Laserfiche WebLink
240 <br /> <br /> Potential areas for subcommittee discussion were: education, long-term joint planning; <br />housing; economic health of the community, servicing the poor. <br /> Mr, Forrest Marshall, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, asked the Council to <br />say if they are going to pursue the issue of reversion or if they will pursue discussion of the <br />issues. Mr. Marshall said he feels as though the Council is "holding a gun" to the Board with <br />the threat of reversion. <br /> <br /> Mr. David Bowerman, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors,. said the Board and <br />Council need to decide if they can work together, or is the City just going to revert. Mr. <br />Bowerman said he is willing to try' to solve the problems identified, but he would like to do <br />so outside of the reversion issue. Mr. Bowerman said he believes there are benefits to <br />keeping Charlottesville and Albemarle as two separate entries. <br /> Rev. Edwards asked the Board members how they would propose that the Council take <br /> itself out of the reversion picture when it was a group of citizens, not the Council, that raised <br /> the issue. <br /> <br /> Mr. Bowerman said he would like to see the reversion efforts stopped for six months to <br /> a year. <br /> <br /> Mr. Martin suggested that the Council discourage the reversion petitioners from <br /> continuing their effort. <br /> <br /> Rev. Edwards said that he would prefer to sit down and talk with the Supervisors, and <br /> would not have a problem discussing with the reversion petitioners the possibility of deferring <br /> their efforts, but noted that the reversion issue has become part of the political arena, with all <br /> State candidates getting involved. <br /> <br /> Mr. Bowerman stated that he thinks all candidates and incumbents realize that the fight <br /> thing to do is to talk about the issue. <br /> <br /> Ms. Slaughter noted that the Council and the Board have previously looked at joint <br /> issues, but the citizen petitioners have forced everyone to took more seriously at these issues. <br /> Mr. Toscano said that the Council is willing to negotiate with the Board in good faith, <br /> and if a concrete agenda is discussed and progress made, perhaps something good will come <br /> out of it. <br /> <br /> Mr. Martin said he will be willing to chair the education subcommittee and Ms. <br />Charlotte Humphris, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, said she would serve on the <br />housing subcommittee. <br /> <br /> Ms. Sally Thomas, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors asked what needs to be <br />accomplished in two months' time in order to show the Council that the Board is serious in its <br />desire to discuss the issue. <br /> <br /> Mr. Vandever stated that the City may not continue in its present good financial <br />condition if trends continues. Mr. Vandever expressed concern that the City only received <br />half of the revenue sharing agreement -- the revenue but not the consolidation of services. <br />Mr. Vandever said that if consolidation efforts are not regenerated, the City's only option is <br />to look at reversion. Mr. Vandever noted that he feels a "gun is being placed" on the City by <br />State logi~S}ators' talk of placing a moratorium on reversion efforts. <br /> Mr. Marshall asked the Council to ask the citizen petitioners to stop their effort to <br />obtain signatures, but Mr. Toscano said the Council cannot ask the petitioners to stop in light <br />of t ~h~ political arena. <br /> Ms. Slaughter said that the Council has met with the Board in good faith to negotiate <br /> and solve problems. <br /> <br /> <br />