Chesapeake City Council Meeting, May 28, 2024: Approvals, Public Hearings, and Board Appointments
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Chesapeake City Council Regular Meeting – May 28, 2024
The Chesapeake City Council held its regular meeting on May 28, 2024, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall Council Chamber. Mayor Richard W. "Rick" West presided; Council Members Bunn, Carey, de Triquet, Ritter, Ward, and Whitaker were present, with Ike and Newins excused. The Council certified a closed meeting held from 4:00 to 5:45 p.m. covering evaluations of the City Assessor, City Attorney, and Acting City Auditor. All votes during the meeting were 7-0.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the proposed agenda as presented.
- Approved the minutes of April 9, 16, and 23, 2024.
- Approved the Consent Agenda, including: a refund of $11,531.48 to Mi Technical Solutions Inc.; an emergency ordinance to re-apply for a split-precinct waiver in Precinct 0054 (Pughsville); a resolution authorizing easement agreements across public property consistent with the five-year capital improvement program (effective July 1, 2024); acceptance of $124 in additional funding from the Library of Virginia; authority to apply for $500,000 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance FY24 Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants; and a resolution authorizing a cost-sharing agreement with Suffolk for the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Access Improvement Study.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Public hearing items: Megan Bourgeois, widow of Captain Brian Bourgeois, expressed support for the ordinance extending property tax exemptions to surviving spouses of persons killed in the line of duty. Vic Nicholls requested statistics on early voting usage by location and thanked the registrar for removing Greenbrier Library as an early voting site due to parking problems. Susan Cobb declined to speak.
- Agenda item comments: Vic Nicholls spoke on board appointments, suggesting consideration of animal-type expertise, recommending a candidate for the Land Bank Authority, and noting quorum difficulties on several boards.
- Non-agenda comments: Thirty-four speakers addressed the Council. A large majority spoke in support of placing a single-member district voting referendum on the November ballot, citing underrepresentation of neighborhoods such as South Norfolk, Camelot, Indian River, Georgetown, Deep Creek, and Bowers Hill; several referenced Virginia Beach litigation and the Virginia Voting Rights Act. Speakers represented organizations including New Chesapeake Men for Progress, NAACP Chesapeake Chapter, Chesapeake Leads, Camelot Civic League, and Georgetown Civic League. Additional topics included: Chesapeake United Soccer Club field needs and maintenance; human services grant funding for Together We Can Foundation and ForKids; curbside recycling; rural planning and agriculture; blighted properties; and concerns about the City's at-large voting system.
Discussion Items
- EMS Week Proclamation: Fire Chief Simone "Sam" Gulisano and Division Chief James Reynolds accepted a proclamation recognizing May 19–25, 2024 as EMS Week. The Chief noted more than 400 department members, over 30,000 responses annually, nine consecutive Mission Lifeline awards, and leading neuroprotective CPR and whole blood use.
- Pride Month Proclamation: Mayor West noted that Amber Bowmer, President of Pride in the 'Peake, received a proclamation acknowledging June as Pride Month.
- Public Hearing Item A (Ordinance #24-O-053): The Council approved, effective July 1, 2024, an ordinance amending Chapter 30 to separately classify and exempt from taxation real property owned by surviving spouses of persons killed in the line of duty. The ordinance implements state law Section 58.1-3228.2.
- Public Hearing Item B (Ordinance #24-O-054): The Council approved, with a waiver of the fair market value fee, a deed of vacation of the City's interest in certain public utility easements at 1700 Pomegranate Way.
- Public Hearing Item C (Ordinance #24-O-055): The Council designated public facilities as early voting satellite locations for the November 5, 2024 general election. General Registrar Mary Lynn Pinkerman, at Council Member Carey's request, explained that Central, Indian River, and Major Hillard libraries would serve for 30 days, Western Branch Community Center for two weeks, and the Registrar's Office for the full 45 days beginning September 20, 2024, including Sunday voting on October 6, 2024 from 2:00–4:00 p.m.
- Cost Allocation Agreement (Resolution #24-R-026): The Council approved an amendment to the cost allocation agreement among Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, and the Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads.
- Elbow Road Bridge Replacement Project: The Council approved three related actions: (A) Resolution #24-R-027 authorizing a construction agreement with Virginia Beach; (B) an amended scope to elevate the new bridge to accommodate additional flow in Virginia Beach's stormwater system; and (C) appropriation of $3,004,403 to the project. Note: the transcript at one point states "$3,043," but the agenda and minutes consistently record $3,004,403.
Key Outcomes
- All motions passed unanimously by 7-0 votes.
- Approved appointments to boards and commissions: Animal Services Advisory Board – Holly Daugherty; Bicycle/Trails Advisory Committee – Andi Kerley; Land Bank Authority – John Kish (reappointed) and Dawn Matheson, with one vacancy continued; OPEB Finance Board – William Overton, Jr.; Hampton Roads Planning District Commission – Council Members Newins and Ritter (reappointed); Human Services Advisory Board – Ahmadou Diawara and Rylan Williams; Local Board of Building Code Appeals – William Creech and Michael Pack (alternate); Local Emergency Planning Committee – Collette Dougherty; Public Art Committee – Lisa Wigginton; Stormwater Committee – Richard Bunton, Cody Butler, and James Lang, with remaining vacancies continued.
- Mayor West announced a public hearing on June 11, 2024 on the single-member voting district issue.
Meeting Transcript
Mayor West. Mayor West, do we have a quorum? Thank you, Mr. Vice Mayor. Council is now in session. I'd like to recognize Councilmember Redder at this time for the invocation and to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flyer. Thank you. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me so love, where there is injury, pardon, where there is doubt, faith, where there is despair, hope, where there is darkness, light, where there is sadness, joy. Divine master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love with all my soul. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life. Amen. Councilmember Ike. Excused. Councilmember Newings is excused. Councilmember Ritter. Next is certification of the closed meeting held at four o'clock today. Lidley, would you please? The certification is to cover the evaluations of the city real estate assessor, city attorney, and acting city auditor. So a motion to certify that to the best of each member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements were discussed, and only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed meeting were heard discussed or considered. Motion, please. Move approval. Second. Are we going to resume the closed session at the end of the day? Yes, we are. Please vote and vote. Motion to certify the closed meeting. It's adopted by 7-0 vote. Are there any changes to the proposed agenda? Motion to approve the proposed agenda as presented. Second. Thank you, Mr. Vice Mayor, Mr. Bond. Please prepare to vote. Please vote and record. Motion to approve the agenda as presented is adopted by a 7-0 vote. The minutes of the meetings April 9, 16, 23, 2024 presented for approval. Motion please. Move approval. Thank you, Dr. Ward. Thank you, Mr. Vice Mayor. Please prepare to vote. Please vote and record. Motion to approve the minutes of the meetings of April the 9th, 16th, and 23rd, 2024 are were presented for approval and are adopted by 7-0 vote. This year marks the 50th annual celebration of EMS Week. This tradition started in 1974 when President Gerald Ford authorized the EMS Weeks to recognize EMS particular practitioners and the critical work that they do in our nation's communities. The national theme of celebrating 50 years, honoring our past, forging our future, is particularly meaningful as it reminds us of how far the Chesapeake Fire Department has innovated and advanced, providing pre-hospital medicine for our community.
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