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2 experienced no problems. He said they are capable of operating a year round facility, but will run out of money in March. Mr. Jim McKinley-Oakes, presented a petition signed by 189 people who are friends or neighbors of Gerry Mitchell, who was hit by an Albemarle County police officer while in a crosswalk. He said he was hopeful that Council would have taken interest in the case. He said he expressed concern that there was police misconduct and was asked by the Police Chief to come in and talk to him, but he felt intimidated. He expressed concern that Mr. Mitchell was issued a ticket and was not given a ride home from the hospital as he was promised. He also expressed concern that the video was not released and the driver of the vehicle was not ticketed. Mr. Bill Sampson said there has been a budget surplus of $15 million over two years. He asked why this money was not applied to the next year’s budget and the tax rate reduced, and why the money was not applied to infrastructure improvements. He said departments got to keep the money instead. He said he is being taxed out of his home. Dr. Joe Mooney, 201 Sunset Avenue, said he spoke to the Airport Manager after an article appeared in the Daily Progress about the proposed airport expansion, and said it presents an opportunity for the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority and the airport to cooperate. He said the airport needs fill which could come from dredging the reservoir and they can pay $44 million. He said this would increase the storage capacity of the reservoir. He encouraged Council to seek an opinion from a company experienced in dredging regarding the expense and feasibility of doing that. Ms. Colette Hall, 101 Robertson Lane, referring to the report from the Sister Cities Committee, said she does not care if Charlottesville is a world class city, her concern is the ability of citizens to stay here and the lack of affordable housing. She said she thinks we will spend more money with more sister cities. Mr. Ridge Schuyler, 112 Robinson Woods Drive, Executive Director of the Nature Conservancy, continued his overview of the Conservancy. He said they have looked at the best examples of Piedmont hardwood forests and the best fresh water systems to protect. He said two forests have been found and one water system. He said threats to those places are developed and a conservation action plan developed. He said the main threat to water systems is excessive sedimentation and water withdrawal. COUNCIL RESPONSES TO MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC Dr. Brown said Mr. Sampson made good points and he agrees with his comments that infrastructure should be a priority and about carryover funds. He noted, however, that he does not want to penalize departments for being efficient. Regarding the petition about Mr. Mitchell, Dr. Brown said he feels bad about what happened to Mr. Mitchell, but feels strongly that we have a good Police Department with high integrity. He encouraged Mr. McKinley-Oakes to meet with the Police Chief. He expressed concern about use of words such as “corruption” and feels the statement is unfounded and detracts from what is going on. Mr. Taliaferro concurred with Dr. Brown about Mr. Mitchell. He said it is an unfortunate situation, but the police are not covering things up and he feels the petition’s language is an unfair statement. Ms. Edwards said it is a difficult situation with Mr. Mitchell. She said the role of authority can be intimidating. She said the idea of a citizens advocacy group would help build relationships with the community and police. She said all people make mistakes. She said the bottom line is that she hopes things work out for Mr. Mitchell, and she feels now is the time for forgiveness. Mr. Huja said he would like to explore the possibility of helping the homeless center if possible.