Hampton City Council Legislative Session - September 25, 2025
Hampton City Council Legislative Session - September 25, 2025
Note: The meeting minutes and transcript indicate the meeting occurred on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 6:30 PM. This summary uses the date provided in the instruction (September 25, 2025) as directed, reflecting a discrepancy between the source materials and the assigned date.
The Hampton City Council held a legislative session presided over by Vice Mayor Steven L. Brown, in the absence of Mayor Jimmy Gray (personal matter) and Councilmember Martha M. Mugler (city business). Deputy City Manager Brian DeProfio sat in for the City Manager. The meeting covered a consent agenda, a public hearing on federal housing grant reports, a resolution for easement acquisition for a flood resilience project, deferral of a camping ordinance, and appointments.
Consent Calendar
- Item 25-0254: Ordinance vacating the City’s interest in an unnamed street/right-of-way (12,268+/- sq. ft.) off Martha Lee Drive and approving a vacation agreement with West Mercury LLC. Approved unanimously (5-0).
- Item 25-0257: Resolution to amend the FY2026 budget to appropriate $11,240.65 from General Fund balance (Bluebird Gap Farm vending feed revenue) to Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Services. Approved unanimously (5-0).
- Item 25-0265: Approval of the 2026 City Council Meeting Calendar. Approved unanimously (5-0).
- Item 25-0253: Approval of minutes from the legislative session of April 9, 2025, and work session of July 9, 2025. Approved unanimously (5-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jocelyn Scott introduced "Hello Sunshine," a proposed eight-week pilot intergenerational program connecting seniors (60+) with young adults (20-year-olds) to reduce loneliness and isolation. She requested access to city spaces, endorsements, and support, noting potential funding from the Eisner Foundation and Foundation for Aging. Time expired before she could finish.
- Chris Bowman reported on the Supernova Ska Festival (Sept. 12-14, 2025) at Fort Monroe, with 39 bands and 11,420 attendees. He urged the Council to pursue something similar to the "Something in the Water" festival, citing potential multi-million dollar revenue for Hampton.
Discussion Items
- Item 25-0259: CDBG & HOME 2024 CAPER – Community Development Department Division Manager Monica Meharg presented the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the period July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025. Key accomplishments included assisting 4 homeowners with rehabilitation, 8 households with homebuyer assistance, completing 2 new affordable housing units (with 2 more underway), and serving all 353 clients originally on the waitlist. An additional $2 million from the Council supported critical repairs (57 families, including HVACs, roofs, water heaters, etc.). Councilmembers praised the collaboration and asked about waitlist removals (income ineligibility, declination), weatherization programs (WEEP, funding line shared with ramp program), and homebuyer assistance (training, down payment/closing cost aid, lower interest rates). No public speakers. Approved unanimously (5-0).
- Item 25-0255: North Armistead Avenue Raising Resilience Project – Deputy City Manager DeProfio explained that Armistead Avenue floods during storms; the project will raise the road using grant funds. Needed: a temporary construction easement (0.085 acres) and permanent drainage easement (0.056 acres) from HD Development of Maryland (Home Depot). The city has been unable to negotiate with the property owner. The resolution authorizes condemnation (eminent domain) if necessary, per state code. No public speakers. Approved unanimously (5-0).
- Item 25-0170: Ordinance to prohibit camping and storage on public property – Staff recommended deferral to allow a stakeholder group to continue its review (next meeting October 7, 2025). The item was deferred without a specified return date (possibly December). Motion carried unanimously (5-0).
- Appointments – Glenda Watson and Zechariah Brown were appointed to first terms on the Hampton Animal Response Team Advisory Committee, expiring September 30, 2028. Approved unanimously (5-0).
Key Outcomes
- Consent agenda and all regular agenda items passed with a vote of 5-0 (all present members in favor).
- The camping ordinance (Item 25-0170) was deferred to a future date pending stakeholder input.
- The Council authorized use of condemnation authority for the North Armistead Avenue Resilience Project if negotiations fail.
- Assistant City Manager Kwasi Obeng was directed to follow up with Jocelyn Scott regarding her "Hello Sunshine" proposal.
- The meeting adjourned at 7:09 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome to our 630 legislative session of the Hampton City Council tonight. I just want to say before we call the role that our mayor will not be with us tonight. He is taking care of a personal matter. Also sitting in tonight for City Manager Bunting is our Deputy City Manager Brian DeProfio. Also Martha Muggler, our councilwoman is also always on business with the manager. So ask the clerk to call the role. Councilman Bowman. Present. Vice Mayor Brown. Here. Councilwoman Campbell, present. Councilwoman Barraby. Present. Councilwoman Harper. Present. Councilwoman Muggler. Mayor Gray. Thank you. Our invocation tonight will be given by Councilwoman Carolyn Campbell, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Graceful Lord, tonight we gather as one to represent the people as we conduct the business of this beautiful city we call home. In this world of chaos, it is comforting and timely that the Tibetan monks shared with our city the message of conflict resolution and peace. Every member of our council has sand from that mandala, each member bringing their own grains of sand to the table, each sharing their history in the picture, but all sharing the same message of conflict resolution and peace for our city. Peace be with us all as we do your will. In your name we pray. Amen. Yes. Thank you, Vice Mayor. As the Vice Mayor said, we will be um recommending the deferral of uh the item which is number seven on the agenda tonight. It's 25-0170 regarding the uh camping and storage on public property. The reason why we're recommending the uh the deferral of this item is because um we have established a stakeholder group to to review the ordinance that was presented at council a few months ago. Their work is continuing. Um they met uh the first time on September 2nd, and they do have a uh their next meeting is uh gonna be occurring on October 7th. So we're recommending that council defer that to a uh a future meeting when uh the after the stakeholder group continue completes their work. Thank you thank you, Brian. Yes, sir. Um just a few comments and comment section tonight. Um on September 27th, the Hampton University of Proton Council Institute will hold his fourth annual prostate uh men's health fair, which is this coming Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Um the annual event will feature health screenings, uh educational resources, uh community support focused on men's health and early detection. Prostate cancer is very um curable if detected early. And I encourage each uh each each man age 40 and over uh to have their prostate uh checked. If you have uh prostate cancer in your family, you may want to get it done earlier. Uh there are two uh screenings, one is the PSA, which is through your blood, other one is the digital rectal exam. And I want to share uh just to quickly, um, the last time I had my physical exam, um everything looked good, and the doctor says to me, he said, have I done your prostate uh exam? I said, Well, uh, you took my blood. What else you want? Uh and uh my doctor is about six foot eight and real tall. And uh if you remember I'll send you hall uh with that long finger, and he's you know, he he said, relax. I said, wait a minute, man. Oh, uh relax.
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