Todd Divers - twenty-three year resident of Charlottesville and Albemarle County - BA in Sociology from the University of Virginia - MT in Secondary Social Studies from the Curry School of Education - former educator - small business employee who has spent the past seven years serving the entrepreneurs of Charlottesville and Albemarle County

My Priorities

Small Business Orientation

Charlottesville is a landlocked city with limited space for industrial development; small business, therefore, is and will remain the backbone of its economy.  My experience and sensitivities working with other small businesses will be a great asset to my office as I help small business owners navigate their way through licensing and taxation issues.  The Commissioner of the Revenue’s office can attract and nurture small
businesses—and promote economic development—by utilizing taxation and licensing processes that are clear, efficient, and easily accessible.  This means online account access and payment options.  As Commissioner of the Revenue, I will maximize the opportunities created as the Commissioner’s office updates its data management systems, a process already underway.

Customer Service

Remembering that we exist to serve the public, my office will provide timely, efficient, and courteous service, along with accurate assessment information.  I will expand the City’s tax- and rent-relief programs to the extent possible, through the innovative use of technology and staffing.  In many localities around the Commonwealth, customers are able to access certain DMV services at their local Commissioner of the Revenue’s Office.  I will explore this possibility as well.

Objectivity

While I am the Democratic nominee to be your next Commissioner of the Revenue, I fully appreciate that the position is not political.  The Commissioner of the Revenue’s job is to help keep the City’s fiscal house in order.  Once elected, I will fairly and equitably identify and assess those sources of revenue to which the City is entitled according to the laws of the Commonwealth and the City of Charlottesville—and I will increase those funds through the application of new technologies.  Deciding how those funds are spent, however, is not within the purview of the Commissioner of the Revenue; it is the task of City Council in collaboration with the City Manager.  In short, the Commissioner of the Revenue must be a public servant first.

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Commissioner of the Revenue

The Commissioner of the Revenue, elected to a four-year term to serve as the chief tax officer,
-  assesses personal property taxes,
-  administers and collects business-related taxes, from the business license tax to the meals tax to the Virginia sales and use tax,
    and assists business owners with filing and compliance,
-  administers the City’s tax relief, rent relief, and tax incentive programs,
-  assists with filing of Virginia state income tax returns.

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Thank You, Lee

As  Commissioner of the Revenue for the City of Charlottesville, Lee Richards has been an exemplary public servant.  We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his
diligent, selfless service, and I want to begin my campaign by acknowledging that service.  It would be a privilege to succeed Lee, and I ask for your support as I seek to become Charlottesville’s next Commissioner of the Revenue.

"Edie and I asked Todd to put this sign on our property as we are supporting him in the race for Charlottesville Commissioner of Revenue" - Lee and Edie Richards

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By Waldo Jaquith from Charlottesville, VA, United States (City Hall) [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

By Bob Mical from Charlottesville, VA, USA (yet_another_pav_sunrise) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Paid for and authorized by Friends of Todd Divers