Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of the Town Reversion Committee, Accession #11602, -a, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This collection was given to the Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library by Catherine Peaslee, Lloyd Smith, William Lucy, Garrett Smith, Robert McNergney, and the Town Reversion Committee, all from Charlottesville, Virginia, in March and April of 2000.

Biographical/Historical Information

Core members of the Town Reversion Committee included William Lucy, Robert McNergney, Catherine Peaslee, James Self, Lloyd Smith, and John Wheeler. Their primary attorney was Garrett Smith.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of the papers of the Town Reversion Committee, 1927-1999 (bulk 1995-1999) (ca.1,200 items in 9 Hollinger boxes, 3 linear feet) and includes reversion court proceedings, correspondence, clippings, research, and financial records.

The papers detail the efforts of the Town Reversion Committee to change the City of Charlottesville's status from a city to a town. Virginia is the only state in which cities are independent from the counties in which they are located. The practice arises from early in the Commonwealth's history according to the rationale that rural and urban people should have separate governing structures. The process of urbanization was managed through annexation, until the 1980s when large counties became exempt from it.

By reverting to town status, the City of Charlottesville would have become part of Albemarle County, which would in turn have become responsible for providing Charlottesville's services and resources. The move would have pooled the revenue bases of the city and Albemarle County, in a sense subordinating the city to county, but leaving Charlottesville with an independent governing authority in its own name. Reversion to town status was the main tool the city had to change its status because the process was launched by the city and decided by the court. County officials would be a party to drawing up the specific terms of reversion ultimately recommended by the court --a panel of three judges appointed for the task by the Virginia Supreme Court-- but the county could not stop the process. The city, however, could withdraw the reversion appeal if it decided the terms offered by the court were not to its liking.

The Town Reversion Committee was formed in 1995 and subsequently petitioned the City of Charlottesville to take action to revert to town status. From 1996-1997 the issue was heard in the Circuit Courts of Charlottesville, and then in 1998 the issue was appealed to the Supreme Court of Virginia, which placed a moratorium on reversion to town status by any of Virginia's independent cities. The Town Reversion Committee disbanded in 1999 after losing support from the Charlottesville City Council.

Box 2 contains additional background research on reversion and the City of Charlottesville including city procedural guidelines, publications, reports and data. It also contains a video of the Board of Supervisors' hearing on reversion with notes taken at the actual hearing. Also, Charlottesville City Council documents including information on the Democratic Committee members, candidate information for the 1998 city council election, and other miscellaneous papers.

Box 3 contains correspondence regarding the reversion issue from the Town Reversion Committee, the Town Reversion Committee's lawyers, Clarence McClymonds, Catherine Peaslee, and Lloyd Smith.

Box 4 contains the court proceedings from the Circuit Court of the City of Charlottesville including briefs, memoranda, and a typed copy of the hearing proceedings. It also contains the beginning of the Supreme Court of Virginia court proceedings of The City of Charlottesville v. The County of Albemarle.

Box 5 contains Supreme Court proceedings from The City of Charlottesville v. The County of Albemarle including briefs and appendices of authorities.

Box 6 contains the remainder of the City of Charlottesville v. The County of Albemarle Supreme Court proceedings, which is the three volume appeal pleadings index. Also, it includes the Town Reversion Committee's financial records, including bank statements, deposit slips, information on individuals that donated to the committee, lawyer's bills, and other miscellaneous bills and records.

Box 7 contains a copy of the original reversion petition, database information on the petition and individuals who signed it, individuals who wanted to be removed from it, and miscellaneous materials such as maps, notes, and petition handouts. Also, it contains the Proposed Terms for Town Reversion by Five Petitioners, and the beginning of the exhibits that accompanied it.

Box 8 contains the remainder of the exhibits that accompanied the Proposed Terms for Town Reversion. Also, it contains reversion publicity including advertisement, newspaper and magazine clippings, information from forums that were held, information sheets that were handed out, mailings, and press releases.

Box 9 contains Town Reversion Committee documents including information of the members of the committee, the conceived structure of the committee, and the minutes from all Town Reversion Committee meetings. It also includes writings on reversion including letters to the editor, and reports and talks that were given on reversion.

Arrangement

This collection is organized alphabetically by subject matter, and then chronologically within folders.