OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Chesapeake City Council Meeting and Work Session - May 13, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, May 13, 2025
BodyChesapeake, Virginia
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, May 13, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:23:22

Transcript — Verbatim
2:07

City Council Works session.

2:09

We have a couple of very important items.

2:11

This manager.

2:12

Thank you, Mr.

2:12

Mayor.

2:13

We do full agenda, so I'm gonna quickly turn it over to Parks and Rec Director Mike Barber.

2:18

Thank you, Mr.

2:19

Price.

2:20

Uh good afternoon, Mayor West and Honorable Mayor and members of City Council.

2:25

We're very excited to come to you this afternoon and bring you our draft plan for a parks recreation and tourism.

2:31

Um 30 years since we've updated it, long time.

2:35

Um, but we're very excited, and um about 13 years ago when Dr.

2:40

Bailey um brought me on, she gave me like three things.

2:43

So I'm gonna get two of the three things done before she retires.

2:46

But the master plan is is one of those.

2:48

And as many of you know, the last 10 years we've really um spent a lot of time and dedication on trying to upgrade our system, refine our system, and really fix a lot of the things that we have that are so special throughout the city.

3:03

And I feel like we've done a pretty good job of that.

3:06

But this is exciting, it's a great timing because since we've gotten to where our park system is in fairly good shape now with the horizon of having some new amenities like the historical village coming online, uh the cuffy pool, uh what we're doing at Northwest River Park with the new campsite, um camp store and ranger station there, our breedum farmhouse, many new exciting things to help modernize our system to go along with the renovation that we've been working with.

3:34

So this is a perfect time for us to bring on um some consultants to kind of look at it with uh all eyes open um to help us go forward and move forward into our plan um for the next 10 to 20 years.

3:46

So this afternoon we've got interface studios, Chris D'Sassio is here today, and he will be um making the presentation.

3:53

He will also be bringing up some of his members of his team that's working with him.

3:58

The last thing I want to say is I'm very proud of our team.

4:01

All of our folks um from housekeepers to groundskeepers to our managers to our coordinators, have been a part of this plan and really worked.

4:10

We had an all all staff meeting again this morning to kind of give them where we are with the draft and the strategies, and really a lot of buy-in from our group and our staff, and we're very excited about that, as well as the community.

4:21

So don't want to steal what Chris is going to say because he's going to review a lot of that, but um we just want to say we're very excited about this and really look forward to the opportunities it may give us all in the future.

4:32

Chris.

4:34

Thanks, Mike, and thank you very much for having me here today.

4:37

Uh I'm Chris De Stasi from Interface Studio.

4:40

I'm here with my colleagues, uh, Mindy Watt on the far right, or my far left, uh, who is also from Interface Studio, principal with our firm, and uh Jane Miller, principal at PROS Consulting, sort of not pictured here today.

5:00

We also have colleagues with uh ETC Institute, a firm that helped us with our citywide statistically valid survey, and Radbridge Inc., a firm that helped us with economic analysis to pull together numbers quantifying PRT's impact on the city.

5:12

They've helped us along the way as well.

5:14

So this process has been going on for about a year now.

5:18

In May of last year, we met with uh five members of this council.

5:22

Uh we also at that time had a city council meeting and met with uh departments across the city and members of the PRT department as well.

5:29

And since then, we've been gathering information, doing analysis and pulling together everything that we are again very excited to show you tonight.

5:39

Uh though we're here representing this plan and and we've been helping to sort of steward the process.

5:45

This truly is Chesapeake's plan.

5:48

So far, the process has engaged about a thousand residents and uh over five hundred youth.

5:54

Uh, we've had two dedicated public events.

5:57

The first uh last year, last fall, had about 120 attendees.

6:02

The second last night had uh about 45 groups of people show up.

6:07

We haven't counted the final numbers yet.

6:09

We've also had four community event drop-ins with uh 75 sign-ins.

6:15

Uh Anna with the department went out to 11, uh, went out to six schools and held 11 different events that heard uh the voices of over 500 youth.

6:25

Uh we have an advisory committee that includes members of city government as well as community representatives, some of whom are here tonight.

6:33

We've had four meetings with them so far throughout the process, one statistically valid citywide survey that reached a random sample of over 600 residents, and a public survey that reached almost 300 residents.

6:46

In addition, of course, we've had constant meetings with members of PRT uh department and uh meetings with members of the citywide government and the departments, and as I said, several members of this council.

7:01

So now I'm gonna talk a little bit about context to place the recommendations I'm about to tell you uh sort of in our understanding of the department and the city today.

7:10

Since 1991, when the last plan was published, this city has grown by about 100,000 residents, grown 66%, and you're now the second largest city in Virginia.

7:23

In that same time, the department of uh PRT has gone from that inner sign of gray gray circle that says 1991, it's gone from that size, about nine parks, 97 acres, to over eight or 88 parks and 11 indoor rec facilities, including over 2400 acres.

7:44

So the department has grown tremendously in that time and has not had a plan to guide uh its actions for quite a while.

7:54

In the next uh by 2040, uh sit the city uh some documents that the city has produced estimate that the city will grow by about 40,000 new residents, about two-thirds of which are going to be senior citizens.

8:09

So the city's continuing to grow, and the department needs to be here to meet that need.

8:15

Uh, in many ways, we think PRT is really prepared to meet that need.

8:19

Uh, there's a number of bright spots of great things that are going on in the department.

8:24

Programming and day-to-day maintenance, uh, residents in the statistically valid survey tell us that these are really bright spots and they are very satisfied with programming and day-to-day maintenance.

8:35

Uh, the department, as Mike said, uh, has had a major focus on rehabilitation of existing assets to make sure that what you currently have is in great shape.

8:45

Uh, volunteerism with the department far, far, far exceeds national averages.

8:50

The uh department brings in about $9 million worth of volunteer contributions each year, which is equal to about a third of agency staffing costs.

9:01

Now, if you look at other departments across the country, it's usually about five to seven percent of agency staffing costs.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████15%
Parks and Recreation█████████████13%
Human Services█████████9%
Budget Equity Analysis█████████9%
Public Safety███████7%
Fiscal Sustainability██████6%
Economic Development████4%
Transportation Safety████4%
Nonprofit Support████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Chesapeake City Council Meeting and Work Session - May 13, 2025

On May 13, 2025, the Chesapeake City Council held a work session at 5:00 p.m. followed by the regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall Council Chamber. The work session featured presentations on the Parks, Recreation and Tourism (PRT) Master Plan and the Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) High-Capacity Transit Study. The regular meeting addressed public hearings, the consent agenda, and the FY 2025-2026 operating and capital budgets, including amendments and numerous citizen comments.

Work Session Highlights

Parks, Recreation and Tourism Master Plan (5:00 p.m.)

  • Presentation by Chris DeStasi (Interface Studio) and Mike Barber (PRT Director): The plan, the first update in 30 years, engaged over 1,000 residents and 500 youth. Key findings: Chesapeake has grown 66% since 1991 (now 2nd largest city in VA); 65% of playgrounds are over 20 years old; only 46% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park (national median 74%). The department provides $71 million in recreational value, $27 million in health benefits, and $709 million in environmental benefits annually. Four goals: 1) Take care of existing assets, 2) Modernize the system, 3) Fill the year with activities, 4) Invite tourists. Recommendations include investing in signature destinations, adding 300,000 sq ft of indoor recreation space over 20 years, improving the parkland dedication ordinance, focusing on high-need/growth areas, boosting maintenance of natural assets, and increasing earned income (currently $5.58/resident/year vs. national avg $21.71).
  • Council Member Ritter expressed concerns about school facility access for the public, noting the city has invested in school playgrounds. Council Member Whitaker requested consideration of a covered equestrian arena in Southern Chesapeake. Council Member Smith emphasized the need to increase capital funding for parks.

Hampton Roads Transit High-Capacity Transit Study (5:00 p.m.)

  • Presentation by Ray Amaruso (HRT Chief of Planning): The study explores three modes: express bus, bus rapid transit (BRT), and light rail. Four alignment options were evaluated (A, B, C, D) connecting Chesapeake Regional Medical Center or Summit Pointe to downtown Norfolk. Two recommended alignments: Alignment A (9.5 miles, 8 stops) and Alignment B (longer, more community connections). Funding: up to 50% federal, ~20% state, leaving 30-40% local match. Next phase: more detailed station planning and environmental review. HRT will seek a formal resolution from council to proceed.
  • Council Member Smith noted the need for service in underserved areas and supported continued study. Council Member Ritter asked about DRPT merit funds and funding for regional transit.

Regular Meeting (6:30 p.m.)

Mayor West announced City Hall will be illuminated in green during May for Mental Health Month, EMS Week, and Lyme Disease Awareness Month.

Public Hearing Items

  • A. Lease with McPherson Farms, LLC: Resolution authorizing lease of 55.31 acres of farmland at 244 St. Brides Road West for Parks, Recreation and Tourism. Approved 9-0, retroactive to January 1, 2025.
  • B. Relocation of Polling Site (Precinct 0052): Ordinance moving Shipyard Road precinct from Grassfield Baptist Church to Hugo A. Owens Middle School, effective July 1, 2025. Approved 9-0. Council Member Ward supported; Council Member Smith asked about voter notification.
  • C. Early Voting Satellite Locations: Ordinance designating public facilities for early voting for the November 4, 2025 general election. Approved 9-0.

Citizens' Comments on Agenda Items

  • Carolyn White (Pughsville community) opposed the split precinct waiver for Precinct 0054 (Pughsville), alleging boundary line issues and that Chesapeake residents were included in Suffolk’s Nansemond Borough.
  • 22 speakers spoke in support of the Human Services Grant (City Manager Item 6-E), including representatives from Faith Works Coalition, H.E.R. Shelter, Girl Scouts, Meals on Wheels, Access College Foundation, Healthy Chesapeake, CHKD Child Advocacy Center, New Chesapeake Men for Progress, ForKids, Children’s Harbor, Chesapeake Humane Society, Chesapeake Care Clinic, Communities in Schools, Together We Can Foundation, and others. They highlighted the impact of grants on housing, healthcare, youth, seniors, and domestic violence survivors.
  • Dr. George Reid (New Chesapeake Men for Progress) questioned the budget surplus, transfer of TIF funds from South Norfolk, and lack of funding for flood mitigation, sidewalks, and a performing arts center.
  • Markiella Moore questioned the accuracy of information about public utilities funding and the TIF surplus transfer.
  • Pamela Brandy (Pughsville) raised concerns about utility tax collection by Suffolk and lack of response to prior requests.

Consent Agenda

  • City Clerk Item 1: Acknowledged four rezoning applications (Gum Road Hotel, Woodland Willow, Centerville Reserve, Hugo Property) to be heard by Planning Commission on June 11, 2025.

  • City Manager Items: Approved 9-0, including:

    1. Ordinance authorizing re-application for split precinct waiver for Precinct 0054 (Pughsville) – emergency action.
    2. Resolution for easement agreements.
    3. Accept and appropriate $27,500 from Virginia Crisis Intervention Team Coalition.
    4. Donation of 1960 LaFrance tiller ladder truck to Virginia Fire Museum.
    5. Transfer $3,950,000 within Human Services Department FY 2025 operating budget for personnel expenses.

    Council Member Newins disclosed her husband is a fire department employee, allowing her to vote on items 4, 6(B), and 6(E).

Regular Agenda

FY 2025-2026 Operating Budget (Item 6)

  • 6A (Tax Levy): Ordinance imposing tax on all taxable property for FY 2025-2026. Approved 9-0.

  • 6B (TIF Surplus Declaration): Declaration of surplus monies – $4,860,912 from Greenbrier TIF and $5,701,880 from South Norfolk TIF transferred to General Fund. Approved 9-0.

  • 6C (Transient Occupancy Tax Increase): Increases flat rate from $1 to $2 per night, revenue to Conference Center Special Revenue Fund. Approved 9-0.

  • 6D (Meal Tax Repeal): Repeals 0.5% meal tax dedication to Conference Center and establishes 0.5% to City Lockbox. Approved 9-0.

  • 6E (Appropriation Ordinance): Main budget ordinance. After procedural explanation by Vice Mayor deTriquet, Council Member Bunn moved an amendment to add $200,000 for the Sheriff’s Office Victim Witness Program (personnel only). Amendment passed 8-1 (Whitaker voting no). Council Member Newins expressed disappointment that the Sheriff’s Office did not prioritize the positions. The main motion, as amended, passed 9-0.

    Additional discussions:

    • Council Member Ritter requested clarification on funding for Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways Museum. City Manager Price confirmed funds would be disbursed via PRT under an MOU; Council Member Bunn asked for periodic updates.
    • Council Member Bunn confirmed Human Services grant funding is included in the budget.
    • Council Member Ritter asked about planetarium funding; Price said it will be transferred to PRT, with expanded community programming.

Other Regular Agenda Items

  • Item 7 (Resolution of Intent to Reimburse): Approved 9-0.
  • Item 8 (Capital Improvement Appropriations): Approved 9-0. Council Member Ritter asked about Real Time Crime Center (Phase 1 funded; Phase 2 grant-dependent) and fire station projects (Stations 4 and 14 – site acquisition funded this year). Council Member Newins asked about a fire tanker truck for Southern Chesapeake (lead time ~1 year) and traffic relief on Cedar Road.
  • Item 9 (Funding Source Amendment for CIP): Change from future revenue bonds to cash. Approved 9-0.
  • Item 10 (De-appropriation of $600,000 for Behavioral Health Unit): Funds moved from one-time priority account; opioid abatement funds will be used instead. Approved 9-0. Council Member Ritter disclosed her recent appointment to the state Opioid Abatement Authority.
  • Item 11 (Great Bridge Façade Improvement Grant): $19,307.48 to Carriage House Commons, LLC. Approved 8-1 (Vice Mayor deTriquet voted no).
  • Item 12 (Economic Development Investment Grant): $150,000 to 520 SB LLC. Approved 9-0.

Citizens' Comments on Non-Agenda Items

  • Jennifer Phillips spoke about homelessness; a family of five living in an SUV for over a month, lack of shelter resources.
  • Blanche Colston (Martha Ann’s House) questioned denial of occupancy permit and requirement for 12 parking spaces; she has been a foster parent for 20+ years.
  • Tommy Hart alleged misconduct by Chesapeake Police in a homicide investigation.
  • Carolyn White and Pamela Brandy reiterated concerns about Pughsville and government accountability.
  • Vic Nicholls criticized planning commission and development decisions, called for a rec center in Hickory.
  • Clifton Smith requested personal property and real estate tax due dates be spaced apart.
  • Markiella Moore discussed WalletHub rankings and urged better management of resources.
  • Anderson Cuffee alleged ongoing crimes and threats against him, requested police follow-up.

Key Outcomes

  • FY 2025-2026 Operating Budget approved as amended (9-0) with $200,000 added for Sheriff’s Victim Witness Program.
  • Capital Improvement Budget approved (9-0).
  • All other regular agenda items approved with votes of 9-0 except Item 11 (8-1).
  • Directives:
    • City Manager to follow up with Blanche Colston (zoning) and Clifton Smith (tax dates).
    • Deputy City Manager Geis to contact Anderson Cuffee regarding safety concerns.
    • Council Member Ritter requested Chesapeake Thrives review duplication of efforts among nonprofits.
    • City Manager Price clarified that the “net position” in financial reports is not a cash surplus but total assets minus liabilities.
    • Council Member Whitaker asked staff to explore spacing property tax and personal property tax due dates.
  • Work Session outcomes: PRT Master Plan and HRT Transit Study will inform future council actions; HRT will request a formal resolution to proceed to next study phase.

Meeting Transcript

City Council Works session. We have a couple of very important items. This manager. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We do full agenda, so I'm gonna quickly turn it over to Parks and Rec Director Mike Barber. Thank you, Mr. Price. Uh good afternoon, Mayor West and Honorable Mayor and members of City Council. We're very excited to come to you this afternoon and bring you our draft plan for a parks recreation and tourism. Um 30 years since we've updated it, long time. Um, but we're very excited, and um about 13 years ago when Dr. Bailey um brought me on, she gave me like three things. So I'm gonna get two of the three things done before she retires. But the master plan is is one of those. And as many of you know, the last 10 years we've really um spent a lot of time and dedication on trying to upgrade our system, refine our system, and really fix a lot of the things that we have that are so special throughout the city. And I feel like we've done a pretty good job of that. But this is exciting, it's a great timing because since we've gotten to where our park system is in fairly good shape now with the horizon of having some new amenities like the historical village coming online, uh the cuffy pool, uh what we're doing at Northwest River Park with the new campsite, um camp store and ranger station there, our breedum farmhouse, many new exciting things to help modernize our system to go along with the renovation that we've been working with. So this is a perfect time for us to bring on um some consultants to kind of look at it with uh all eyes open um to help us go forward and move forward into our plan um for the next 10 to 20 years. So this afternoon we've got interface studios, Chris D'Sassio is here today, and he will be um making the presentation. He will also be bringing up some of his members of his team that's working with him. The last thing I want to say is I'm very proud of our team. All of our folks um from housekeepers to groundskeepers to our managers to our coordinators, have been a part of this plan and really worked. We had an all all staff meeting again this morning to kind of give them where we are with the draft and the strategies, and really a lot of buy-in from our group and our staff, and we're very excited about that, as well as the community. So don't want to steal what Chris is going to say because he's going to review a lot of that, but um we just want to say we're very excited about this and really look forward to the opportunities it may give us all in the future. Chris. Thanks, Mike, and thank you very much for having me here today. Uh I'm Chris De Stasi from Interface Studio. I'm here with my colleagues, uh, Mindy Watt on the far right, or my far left, uh, who is also from Interface Studio, principal with our firm, and uh Jane Miller, principal at PROS Consulting, sort of not pictured here today. We also have colleagues with uh ETC Institute, a firm that helped us with our citywide statistically valid survey, and Radbridge Inc., a firm that helped us with economic analysis to pull together numbers quantifying PRT's impact on the city. They've helped us along the way as well. So this process has been going on for about a year now. In May of last year, we met with uh five members of this council. Uh we also at that time had a city council meeting and met with uh departments across the city and members of the PRT department as well. And since then, we've been gathering information, doing analysis and pulling together everything that we are again very excited to show you tonight. Uh though we're here representing this plan and and we've been helping to sort of steward the process. This truly is Chesapeake's plan. So far, the process has engaged about a thousand residents and uh over five hundred youth. Uh, we've had two dedicated public events. The first uh last year, last fall, had about 120 attendees. The second last night had uh about 45 groups of people show up. We haven't counted the final numbers yet. We've also had four community event drop-ins with uh 75 sign-ins. Uh Anna with the department went out to 11, uh, went out to six schools and held 11 different events that heard uh the voices of over 500 youth. Uh we have an advisory committee that includes members of city government as well as community representatives, some of whom are here tonight. We've had four meetings with them so far throughout the process, one statistically valid citywide survey that reached a random sample of over 600 residents, and a public survey that reached almost 300 residents. In addition, of course, we've had constant meetings with members of PRT uh department and uh meetings with members of the citywide government and the departments, and as I said, several members of this council. So now I'm gonna talk a little bit about context to place the recommendations I'm about to tell you uh sort of in our understanding of the department and the city today. Since 1991, when the last plan was published, this city has grown by about 100,000 residents, grown 66%, and you're now the second largest city in Virginia. In that same time, the department of uh PRT has gone from that inner sign of gray gray circle that says 1991, it's gone from that size, about nine parks, 97 acres, to over eight or 88 parks and 11 indoor rec facilities, including over 2400 acres.

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