Newsletter — April 2021

Good evening, neighbors!

Today, the temperature touched 90 degrees for what is surely not the last time this season. It is great to have Summer right around the corner, an impending graduation, and guests returning to Williamsburg!

April flew by, which is why I’m a few days shy on my monthly newsletter… without further ado, here are some noteworthy items from the month:

• New website — Pictured above is the revamped website for the City of Williamsburg. It is easier to navigate and boasts many helpful links like the COVID-19 alert center and open Boards and Commissions seats. I hope you’ll check it out!
• Workforce Housing Group — April brought another meeting of the Workforce Housing Group. In this month’s discussion, we talked about the plans to address affordable housing from three other Virginia localities. To allow us additional time to weigh options for Williamsburg, this committee will extend its work one month, with the intention of providing recommendations to Council in August.
• Budget — This upcoming week, Council will likely vote on the proposed budget for FY2022. While the budget has many important sections, one of note to the public is the proposed real estate property tax increase to $0.68 per $100 of assessed value, which would keep our rate at more than ten cents below the area average. Considering an increase is not something we are taking lightly, even if our rate stays in the lowest in the region. The link above describes the budgetary decisions that drove this proposal, namely the capital improvement projects needed by our educational system, police station, and library building. As always, please feel free to contact me or the entire Council (at council@williamsburgva.gov) if you would like to add your voice to the budgetary conversation. This May meeting will be our first back in person, which will allow for greater participation through public comment, as well.
• 20K — The Greater Williamsburg Vaccination Clinic celebrated its 20,000th administered dose of the COVID-19 vaccine this past week. In just four months, this clinic has done tremendous work in quickly and efficiently providing vaccinations. As always, a big thanks goes to Colonial Williamsburg for the clinic location, William & Mary for providing much-needed refrigerators for vaccine storage, and our many first-responding heroes for staffing the site.

With our outdoor mask mandate lifted, it is wonderful to see smiles again as we continue towards normalcy. I hope we remain vigilant, but feel more at ease to enjoy a healthy and joyful summer season.

With gratitude,

Caleb

**this Newsletter is mine alone and does not represent the input of the entire City Council