Albemarle County school officials are asking the public: Should the county renovate three small elementary schools — Yancey, Scottsville and Red Hill — or consolidate the schools?

Cost estimates for the proposed Eastern Connector range from $40 million to $169 million depending on the size of the road and its location, according to the consultant overseeing an alignment study.

Albemarle officials on Wednesday confronted the county’s projected $4.1 million budget deficit, but could only guess how the shortfall in the state budget could worsen Albemarle’s financial crisis.

The Natural Heritage Committee aims to preserve Albemarle County’s environmental health and biodiversity — but representatives say its existence is threatened by a lack of county support.

As Albemarle County battles a sour economy, some officials are eyeing the possibility of tax increases, but a local anti-tax group is trying to kill that idea before it grows wings.

Local officials will meet Monday to discuss the creation of a task force charged with examining the reasons for and scope of a study on dredging the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir.

A unanimous vote Wednesday by Albemarle’s Board of Supervisors makes the county among the first in the nation to have a comprehensive policy that restricts the use of toxic chemicals in and on county facilities, officials believe.

Albemarle County supervisors unanimously decided Wednesday to take a step they say would “re-validate” a program that allows rural area landowners to defer a hefty portion of their real-estate tax bill in exchange for keeping their land undeveloped.

In stark contrast to a hearing a year ago, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors heard plenty of praise Wednesday for a Soccer Organization of Charlottesville-Albemarle project that would allow it to expand soccer facilities and be a boon for area sport enthusiasts.

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors moved ahead this week with obtaining an independent scrutiny of its operations.

Albemarle County supervisors were faced with a difficult dilemma as they sat in the midst of a tax-rate stalemate earlier this month, waiting on one another to budge.

By The numbers
Proposed budget: $331.4 million
Increase over fiscal 2008 budget: $26 million
Advertised real-estate tax rate for fiscal 2009: 71 cents per $100 assessed value
Current real-estate tax rate: 68 cents per $100 assessed value