"The announced topic at Tuesday night's City Council public forum was Charlottesville's budget for the upcoming fiscal year, but it would have been easy at times to mistake the meeting for another debate on the future of the Jefferson School.

Between brief discussions of a possible trash sticker fee increase and other revenue-raising measures, several of the night's speakers - including one announced candidate in the May 7 council election - lobbied the council to find the $950,000 or more it could take to repair the building for continued preschool use.

The city School Board voted last week to move preschool programs out of the historic building, splitting them up among six elementary schools. The council, meanwhile, is preparing to take charge of the school and sell it to developers for other uses that could include condominiums and an African cultural center.

Representing a group called Preservation Jefferson, city resident Kenneth Martin asked the council to wait between a year and 18 months before soliciting development proposals. That time, he said, should be used for a lengthy study on the school's future.

'There has been no evaluation of the educational needs of the community, particularly of those residents who live in the surrounding neighborhoods,' Martin said.

Council members, though, were skeptical. Councilor Kevin Lynch, who opposes moving the preschool, nonetheless said the city should seek ideas from developers that include the program in a renovated building.

Councilor Maurice Cox, meanwhile, stressed that the School Board has not made keeping the preschool in the building a priority. 'We were constantly ready to meet them halfway, but it involved compromises as well that they did not see fit to make,' Cox said.

The school arouses strong feelings for many residents because it is the last major building left from Vinegar Hill, a predominantly black neighborhood razed in the 1960s in the name of 'urban renewal.' Moreover, many people who oppose moving the preschool out of Jefferson say a centralized facility is better for students.

'The 2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds should stay in Jefferson School,' council candidate Bern Ewert said early in the meeting. 'That's a good program, and it really upsets me to see the adults pass the buck on this to the detriment of the children.'

Ewert said the council should allocate about twice as much money annually in the city budget as it currently does for capital improvements to the Jefferson School and aging buildings like it.

Ewert's comments sparked a terse exchange when Mayor Blake Caravati, also a candidate in the May election, told him, 'Speak to the budget. It's not a campaign speech.'

'Mr. Mayor, I'm speaking to the items right here,' Ewert replied, pointing to a meeting agenda that invited comments on matters including the Jefferson School.

While the school dominated discussion Tuesday night, other items did come up. Few speakers voiced strong support or opposition for proposals to raise motor vehicle sticker fees, the tax for E911 service or the price for trash stickers.

The city's proposed budget for the 2002-03 fiscal year likely will not be ready for weeks, and months of discussion will follow its unveiling. City staffers are already warning, however, that they face sharply decreasing revenues and increasing costs. Tuesday's meeting, coupled with the creation of an Internet message board on the city web site, was designed to solicit ideas for raising money or cutting spending.

Among the ideas raised: charging a fee for bicycling licenses, attracting children from other areas to study at city schools for a fee, selling advertising on buses and raising the price downtown restaurants would pay to have sidewalk cafes.

City Manager Gary O'Connell also noted that raising the city sales tax or meals tax would bring in millions of extra dollars annually. While the former would require permission from state government, the latter would not.

A few speakers, though, asked the council to stay away from tax increases, arguing that the slow economy is already hurting residents and businesses without the added burden of higher taxes. 'The money is not just coming out of thin air,' resident Rob Schilling said. 'The money is coming out of our pockets, and it's less money that's going into the merchants.' " (Jake Mooney, The Daily Progress, January 23, 2002)