Latest news with #CathyWilliams
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Newport News considers major changes to city charter
Newport News' Charter Review Committee is considering several changes to City Council, which could drastically change how city elections are conducted. The main item being considered during the committee's June 12 meeting was the idea of making City Council races partisan, which would create a partisan primary for City Council candidates. State law prohibits party designations in local elections from appearing on ballots. However, it does not prevent the city from creating a partisan primary to ensure the two final candidates that appear on the ballot are implied to be from different parties. 'We have, as it is in Newport News and other cities without partisan elections, large numbers of candidates from one ideological or partisan faction who run for office and split the vote amongst themselves,' committee member Ben Lambert said during the meeting. 'This spoiler effect has been a problem for Newport News elections for a long time.' The committee delayed the vote on whether to recommend the change to City Council to June 26, according to co-chairs Cathy Williams and Lee Vreeland. They also shot down a proposed recommendation that would shift the power to remove department heads from the city manager to the mayor. 'I feel it's overreach for City Council to be involved in that,' Williams said during the June 12 meeting. At its May 22 meeting, the committee approved a recommendation that City Council appoint school board members appointed rather than elected, and a recommendation to make the mayor a full-time position, limited to two terms. Additionally, the questions of considering ranked choice voting came up during last month's meeting. However, the committee opted not to recommend ranked choice voting. Williams declined to comment on the group's discussions surrounding potential charter changes. The committee has been working through these revisions since September, according to Williams, and has received community feedback on several of the proposed changes. The idea of appointed school board members received letters of support, along with while a full-time mayor received pushback. Feedback on ranked choice voting has also been divided. The committee will submit its final report to the city clerk on June 30, who will then provide it to City Council for review. Devlin Epding, 757-510-4037,
Western Telegraph
28-04-2025
- Business
- Western Telegraph
Pembrokeshire village shop redevelopment scheme refused
In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Cathy Williams of Bwlchygroes Shop & Farm Feeds sought outline permission for a dormer bungalow in a garden area to the rear of the shop. An officer report recommending refusal said: 'The proposed development would provide new open market housing within the settlement boundary of Bwlchygroes, which would benefit the economy by providing work within the construction industry and generate income for material suppliers and distributors. 'New housing can have both social and environmental benefits in terms of improving the condition and size of housing stock to meet modern needs and improve living conditions and constructing to modern building standards. ' However, detailed matters considered in the remainder of the report conclude that environmental impacts have not been adequately addressed by the submission, and as such, the development fails to accord [with policy].' It adds: 'Although the proposed residential development would be located in a sustainable location, the applicant has not submitted a Unilateral Undertaking in order to secure a financial contribution towards affordable housing. 'The settlement of Bwlchygroes currently stands at a 10 per cent affordable housing contribution fee for the area, equating to £5,087.50 per proposed dwelling.' Officer concerns were also raised about the disposal of foul waste, the site being within the catchment of the Afon Teifi Special Area of Conservation (SAC), with 'insufficient information has been provided to reasonably conclude that the proposal would not have an adverse impact on the integrity of the SAC'. The application states that a cesspool would be used for the disposal of foul waste, but, officers say it 'fails to provide sufficient information to demonstrate that a package treatment plant is unable to be accommodated'. It also says: 'The application scale parameters, even at the minimum extent, would not appear to leave sufficient room within the site to accommodate an acceptable foul and surface water disposal system'. The application was refused by planning officers.
