Hampton City Council Work Session - December 11, 2024
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Hampton City Council Work Session - December 11, 2024
The City Council held a work session on December 11, 2024, at 1:00 PM in Council Chambers. The agenda included presentations on the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, an Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) engagement plan, Shell Road and Greenbriar Avenue traffic safety, and results of a mini-golf location public survey. The meeting also included a closed session and appointments. Council made a decision on the mini-golf location and discussed next steps for the ADU ordinance.
Consent Calendar
- No consent calendar items were listed or acted upon.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments or testimony were presented during this work session.
Discussion Items
Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (CAFR) for FY2024
- Laura Hardin and Shelby Brown from Sherry Beckard Advisory LLC presented the external audit results, reporting an unmodified (clean) audit opinion for the city's financial statements and federal programs. No material weaknesses in internal control or instances of non-compliance were identified.
- Finance Director Carl Jotry presented general fund results: actual revenues of $435.2 million exceeded budget by $13.6 million (3.2%), driven primarily by interest income ($5.7M above budget), general property taxes ($3.3M above), and other local taxes ($4.3M above). Expenditures were $432.3 million, $6.3 million under budget, resulting in a $2.9 million surplus. Unassigned fund balance increased to $109.8 million, well above the 10% policy minimum.
- Councilmember Mugler asked about the fund balance policy review; staff committed to bring that analysis back at a later date.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) Engagement Plan
- Monica Mayhard, Community Engagement Manager, presented a plan to engage the community on ADU regulations, aiming to adopt an ordinance by end of 2025. The plan includes a steering group representing diverse stakeholders (neighborhoods, seniors, military, etc.) and a series of public input phases through spring 2025.
- Council discussed the risk of state preemption by the General Assembly, which may consider an ADU bill in January 2025. City Attorney Courtney Sydnor noted that it is not practical to adopt an ordinance before the General Assembly session due to public hearing requirements, but starting the process could support a grandfathering argument.
- Councilmembers expressed varying views. Councilman Brown suggested expediting an ordinance to preserve local control, while Mayor Tuck and others favored proceeding with the planned engagement without rushing.
- Vice Mayor Gray requested that the Neighborhood Commission review the ordinance as a whole body, not just through representatives. Staff agreed to incorporate that feedback.
Shell Road and Greenbriar Avenue Traffic Safety
- Jason Mitchell, Director of Public Works and Community Development, presented results from a second community meeting held December 3, 2024, after the first meeting had insufficient notice. Enhanced police enforcement has resulted in zero crashes at the intersection, 214 summonses, and one arrest.
- The survey of attendees showed: 92% supported continued police enforcement, 84% supported a traffic signal, 24% supported rumble strips, 16% supported a traffic circle, and 12% supported permanent road closure.
- Staff recommended continuing enhanced enforcement, installing flashing warning signs and reflective stop signs, improving street lighting, and evaluating the impact of a new traffic signal at Aberdeen Road (expected early 2025) before committing to further interventions.
- Councilwoman Harper urged a proactive approach, citing the history of crashes, and supported both enforcement and a traffic signal. No formal vote was taken; staff will proceed with the recommendations.
Mini-Golf Location Survey Results
- Dave McCauley, Director of Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Services, presented results of an online survey (946 responses, November 12-20) regarding two potential mini-golf sites at Buckroe Beach: Site A (near the historic lighthouse) and Site B (near Point Comfort/D-shaped parking lot).
- Key findings: 88% of respondents would enjoy mini-golf; 55% preferred Site B, 45% Site A. Other preferences included low cost, food/beverage availability, and extended hours beyond park hours.
- Council discussed parking concerns, with Mayor Tuck noting that Site B would eliminate valuable parking spaces. Councilman Hobbs moved to select Site A, and the motion was seconded by Councilman Bowman. The motion passed unanimously (all 7 members present voted aye).
Regional Issues and New Business
- No regional issues or new business were discussed.
Closed Session
- Council entered closed session at approximately 2:55 PM pursuant to Virginia Code Sections 2.2-3711.A(1), (3), and (6) to discuss appointments and the disposition of publicly held property and potential investments in Coliseum Central, Downtown, and Phoebus areas. The motion was approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Mini-Golf Location: Council voted to proceed with Site A (near the lighthouse) at Buckroe Beach.
- ADU Ordinance: Council declined to rush an ordinance before the General Assembly session, instead supporting the planned community engagement process with a target adoption by end of 2025. Staff will ensure the Neighborhood Commission reviews the ordinance.
- Shell Road/Greenbriar Safety: Staff will continue enhanced enforcement, install additional signage and lighting, and monitor the traffic impact of the new Aberdeen Road signal before considering further measures such as a traffic signal.
- Appointments: Council considered appointments to several boards and commissions during closed session; certification and adjournment followed.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon and welcome. I'd like to ask our clerk to call the role, please. Councilman Bowman. Councilman Brown. Here. Vice Mayor Gray. Present. Councilwoman Harper. Present. Councilman Hobbs. Councilwoman Muggler. Mayor Tuck. Present. And then I'll ask our city manager to introduce introduce this afternoon's agenda, please. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. First up this afternoon is the presentation of the annual comprehensive financial report, or CAPER for short, uh for the fiscal year that ended June 30th, 2024. First up, we're going to have uh the representatives from Sherry Beckard Advisory LLC, which does our external audit for benefit of the public. That means we have folks that come in and examine our books who aren't part of the city team, and they will present uh the results of their audit. And then following that, Mr. Call Jotry, our finance director, will go through more detail on the year-end results. Um I believe that Mr. Daughtery will probably introduce our audit team. And while they're coming up to make their presentation, I do want to recognize the entire finance department. Most people don't realize how much work goes into the comprehensive annual financial report. Um, yes, you know, we do accounting all year long, but there's lots of special statements and there's blending of units of government and things like that that require a lot, a lot of effort on the part of not just the external auditors but the internal team to respond to their request and to put together the necessary information. And I see that Mr. Dodgery has several members of his team in attendance, and if it's okay with the mayor and you, Mr. Dodger, let's have them stand and be recognized for an appreciation of our efforts. Okay, can I have the time? We have with us Brittany Abbott, who's a controller, and Marcy Dunn is a financial analyst, uh, but also Therry, Tennessee from internal audit plays a significant role in the audit. I'm always pleased to be with you to talk about the annual comprehensive financial report. Uh as Ms. Bunting indicated, this is a three-part presentation. We have with us today Laura Hardin, the engagement director with Chairbeka Holland Shilby Brown, the audit manager. They will first come up and talk about the audit results for 2024. I'll come back and talk about the summary results for the general fund, and then Britney will come back and talk about our government-wise statements. Okay, Shelby. Well, good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and members of City Council. Um, thank you for having us here this afternoon to present the results of the audit of the city of Hampton for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024. Okay, well, my name is Laura Harden. I am the engagement director who oversaw the audit. I am ultimately responsible for signing our audit opinion and for the quality of our work. And I have with me today Shelby Brown, who is the manager who worked on the audit. First, we'll go over the results of the audit. So we did audit the city as of in for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, and we issued our report on November 27th, 2024. We issued what is called a unmodified opinion on the financial statements. That's a clean audit opinion and the best opinion that you can receive. We also perform audits under both government auditing standards as well as the auditor of public accounts specifications for audits of counties, cities, and towns. We did not identify any matters of non-compliance that are required to be reported under either those standards or the specifications.
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