Scrolling with Sally Vol. 1. No. 4

In a world of constant content, the amount of information can be overwhelming. And yet. We still want to be informed. We want to be connected. One of the best parts of social media is that it is social; we get to know each other and learn from each other. In my case, I often “like, share, and subscribe” as if it’s second nature. And so it only seems natural to continue that habit with you. Here are some of the happenings in our community, the things I am doing, reading, and learning, both online and off. 

The Jouett Journey - what your Supervisor has been up to lately 

Happy March! Over the past few weeks I was able to speak with our neighbors at the Farm Bureau, attended our CAC meeting, went to an Empty Bowls fundraiser for Loaves & Fishes (the bowls the students made were amazing - put this on your calendar for next year!), and attended a community Iftar at UVA, where Lt. Gov. Hashmi gave a few words. The one big thing I was unable to attend was the State of the Community, and I’ve heard great things about it. I’m looking forward to the video of the event being posted soon!

See your Neighbors! - events and activities around town 

There are a couple of things coming up this week that look great. One is the Shenandoah National Park Trust Presents: Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival – a three day film festival “showcasing the world’s best short films in mountain sports and culture.” That sounds even more fun after watching the Olympics! And speaking of, the Paralympics start March 6^th and will also be available to watch.

The other big event this week is the Active Mobility Summit, happening Thursday night and Friday during the day. Tickets are free, but they want you to register so they can have an idea of how many people to expect. “This year’s summit will focus on the economic and social benefits communities enjoy when they are great for walking and biking residents and visitors have easy access to fresh air. Thursday will have public presentations; Friday morning will focus on structural solutions.”

I’m disappointed I have to work Friday morning and can’t attend the workshops, but this looks like a great event and really important to continue working on.

On the Agenda - things I found interesting from the Board of Supervisors meeting

This week, I am very excited that we are having a work session on the Zoning Modernization process. This is a process that will be ongoing throughout the year, and it is not a zoning rewrite, but it is a chance to update it, make it easier to understand, and (hopefully) bring it more in line with our Comp Plan. So, much more to come on that, I'm sure.

We’re also getting a presentation on the SMART SCALE applications, and there are a lot centered around Barracks Road and getting some pedestrian infrastructure in, and several roundabouts throughout the county, so that is encouraging. Of course, probably only one of those will get picked, so that’s a frustrating part of that particular process. Hopefully in the future we can get the state to increase the funding for programs like this.

The Receipts - learning about the county budget 

It is now officially Budget Season!

I've been told that this process is very overwhelming the first time, so I’m preparing for that, but I am also excited about the process. Digging into the budget is a really great way to learn about how the county operates and how some of these decisions are made. It’s a great chance to ask questions and get answers, and that is honestly one of my favorite things to do. As you probably know, the County Executive presented his proposed budget on the 25^th, and this Wednesday, the only thing on the agenda for the 6:00 part of the meeting is a public hearing on the budget.

While there will be more opportunities to give public comment about the budget, the purpose of this public hearing is to receive public comment. So. If you have thoughts about the budget, please come and let us know! I have not read through all of it yet, but I already have a few things that I would like to see changed, and I’m sure other people do as well. The public feedback really matters.

In addition to this, there is a schedule of meetings during the budget process. There is no public comment at the work sessions, but throughout March and April you can give public comment at our regular meetings, and of course, you can always email in your comments bos@albemarle.org.

The Weekly Brainrot - pop culture I’ve been consuming lately 

Most of what I watched this month was the Olympics, but I also wanted to catch up on Shrinking. I have a habit of starting a show, and then dropping it when I get busy, which happened here – I’d only ever seen the first season and it was a couple of years ago. So I started the show over, and then over the past couple of weeks I made it all the way up to the current season, and then was so annoyed! I thought all of Season 3 dropped at once and was so excited to watch it, but it is a weekly show! Which I love in theory, but now I’m all caught up and now I have to wait for the rest, LOL. If you haven’t seen it, it is so lovely and really funny. Harrison Ford is such a gem.

As always, these newsletters are solely my opinions, my experiences, and my personal take on the issues as we all work together to continue making Albemarle County an even better, more affordable place to call home.