CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Charlottesville’s City Council will consider a resolution condemning unnecessary violence by federal agents in enforcing immigration laws, while asserting the city’s law enforcement officers are not obligated to aid agencies like ICE as they carry out their work.
The council will also consider a letter to Congressional delegation and state leaders, and new guidance for city employees regarding ICE during its Monday afternoon meeting, starting at 4 p.m.
The three-page proposed resolution states federal officers are expected and compelled to conduct any operations constitutionally and lawfully and that the city cannot interfere with their efforts. It labels many of the tactics ICE has been accused of as detrimental to public safety.
“Federal law does not generally authorize immigration officers to stop vehicles, enter private property, or take enforcement actions absent lawful authority supported by probable cause and, where required, a judicially issued warrant,” the resolution states. “Moreover, the City finds that immigration enforcement actions aimed at schools, medical facilities, courthouses, and houses of worship, while potentially legal, are unduly disruptive to the community’s well-being, and wrongfully interfere with human dignity and rights granted by law.
“The City rejects enforcement actions that exceed or evade these legal limits and finds that such actions erode public confidence, destabilize communities, and undermine the legitimacy of lawful authority itself.”
The letter urges Congressional leaders and the state’s top leaders to standards governing federal immigration enforcement actions in regard to the law and the Constitution.
The guidance from the City Attorney advises that federal law “does not discourage, prohibit, or address the sharing of immigration status information with federal agencies.”
“As a practical matter, City departments do not collect or maintain information about individuals’ immigration status except, in extremely rare cases, where a person’s immigration status may be incidentally relevant to some other City function,” Maddux wrote.
Starting the meeting, Council will hear reports on what a program would look like to install solar power panels on the roofs of Charlottesville High School and Charlottesville Middle School.
The city is looking at a unique financing opportunity for the project, which would otherwise be cost prohibitive, through a Power Purchasing Agreement (PPA).
According to the policy brief, “The PPA model involves a long-term contract and site access arrangement on the property of a host customer. The developer retains ownership and operational responsibility of the solar array and the host customer purchases the system’s electric output at a negotiated rate (proposed to be lower than the prevailing utility rate) and for a predetermined period (usually up to 25 years).”
Council will also get an afternoon report on Phase 4 of the Kindlewood project, for which they’re being asked to pump in more than $3-million more on which construction was supposed to start last month.
This is in addition to the 501 Cherry Avenue ask of $700,000-plus additional for the commercial space for the grocery store the city and Fifeville neighborhood hopes to bring to that mixed-use affordable housing development project.
That item is on the consent agenda that council expects to pass without opposition.
Council also considers a petition from “Charles “Alex-Zan” Alexander submitted for an honorary street designation application on behalf of Melvin “Mel” Eugene Walker, who passed away May 28, 2024.”
“Mel was the owner-chef of Mel’s Cafe. Mel’s Cafe was an essential community gathering spot, playing host to all members of the community,” according to the policy brief.
The resolution designates West Main Street between 7th and 8th Streets the honorary designation of “Mel’s Walk”.
