The Governmental Operations Standing Committee met on September 23, 2026 (18:15:00 UTC) in Council Chamber, City Hall. The committee approved prior meeting minutes, received departmental presentations on solid waste/street cleaning and sustainability, and took action on 39 solar power purchase agreement ordinances, a railroad license ordinance, water utility funding ordinances, and five resolutions. Several items were forwarded to full council, some with recommendations and one without.
Welcome everyone. We will be getting started shortly. Welcome everyone. The governmental operations standing committee is now called to order. Madam Clerk, if you can begin the agenda. Individuals wishing to speak during the public hearings and the public comment period are generally allowed three minutes to speak. Persons appearing before the committee are not allowed to. Campaign for public office, promote private business ventures, use language of a personal nature which insults or demeans any person, including comments directed at public officials or staff members that are not related to the official duties or address a question staff members directly. All questions are to be directed to the committee chair. Members of the public who registered in advance to speak virtually will be called at their appropriate time, either doing the public comment period or doing the public hearing for the legislation on which they sign up to address. Thank you. Public comment is now open. Is there anyone present who wishes to address this committee regarding items not on today's agenda? Madam Chair, seeing nine public comment period is now closed and back to the committee. Okay, wonderful. Thank you. I know we have some minutes to approve, but I also just want to highlight for folks who are here. We are going to adjust the agenda and do the papers first. Um just again in consideration of those who have taken time out of their day to do public comment for papers on the agenda. Thank you. The minutes to be approved are for May 27, 2026 and June 24th, 2026 for the government and operations standing committee meeting held at 1 p.m. If there are no amendments or corrections, then the meeting minutes will stand approved as presented. Those minutes have been approved. Thank you. Wonderful. Let's proceed to the papers for consideration. Items one through 39, ordinance 2026-215 through 2026-253. Are all legislation to authorize the CAO to execute site lease and solar power purchase project agreements for the purpose of installing, operating and maintaining solar panels on various city-owned properties throughout the city, and to authorize the CAO to execute solar renewable energy credit irrevocable assignment agreements for the purpose of assigning to the city a percentage of solar renewable energy certificates generated by the rooftop solar panels? Those papers are before the committee. Thank you so much. Make sure it's okay. Typically we get a quick overview of what we're voting on. Thank you. For the benefit of the public as well. Yeah, absolutely. And this one is interesting because we've had some uh public conversation outside of our normal realm of bringing these items before you. So uh we've been working on this effort since about January, a little thereafter. And uh I'll tell you at that time, you know, probably the uh total amount of agreements across the Commonwealth, a little over 15 plus with everyone range. And we're right here in Richmond also included in that with uh the University of Richmond, our partners at RPS educational institution, collegiate uh also has uh an agreement there as well. We've got uh Prince Williams, who I had a chance to talk to, Prince William County and talk to them directly to find out a little bit more actually recently to make sure we alleviating risk and moving into an appropriate framework and format. And so uh over the course of the nine months, we've had a combination of activities that include uh internal discussions, uh evaluation of contracts and agreements, mitigation of risk, and you know, more so just looking at how we avoid cost, which I think is one of the main things here because the higher it costs us, or the more we pay, eventually we pass those costs on to our residents. I think another uh piece for the council to be aware of is also the timing associated with this effort. Uh know that folks were really looking forward to having this done earlier, but I think one thing that I know with my partners on council that y'all are fully aware of is good legislation takes time. And uh I think we saw that with the recent housing success that we had for that ordinance. That took a little bit of time, but I think we got it right. Some of the other adjustments that you've made, even our collective bargaining negotiations, which ultimately will span the course of about a year. You know, those things take time to get them right. And I think in this one, we want to have the best agreement in the Commonwealth. I think of those 15 that are here, they're all pretty good. I think, you know, if it's been good enough for University of Richmond, our partners at RPS, but you know, also, you know, even the folks up in uh Prince William County in the northern part of Virginia, I think we just need better.