Charlottesville Community Engagement

Town Crier Productions

Regular updates of what's happening in local and regional government in and around Charlottesville, Virginia from an award-winning journalist with nearly thirty years of experience. communityengagement.substack.com

  1. 1D AGO

    Podcast for April 3, 2026: Three Downtown Mall stories, two on transportation, and one on short term rental rules in Charlottesville

    The term “prevailing wisdom” can only apply if such experience exists, and there is still no certainty about the best time to post the audio edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. I’m Sean Tubbs, still dreaming that every newsletter edition could still be sonic but this one is ready to go with eight stories where you can hear the voices of local government. In this edition: * Downtown Mall crossings will be closed this spring for repairs (read the story) * City Council gets a briefing on action to get the Downtown Mall ready for its 50th anniversary (read the story) * Business leaders talk the future of the Downtown Mall at a Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (read the story) * Albemarle Supervisors recognize April as Child Abuse Prevention month (read the story) * Albemarle Supervisors approve a zoning amendment to allow 40 additional units at Hollymead Town Center Area C (read the story) * Work to begin this year on Crozet park and ride lot (read the story) * The Charlottesville Planning Commission gets transportation update including info on Rose Hill restriping project (read the story) * Charlottesville staff recommends no amendments to city’s homestay rules for now (read the story) PSA #1 The Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards are hosting their 2026 Spring Tree Sale at the Virginia Department of Forestry, 900 Natural Resources Drive, Saturday, April 11th, from 10:00am ‘til Noon. The Stewards maintain their own volunteer-run tree nursery, planting saplings and nurturing them until they’re large enough to be planted out, concentrating on hard-to-find native trees. Spring is a great time to plant, and by purchasing directly from C - A -T - S, you help their mission of supporting forests for present and future generations. Plan to get there early as they sell out fast! PSA #2 The Friends of the Jefferson Madison Regional Library Spring Book Sale runs from Saturday, April 4th through Sunday, April 12th from 10:00am to 7:00pm each day at Albemarle Square Shopping Center. The members’ preview sale is Friday, April 3rd from 5:00 to 7:00pm, and you can join or renew online or at the door. Additionally, April 11th and 12th are ½-price days. Choose from thousands of books, DVDs, CDs, LPs, games and puzzles, with restocking occurring throughout the sale. Proceeds benefit our regional public library system. Visit jmrlfriends DOT org for more information. Thoughts at the end of #1027A Mondays and Fridays are the days where I seem to have the most to do and I would like to try to get the podcast out on this day. I’m much happier with the audio set-up than I have been in the past and even experimented today with doing a live-stream of some of the production work. In any case, this was a busy week but I still lament that I did not get to everything. Much remains and with this podcast out of the way, I can spend my Friday night figuring out how to proceed in the first full week of April. While this may not seem like fun to most, any moment I am working is one in which I am honoring my end of the bargain. I produce stories that you won’t get anywhere else and you can decide if you want to pay me. That come in the form of a paid subscription on Substack or a charitable contribution. Don’t want to pay but want to help out? Share this post, please! Tell a friend or neighbor! Invite me to a panel discussion! All kinds of things are possible. Thanks for reading Charlottesville Community Engagement ! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

    34 min
  2. 5D AGO

    Podcast for March 30, 2026: Five stories about recent events including a briefing on a low barrier homeless shelter

    What has happened in the last week? There are many different organizations that document current events and affairs through the telling of stories and then packaging a look back. This is a journalistic tradition that dates back many years and Charlottesville Community Engagement seeks to continue with this Monday morning look and listen for people to catch up. Most people read the material while others look forward to every installment of the podcast edition which offers a chance to hear what people sound like. I’m Sean Tubbs and here are five stories you may have missed: * Charlottesville City Council briefed on low-barrier shelter might work groups that provide the programming (read the story) * City Council agrees to hire consultant to develop public arts commission for Charlottesville (read the story) * One of Albemarle County’s community advisory committees weighs in on what they’d like to discuss at this year’s meetings (read the story) * Albemarle County Executive Jeffrey Richardson shares data points on Albemarle services with Supervisors (read the story) * The director of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority gives an update on Long Bridge and expansion of service to Christiansburg (read the story) You can help get more information out to more people by sharing the links above or sharing the newsletter! Thoughts at the end of CCE-1023A I really enjoy doing this work. I’m producing this into the evening of March 29, way past when I would usually be working but I need to at least make sure the script is ready to go. I want to make sure this goes out in the early morning of March 30. I know that most people will not listen to the audio when presented as an optional thing to print. You can read the stories so much faster, but there’s something to hearing people’s voices that I feel is important. I like producing long audio versions because I like to use a skill I began to learn a long time ago. One day maybe others will help me with the editing and such. Now it’s the morning of March 30 and it’s taken me an hour or so this morning to put this together, but that’s mostly because I got caught in a research problem related to a new interface the Virginia Department of Elections has for their historical database. In any case, there are no shout-outs in this post because I don’t have anyone underwriting them. That’s in part because I’ve not had time to spend connecting with those who might be interested. I’m more of a journalist than a person who runs a company. You can support the work through a paid subscription through Substack or making a charitable contribution via the Tiny News Collective. There will be another edition later today as well. I have two stories written and will aim to get another two written as well. Thanks for being part of this experiment! Very quick look at the Week Ahead: I am going to memorialize this here as an example of how this gets made. This segment was done to fill a one minute hole in the version for WTJU that aired on March 28. At the time I publish it, I’ve already written a fleshed out version but this served as an initial glimpse that then allowed me to do that work faster. This is from the script for the radio show. Sometimes if I don’t write it down, I’ll go way over length. Improvisation is fun and all, but I mostly have to get the work done. Finally today, a look ahead to what’s happening in local governments next week: * In Albemarle County there will be two more town hall meetings related to the FY2027 budget with one on at 6 p.m. on Monday at Lakeside Middle School and one on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Albemarle High School. * On Wednesday the Board of Supervisors will meet at 1 p.m. and will get an update on transportation before having another budget work session. In the evening session at 6 p.m. there will be a public hearing on the Great Eastern Management Company’s request to add more homes at North Pointe and reduce the amount of commercial space. * Charlottesville City Council will have a budget work session on Thursday at which they’ll wrap up discussions in anticipation for adoption in the middle of the month. * Fluvanna County Supervisors will have a budget public hearing on April 1 And that’s that! Please share with others! Charlottesville Community Engagement is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

    31 min
  3. MAR 20

    Podcast for March 20, 2026: A glimpse into budget season in Albemarle County and Charlottesville

    In a democracy, local governments play a vital role in providing services to the people who live there and the budget process is a glimpse into the priorities of a locality. There are many complexities for decision-makers to consider, knowing their time in office only continues if they have support of the electorate. This podcast edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement is a snapshot of the budgets in Albemarle County and Charlottesville just before the equinox. Here are links to stories as they appear on Information Charlottesville. In this edition: * No major comments at Charlottesville City Council’s first public hearing on two-cent tax rate increase for FY2027 budget (read the story) * Albemarle County Supervisors make adjustments to their proposed budget for FY27 and opt to advertise an increase in the personal property tax rate to dedicate additional revenue to an affordable housing fund (read the story) Comments on CCE-1019A It is entirely there may not be a regular newsletter today. I need to write a story for C-Ville Weekly and I know what it will be so I may go find a place to get a bite to eat and work on that as opposed to working at home. I’ve not been doing that as much because money is getting tighter even as more revenues come in to Town Crier Productions. There is a loose energy in the interstitial moments of the podcast. I began work on this at 5 a.m. because I wanted to get it done so I could move on to the next set of stories. I have so many from this week to get to and I’m looking forward to doing what I can. A reason I don’t work outside the home a lot is that my productivity drops to near zero if I’m in a place where I am likely to see people. In any case, I’m going to repeat the social media info from the other day. * I created a BlueSky account because I missed Twitter but I don’t do much except post links to Information Charlottesville stories. I’m not interested in live-posting anything, but I do miss interaction sometimes. I may experiment. * There are 437 followers of the Town Crier Productions Facebook page which is currently solely used to let people know when a story has been posted to Information Charlottesville. That website is the archive for stories that go out first in this newsletter. There is almost no engagement because that websites’ algorithms prioritize conflict and I’m not trying to manipulate anyone’s emotions. * There are slightly more followers on Instagram, but not many as posts are not quite optimized. I spent time trying to make some fancy images on Sunday but I got the formatting wrong. I’m going to keep trying to experiment because there’s a business owner in Waynesboro who one day I hope to actually impress. * There is Substack notes which I post status updates about newsletters. I don’t really know how people find these. I deleted the Substack app ages ago. * I post a version of the Week Ahead on Reddit each Sunday which is a little shorter. This is intended to attract people to the newsletter and many of you got here from there. But there is no official page and you have to know my username. Maybe I’ll change that in the future? * There is no TikTok page nor anything else with video because I do not know how to do that very well. One day I’d like to experiment, but I also don’t like being seen. * There is no new content on the Charlottesville Podcasting Network but it predates this newsletter by 15 years. I had a good idea and all I wanted to do was use to to tell stories about the community. Here I am still, hoping to get more people involved. So that’s that. Please do follow some of the above and help me share some of the content when you see it. That will help me grow the audience which in turn will hopefully allow me to bring in more revenue. Paid subscriptions are nice, as are charitable contributions! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

    32 min
  4. MAR 9

    Podcast for March 9, 2026: A look at Charlottesville’s FY27 budget and two future development projects

    Another week is upon us with the prospect of many more stories about all of the usual topics covered by Charlottesville Community Engagement. I’m Sean Tubbs, the president and publisher of Town Crier Productions, an entity created in the summer of 2020 to help me try to bring in revenue so I can share my research into what happens in local, regional and Virginia government. This is an audio version that is largely based on what aired on WTJU on Saturday morning. This podcast edition adds a few other stories, and even contains one that has not yet been in print form. In this edition: * Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders details the need for a two cent increase on the real property tax rate (read the story * Sanders also announces that Charlottesville’s pre-K center will be at Walker Upper Elementary School, not Oak Lawn (read the story) * Charlottesville has installed equipment at garages to allow customers to pay without a phone (read the story) * The city’s Board of Architectural Review takes a preliminary look at two development projects (read the story) * The University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors met this week and the Buildings and Grounds committee learned of a new building on Ivy Road as well as a future road connection between Millmont and Copely Road. (stories not printed yet) A word about shout-outs and the podcast in general The sixth anniversary of the lockdown declared due to the COVID-19 pandemic is this week. That’s also the sixth anniversary of my return to journalism when I decided on March 15 to just put out a podcast covering local and state response. What would become the Charlottesville Quarantine Report began because I had audio production skills that had atrophied, as well as journalistic ones that had nowhere to go. The audience was miniscule for the dozens of episodes I produced, but I knew that research and reporting was how I wanted to spend my time. So I left a job to take a leap of faith to create this newsletter, experiment with Information Charlottesville, and create a business called Town Crier Productions to try to raise enough revenue to cover my bills. Since then I’ve sent out well over a thousand newsletters and written hundreds of stories. For the first four years, all of the newsletters were also podcasts. About two years ago, I stopped that practice when I began producing a radio version for WTJU as a volunteer. I quickly learned I needed to increase attention to detail in the audio. The audience for the podcast is much, much smaller than the print editions. As a result, I’ve tapered back audio production. Beginning in late January, I’ve begun to have equipment failure and these setbacks have made me less interested in producing the audio. Time spent away from the house was also less than ideal. Yet, I do love producing the audio and I love the challenge of trying to balance stories across the newsletter, the website, C-Ville Weekly, the radio version, and the podcast. It will likely always be an experiment and my hopes to get it out at a regular time have been dashed. In any case, this edition includes the public service announcements that aired on WTJU. I’m not going to report the print versions because in 2026 I am trying to transition the shout-outs to something more like formal underwriting. What you see now is a hodge-podge of a lot of different approaches and I have been moving to clean all of that up. I’m also exploring the possibility of a different platform for this newsletter and will be experimenting first with Fifth District Community Engagement. That’s an experiment that has been on hiatus but I’m going to play around with it a little more. There is also a new way for people to contribute. I’ve entered into a contract with the Tiny News Collective to allow people to make a charitable gift. Contact me if interested or visit this page. And now, on to the next set of stories! But first, the obligatory picture posted here so there’s a good picture when it goes out to subscribers. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

    32 min
  5. MAR 2

    Podcast for March 2, 2026: Albemarle’s next budget, Greene’s next Supervisor, and what’s next for Windy Knoll?

    Can anyone prove that February 10, 2026 was the last time there was an audio edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement? Turns out it is not that difficult as there is clearly a link and the day in question was a Tuesday. This podcast version consists of some stories from recent weeks and links to them if you’ve not read them yet. The next actual newsletter may or may not be out this afternoon depending on how well a new month’s energy sustains itself throughout the pre-spring day. In this edition: * Greene Supervisors appoint former member to fill vacancy (learn more) * Albemarle Planning Commission wants to see another design for Windy Knoll (read the story) * Albemarle Supervisors take action on Boulders Road project (need to produce) * Charlottesville PC looks ahead to next set of zoning changes (need to produce) * No tax rate increases included in proposed $724M Albemarle budget for FY2027 (read the story) First shout-out: WTJU Puzzle Hunt returns on March 14 In today’s first shout-out: Cville Puzzle Hunt is back! Organized by WTJU 91.1 FM and designed by Puzzled Bee, the event is a citywide cerebral puzzle for teens and adults of all ages. The Cville Puzzle Hunt works like an escape room, but all of downtown Charlottesville is the “room.” This year’s event takes place Saturday, March 14, 2:30 - 6 p.m. The Puzzle Hunt starts and ends at IX Art Park, with puzzles to solve at various downtown locations. Those participating will have a wild afternoon running around trying to untangle five diabolical, large-scale puzzles inserted into the urban landscape. Advance registration is requested at CvillePuzzleHunt.com. The event is free and a $10 a person donation is suggested or $20 if you want to sponsor someone else. Thoughts at the end of CCE-1007A Things have been off since the end of January culminating in a trip away from the place where I am best set up to be productive. But there were other odd things I’d like to mention to those who make their way to the ends of this newsletters. * It felt off to make a transition from #999 to #1000. I have a hard time believing I’ve actually been doing this for five and a half years. * The WTJU fundraiser pre-empted me for a week which threw off the rhythm. * Something happened to my recording equipment. For one, the audio gain in my headphones was off so I couldn’t hear myself doing narrations. For another, something about the microphone isn’t processing certain frequencies. Today I have to fix that, hence this podcast edition. * I’ve taken the first steps toward a new way people can support the work. I don’t have any sort of campaign planned to promote this, but I’m dropping the link. * I learned I had to go away three days before the trip, which led to me taking some time off to get ready * Being the sole proprietor and sole employee means there are a lot of levers that have to be pushed and it’s just me with arms that can do the work. I was sick for a couple of days and that means some work got displaced. * I do two stories a week for C-Ville Weekly which has a harder deadline than audio work that is consumed by far fewer people. Today I’m making myself do this before I write this week’s stories. Friday was my last day with the family and I needed space. A reality is that if the audio is to continue, I need to have help doing the work. One day I will have a plan to train people who would like to learn, but managing people takes up the most time of all for a former extrovert turned full-on introvert. Still, maybe one day. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

    32 min
  6. FEB 10

    Podcast for February 10, 2026: Charlottesville City Council contributes funds to Salvation Army shelter, Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless, and helps close PACEM budget gap

    There is a theory that both the next podcast edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement as well as the next written version might be delayed out of some sort of concern about whether the internal numbering system is equipped to deal with the impending approach of the 1,000th edition. At least, that is one possible explanation of why it has taken so long to produce these older stories from the last week. There was a slight disruption in the routine which sometimes results in delays. I’m Sean Tubbs, and I look forward to sorting it all out. Audio versions of stories previously sent out in the newsletter: * Charlottesville City Council agrees to reallocate funding intended to run low-barrier shelter (read the story) * Charlottesville’s finance director presents more details on city’s $8.5 million surplus (read the story) * The 700 block of Charlottesville’s West Main Street is now known as “Mel’s Walk” (read the story) * Albemarle’s Economic Development Authority agrees to spend $500K on Boulders Road Extension (read the story) * Supervisor Mike Pruitt shares information on CARTA with fellow elected officials (read the story) * The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission will try again for federal funding for design of Rivanna pedestrian bridge (read the story) Charlottesville Community Engagement is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Today’s shout-out: Cville Village seeks volunteers! Can you drive a neighbor to a doctor’s appointment? Change an overhead lightbulb, plant a flower, walk a dog for someone who is sick, visit someone who is lonely? If so, Cville Village needs you! Cville Village is a local 501c3 nonprofit organization loosely affiliated with a national network of Villages whose goals are to help seniors stay in their own homes as long as possible, and to build connections among them that diminish social isolation. Volunteers do small chores for, and have gatherings of, professors and schoolteachers, nurses and lawyers, aides and housekeepers. Time and chance come to all – a fall, an order not to drive, failing eyesight, a sudden stroke. They assist folks continue living at home, with a little help from their friends. Cville Village volunteers consult software that shows them who has requested a service and where they are located. Volunteers accept only the requests that fit their schedule and their skills. Volunteering for Cville Village can expand your circle of friends and shower you with thanks. To learn more, visit cvillevillage.org or attend one of their monthly Village “meet-ups” and see for yourself. To find out where and when the next meetup is, or to get more information and a volunteer application, email us at info@cvillevillage.org, or call them at (434) 218-3727. End notes for #998-A My thoughts were well-intentioned. As I was producing stories last week, I did produce the audio but I did not post them to the Information Charlottesville website. Somehow I forgot that finished audio segments had been made and it felt like a slog to have to do the audio again. This is because the radio version did not air last week and so I didn’t feel the same pressure to follow all of the steps. This week there will be a radio show and I have enough material that I am considering slowing down a little this week to focus on business and administration things. Also, it is going to be in the fifties later and I want to go for a walk and watch the ice and snow melt. So I am going to aim to have the next newsletter out tomorrow. That will be #999 and after that will be #1000. No comma. I think that’s how I’ll get through adding a fourth digit. Another reason things were difficult this week is that my copy of Adobe Audition reset and a lot of my bookmarks disappeared. Because I could not see the recent links to session files, I assumed I had not produced them. I’m writing this as I produce the podcast and also missing are my links to various sound files I use as punctuation in between stories. Youngers versions of me used to love playing around with audio production. I still do, but these days the need to produce takes the capacity away from being creative. Which is why this may be a week I listen to my brain and take a slight reset. All I know is that I’m very glad to have this edition done and to have a few hours off away from writing. There are many stories to tell, but there are also days I need to do a little more. Oh! Another reason this week is weird. For some reason, the gain on the headphones for my recording set-up is really low so I can’t really hear myself while narrating. This is an annoyance but also causes issues. Perhaps I’ll spend the rest of the day setting up a new place to work! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

    24 min
  7. FEB 4

    Podcast for February 4, 2026: Charlottesville City Council gets a preview of the FY27 budget and other recent stories

    There is an inkling of a legend that one day scientists will perfect a regular orbit for the audio edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. Or at least, in the current day and age, this podcast edition happens as a secondary or perhaps tertiary by-product of the creation of many stories. The optimal time for this to come is Monday morning but the mini Ice Age has taken its toll on normal routines. I’m Sean Tubbs, and I do hope you’ll take a listen whenever you can. In this edition: * City Council took a look at national financial picture at recent retreat (read the story) * Charlottesville City Council briefed on FY27 budget; assessments up an average of 3.72 percent in 2026 (read the story) * Charlottesville’s FY25 surplus totals $8.5 million (read the story) * The Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Transit Authority meets for the first time in 2026 (read the story) * Albemarle County seeking changes to form-based code at Rio / 29 (read the story) * Council confirms willingness to let group build bridge to Vietnam memorial, accept the infrastructure (read the story) * City Manager Sanders goes through his work plan; Ashley Marshall leaving city government (read the story) First shout-out: Camp Albemarle! Today’s subscriber-supported public service announcement goes out to Camp Albemarle, which has for over eighty years been a “wholesome rural, rustic and restful site for youth activities, church groups, civic events and occasional private programs.” Located on 14 acres on the banks of the Moorman’s River near Free Union, Camp Albemarle continues as a legacy of being a Civilian Conservation Corps project that sought to promote the importance of rural activities. Rebuilt in the early 1980’s, a legacy of 4-H programming thrives along with a wide range of additional activities. Educational initiatives from schools across the region spark environmental learning moments at every turn. Second shout-out: WTJU Folk Marathon running this week WTJU’s volunteer hosts are curating a Folk music mecca, running February 2 – 9, all to raise money for the non-commercial radio station as it continues to find its footing after federal funding cuts. Check out the schedule on the website here! Keep your dial set to 91.1 FM (or stream from their player) for a week of Folk sounds, including old-time, honky tonk, global music, roots, and mind-bending psych folk. There will be deep dives into the work of singular artists, including Brandi Carlile, John Prine, Jesse Welles, Martin Carthy, and many more. There will be tributes to some of the musicians we lost in 2025, including Raul Malo, Danny Thompson, Joe Ely, Michael Hurley, and Todd Snider.The Marathon will boast eight live concerts, open to the public, and broadcast on air, online, and on the WTJU YouTube channel. Stop by to see Mama Tried, Scuffletown, the Buzzard Hollow Boys, Red and the Romantics, Ramona and the Holy Smokes, and others! Every hour of the seven days and nights broadcasts directly from WTJU; even the overnight programming is populated with archived concerts from our very own stage! We have also invited some of our favorite local musicians in to present special programming, including Banjo Hall of Fame member Bill Evans, singer/songwriter extraordinaire Terri Allard, and band leader Waverly Minor. Where else but WTJU can you find such support from the community? End notes on #995-A People who listen to the audio of this one may notice some interesting errors. More than usual, I’m popping my p’s and otherwise hitting plosives. That’s because something weird is happening with my recording set-up that I can’t hear proper gain on my voice when I’m recording. If I can’t hear them when I’m narrating a script, then they end up in the final mix because there’s no choice. I’ll figure it out, but I left it in for this one because this may have been one of the hardest audio editions to have done for a while. I barely took a breather in January and sometimes when I do too much work I don’t process all of the stories properly. So yesterday I took off from writing new stories to get caught up with what I’ve already done. I usually do this work on Saturdays but I wanted to look at the General Assembly. This particular audio version also includes brand new interstitials. Those are the bits of sound in between the audio segments. One of the original ideas was that I would continue to make new ones but I’ve been using the same 20 stings over and over. So, today I made an effort to make new ones from existing weird things I’ve made over the years. Speaking of which, I’ve had an idea. In the coming weeks I’ll be announcing a new way people can support my work, and that also involves changing the Patreon away from reporting and to something more artistic and creative. Probably not at all even close to the mainstream and it may not work, but I don’t want to close the account. In any case, there may or may not be a regular newsletter today. I have to attend to the business of it all and this is a day where I may need to give myself over to that. Then again, maybe I won’t. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

    31 min
4.4
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Regular updates of what's happening in local and regional government in and around Charlottesville, Virginia from an award-winning journalist with nearly thirty years of experience. communityengagement.substack.com

You Might Also Like