Hampton City Council Work Session: Housing Plans, I Value Budget, Golf Courses, and Election Precincts (February 26, 2025)
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Hampton City Council Work Session: Housing Plans, I Value Budget, Golf Courses, and Election Precincts (February 26, 2025)
The Hampton City Council held a work session on February 26, 2025, from 1:00 PM to 4:51 PM in Council Chambers. All members were present except Councilwoman Mugler, who arrived at 2:20 PM. The City Manager reordered the agenda to accommodate her. Four main topics were discussed: updates on the 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan and fair housing analysis, the I Value citizen budget outreach, the golf course analysis for The Hamptons and The Woodlands, and Electoral Board recommendations on polling place and precinct changes. A recess was held from 2:48 to 2:55 PM. The meeting concluded with a closed session and certification.
Update on the 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan and Fair Housing Analysis
Jonathan McBride, Housing and Neighborhood Division Manager, presented the five-year plan required by HUD to access entitlement funds (CDBG and HOME). In FY24-25, the city received $907,000 in CDBG and $505,000 in HOME funds. Income eligibility for most programs is 80% of area median income (approximately $80,000 for a family of four). The analysis of impediments to fair housing will examine integration, segregation, and housing burden. Community engagement has gathered about 170 survey responses, with top priorities including quality affordable housing, last-mile connectivity, community facility improvements, and expanded services like Healthy Families. The timeline calls for draft reports in May 2025 and final approval in June. A public hearing was scheduled for that evening.
I Value Citizen Outreach
Mary Fugere, Director of Marketing and Outreach, presented the annual I Value campaign to gather resident input on the budget before the City Manager’s proposal. Highlights from FY25 priorities included employee compensation, retaining recycling, school-zone safety, and expanded youth summer employment. Proposed capital projects for FY26 include improvements to the History Museum, Bluebird Gap Farm, library facilities, City Hall, and the Hampton Roads Convention Center. Operating proposals include an internship program, the Hampton VA250 & Sail250 commemorations, and a Hopeful Hampton temporary housing program. Input opportunities: in-person sessions on March 18 (6:30 PM at Hampton VA Aquaplex) and March 22 (9:00 AM at The American Theatre), virtual session on March 20 (6:30 PM via Facebook Live), and online polling from March 18-25. Council members emphasized the need for direct mail outreach to reach seniors and non-internet users. The City Manager agreed to fund postcards.
Analysis of The Hamptons Golf Course and The Woodlands Golf Course
Interim Parks and Recreation Director Laurine Press introduced Richard Mandel (golf course architect) and Steven Lynch (Community Development). The study found that both courses have aging infrastructure, poor drainage, and declining rounds despite a COVID boost. Operating losses averaged $315,000 (Hamptons) and $150,000 (Woodlands) annually; in FY23 the total golf fund loss was $537,000. Capital improvements to both would exceed $16 million. Market analysis concluded that Hampton only needs 27 holes of golf. Two design options were presented for The Hamptons:
- Option 1 (18 holes + practice facility): $8.85M rebuild/$8.81M remodel; projected stabilized net operating cash flow ~$148,000.
- Option 2 (27 holes: 18 regulation + 9-hole adjustable short course): $8.85M rebuild/$9.67M remodel; projected stabilized net operating cash flow ~$335,000. Key operational recommendations include regular fee increases, tiered pricing, senior discounts, increased staffing, modern technology, and marketing. The Woodlands has no development restrictions (HUD restrictions lifted in 2021), while The Hamptons is limited by a landfill closure agreement and Langley Air Force Base noise restrictions. Council members asked about drainage, walkability, clubhouse upgrades, and attracting new golfers. The City Manager noted that funds have been set aside for renovation but no decision was made.
Recommendations by the Hampton Electoral Board on Polling Place and Precinct Changes
City Attorney Courtney Sydnor and General Registrar Tara Morgan presented the Board’s proposals:
- Precinct boundary changes: Combine Syms with Smith; combine Peake with Langley; split Smith and partially merge into Phoebus; combine City Hall with Hampton Library; move Bluebird Gap Farm into Lindsay (though four houses may be affected); shift parts of Machen to Sandy Bottom; shift parts of Cooper into Machen. Rationale includes cost savings, efficiency, and eliminating problematic locations. However, the City’s GIS manager noted that the last change would split the Hampton Club community.
- Polling place relocation: Move East Hampton precinct from Phoebus High School to the Hampton University Convocation Center due to long lines and inconvenience expressed by students and community. The current site is outside the precinct but within a mile; the new site is within the precinct. Council members raised concerns about voter confusion, distances, equity impacts on black and brown communities, and the need for the Electoral Board to explain their rationale. Councilwoman Ferebee questioned the cost-benefit and suggested minimizing staff workload. The consensus was to invite the Electoral Board to a future meeting to answer questions before further analysis.
Key Outcomes
- Closed Session: Council voted 7-0 to enter closed session at 4:02 PM to discuss real property disposition and appointments.
- Certification: Council unanimously adopted the resolution certifying the closed session.
- Appointments: The agenda included appointments to several boards/commissions; these were considered during closed session (no public details).
- Next Steps for Election Precincts: Council will invite the Electoral Board to provide rationale and cost analysis at a future meeting before deciding on any changes.
- Budget/Golf: No formal decisions were made; the City Manager has budget for golf course renovation but awaits council direction.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon and welcome to the uh Hampton City Council uh work session. Uh Madam Clerk, will you call a roll, please? Councilman Bowman. Vice Mayor Brown. Here. Councilwoman Campbell, present. Councilwoman Fairby. Councilwoman Harper, present. Councilwoman Muggler. Mayor Gray. Present. Thank you for that. And we have uh four items on the agenda this afternoon for presentation. So I ask City Manager to uh introduce the first. Uh yes, thank you, Mr. Mayor, and by consent of council members. Um we are going to reorder the agenda just a bit this afternoon. Uh Councilwoman Martha Muggler um had a work-related commitment, which is going to get her here a little bit late this afternoon. And there are two items in particular that she really wanted to be part of. So by unanimous consensus, we have moved up the update on the 2025-2029 consolidated plan and analysis of impediments to fair housing planning process to be our first item. Our second item will be the I value citizen outreach. The third item will be the analysis of the Hamptons Golf Course and Woodlands Golf Course, and the fourth item will be the recommendations by the Hampton Electoral Board concerning polling place and precinct changes. Just want to wanted the audience to be able to follow the new order. With that, I'm pleased to introduce Jonathan McBride, our housing and neighborhood division manager, who will walk you through the five-year update to the consolidated plan, action plan, and the analysis of impediments. Thank you, City Manager. Uh good afternoon, Mayor and City Council. Uh thank you for having me today. Um I'm gonna be sharing with you the presentation that our consultant that's been working with us on this process, mosaic planning has been sharing with our community uh a couple weeks ago and that we've been putting out on the website for public comment. Um today we'll be giving you a briefing this afternoon so that you can provide comments to us of your questions or insights you may have. Um, and then we'll also be doing a public hearing this evening uh for additional public comment. So, what is the consolidated plan? We're actually doing two planning processes right now in the midst of that. The first is a consolidated plan. Um the consolidated plan is required by HUD for us to be able to access uh entitlement funds, and those are funds that we get annually from HUD to support community development needs within our community. Uh the consolidated plan, uh we have two programs that we'll support. I'll talk a little bit more into those in detail. Um is the community development block grant funds, and one is home investment partnership. Uh the plan is a five-year plan, uh then it has an annual action plan each year that you adopt as part of your budget process that defines the specific activities that that plan will address. Um the plan lays out some goals for those five years, um, and we try to uh estimate what those should be over those five years, but it's not a guarantee of funding over those five years. So it is uh it is more of a strategy plan, um, and then we get an annual allocation that we address uh with that the action plan applies to. Uh and just to give you an idea of what I mentioned allocations, uh over time, you can see the CDBG line at the top and the home funding at the bottom. Um last year we received 907,000 in C D BG funds and 505,000 in home funds. Um traditionally, CDBG has um reduced over time. Uh we've had significantly more home funds and C D BG funds um in the early 2000s. Uh in the last 20 years, we've seen that uh decrease or level out. Um, and most of this is based on the fact that these funds are allocated both on uh congressional budget as well as formulas uh for the locality. So it looks at um poverty, uh looks at uh demographic needs, trend growth uh of the of the community, and allocates those funds accordingly. And so um we anticipate again with the current budget activity going on at the uh Washington right now. We are unclear what the funding will be. We have not received this year's allocation.
openpublica.com