, a junior at Albemarle High School, urging the Board to include a $1 million Climate Action Implementation Fund in this year’s budget. In 2020, the County committed to cut emissions 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, but with only $200,000 left in the Climate Action Planning Pool, we’re far from the investment needed to meet these goals. Transportation and building emissions make up 90% of our footprint and require immediate action. Climate funding is not just about sustainability; it’s about public health, cost savings, resilience, and equity. It’s about making sure our most vulnerable residents are protected. Other Virginia localities have stepped up, and Albemarle must too. This isn’t a competing priority; it’s the foundation of a resilient community. I urge the Board to move from planning to implementation, because our future depends on what we do now.
I’m Kevin, a life long Albemarle resident. I want to see the county focus on climate action, especially related to improved transit and support for active transportation. I bike to work everyday, but very few of my coworkers do because the infrastructure doesn’t support it and Albemarle’s development is very spread out. E-bikes extend the range people are willing or able to bike, so are a great tool to get people in previously car dependent areas moving carbon free. The city offers its residents an e-bike voucher so I’d love to see the county offer the same thing to its residents too. Commuters trying to stop their emissions need your help now. Please add additional climate funding to this year’s budget!
We are falling short in funding progress on our climate action and biodiversity action plans, riding on our green reputation but not fulfilling it. Fund the ACE program, which preserves habitat and mitigates climate change impacts in perpetuity. Get going on the Climate Action Plan. Right now the two-person Climate Action office has a single person and an insufficient budget.
We need to balance our investments in economic development, schools and affordable housing with investments to protect our environment and preserve biodiversity, as well as get after the actions in our Climate Action Plan to reduce emissions. This is so basic: we cannot have a safe, equitable community or a thriving economy unless we have a healthy environment to underpin it. Our annual budget should reflect this.
My name is Adam Stievater, and I am a UVA student living in Albemarle County. I would like to see in the proposed budget a specific line item for climate action. We are not meeting our greenhouse gas reduction goals, and more needs to be done to get there. While the money pledged to environmental services such as street sweeping and storm sewer projects is important, these don’t directly reduce our emotions. As a county, we need to directly address our CO2 emissions, and the best way to accomplish this is to create a climate action fund, and fund it specifically through a distinct line item in the budget separate from environmental services. Money from this fund would go to programs like rooftop solar, EV chargers, energy efficiency, and electrification projects.
The 2020 Climate Action Plan commits Albemarle to reducing its emissions by 45% of 2008 levels by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. It serves as an example to other localities, encouraging them to adopt similar commitments on climate action. The Board has stated that “leadership at all levels of government is required in order to meet the global challenge for climate action”, but we’re falling behind on our targets. In this draft budget, just $200,000 is allocated for climate action, with a lack of specific information of how it will be used to reduce emissions. Albemarle can support its commitment under the Climate Action Plan by matching Charlottesville and adopting an annual $1m fund for climate action. To lead by example and fulfill our commitment to a sustainable future, I urge you to commit to a better funded plan: to save our planet, protect our county and people, and fight for a world where future generations can live safely.
The School CIP needs are much greater than what is currently funded. The board should make a near term decision to use Public Private Partnership agreements to fund school facilities. If done properly, this could also address facility energy and water usage, which are key contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and the climate action plan.
I urge the Board of Supervisors to:
- approve the ACPS operating budget request, and
- commit to collaborating with the ACPS school board to develop a strategic plan to fund capital improvements for schools.
CIP -- The long-delayed investment in our public school buildings has resulted in significant overcrowding and poorly maintained buildings. Both have a negative impact on student learning & teacher retention, and fall embarrassingly short of commitments in Albemarle County's long-term plan for a thriving community.
Operating -- The budget presented represents significant cuts in services, and puts our division at serious risk of losing educators to nearby school systems including CCS. Please continue to partner with advocates at Family Council to hold decision-makers accountable, and providing funding for our community's kids to learn & grow.
I'm urging the Albemarle Board of Supervisors to prioritize climate funding. Climate disasters—from hurricanes to wildfires—are worsening, and without action, my generation and future ones will bear the consequences. The $200,000 left for Albemarle’s Climate Action Plan is far from enough to meet critical goals like a 45% emissions reduction by 2030. We need a dedicated Climate Action Implementation Fund, one that grows annually and reflects our commitment to a livable future. I understand local budgets are tight, but how can a community be safe when it fails to invest in the planet that sustains it? Albemarle once led on climate—now is the time to lead again. Please fund our future.
I’m commenting to strongly encourage Albemarle County prioritize investments in both the Climate Action Plan Implementation Fund and affordable housing. The latest emissions inventory shows we’re not making progress and 2022 emissions were at the same level as in 2019. I think the community is in need of clarity on how the Climate Action Plan and emissions reductions will be funded going forward. The funding for the Climate Action Plan could be used for incentivizing community co-benefits, green building initiatives, green building grants, energy efficiency and electrification grants, and ultimately promoting both economic and environmental sustainability. Investing in affordable housing in our community could also be useful in promoting economic and environmental sustainability. Affordable centrally located housing can reduce emissions associated with longer commutes and energy burdens, and would provide economic and social benefits to marginalized groups within our community.
I'm Veronica Vitko, a junior at Albemarle High School, urging the Board to include a $1 million Climate Action Implementation Fund in this year’s budget. In 2020, the County committed to cut emissions 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, but with only $200,000 left in the Climate Action Planning Pool, we’re far from the investment needed to meet these goals. Transportation and building emissions make up 90% of our footprint and require immediate action. Climate funding is not just about sustainability; it’s about public health, cost savings, resilience, and equity. It’s about making sure our most vulnerable residents are protected. Other Virginia localities have stepped up, and Albemarle must too. This isn’t a competing priority; it’s the foundation of a resilient community. I urge the Board to move from planning to implementation, because our future depends on what we do now.