Latest news with #NewportNewsCityCouncil
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Newport News adopts $1.2 billion budget, includes boost for local nonprofits
Newport News City Council unanimously voted on Tuesday to adopt a $1.2 billion operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year, including several tweaks since it introduced the proposal last month. The operating budget is a 4.4% increase from this year's adopted budget and will finance city operations from July 1 through June 30, 2026. Public safety and school operations are the budget's biggest items at $128 million and $125 million respectively. Other expenses include parks and recreation funding, street lighting improvements and a 3% wage increase for non-sworn employees. City revenue growth is expected to pay for the larger budget as opposed to a hike in taxes. General fund revenue is expected to be up 3%, including a projected $370 million from general property taxes. A 3.8% growth in real estate assessments also added $2.3 million in extra revenue, according to Newport News Budget Director Lisa Cipriano. Meanwhile, real estate taxes will remain at $1.18 per $100 of assessed value. Water works, solid waste, storm water and waste water fees will also remain unchanged, and most residents will see a 5%-20% personal property assessment reduction compared to their current year's bill. According to Cipriano, the budget aimed to support local programs that might rely on federal funding, which city leaders said could be impacted by potential federal budget cuts. Budget adjustments add an extra layer of support for several local nonprofits. The Achievable Dream Academy, Not My Child Agency, SafeHaven Empowerment Center and Peninsula Pastoral Counseling Center will each receive $10,000 of Community Support Agency funding. To pay for the changes, the Brooks Crossing Innovation and Opportunity Center and the city's Communication Department will each lose one position. Additionally, the city manager's contingency fund will lose $100,000 and the City Council's contingency will lose $50,000. The revised budget will also increase executive compensation for city clerk's office positions by nearly $50,000. Overall, the changes amount to no net change to the budget and an estimated roughly $1,600 reduction to city revenue. Deputy City Manager Ralph 'Bo' Clayton said during Tuesday's meeting the budget is a balance between addressing immediate needs in the city, while also laying groundwork for future success. 'We're very proud of this. This was truly a budget of firsts,' Clayton said. 'We captured and elevated high-level priorities that reflect both operational needs and long-term strategic goals.' Clayton cited the citizen engagement survey on budget priorities, which garnered more than 1,000 responses from residents with feedback on 27 city services. 'There was a significant and deliberate effort to engage the community, not only to inform, but to listen,' Clayton said. 'These milestones set a new standard for how we plan, communicate and stay accountable to the people we serve.' The council separately adopted a Capital Improvement Plan of nearly $1.1 billion through 2030. That includes roughly $710 million in general fund supported spending and capital spending for user-fee funds set at nearly $387 million, most of which is slotted for waterworks projects. Some of the CIP's projects include infrastructure improvements for Oyster Point Road and J. Clyde Morris Boulevard, funding for the completion of the Choice Neighborhood Initiative for the Marshall-Ridley area, and renovations at Warwick High School. Mayor Phillip Jones said during the meeting that, despite numerous adjustments to the budget over the last several weeks, the council's unanimous support is a testament to the city's collaboration. 'This is a 7-0 vote on a budget. This is a 7-0 vote on a CIP,' Jones said. 'I really appreciate all of you and all the work that we've done.' Devlin Epding, 757-510-4037,
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Newport News approves 620-unit housing development at Endview Plantation
Newport News City Council unanimously voted on Tuesday to rezone a vacant lot at 350 Yorktown Road to make room for a 620-unit housing development on the historic Endview Plantation. The proposed Parkside at Endview is a roughly 282-acre project sits near the city's border with York County along Yorktown Road, Jefferson Avenue and Crafford Road. It will consist of 393 detached single-family homes and 182 townhomes, according to a planning document. The site will also include nearly 32,000 square feet for commercial space and 125 acres of planned open space, including new trails that will connect to Newport News Park, according to a February memorandum of agreement. The property is currently by Newport News' Economic Development Authority and is covered by a forest. The land is also occupied by the Endview House and outbuildings, which are on the National Registrar of Historic Places and will continue to be open to the public. Chesapeake approves $20M bond for Landmark Apartments' affordable housing renovations Virginia Beach housing grant program aims to increase affordable options Historic Garden Week shows history, beauty of Hampton Roads, Eastern Shore with rare tours Norfolk considers loosening requirements for homeowners to add on rental units 60,000 Americans to lose their rental assistance and risk eviction unless Congress acts The site is one of the oldest structures in Newport News and dates back to the 1760s. It also served as a Confederate hospital and headquarters during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign. Grady Palmer, an attorney who has worked on the project for roughly four years, said during an April 2 Planning Commission meeting that pending approval, a memorandum of understanding would help the property work to preserve and bring awareness to the historic site. 'There's a series of signage, reporting and obligations that the development will have for the life of the project that will help preserve, protect and promote the historical awareness of Endview,' Palmer said during Tuesday's council presentation. 'It's a fantastic project that emphasizes home ownership opportunities in the city of Newport News.' The project is a joint venture between the Economic Development Authority, D.R. Horton, and WeldenField of Virginia. However, some residents worried about the project's traffic impacts. Manuel Ankrom, who lives less than a half mile from the plantation's entrance, said he already sees vehicle congestion, especially tour busses, near his home, and doesn't want major construction to further disrupt already severe traffic. 'The project sounds decent, but what it's going to do, it's going to be problematic and create congestion for all people from out of state that come to visit Yorktown,' Ankrom said during the meeting. As part of a proffer agreement, the developers will complete a series of transportation improvements detailed in a traffic impact analysis study from 2022. Those recommendations include turn lanes on Jefferson Avenue and Yorktown Road and an additional site entrance on Crafford Road. Devlin Epding, 757-510-4037,
