George--

I would like to expand on my comments during the second forum concerning regional cooperation. Today's article on the critically low level of our water supply only serves to underscore our need for regional planning and local water conservation. I'm concerned that there hasn't been a full discussion of cooperation with Albemarle County, the University of Virginia, and the rural counties in our region. Taken together, all of these entities are larger than the City, but have a direct and significant impact on the quality of life and economy of the City.

1. The Charlottesville/Albemarle/University Planning and Advisory Committee (PACC) has been in existence for about fifteen years. Yet many of the conversations at the meetings avoids some of the real issues in which each entity affects the other. For instance some questions I would propose addressing include:

*What impact on the local economy if all three entities committed to local purchasing of all possible goods and services?
*What does it mean when one entity plans for an area as an urban center and places it adjacent to another entity’s residential area?
*What is the effect of "infill" as proposed in Albemarle County’s DISC program? We can all agree this is a valuable attempt to preserve rural areas, but what does it mean for urban areas such as the City and the University?
*How can we, as a region, commit to alternative transportation modes when we commit to increasing parking spaces close in?
*What happens to the Rivanna River then its tributaries are threatened and there is an inconsistent approach to protecting the water quality?

2. I would also encourage:

*Quarterly meetings of the City and County planning commissions which include time for members of the public to pose issues for discussion
*Quarterly meetings of the City and County School Boards. So many of the education issues faced by local government, especially in light of the every downward spiral of state support, are common issues to both. Perhaps we could use collective wisdom to generate cooperative solutions.
*Making better use of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission topics such as environmental protection, regional transportation, housing, and economic development
*Dedication to making the Workforce Investment Act really work to improve education and job futures for the local workforce, including English as a Second Language. We must work with other localities to solve the problem of upwardly mobile jobs for our citizens where they are paid a living wage and receive benefits.

Alexandria Searls (electronic mail, February 20, 2002)