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Record of Proceedings

Chesapeake City Council Meeting: Budget Adoption and Policy Discussions - May 14, 2024

City Council — Tuesday, May 14, 2024
BodyChesapeake, Virginia
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, May 14, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
1:00

We could uh get everyone at the seats, please.

1:03

We need to get started.

1:06

Mr.

1:06

Manager, would you please present your items under our work session?

1:12

May 14, 2024.

1:13

Thank you, Mr.

1:14

Mayor.

1:14

First up is uh Earl Sorry, Director of Public Works with updates on uh projects on Elbow Road.

1:21

Thank you, Mr.

1:22

Manager.

1:22

Uh I'll be giving you updates on two.

1:25

Oh thank you, Mr.

1:28

Manager.

1:28

I'll be giving you updates on uh two projects along Elbow Road, the roadway project and the bridge replacement project.

1:35

Um so I will start with the uh bridge replacement uh project.

1:40

So you know that replaces the existing bridge uh adjacent to the Stumpy Lake spillway.

1:46

And so you know if you drive over today, you'll miss it because it's only about 30 feet long.

1:52

Um but it is a structurally deficient bridge that is in need of replacement.

1:58

Uh the pictures that you see uh to the right of the slide uh show the bridge, and then it also shows it uh overtopping during Hurricane Matthew.

2:09

And at that point, we had to do some emergency repairs, had to go in with sheet piles and and do some improvements to get us uh to hold us over and keep the bridge safe to we can go forward with the full replacement.

2:22

Um because the new bridge is taller, a portion of that will be in the city of Virginia Beach, and we'll talk about Virginia Beach's contribution to the project.

2:33

Uh so uh the right-of-way acquisition is complete.

2:37

We will start utility relocations uh later this month, and we could start construction as early as this fall.

2:45

Uh, the thing uh of interest to council is this construction will require a long-term road closure and detour.

2:52

We're estimating that that would take nine to twelve months.

2:55

Uh we're mindful of the impact on that to our citizens and commuters.

3:00

So we are having discussions with VDOT about the possibility of including an early completion incentive in the contract.

3:08

And uh the detour is marked, but it would uh include Centerville Turnpike to Lynnhaven Parkway to Indian River Road, and the project would continue until the spring of 2026.

3:21

I share this slide, and I know it's a little busy, but uh the the bot the kind of the middle part of that slide that you see uh with the blue shading, that's roughly where the existing bridge is today.

3:34

So uh the new bridge will be about four times as long.

3:39

It'll be 120 feet uh long, it would be higher, and because of that added uh height and length, that puts a portion of the project into the city of Virginia Beach.

3:52

So again, I know the slide's a little bit busy, but I'll just focus on the shaded portions uh of that graphic.

3:59

Uh what's shaded in the purple is our bridge project.

4:05

Uh what is shaded in the tan is the elevation on the Virginia Beach side to bring the roadway up to the elevation of the bridge.

4:14

Uh we will manage uh both aspects of that construction under an uh contract with Virginia Beach.

4:23

So that would be procured as one project, executed as one project.

4:27

And then what you see highlighted in green is Virginia Beach's ongoing improvements of the various phases of elbow road.

4:34

So our capital budget uh for this is roughly seven and a half million.

4:40

Uh that's funded uh by VDOT.

4:42

Uh Virginia Beach would be contributing another three million dollars for their portion of the project, bringing the uh project total to ten and a half million, and again, we would have an upcoming uh item for council's consideration uh to to uh enter into a contract with Virginia Beach.

5:01

I'd also like to just you know what while we're here talking about Elbow Road, give you an update on the roadway uh widening portion.

5:08

So again, just to recap the the scope of the project, it would include uh two twelve-foot wide lanes and wider shoulders, uh leaving up a much safer roadway with a much better drainage system.

5:20

Uh the project is 90 uh percent designed, and we're continuing to go through the environmental permitting process with the Army Corps of Engineers.

5:29

When we get to this portion of the work, this would not require a full closure, but it would require intermittent uh daytime flagging operations.

5:38

So I'll show you a couple of the uh typical sections.

5:42

So uh this slide shows what the ultimate section would look like.

5:47

So uh it would ultimately be uh four lanes, two lanes in each direction with uh uh pedestrian and bicycle accommodations.

5:56

Um as we work through the core process, they're always looking at you know the environmental impacts, and in this case, particularly the impacts to wetlands.

6:06

And they're often looking for us to shrink the footprint, you know, to to minimize those impacts.

6:11

So based on comments that we received from the core, the next iteration of the plans will eliminate the five-foot bike lanes that are adjacent to the roadway, but we'll widen uh the sidewalk uh on the east side from a five-foot sidewalk to a ten-foot path.

6:31

So we'll have 10-foot uh multi-use paths on both sides of the roadway, and we are also reducing the number of stormwater facilities along the the corridor.

6:43

So this slide shows what the what this project involves, and this is what I would consider interim conditions, but uh what you see to the left of the slide is the existing elbow road.

6:59

Uh what we will be building is new eastbound lane, so taking you to Virginia Beach, and uh then we will have uh one uh fully standard lane in each direction to include uh you know safety shoulder uh and pedestrian and bicycle accommodations.

7:20

We will be permitting for the full uh four-lane section, but we're kind of working towards the money and and building this two-lane uh you know section uh here today.

7:32

So as far as the schedule goes, again the the plans are at uh roughly 90 percent.

7:38

We're continuing to have uh dialogue with the Corps of Engineers and DEQ, and again, you can see that the dates for right-of-way acquisition and um and then construction start and uh construction completion in the fall of 25 and uh the fall of 2027, respectively.

7:56

Uh you can see the the budget as it exists today is 23 million.

8:01

Our revised budget is just under 30 million, and that that delta of funds is included in the capital budget request for your consideration uh later tonight.

8:12

And I will say this schedule is largely contingent on obtaining the core permit.

8:19

We've been at it for four years uh you know, trying to get that environmental permit.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget Equity Analysis█████████████████████████████████████37%
Procedural████████████████16%
Fiscal Sustainability███████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%
Public Works███3%
Parks and Recreation███3%
Land Use and Zoning███3%
Human Services███3%
Tax Policy███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Chesapeake City Council Regular Meeting - May 14, 2024

The Chesapeake City Council held a regular meeting on May 14, 2024, at 6:30 PM in City Hall Council Chamber, preceded by a 5:15 PM work session on the Elbow Road Bridge Replacement Project and FY2025 budget review. The council adopted the FY2024-2025 operating budget with three amendments, approved several ordinances and resolutions, and heard new business items including a request for a charter referendum on single-member voting districts.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the proposed agenda with the exception of City Clerk Item 1(C) (Ballahack Lot Rezoning acknowledgment) by a 9-0 vote.
  • Approved the consent agenda (excluding Item 1C) by a 9-0 vote, which included:
    • Acknowledgements for four rezoning applications (Stonehurst & Jefferson, Heron Point, Kingsborough Square, and Ballahack Lot deferred).
    • Resignations from advisory boards.
    • City Manager Items: acceptance of a $29,491 grant for deed book restoration; authority to apply for an Operation Ceasefire grant; appropriation of $76,972 in behavioral healthcare donation revenue; MOU for Hampton Roads Computer Aided Dispatch Interoperability; transfer of $200,000 from Street Maintenance and $100,000 from Waste Management to Facilities Maintenance; authority to apply for Emergency Food and Shelter Program funds; acceptance and matching of $224,400 in emergency shelter upgrade funds; acceptance of $30,000 for community corrections grant.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Vic Nichols (self) spoke on multiple agenda items, questioning the cost-sharing in the dispatch interoperability project, business fees for fire inspections, transparency in the budget, lack of investment in roads and infrastructure, and concerns about regional groups and the Fort Monroe land purchase.
  • Robert Wegman (self) presented a petition with over 2,600 signatures (as of meeting time) opposing the tax burden and budget process. He criticized high taxes, especially personal property taxes, and questioned spending on mosquito control ($6.6 million vs. Virginia Beach's $2.8 million) and fire department fees. He asked for more transparency, including a downloadable CSV budget.
  • Mary Christie (self) spoke in opposition to the tax levy ordinance (Item 11A), noting her 88-year-old mother on a $20,000 income pays $880 in taxes quarterly. She argued taxes are excessive compared to other states and called for fair taxation.
  • Russell Christie (self) echoed concerns, citing high property valuations, water bill errors, development costs passed to residents, and lack of historical preservation. He advocated for developer responsibility for infrastructure.

Discussion Items

  • Elbow Road Bridge Replacement Project (Work Session): Director of Public Works Earl Sorey presented updates. The structurally deficient bridge (30 ft long) will be replaced with a 120 ft higher span, requiring a 9-12 month road closure and detour via Centerville Turnpike, Lynnhaven Parkway, and Indian River Road. Construction could start fall 2024, continue to spring 2026. Total project cost $10.5 million ($7.5M Chesapeake, $3M Virginia Beach). Roadway widening (90% designed) to four lanes with multi-use paths, but currently building two lanes due to funding. Budget revised from $23M to just under $30M. Permitting with Army Corps ongoing; schedule subject to change. Council members expressed concerns about traffic diversion and cost escalation.
  • Ballahack Lot Rezoning Acknowledgment (Item 1C): Council Member Whitaker requested a traffic study on Ballahack Road from Old Battlefield Boulevard to 300 Ballahack Road due to high accident rates, suggesting a speed limit reduction. City Attorney clarified Virginia Code requires acknowledgement and referral to Planning Commission. Council Member Carey questioned the procedure, but Council Member Ritter supported raising concerns at this stage. The motion to approve with the traffic study direction passed 9-0.
  • FY2025 Operating Budget Adoption (Item 11): City Manager Price summarized changes from work sessions: $117,000 for public defender salary supplements, elimination of tangible personal property tax on farm equipment ($140,000 impact), and restructuring of real estate tax relief for elderly/disabled (consolidating 11 tiers to 4, raising income thresholds to $25,000 for 100% relief and $70,000 to qualify, with $850,000 budget impact). He provided context that this relief is roughly equivalent to the $3 vehicle license fee increase from a few years ago. He also listed existing property tax relief programs costing about $20.5 million annually in foregone tax.
    • Amendments by Council Member Newins: (1) Remove $5 million school athletic fund request pending additional information from schools on its use. (2) Remove human services grants portion for further council discussion at June 10 retreat. (3) Withhold 3.5% general wage increase for constitutional officers until Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) are in place, with retroactivity to July 1 if signed later. All three amendments passed 9-0 individually, then the main motion for budget adoption as amended passed 9-0.
  • Other Regular Agenda Items (Items 9-19): All passed 9-0, including:
    • Farm equipment personal property tax exemption.
    • Real estate tax relief income threshold increase (elderly/disabled).
    • Tax levy ordinance (real estate tax rate).
    • Declaration of surplus from Greenbrier TIF ($7,110,912) and South Norfolk TIF ($2,179,220) to General Fund.
    • Capital Improvement Budget.
    • Human Resources Classification and Compensation Plan amendments (removing leave incentive language from plan; requiring salary analysis for new hires).
    • Resolution of intent to reimburse expenditures with bond proceeds.
    • Fire inspection fee schedule for commercial establishments.
    • Fund transfers for Correctional Center renovations and Mosquito Control relocation.
    • Appropriation of state funds and transfers for Interagency Consortium Pool (children with special needs).
    • Termination of CSB of Chesapeake, Inc. and transfer of $366,694 to CARES/CAST building renovation.
    • Resolution to close Hampton Roads Regional Jail, sell to Portsmouth, and dissolve authority.
  • New Business:
    • Council Member Ike requested a crosswalk from Great Bridge Lockside Park across Battlefield Boulevard to the history museum.
    • Council Member Ritter requested: (a) discussion on tax policies (especially personal property tax) at the retreat; (b) amendment to city code to reduce tax rate for surviving spouses of service members killed in line of duty, retroactive to July 1, 2023, with a rate of $0.000001 per $100 assessed value (affecting 2-4 people). She also questioned planning staff making recommendations based on an unadopted comprehensive plan. City Manager Price agreed to be sensitive to that.
    • Council Member Newins requested: quarterly expenditure reports; discussion on reversion fund and state budget impacts at retreat; exploration of a one-cent real estate tax credit; and recycling discussion at the June 11 work session.
    • Council Member Carey requested the City Attorney draft a resolution for an advisory referendum on amending the city charter to replace at-large voting with single-member districts, to be placed on the May 28 agenda. Mayor West objected, calling it premature and noting no council authority to direct staff without council vote. Carey argued he has the right to request an item for the agenda. Discussion ensued, and the issue was left for the May 28 meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • FY2025 Operating Budget Adopted (Ordinance #24-O-041) with three amendments, effective July 1, 2024, by a 9-0 vote.
  • All other consent and regular agenda items approved by 9-0 votes, as noted.
  • Ballahack Road Traffic Study: City Manager directed to conduct a traffic study from Old Battlefield Boulevard to 300 Ballahack Road.
  • Crosswalk Study: Staff to explore installation of a crosswalk at Great Bridge Lockside Park.
  • Surviving Spouse Tax Relief Ordinance: To be drafted for May 28 agenda, retroactive to July 1, 2023.
  • Charter Referendum Request: Council Member Carey's request to place a resolution for an advisory referendum on single-member districts on the May 28 agenda (pending council approval of that agenda).
  • Closed Meeting: Conducted for litigation, real property acquisition, economic development, and city auditor candidate discussions; meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

We could uh get everyone at the seats, please. We need to get started. Mr. Manager, would you please present your items under our work session? May 14, 2024. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. First up is uh Earl Sorry, Director of Public Works with updates on uh projects on Elbow Road. Thank you, Mr. Manager. Uh I'll be giving you updates on two. Oh thank you, Mr. Manager. I'll be giving you updates on uh two projects along Elbow Road, the roadway project and the bridge replacement project. Um so I will start with the uh bridge replacement uh project. So you know that replaces the existing bridge uh adjacent to the Stumpy Lake spillway. And so you know if you drive over today, you'll miss it because it's only about 30 feet long. Um but it is a structurally deficient bridge that is in need of replacement. Uh the pictures that you see uh to the right of the slide uh show the bridge, and then it also shows it uh overtopping during Hurricane Matthew. And at that point, we had to do some emergency repairs, had to go in with sheet piles and and do some improvements to get us uh to hold us over and keep the bridge safe to we can go forward with the full replacement. Um because the new bridge is taller, a portion of that will be in the city of Virginia Beach, and we'll talk about Virginia Beach's contribution to the project. Uh so uh the right-of-way acquisition is complete. We will start utility relocations uh later this month, and we could start construction as early as this fall. Uh, the thing uh of interest to council is this construction will require a long-term road closure and detour. We're estimating that that would take nine to twelve months. Uh we're mindful of the impact on that to our citizens and commuters. So we are having discussions with VDOT about the possibility of including an early completion incentive in the contract. And uh the detour is marked, but it would uh include Centerville Turnpike to Lynnhaven Parkway to Indian River Road, and the project would continue until the spring of 2026. I share this slide, and I know it's a little busy, but uh the the bot the kind of the middle part of that slide that you see uh with the blue shading, that's roughly where the existing bridge is today. So uh the new bridge will be about four times as long. It'll be 120 feet uh long, it would be higher, and because of that added uh height and length, that puts a portion of the project into the city of Virginia Beach. So again, I know the slide's a little bit busy, but I'll just focus on the shaded portions uh of that graphic. Uh what's shaded in the purple is our bridge project. Uh what is shaded in the tan is the elevation on the Virginia Beach side to bring the roadway up to the elevation of the bridge. Uh we will manage uh both aspects of that construction under an uh contract with Virginia Beach. So that would be procured as one project, executed as one project. And then what you see highlighted in green is Virginia Beach's ongoing improvements of the various phases of elbow road. So our capital budget uh for this is roughly seven and a half million. Uh that's funded uh by VDOT. Uh Virginia Beach would be contributing another three million dollars for their portion of the project, bringing the uh project total to ten and a half million, and again, we would have an upcoming uh item for council's consideration uh to to uh enter into a contract with Virginia Beach. I'd also like to just you know what while we're here talking about Elbow Road, give you an update on the roadway uh widening portion. So again, just to recap the the scope of the project, it would include uh two twelve-foot wide lanes and wider shoulders, uh leaving up a much safer roadway with a much better drainage system. Uh the project is 90 uh percent designed, and we're continuing to go through the environmental permitting process with the Army Corps of Engineers. When we get to this portion of the work, this would not require a full closure, but it would require intermittent uh daytime flagging operations. So I'll show you a couple of the uh typical sections. So uh this slide shows what the ultimate section would look like. So uh it would ultimately be uh four lanes, two lanes in each direction with uh uh pedestrian and bicycle accommodations. Um as we work through the core process, they're always looking at you know the environmental impacts, and in this case, particularly the impacts to wetlands. And they're often looking for us to shrink the footprint, you know, to to minimize those impacts. So based on comments that we received from the core, the next iteration of the plans will eliminate the five-foot bike lanes that are adjacent to the roadway, but we'll widen uh the sidewalk uh on the east side from a five-foot sidewalk to a ten-foot path.

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