Good evening and uh welcome to Hampton City Council.

This is a special session this evening to hold a uh second public hearing on the FY27 budget.

So with that, I'm gonna ask the clerk to call a role.

Councilman Bowman, present, Vice Mayor Brown, here, Councilwoman Campbell, present.

Councilwoman Fairby, present.

Councilwoman Harper, present, councilwoman Muggler, present, Mayor Craig.

And will you read the call for the special meeting?

This meeting was called to hold the second public hearing for the FY2027 city manager's recommended budget and to introduce all tax, fee, and appropriation ordinances and resolutions to be considered for vote by City Council on May 13, 2026.

In addition, the mayor may read proclamations as identified on the agenda for this special meeting.

Alright, and the invocation uh will be led by uh councilwoman Michelle Taylor Ferraby, and uh we'll have then the Pledge of Allegiance.

So will you please stand and join us for both.

Good evening.

Let us pray.

As we gather to serve our community, we recognize Nurses Appreciation Day and Teacher Appreciation Week, honoring those who heal, teach, and guide others each day.

We also give thanks for our first responders, our police, firefighters, and emergency personnel whose courage and dedication help keep our community safe.

During this month, we also acknowledge Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month, celebrating the diverse cultures and contributions that enrich our nation.

We also observe mental health awareness month, reminding us to lead with compassion and care for one another.

During this month of national military appreciation, we honor all who have served and we keep in our thoughts those who currently are serving overseas.

May they be protected and may peace prevail.

May this council be guided by wisdom, fairness, and respect.

May our discussions be thoughtful, our decisions just and our purpose rooted in the common good.

And may we always remember that our work here has a lasting impact on the lives of those who we represent.

Let us move forward with integrity and a shared commitment to serve.

May we all say amen.

Amen.

So I'm going to start with the municipal clerks.

And whereas the office of the municipal clerk is the oldest amongst public servants, and whereas the office of the municipal clerk provides professional link between the citizens, the local governing bodies, and agencies of government and other levels, and whereas the municipal clerks have pledged to be ever mindful of their neutrality and impartiality, rendering equal service to all.

Serve as the information center on functions of local government and community, and whereas the municipal clerks provide a multitude of services to their community and local government, including recording and preserving records, providing information and services to citizens and codifying legislative activities of the governing body.

And whereas the municipal clerk continually strive to improve the administration of the affairs of the Office of the Municipal Clerk through participation in education programs and seminars and workshops and the annual meetings of their professional organizations.

And whereas the municipal clerks, Catherine Glass and her staff, deputy clerks Victoria Hatcher, Tammy Lee, and Joy Mouse provide outstanding service to our community and local government on a daily basis and constantly striving to protect the resources, provide transparency in all aspects of local government, and to preserve our heritage while planning our future.

Now, therefore, our James A.

Gray, Mayor on behalf of the City Council, the City of Hampton, Virginia, do hereby recognize the week of May 3rd through May 9, 2026 as municipal clerks week and in the city of Hampton, Virginia, and call upon the citizens to thank and extend appreciation to our city clerks for the outstanding service and exemplary dedication shown to our community.

And witness whereof I've here into set my hand and cause the seal of the city of Hampton, Virginia to be affixed this 6th day of May, 2026.

Signed James A.

Gray Mayor.

So please give a round of applause to our clerk.

And I'd like to ask them to join us down front and receive the presentation.

Yes.

We're right here.

Are you all beyond the law?

Thank you very much.

Okay, so the next proclamation is proclaiming May 3rd through 9th of May 3rd through the 9th, 2026, as public service recognition week in the City of Hampton, and whereas the City of Hampton is committed to serving our community, and whereas the City of Hampton encourages employees to exemplify the spirit of public service at all times, and whereas the public service recognition week is a time to educate citizens about the work public service employees do, and while it is vital to the community and how it improves the lives of those we serve, and whereas public service recognition week is also a time to recognize outstanding public service employees who are dedicated to their work to make our community stronger, and whereas public service employees provide essential services to the city of Hampton, and whereas they keep our communities safe, maintain our roads and neighborhoods, educate our children, and improve the quality of life, support our veterans, and provide assistance to those in need.

And whereas it is important that citizens of Hampton see our public service employees come together in collaboration to achieve the common goal of being their best sales for those we serve.

And whereas is it is it is the desire of the city of Hampton to thank and commend public service employees for their dedication to providing exceptional service to our citizens each and every day.

Now, therefore, I, James A.

Gray Jr.

Mayor on behalf of the City Council of the City, Hampton, Virginia, do hereby proclaim the week of May 3rd through 9, 2026 as public service recognition week in the city of Hampton, Virginia, in recognition of our public service employees and the contributions they make to our city.

And I furthermore call upon the citizens of Hampton to join me in expressing appreciation to our public service employees during this public service recognition week and throughout the year.

And witness where of our hearing to set my hand and cause the seal of the city of Hampton, Virginia to be affixed the 6th day of May 2026.

So if you will give a round of applause to all of our public service employees, I think we have uh cold Dennis and maybe a few other.

Well, all of y'all are public service people, so you all need to come up here and uh and uh receive this proclamation.

So let's go down here and do it again.

Okay, and then we go to the right, and that's it.

Okay, one minute.

I think that's right.

Okay.

Yeah, let me know when you've been on it.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay, so with that, I'm gonna turn it over to the city manager for uh comments on the purpose of tonight's meeting.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

The purpose of tonight's special meeting is for council to hold the second public hearing on the budget.

The manager's recommended budget, which was introduced last month, included the proposed appropriations for all funds comprising the city's budget, as well as the taxes and fees necessary to support those appropriations.

In accordance with the city charter, council must conduct at least one public hearing before approving the final budget.

That hearing was held two weeks ago on Wednesday, April the 22nd.

By tradition, the city of Hampton has chosen to offer a second public hearing to ensure residents have ample time to comment on the budget.

That second hearing is tonight.

Council will not vote on the budget this evening.

Final consideration and adoption of the budget will take place next Wednesday, May the 13th.

At that time, council will adopt the budget by voting on the tax and fee ordinances and resolution and appropriation ordinances listed in tonight's agenda.

The full text of each ordinance and resolution is included in the agenda package for anyone who wishes to read them.

Thank you.

Okay, and so with that, I want to ask the uh clerk to read a protocol for the public hearing.

The city council is committed to fair and respectful hearings.

The following guidelines will help ensure an orderly process.

Individuals wishing to speak must sign up in the city hall lobby starting one hour before the meeting and ending when the meeting begins.

Speakers will be called in the order they signed up.

Speaker shall address council from the center podium.

Each speaker is allowed three minutes.

The timer has a green light, which will turn yellow with one minute remaining, and then red when time is up.

All comments must be addressed to the council.

Speakers may not yield their time to others.

After all speakers are heard, the mayor will close the public hearing and invite council discussion.

And in the case of tonight, there will be no action.

All right, and so with that, I did you want to read the title of the public hearing?

The public hearing this evening is item number two.

It's 26-0155, the second public hearing to receive citizens' comments regarding the city manager's recommended budget for fiscal year 2027.

Okay.

All right, and the clerk was given the instructions uh for the public uh hearing uh three minutes.

Uh, if you wrote a five-minute speech, you only get three minutes to say your five-minute speech.

The uh lights are right over here in the center.

It's green when you start, it turns yellow when you have a minute left, and it turns red when your time is up.

So please pay attention to that.

It's sits right here on the day.

So with that, I'm gonna open the public hearing and call on the first speaker, uh Robin McCormick.

Thank you, Mayor Gray, all the council members, city manager, city attorney, and city clerk.

This is the first time I have spoken to you as a private citizen.

Previously, I was always an employee, so it feels a little weird.

I'm Robin McCormick and I live in Merrimack Shores neighborhood.

There are two main streets that frame our neighborhood: Chesapeake and Catesby Jones Avenues.

For more than six years, we have been experiencing problems on both of those streets.

Asphalt gives way in multiple places, creating large sinkholes.

Public works comes out and fills the holes as best they can, but within a few months, the hole reappears.

There have been as many as six holes along Catesby at one time.

Public Works has been responsive to our issues, but all they have been able to do so far is temporary patchwork.

The problem is that the nearly 80-year-old sewer pipes under the streets are made of clay, they are collapsing in multiple places.

They're also far smaller than new pipes, and many households have experienced backups and slow water drainage due to the reduced capacity and when rainwater falls through the hole into the sewer pipes.

I am here tonight to support the increase in the wastewater user fee.

I know Merrimack Shores isn't the only neighborhood with this issue, but I believe we are at the top of the list.

Our roads look like a driver training course where one has to swerve around traffic cones which cover the holes.

At times, people have even given those traffic cones seasonal decorations.

As fond as we are of those neighborhood cones, we'd love even more to have streets with no sinkholes.

I urge you to adopt the increase in the wastewater fee that is part of the city manager's recommended budget.

I also urge you to ensure that Merrimack Shores is at the top of the list for wastewater pipe replacement and upgrades.

Thank you for your time, your attention, and your service to the city.

Thank you, Robin.

She used to work here, she's used to doing her presentations from that podium.

So for the rest, so for the rest of you, come to the podium in the center, please.

All right.

All right.

Next speaker is Travis Adams.

Sorry, your joke made me lose my uh my speech there.

Good evening, Mayor, Council, and staff.

I want to speak tonight not about line items in this year's budget, but about the broader governing philosophy that shaves all Hampton approaches growth, housing, and economic development.

Over the past 50 years, cities across America, including Hampton have accumulated layer upon layer of processes, departments, commissions, studies, incentives, reviews, and authorities, all intended to improve outcomes.

Most of these systems were created for understandable reasons to prevent corruption, to improve planning, to protect neighborhoods, and to coordinate investment.

But over time, many local governments have drifted into a model where process itself becomes the product.

We measure we measure success by plans completed, meetings held, grants pursued, and projects announced, while the fundamentals become harder and harder to achieve.

Housing becomes more expensive and slower to build, infrastructure maintenance falls behind.

Small businesses struggle to navigate the permitting process.

Young families leave.

Incremental growth becomes nearly impossible unless it arrives as a massive subsidized project.

And so cities increasingly turn to economic development as a solution.

Chasing ribbon cuttings, incentives, prestige developments, tourism branding, or one-off deals intended to jumpstart growth.

But real prosperity does not come from government successfully picking winners.

It comes from creating an environment where thousands of ordinary people can succeed at ordinary things.

A city grows stronger when housing is easy to build, that's easy enough to build that teachers, firefighters, and young families can afford to stay.

Small businesses can afford what can open without navigating endless bureaucracy.

Infrastructure is maintained reliably.

Zoning allows neighborhoods to evolve naturally over time, and citizens trust that government is focused on outcomes rather than process.

Since 2000, Hampton's median home value has roughly doubled from approximately 150,000 to 300,000, while the inflation-adjusted medium household income has remained largely flat, and the city's poverty rate has remained essentially unchanged.

The population has declined by nearly 10%, while the median age has gone up by three years.

Grand openings and grant funding don't change this reality.

This is our record.

Hampton is a stagnant city economically and demographically.

I hope as you all begin work on the next budget cycle, you challenge staff to ask difficult questions.

Does this budget double down on the same failed policies that have produced decades of stagnation?

Are we making decisions based on what the evidence actually says about housing taxation permitting infrastructure and economic growth?

Is our current approach producing measurable success or merely preserving institutional habit?

And ultimately, I hope that staff generates a budget which will actually deliver on the promises that you all made as candidates about affordability and economic growth.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Adams.

Next speaker is Sham Siddin Abdullah.

Sham Siddhan Abdullah.

Okay.

All right.

Next speaker is Matthew Johnson.

Good evening.

Mayor, Councilman, uh, Vice Mayor Brown and Council.

Uh Hampton is the only city in Hampton Roads that does not support financially its public defender's office.

Uh I want to remind council that the first time I spoke to many of you was some five years ago.

At that time, there was one city in Hampton Roads that had taken charge and decided to supplement its public defenders' offices.

Um there's a fundamental right to effective counsel under the Sixth Amendment.

That's whether you're rich, you're poor, you're struggling for mental health issues, or drug addiction.

And that's the role that we fill.

I'm asking the council tonight to consider a $250,000 supplement to support my office.

The Supreme Court has held that a functioning adversarial system, that is what our criminal justice system is, requires prosecutors and defenders to be paid equally.

The NAACP just three years ago amended its charter to add the language that it will advocate for salary increases and pay equity with the prosecuting attorney, regardless of whether that advocacy is required at the state or the local level to reduce turnover rates of public defenders and core staff.

The Commonwealth of Virginia allocates in its own budget 1.9 million dollars to run its prosecutor's office and its public defender's office.

But what we've done in Hampton is we've kind of put our fingers on that scale to a certain extent.

The prosecutor's office is given an additional $3.6 million in city funds to help pay for salaries, additional positions, additional staff.

Unfortunately, it does nothing for the public defender's office.

We're not asking for equity.

We're not asking to even be treated the same.

We're just asking for some help.

What that looks like in effect is that in certain positions within those two offices, the same person, the same role might be making $50,000 less in a year based on the city's supplements to the prosecutor.

Every other city in Hampton Roads has seen this, seen this disparity, and risen to the challenge.

They've given as much as $500,000 in certain cities, most around $250, which is the number that I'm kind of that's where I settled on.

Some of these cities are much smaller than us.

Suffolk has an office half my size, but yet they're getting a subsidy of about $230,000 a year from the city.

Many years, four many years, Hampton has maintained that this is a state issue, that we are state employees, and that this is a state issue.

However, Hampton has a very robust tradition of helping its outside agencies.

We invest in community services that are not city services.

I can look at your proposed budget for this year.

There's a 12 million dollar allocation for outside services.

And they're good services.

They're animal shelters.

They're music.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Doriah Meskin.

Good evening.

My name's Daria.

I'm a senior trial attorney at the public defender's office, and I also manage both mental health dockets in our office.

So I want to focus my remarks on the behavioral health docket, because it's Mental Health Awareness Month, and I think it's one of the most important dockets that we have in the city of Hampton.

Participants on this docket receive substance abuse support, housing, employment opportunities, the kind of support that they need to actually become productive members of society, rather than just being punished for being mentally ill.

We had four people just last week that graduated from our docket.

All four of them came onto the docket homeless with severe mental health issues, severe substance abuse issues, no employment and no prospects.

All four graduated with a stable place to live, a job, an understanding of how to manage their mental health systems, and all four of them were clean and sober.

At its inception, the idea for this docket was that our office would receive a full-time staff position to help manage this docket because it's so important.

And that has not happened.

Instead, it's me and our mitigation specialist, Christina Pataco, that go to this docket and help manage these folks as they navigate these mental health issues.

In addition to the docket, I myself have 137 open cases that all range from reckless driving to murder.

My colleagues, in addition, have about 80 to 100 open cases themselves.

Between 15 attorneys, that's about 1,500 Hampton citizens that are facing the absolute worst days of their lives.

1,500 moms asking us when their kids are coming home.

1,500 spouses wondering how they're gonna come up with the money to get their partner home.

And each one of these cases represents an entire life that more often than not is facing the full force of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

And the only person that they have in their corner is me.

And I have to be in 136 other corners at the same time.

Good evening, everyone.

My name is Zachary Hassan.

I'm a public defender.

I'm also here to speak during this public service week in favor of financial support for public defenders.

The core idea that I'm sort of moving toward is that public service should not have to come at the expense of the people who are serving the public.

Currently, every single person at the Hampton Public Defender's Office comes into work.

We do this arduous work every day, knowing essentially that we could be making more money elsewhere.

Private criminal practice, Commonwealth's attorney's office for one, civil practice, even judicial clerkships.

Yet we keep showing up because every single person who works at this office cares about the work that they do.

We protect the rights of our clients.

Of course, these are clients who genuinely need us.

We've achieved countless victories just through caring.

Uh taking the second look, hearing people out, double checking a detail.

We are probably, and don't quote me on this, the largest law firm in Hampton.

You can quote me on this, however, we are one of the best.

That said, though, we lose a lot of good attorneys constantly, year by year, because they either need or want more money.

Public defense has always had a turnover problem as long as I've been in it, and I've been in it since I was an intern in law school.

I've now been in it roughly two and a half years and handled 500 cases.

I recently lost a mentor and a friend to a private practice job in DC.

Um our office has now lost an individual with major duties and a full caseload that now has to be spread across 14 people.

Um that was one person.

COVID brought even more difficulties when that hit our office.

That was far worse for turnover.

Obviously, things like that can happen in an instant.

A lot of us have student loan debt, some of us have children responsibilities, car payments, rent.

It's hard to know that not only could we be making more money elsewhere, we could be making more money doing the same job in an adjacent city.

As Mr.

Johnson mentioned, every other Hampton Road City has set aside some funds to accommodate its public defenders.

We could be paying off our debts, our student loans, starting families, yet we remain here and continue the fight because of our commitment to public service, our commitment to our coworkers, and of course, commitment to this Hampton community.

Thank you all, and I yield my time.

Thank you, Mr.

Haston.

Next speaker is Angel Williams.

Hello, my name is Angel Williams.

I am a shelter, a shelter coordinator for the city of Hampton.

And I want to applaud the city of Hampton for allocating funds for the tiny home concept.

While this initiative is promising, it's essential to focus on the critical rehabilitation needed for individuals to live independently.

A continuum of care facility can provide the necessary tools and resources for the people for our people to transition into tiny homes successfully.

Many depend on day support services, which serve over a thousand individuals annually, yet we lack adequate facilities to meet this demand.

Currently, Hampton spends less than 150,000 on the homelessness, while Newport News has budgeted more than three million for the year 2027.

This disparity puts our most vulnerable residents at risk.

We have the opportunity to better reflect the needs of those facing homelessness in our city's budget.

Supporting individuals and achieving stability and housing is vital for our community's values and future.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Williams.

Good evening, Mayor, Council members, and city manager.

My name is Sharice Austin.

I am both a resident of Hampton and an employee of Health Inc.

I first want to acknowledge and commend the city's willingness to consider investing in initiative in innovative solutions like tiny home initiatives.

Efforts like that show a recognition that homelessness requires long-term, thoughtful responses, and I appreciate that direction.

At the same time, through my work with direct interaction with individuals and families experiencing housing instability, I see an opportunity for our city to strengthen the broad the broader homelessness response system even further.

They support services like we provide, and the year-round shelter access remains critical critical gaps for many of our most vulnerable residents.

Every year, more than 1,000 individuals rely on that local support services for basic stability, connection and housing resources, and crisis intervention.

Unfortunately, right now, our nice welcome only can house through the winter season in only a hundred COTS.

Those needs do not disappear when those shelters close.

Continual investments in accessible day center support will help us complete a more sustainable response.

I am proud to serve this community through my work, and I know this council cares deeply about the well-being of Hampton residents.

I hope future budgets prioritize continue supporting collaborative solutions with partners like Help Inc.

that provide lasting stability and dignity for those experienced in homelessness.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Ms.

Halston.

Uh, next speaker is Caroline Bowdy.

Good evening.

My name is Caroline Boddy.

I'm a resident of the city of Hampton and a senior trial attorney at the Hampton Public Defender's Office.

I say I'm a Hampton resident, but it's so much more than that.

Hampton is my home, and it has been since my parents moved here when I was six months old.

I grew up here.

I graduated from Kikatan, and my parents still live in that house that we moved into when I was a baby.

Hampton's my home, and it's also the place where I chose to work.

Right out of law school, I took the first job that was offered to me, which was with the Virginia Beach Public Defender's Office.

It was fine, but I wanted to work in my hometown.

And so when an opening in the Hampton office was posted, I applied and accepted it, even though it actually meant giving up a city supplement in the Virginia Beach office.

At that time I was fortunate enough to be renting from some friends, and so I had cheap rent and was able to sacrifice that extra pay in order to achieve my dream of returning to my hometown and working here.

I went to law school knowing that I wanted to be a public defender.

There's absolutely no other role I would like to serve in the legal profession.

And I do this job because I want to help people, and I do it in my hometown because I care so much about this community.

For the past two and a half years, I have primarily represented children in the Hampton juvenile domestic relations court.

I have witnessed time and time again what happens when kids do not have competent representation.

There's also in that time frame been a disturbing trend in the Commonwealth Attorney's Office in increasing the number of children that they are asking the court to try as adults.

That has created an increased workload for myself and my supervisor, Miss Manais, who's also here today, and also a resident of Hampton.

It increases our workload.

We have to fight harder to keep the kids in the court that they are supposed to be in.

And these kids who have so often been given up on by every other adult in their life deserve an attorney that's actively fighting for them.

And what message does it send to those kids that the city is spending money on the people who are trying to lock them up and not on the people who are trying to help them?

I love my job, I don't want to leave, but I have debt.

I have a mortgage, I have student loans.

Gas is now 400.39 cents a gallon, and the city refuses to fund a city jail.

So myself and my colleagues have to drive all across the tidewater in order to even just see our incarcerated clients.

At the same time, the city is giving millions of dollars to that Western Tidewater Regional Jail in order to warehouse our clients.

I'm not asking for supplements just for me.

I'm asking for so that a kid who's sitting in their high school government at Bethel or Kikaten, wanting to be a public defender, can achieve that goal of doing it in their hometown.

We should care about wanting to get the best attorneys that we can in our city, and we cannot do that when we are the only city that doesn't fund them.

Thank you, Miss Bodie.

Uh next speaker is Matthew Finley.

Good evening, Councilman.

My name is Matthew Finley.

Um, this is my first time speaking uh to the council, but um I'm a citizen of Hampton.

Um I've worked in the city attorney's office about 11 12 years ago.

I worked in the Commonwealth's attorney's office for several years, and I'm here to talk about something that's that is important to me and important to this city, and that is supplements for the public defender's office.

And I'm coming at this from the angle of being involved in the uh the half of the equation that the city has supplemented at the time that I worked in this in the Commonwealth's attorney's office.

I worked in a uh grant-funded position that the city did supplement my salary for.

I would not have been able to survive on the grant that was provided to that had they not supplemented.

And you have a group of people here uh who are asking for not even that much.

Um maybe I've been thinking a lot about, and I kind of want to approach this from a global sense.

I've been thinking a lot about the health of democracy.

And I have always been of the opinion that if you really want to get a beat on the health of democracy, you would go into into court and watch criminal case, um, which is something that happens a hundred times over every day here in Hampton.

In a perfect world, and we all know that the city does provide a lot of money to the Commonwealth Attorney's Office in a perfect world.

They would do their two duties.

They would prosecute cases on behalf of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and they would make sure that those cases are carried out in a just way and by protecting the rights of the individuals that are there before them.

I can tell you from experience, and I can tell you from working in that office that Mr.

Bell has done a lot for the former, but nothing for the latter.

There is exactly one organization in this city that cares about the latter, and it is the Hampton Public Defender's Office.

And I think it's fitting that we have designated this as public public service week or public servants week, because you have a group of individuals here that work that are part of the lifeblood of what is protecting these citizens and their rights, and they don't receive a single cent from this city.

And Hampton, and now I've been here before on this issue.

I had not spoken, but now I'm speaking to you as Hampton carries the dubious distinction of being the only city uh that doesn't provide anything to them.

Um this is a an issue of critical imperative importance.

And I'm not gonna stand up here and say they can tell you about how hard their job is.

It's extremely difficult to fathom what they go through on a daily basis, unless you lived through it or you did the work.

Um I don't think it's a heavy ask.

I think it's extremely reasonable if that piece, that second half of the equation is to be protected, and we are to keep good attorneys here, and we are to protect the rights of citizens that have to come into our courts every day, the very least, for people who care, and I'm not a cynic, I'm a realist.

I know that you care.

But when you are the people that have the ability to do something and you just care and you don't do anything, that doesn't mean a whole lot.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you, Mr.

Finlay.

Uh next speaker is Delore Branch Mathis.

Good evening.

I am here to speak of my brother Swindale branch.

Um, my brother Swindale, he um did stay in shelters in Hampton during the winter months when the weather got warmer, he didn't have anywhere to stay at night because in Hampton, I guess in Virginia, I'm not really sure the the guidelines, he didn't have anywhere to stay.

And he would stay with me sometimes as well.

So a few weeks ago, he had to go to Newport News um to stay in a shelter, and my brother fell off a bunk bed.

They didn't know my brother in Hampton.

The help center, they knew my brother, they had built a relationship with him.

And in Nupa News, he fell off a bunk bed.

And my brother went a couple of weeks, he he thought he was okay, but on April 24th, my brother was with me at five in the morning, and he was throwing up.

And I woke up and I said, Swindale, are you okay?

He was like, I'm not men, I'm okay, I'm gonna be okay.

And I was like, No, I took him to Careplex, emergency room.

My brother had bleeding in his brain, and they rushed him to Virginia Beach General.

He didn't make it.

My brother should be here.

I am burying my brother on Monday, May the 11th.

So I'm here to say that I do believe my brother and other homeless people that stay at shelters, they're not thoraways.

I love my brother.

He had a family, and for us to not have somewhere for them to stay as if they don't mean anything.

I just think that I love the what they're offering the program of having overnight all year long.

So I'm here to represent.

I didn't write anything.

I'm speaking from my heart, and not just my brother, but for all homeless people.

They are people too.

And I love my brother, and he should be here with me.

Unfortunately, he is not, and he was healthy four weeks ago.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Branch Mathis.

Next speaker is uh Jeannie Belgrave.

Good evening, Major, Vice Major, Members of council, city manager, and the audience.

My name is Jeannie Bellgrave Acker, Digital Queen.

I live in the city of Hampton.

I want to thank you for your continued work in maintaining a balanced and thoughtful budget for our city.

As I reviewed the fiscal year 27 recommended budget, I appreciated a strong emphasis on public safety, infrastructure, and maintaining core services.

Those are essential foundations for any community.

I would like to offer a future-oriented perspective that builds on the city's existing priorities, particularly in the areas of workforce development and economic uh vitality.

We are living in a time where the nature of work is rapidly evolving.

Many industries are growing today, especially in digital media, technology, and advanced production, require new types of skills and early exposures.

Cities that position themselves to support these pathways, especially for youth and young professionals, will be the ones that remain competitive in the years ahead.

Hampton already has strong assets, our schools, our community programs, and our proximity to major institutions.

Continuing to explore ways to connect those assets to emerging industries could for uh could further expand our economic future and create opportunities for residents at all levels.

I also want to highlight the importance of creating spaces where community education and industry can intersect.

Even small scale programs or pilot initiatives can have a meaningful impact in building awareness and engagement.

I appreciate the direction the city is taking and encourage continued consideration of how Hampton can position itself not only to sustain what we have, but to grow into what is next.

Thank you for your time and your service to our community.

Thank you, Ms.

Billgrave.

Next speaker is Janice Johnson.

Good evening, Mr.

Mayor, members of City Council.

You usually see me here as your storyteller, but tonight I'm here representing Virginia Organizing, which is a statewide group that deals with fairness equity and justice.

It is a 30-year-old organization, which I have volunteered for over 25 years.

Meeting with many of you as City Council people, both here and in Newport News, regarding the issue of the unhoused, also known as the homeless people in our communities.

And we are here to support the budget items that are under capital budget for 2027 in terms of the family resilience and economic empowerment.

We want to congratulate the city council for taking a look at what's happening across the country in terms of tiny house development and offering that as one solution to the homeless problem in our area.

I think you've done a superb job at doing that.

I know it's gonna cost a little bit more than it's in the budget for this year, but certainly as a continuing partial solution.

Nothing is total, a partial solution to the homeless problem in our area.

Please know that the Virginia organizing Hampton News chapter stands ready to be of any assistance that we can be.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Ms.

Johnson.

Is there anybody else who signed up to speak that I haven't called?

That is the last speaker I have on my list.

All right, so with that, we're gonna close the public hearing.

And um there is uh no other action uh for city council other than this public hearing this evening, so we are adjourned.