Hampton City Council Legislative Session - September 25, 2024
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Hampton City Council Legislative Session - September 25, 2024
The Hampton City Council met on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 6:35 PM in Council Chambers. Six members were present (Councilmember Hope Harper absent due to illness). The meeting included a presentation on the Peninsula Pilots, approval of the consent agenda, a public hearing on the HUD Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER), public comments from four citizens, and reports from the City Manager. The meeting adjourned at 7:30 PM.
Consent Calendar
- All six consent items were approved unanimously (6-0, with Harper absent). Items included:
- Resolution 24-0409: Amend FY2025 budget to accept Fort Monroe Authority funding for homeless services.
- Resolution 24-0413: Amend FY2025 budget to accept the 2025 Sentara Cares Grant from Sentara Health/Optima Health.
- Resolution 24-0419: Accept and appropriate $1,400,000 on a reimbursement basis from the City of Newport News Department of Water Works for Queens Way Streetscape project construction costs.
- Resolution 24-0415: Amend FY2025 budget to accept the Assistance to Firefighters Grant from Homeland Security.
- Resolution 24-0425: Approval of the Hampton City Council Meeting Calendar for 2025.
- Resolution 24-0417: Approval of minutes from the August 14, 2024 special meeting at Darling Stadium and the July 10, 2024 legislative session.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Isaac Bond: Resident at Bay and Pennsylvania Avenue. For 10 years, a neighbor has parked a conversion van partially blocking his driveway, making left turns impossible. He stated police and public works have not resolved the issue, and that staff told him not to call back. City Manager Mary Bunting responded that police are correct—public street parking is allowed unless a driveway is blocked; blocking a driveway is ticketable. She offered to assist Mr. Bond after the meeting and said she would speak with staff about respectful communication.
- Teresa Roundy: Resident and business owner. Marked the 19th anniversary of the desecration of Barnes Cemetery (September 28, 2005). She detailed that remains were disinterred without notification, permits, or legal process, citing minutes from the September 28, 2005 City Council meeting. City Manager Bunting clarified that criminal charges were filed against the property owner but dismissed by the court due to lack of criminal intent. The city now has protocols to flag known cemetery properties during permit reviews and requires ground-penetrating radar before any disinterment.
- Dennis Greene: Volunteer with the US Military Veterans Hall of Fame. Announced that the 2024 induction gala will be held at the Hampton Convention Center on Saturday, November 16, 2024. The organization has worked with city officials since February. A $99 tax-deductible donation secures a seat; News Nation (reaching ~50 million households) may cover the event.
- Joan Weaver: 67-year-old resident of the Wythe neighborhood. Expressed hurt and disappointment that the community feels like a "stepchild." She criticized the Phoenix Commerce Center development (two warehouses) approved by the council, calling it a "tragedy" and stating that proffers were not adhered to, causing traffic and other negative impacts. She asked for equitable treatment and support. City Manager Bunting noted that a meeting was held earlier that week with North Point (the developer) to discuss being a good neighbor, including commitments to pressure-wash nearby houses; construction is expected to finish mid-November (first building) and a month later (second building).
Discussion Items
- Public Hearing: HUD CAPER Report (2023-2024) – Item 24-0412. Jonathan McBride, Division Manager for Neighborhood Services, presented the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report for the program year July 1, 2023–June 30, 2024. Key points:
- CDBG allocation: $914,517; HOME allocation: $575,846. Total program expenditures: $2.4 million, including older funds spent down to meet the May 2, 2024 deadline (Hampton is in compliance).
- Accomplishments: 43 projects completed, 1,200 rental inspections, 5 homebuyer assistance cases, 2 affordable housing units via Habitat for Humanity (CHDO), 409 clients assisted with housing counseling (35 achieved homeownership).
- Critical Home Repair Program (launched January 2024): 46 homes assisted; 4 applications in process, 17 projects underway, 25 completed; $479,000 of the $2 million appropriated expended in nine months. 66 total activities (HVAC, roofing, electrical, plumbing).
- Housing waitlist progress (since January 2022): 370 inquiries addressed; 190 no response, 31 over income/disqualified, 15 declined, 30 in paperwork, 28 projects underway, 76 completed; 110 still on waitlist.
- Public comment period: September 11–25, 2024. No public speakers signed up for the hearing. The report will be submitted to HUD by September 30, 2024.
Key Outcomes
- Consent agenda approved unanimously (6-0).
- HUD CAPER report accepted unanimously (6-0) via motion by Councilmember Billy Hobbs, seconded by Councilmember Chris Bowman.
- City Manager Bunting reported that a Community Safety Forum was held jointly with Hampton City Schools on Monday, September 23, 2024, at Hampton High School. The forum covered school security systems (weapons detection, cameras, door prop alerts, etc.) and mental health resources. Crime statistics shared: murder rate down 68% year-over-year, shootings down approximately 48%. Additional forums will be scheduled.
- No general items or miscellaneous new business were discussed.
- Meeting adjourned at 7:30 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome. Like to ask our clerk call the roll, please. Councilman Bowman. Present. Councilman Brown. Here. Vice Mayor Gray. Present. Councilwoman Harper. Councilman Hobbes. Present. Councilwoman Muggler. Present. Mayor Tuck. Present. Our invocation tonight will be given by Councilwoman Martha Mugler, followed by our Plage of Allegiance. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we we thank you for this opportunity to come together as a governing body. We ask that you bless each of us with the wisdom necessary to make appropriate decisions on behalf of our citizens. We ask that you bless our city and that you take care of all of our citizens in need. In thy holy name we pray. Amen. Councilwoman Hope Harper is under the weather this evening and will not be present with us. And I'd also like to introduce and call for remarks our new city attorney, Courtney Sidner. Good evening. Thank you, Mayor Tuck, and um thank members of council for uh the opportunity to come to Hampton and join the staff and uh this community. I'm excited to be here. I'm excited to already met a lot of people, and I have many, many more to meet, and so I'm um looking forward to getting out into the community and meeting as many of you as I can and to uh working um to help this city can continue its uh tradition of excellence. So thank you. Thank you. Earlier this afternoon we had a presentation on placemaking, and one of the highlights of that presentation was uh the improvements to uh war memorial stadium. Well, we wouldn't be making well, we probably would, but we probably wouldn't be making so many of those improvements if we didn't have a great product to be put in that facility. And so tonight we want to feature the Finanza pilots, the owner, Mr. Henry Morgan, who's gonna come and tell us about the wonderful things that happened this past season, uh the things that he is doing to uh keep the pilots going strong, as well as other things he's doing to contribute to our youth sports initiative. You don't have to run. We're not timing you for the 40. I'm trying to be like you. Thank you. Um Mr. Brown, Mr. Hobbs, Mr. Gray, my sister Martha, and Mr. Bowman, all council members. I'm leaving you out, Donnie. Left you out for a reason. I want to be the first one to tell you that um I appreciate all the work you've done over the years. I know you're you're tired, you gotta be. Uh you've been at the front of the whole whole thing. Out in the community doing doing the work, the hard work. And uh it was evident tonight that was a powerful group that you honored tonight.
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