Budget Process & Calendar
FISCAL YEAR 2024 BUDGET
Introduction to the Budget
This Fiscal Year 2023-2024 budget for the City of Charlottesville provides our community with an interactive and engaging way to understand the City's budget allocations. Use this site to browse the budget details for departments, agencies and projects that are planned for the next year.
We hope this document is easy to read, interpret, and use in understanding the City's budget. Our goal is to provide a straightforward document that presents the citizens of Charlottesville with a clear explanation of how their tax dollars are helping to support a variety of quality services and programs. Our online Budget Explorer is also available (www.charlottesville.gov/budget) and provides actual expenditure and revenue details for the current year.
The Budget Process
Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Development
For a detailed description of this process, see the Capital Improvement Program section.
Operating Budget – Expenditure and Revenue Development
The City’s operating budget process begins in the fall when departments prepare their budget requests. Around this time, the City Manager presents the City’s long-term financial forecast, Budget Guidelines, and Long-term Financial Policies to City Council. Based on the available forecasts, City Council formally amends and/or adopts the Budget Guidelines and Long- Term Financial Policies. Council also holds budget work sessions throughout the fall and early winter to provide further guidance to staff in budget preparation.
From late September to mid-January, departmental budget requests and agency budget requests are submitted to the Office of Budget and Performance Management and reviewed individually with each department by the Budget Review Team (BRT). The BRT consists of the City Manager, Deputy City Managers, Budget Director, and Finance Director.
Estimated revenue forecasts are finalized by the Revenue Team simultaneous with the development of the expenditure budgets. The Revenue Team is made up of the City Manager, Deputy City Managers, City Treasurer, Commissioner of Revenue, Director of Economic Development, Finance Director and Budget Director.
The City Manager’s Proposed Budget, along with the School’s Budget, is presented to City Council at the first Council meeting in March. The City is required to present a balanced budget where revenues (money that is received from taxes, fees, intergovernmental sources, etc.) equal expenditures. A series of City Council work sessions and public hearings are held during the months of March and April. The City and School budget is formally adopted by City Council each year no later than April 15th.
FY 2024 Budget Calendar
Acknowledgements
As with many of the programs of the City of Charlottesville, the development of the budget takes team effort. The Office of Budget and Performance Management, with the City Manager’s Office, develops the budget with the assistance of many other individuals in the City government. This acknowledgment identifies a number of the key individuals who shared in the development of this budget. Many others who assisted are not individually identified. We thank all of you!
- Interim City Manager: Michael C. Rogers
- Deputy City Managers: Ashley Reynolds Marshall, Samuel Sanders, Jr.
- Budget Office: Krisy Hammill, Brian Ray
- Charlottesville Area Transit: Garland Williams, Barry Herring, Janice Woodson
- City Manager's Office: Terry Bentley, Teresa Pollak
- Circuit Court: Llezelle Dugger
- City Attorney's Office: Allyson Davies
- City Sheriff: James Brown, Kara Thomas
- Chief of Staff/Clerk of Council: Kyna Thomas
- Commissioner of the Revenue: Todd Divers
- Communications Office: David Dillehunt
- Economic Development: Chris Engel
- Finance Department: Chris Cullinan, Glen Pack, Jeffrey Davis, Vernice Grooms, Gail Hassmer, Charles Philippin
- Fire Department: Michael Thomas, Mike Rogers
- General District Court: Mary Trimble
- General Registrar: Taylor Yowell
- Human Resources: Chris Baudo
- Human Services: Misty Graves, Hunter Smith
- Information Technology: Steve Hawkes
- Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court / Court Services Unit: Martha Carroll, Stephanie Bunch, Tammy Gallimore
- Magistrate’s Office: Avnel Coates
- Neighborhood Development Services: James Freas, Missy Creasy, Sharon Patterson
- Social Services: Sue Moffett, Laura Morris
- Parks and Recreation: Dana Kasler, Rion Anthony, Will Bassett
- Police Department: Michael Kochis, Tito Durrette, Steve Knick, Holly Bittle
- Public Works: Stacy Smalls, Jonathan Dean, Scott Hendrix, Kristel Riddervold, Harold Young, Mark Zavicar
- Treasurer: Jason Vandever, Chad Thorne
- Utilities: Lauren Hildebrand, Mary Kay Kotelec