“It’s just not at the top of the list at the moment,” city spokesman Ric Barrick said.

When the 43-year-old Bickers officially starts as executive director Wednesday he said he will face a host of tasks and challenges to turn the housing authority around.

In addition to a $2.1 million fiscal 2008 surplus, of which much will be used to help the city stay afloat in the feeble economy, the city had an additional $3.6 million in unspent funds from city departments.

A 13-member task force is ready for long discussions about dredging the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir.

Plans for the Downtown Mall restoration, a $7.5 million overhaul slated to start in less than six months, could be set in stone tonight.

City departments will soon be put under the efficiency microscope, but Charlottesville councilors have varying opinions on how far the examination should go.