What's the history of the revenue sharing plan?

Revenue sharing funds are taken off the top and impact the entire Albemarle County budget. In this year's budget (FY 2008), it amounts to a $13.2 million transfer straight to the City of Charlottesville. These payments have been a growing part of Albemarle's budget since 1982, and which are now to solve a problem that no longer exists--annexation. A year after the revenue sharing agreement was passed, the General Assembly made City annexation of a surrounding county's land illegal. Even so, there was no escape clause in the agreement for Albemarle. Thus revenue sharing will continue until both parties consent to ending the arrangement.

That said, the Albemarle County School Board is supporting state budget amendments advanced by Delegates Bell and Toscano that would at least recognize the revenue sharing payments in the computation of Albemarle County's composite index (which is the state funding formula). If this was fully taken into account, Albemarle would receive an additional $2.8 million from the state next year. It has little chance of being approved by the rest of the General Assembly.

Other resources: Description of revenue sharing and a detailed list of the payments to Charlottesville during FY1983 - FY2008.

Brian Wheeler

Posted by: Brian Wheeler | January 26, 2008 at 03:45 PM