Portsmouth City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting - January 13, 2026

The Portsmouth City Council held a work session beginning at approximately 4:00 PM, followed by a regular meeting at 7:00 PM on January 13, 2026. The work session covered broadband connectivity, the Safe Streets for All action plan, downtown parking enforcement, and the 2030 strategic pillars. The regular meeting featured a proclamation, public hearing, consent agenda adoption, and public comments. Council took several votes and set direction for future actions.

Consent Calendar

• Meeting Minutes: The minutes from the August 2025 meeting were approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• William Richardson (Bink Richardson): Raised allegations of corruption and misuse of city funds; council ruled his comments out of order for not addressing council on a matter they could influence.
• David Hurst: Criticized the condition of downtown sidewalks, cleanliness of parking garages, and lack of public restrooms, urging the city to improve maintenance and increase festivals for tourism.
• Rachel Copeland (Cooper's Restaurant): Presented the city's song ("Portsmouth is for People") and requested it be made official. She also discussed her free meal program and Project Phoenix support group. Council members expressed support for adopting the song.
• Aaron Cody: Advocated for ranked choice voting, citing the legal authority under Code of Virginia § 24.2-673.1, and noted the authority expires July 1, 2031.
• Sergey O'Neill: Praised the Rock the Block event in Prentice Park, thanked Councilman Dotson for a neighborhood tour, and encouraged council to attend Portsmouth United meetings.
• Donna Biggs: Argued that the city's waterfront development process violates the Virginia Bill of Rights and historic preservation laws, and called for petitions to stop demolition of historic buildings.

Discussion Items

• Broadband Connection Strategy:

  • Scarlett Caprol and Jeff Pico (Broadband Telecom) presented on the city's broadband plan. The city did not receive a $EID grant to connect 10 anchor institutions; they will now focus on designing connections and seeking budget funding.
  • Noel Mitchell (GTS Spark Networks) detailed the 119-mile fiber optic ring being built by the South Side Network Authority (SNA), with Portsmouth's portion expected to complete by March 2026 and the full ring by June 2026.
  • BEAD (Broadband Equity Access and Deployment) funding: Two areas in Portsmouth (Churchland and a second zip code) were awarded BEAD grants. Construction will begin after environmental reviews, targeted for June 2026. The grant is a subsidy; Spark Networks will pay most costs. Service will be paid by customers, but Spark will offer affordable plans (Easy Link, Connect to Learn) once service is live.
  • Councilman Hugo expressed frustration over the lack of a timeline for connecting 119 city facilities. The city manager and staff will develop a plan to inform the upcoming budget.

• Safe Streets for All Action Plan Update:

  • Dr. Rhonda Russell and Megan Goebbels presented the action plan, a grant-funded study of high-injury road networks. Crash data from 2019-2023: 6,137 crashes, 30 fatalities, 849 serious injuries on high-injury corridors.
  • High-incident corridors: George Washington Highway, Victory Boulevard, Constitution Avenue, High Street, Elmhurst Lane, and others.
  • Recommendations: low-cost (signage, signal timing), mid-term (curb extensions, pedestrian islands), long-term (corridor reconfigurations, shared-use paths). Systemic recommendations include parking restrictions, daylighting, and high-visibility crosswalks.
  • Next steps: Apply for Safe Streets for All implementation grants and other funding (HSIP, SMART SCALE, etc.). Council members noted specific areas (Twin Pines Road, Town Point Road, Cedar Lane) and requested data on red light camera impacts and driver demographics.

• Parking Violations and Enforcement:

  • City engineer presented a plan to address unpaid parking tickets, late fees, and inconsistent enforcement. Current challenges: split enforcement between police and parking authority, unclear ticket procedures, and a backlog of unpaid fines.
  • Short-term: Review ticket clarity, send 30-day notice, offer flexible payment plans. Long-term: Use T2 mobile pay for collections, consider reciprocal enforcement via DMV holds.
  • After lengthy debate, council voted (by show of hands) to forgive all past parking tickets and start fresh. Enforcement will resume after a 30-day communication blitz, with full enforcement including towing for multiple unpaid tickets. Council directed that communication be clear and that towing vendors be within city limits.
  • Discussion also included the possibility of paid parking on High Street via T2, with free parking in garages for the first two hours. The city manager recommended this approach; council will consider it further.

• 2030 Strategic Pillars Update:

  • City Manager Carter reviewed council feedback on the five pillars. Key modifications:
    • Pillar 1: Move new city hall construction to five-year goal; add city facilities facelift discussion.
    • Pillar 2: Add process audits for customer service; reduce interdepartmental bottlenecks by 25% in year one.
    • Pillar 3: Add joint EDA property purchase in Link District; implement parking study as long-term goal.
    • Pillar 4: Add Olympic-size pool at sportsplex (in partnership with YMCA), design K-8 school, and apply for All-America City designation.
  • Council agreed to finalize the document with these changes.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Agenda (8 items): Voted 7-0 to adopt a consolidated package of grant and settlement funds totaling $758,910.60 for various departments, including behavioral health, public utilities, social services, libraries, courts, and museums.
• Public Hearing (Use Permit 25-11): Voted 7-0 to approve a conditional use permit for Newport Phase 2, allowing construction of 299 attached housing units (townhouses and condominiums) at 3741 Elliott Avenue. The applicant committed to market-rate pricing with entry-level homes in the high $200,000s. Council noted the need for traffic study updates and school infrastructure support.
• Parking Ticket Forgiveness: Council directed staff to forgive all unpaid parking tickets prior to the start of a 30-day public education campaign, after which full enforcement (including towing) will begin. The decision was made by voice vote with a show of hands.
• Broadband Plan: Staff will develop a phased plan for connecting 119 city facilities to the fiber optic ring, to be presented at the February 10, 2026 broadband authority meeting to inform the FY2027 budget.
• Safe Streets Action Plan: Council endorsed the plan and directed staff to pursue implementation grants. Specific follow-up requested: data on red light camera effectiveness, driver demographics, and CIP projects for legislative advocacy.