Support Fair Payment for our Local Contractors – Call for Transparency and Prompt Pay on the Charlottesville Home Depot home Improvement Megastore Project

PETITION STATEMENT:
We, the undersigned residents, tradespeople, and community supporters of the Charlottesville/Albemarle region, believe that large national retailers and their general contractors have a responsibility to uphold fair and timely payment practices for the local subcontractors and suppliers who make major construction projects possible.

Recent community discussions have raised concerns that one or more local subcontractors connected to the construction of the new Home Depot project along the Rio Road / Route 29 corridor may be experiencing serious payment delays. We are not asking the public to assume wrongdoing or assign blame without verified facts—we are calling for transparency, accountability, and prompt resolution so that local businesses and workers are not harmed by prolonged payment disputes.

Budget Electrical has publicly shared that it is facing significant financial hardship due to a major payment dispute associated with this project. According to the company, the matter has progressed to legal proceedings. We respectfully call for transparency and a fair, timely resolution so that local contractors can continue to serve and strengthen our community.

WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR:

A public clarification from the project’s responsible parties (owner, general contractor, and/or payment administrator) regarding payment status and dispute resolution processes for subcontractors on the Charlottesville project.
Prompt, good-faith payment for all undisputed invoices owed to subcontractors and suppliers.
Clear payment timelines and a written commitment to prompt-pay standards for current and future projects in our region.
A fair dispute-resolution pathway that does not financially cripple local small businesses while issues are being resolved.
WHY THIS MATTERS:

Local contractors employ local families and keep money circulating in our community.
Payment delays can force small businesses to take on debt, reduce payroll, or close—hurting workers, vendors, and customers.
Projects built with local labor should not result in local economic damage.
OUR REQUEST TO HOME DEPOT / PROJECT LEADERSHIP:
We respectfully request that Home Depot corporate leadership and the project’s general contractor/payment administrator provide a timely public response and demonstrate that subcontractors and suppliers on this project are treated ethically and paid promptly for work performed.

CALL TO ACTION:

If you support fair payment for local trades, sign and share this petition.
Tag local community groups and officials to encourage transparency and resolution.
Support local contractors and ask large project owners to adopt prompt-pay commitments.
SIGNATURE SECTION (copy/paste table-friendly fields):
Name: ________________________________
City/County: ___________________________
Relationship (resident / contractor / business owner / supporter): ___________________________
Email (optional): ________________________
Comment (optional): ________________________________________________________