The Council of the City of Norfolk and now Mr. Roberts. Thank you. Mayor. Vice mayor. Members of city council. I would like to take a minute to provide a brief overview of the proposed agenda for this afternoon's work session meeting. First presentation is titled New Precinct polling location at Norfolk State University. Stephanie Iles, director of elections and our General Registrar, will present the council with information on a proposed new precinct and polling location at Norfolk State University. That presentation will be followed by a General Assembly briefing. Update as you all know, some key legislation has not been fully resolved and is pending final adoption of the state budget, which is still before the General Assembly, but absent a final action on those, Brian Pennington, Director of General or Government Relations, will provide an update on several actions that are pertinent to Norfolk requests and also of statewide interest. Following that, we do have one item that requires consideration of a closed session motion. So without objections or amendments, I would like to invite you to lectern. Miss Eyles, our director of elections and general registrar. To this House. Welcome. Hi. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Before I jump into this, I'd like to take a moment to thank everybody who supported us. We wrapped up our April 21st special election, and we had a lot of support from members of the city. Um, thank you to our new superintendent for closing Norfolk Public Schools so we could use those polling places on Election day. And to our police, our custodial libraries, parks and recreation and everybody who helped us out. We got through the election with a 38.15% turnout that we certified yesterday here in Norfolk, so that was a good turnout for us. Today, I'm here to present information on behalf of the Norfolk Electoral Board. Um, With regards to introducing a polling place for Norfolk State University. This would be pulling the students that are currently voting at Chesterfield Precinct at Chesterfield Academy and creating a precinct just for Norfolk State, using their on campus residence. Right now, we have 1023 registered voters at Norfolk State University, with the option to have up to 3000 student residents who might be able to register and vote from that precinct. And that would reduce the size of the current number of registered voters at Chesterfield from 3303 to 2280. We feel that this is something that would definitely increase voter participation in our youth. We might get some young volunteers to help us out in working the polls as officers of election, but we have been working on this for a number of years and discussions with Norfolk State. And I actually have Brianna Steele here with Norfolk State supporting us. We've been in discussions for a number of years and the time is ripe. We are hoping that you will back this. Our goal would be as is shown here, this would be just covering the students on campus here at Norfolk State University. Those residences just across the way on Coorparoo Avenue and Middletown Crescent. Going forward, they would still vote at Chesterfield Precinct. The student union facility would serve as the polling place for the elections. It is Ada accessible. If we have curbside voting, it would be behind the building. Right now, we are kind of in a holding pattern with regards to redistricting, pending some litigation that's going on regarding the April election and possible redistricting. So no changes can actually occur on polling places. Our guideline is to hopefully get this before you on a council vote, before you go on your summer break. It would enact this polling location for elections beginning with the November 3rd midterms. And of course, your city council and school board elections that are on there. We would notify all current registered voters of the change in polling place. And that is all I have, and I'm happy to answer any questions. Any questions? Thank you. Thank you. Mister Roberts. May continue. Thank you. Brian Pennington has the next presentation. Mr. Pennington, do you have a budget, sir? Yes, sir. Didn't sound too good from the press comments by the House speaker. So we'll see what happens. Uh, Council. Thank you. Uh, as you know from press reports, a reconvened session was held last week on Wednesday, followed immediately on Thursday by a special session. That special session was for a budget, but it ended up being a pro forma special session, and it still is an unresolved matter. Guess I'm pushing. Okay, so this is a ten minute presentation and I'm going to be covering Norfolk requested 2026 legislative bills and budget amendments. I'm going to quickly review the priority local government related legislative bills that remain unresolved post reconvened session. And as you see, as we lay that out, there are some fundamental decisions by our governor to make relative to some of these more contentious issues. We'll give a very quick overview of the differences between the House and the Senate budgets. But as you all know, there's still remains about a $1 billion difference between the two chambers that they still have not identified how to work through. And then the last bit of the presentation will just tell you about the legislative timeline and next steps. So unfortunately, we were unable to create our highest priority legislation this year was to create this non-federal match fund. We're going to continue to push forward on that. This is a fund that we would be able to subscribe to, to pay for the Commonwealth's eventual partnership share on the SRM project, plus other projects. The plan is to reposition the Joint General Assembly Subcommittee on Recurrent Flooding and ask them to again take up this measure on behalf of the region and the Commonwealth, for all of the local governments that are struggling to address their flood mitigation and resilience challenges. We also asked for authorization to wrap essentially all of the 110 plus permits for bottomlands, like the state controls all of the water, the bottomlands and the waters, and we've got more than 110, maybe even more crossings in which we have to have a permit. And so the city was seeking to do a master permit for all the permits required under the SRM project. Unfortunately, we were unable to get to a position in which it could be something, because this would be a statewide kind of a legislation. So our bills were actually converted into budget authorization language. And so long as both stay there in both chambers, uh, there's no reason for the governor to take action. And we should have the, um, authorization that we need for the near term. There's like, 10 or 12 near term permits that we need to proceed. Uh, and then the resilience Office and I and other stakeholders are working with state agencies to actually come back to session next year with a formal proposal and a bill that would be a permanent solution to this issue. To boil it down, really, the Commonwealth is not set up to deal with massive federal projects like the SRM. So they agreed with us through the process that they needed to to work on it. And so it's been a great partnership. Uh, same thing goes for Delegate Hernandez. We carried bills on both chambers just to cover our bases. His bill was also converted into budget authorization. It mirrors the language in the Senate. So again, no concerns with passage at this time. Uh, we were able to get a change to our city charter. This is a change of the section two section of your city charter, which would authorize additional authorities on a case by case basis for properties that have essentially maintained ownership since we started zoning back in the 50s and 60s. So this kind of property is dealing with, uh, you know, multifamily housing units that were built pre 1950. Uh, other types of areas. And so the zoning of the area around where these properties exist has changed over the years. And so this legislation, when it's used for places where we're having nuisance and public safety type issues, this actually would create a process by which we could start to move these different properties we've identified into being, uh, compliant with all of the zoning that they surround. Next we have Senator Williams Graves, our friend and champion for flooding related matters. Was able to successfully advance legislation that would allow us to not have to pay interest or repayment on CFP loans. And so in the cumulative, that really adds up to a lot. And in Norfolk's case specifically, we actually are the number one local government that subscribes to CFP funds. So we absolutely are happy about this legislative change. This also was incorporated as a regional priority and pushed forward as a joint General Assembly subcommittee proposal. So we really consider it a victory. Lastly, uh, the Norfolk, uh, our our neighborhood preservation folks, uh, Councilwoman Mamie Johnson and a few others worked over the summer, and we had a whole list of different ideas for how we could go about minimizing evictions that we were starting to see in Norfolk, but also across the Commonwealth. And at the end of the day, I'm happy to report that we actually have a passed bill. The governor signed it, and now we will have a situation in which tenants who live in all inclusive rentals have the ability to ask their landlords, property owners, to break out how much is being paid for base rent, how much is being paid for utilities. And this little nuance actually changes the equation so that these folks who could not apply for these subsidy programs can now apply for these subsidy programs. And it's not necessarily an option that the landlord do it. It's more of if you're going to rent all inclusive properties and your tenants ask for this provision, you're required now by law to provide it. And there is a great amount of resources that are available to some of our citizens are finding themselves in harsh times. And this opens up the opportunity not just for Norfolk, but all the Commonwealth. So I really feel happy about this particular achievement. Uh, we requested two budget amendments. This 50 million was for the funding of the non-federal match. It was the initial funding just to kind of get it started. As you recall, council originally had asked for a little bit more, but based upon recommendation from the House and Senate leadership, we did 50. And, um, we are going to continue to keep going back and trying to get this non-federal match, uh, account established, because otherwise we find ourselves having to subscribe to the same revenue sources that are available to us. And it's in a hodgepodge kind of way. Uh, the creation of this would actually more formalize it and create an opportunity for us to be considered differently than some of the smaller scale projects that we find ourselves compared to under CFP. Uh, now, this is kind of small, uh, hard to read. But essentially, as you know, we do not have a past budget. So we are waiting for the General Assembly to decide whether or not to send their budget. The governor has 30 days to sign or veto or approve the budget. So there's about $1 billion that they have to find to make up the difference. And as I said to you earlier, the House speaker's looking at June, mid June is this time frame to get the budget to resolve, uh, retail cannabis. Essentially, the General Assembly sent back the governor's proposed substitute bill. It wasn't an amended bill. It was actually an entirely new bill. Um, they sent back the the bill that the General Assembly passed, and the governor can either sign it or not sign it. I will point out that the regulatory agency that was to be created to deal with retail marijuana, cannabis sales also didn't pass. And so it creates a little bit of a cart before the horse kind of a situation. So, uh, as it stands now, um, it looks like from what the governor has said in most recent publications, there will not be legislation moving forward on retail cannabis collective bargaining for public employees. The governor has 30 days to decide whether or not to pass the legislation that was proposed by the General Assembly. They did not accept the governor's proposed amendments to the bill. Paid Family Leave Act. Uh, the governor's amendments were actually agreed to by the General Assembly, and we're just waiting for final status because it's tied up into the budget. So there's several mechanisms that's related to the Paid Family Leave Act, and that will be decided later. Paid sick leave. The Assembly rejected the governor's narrow family definition, so they returned it to the governor. And again, the governor can either sign it or not sign it. And I'm sorry, I don't have a more definitive way to say that, but it's kind of like the governor can decide to approve it, but it's not really an approval. It's whether or not she decides to bring it. Bring it forward. Um, collective bargaining. We talked about that skill, gaming legislation, uh, the veto that the governor, uh, incorporated actually created a significant budget hole and also creates a regulatory concerns because they were planning, uh, as recent as the towards the end of the session for the lottery to actually be the agency that would be the regulatory agency, and they would have to stand it up to accomplish this. But agreement was not reached. And because of the budget impact, uh, it looks like that skill gaming will remain to be illegal. Uh, however, some of the proponents that were involved in this legislation have signaled that they plan to come back in the next year to advance the exact same bill. And then last update is the Prescription Drug Affordability Board. The Assembly rejected the reenactment amendment. The governor tried to limit so that it only applied for several years. They rejected that. They returned to the governor. And this is another one where the governor can sign it or she can not sign it. And that will be the the finality of that decision. Very quickly, you've seen these before, uh, in the Senate budget. Uh, they've carved out about $1 billion to remove the data center tax credits and and exemptions that were previously passed. They've incorporated 100 and $200 tax rebates for individuals and joint filers for the state. They've increased the standard deduction, and they protect the Medicaid funding that was required. So that we didn't leave a lot of our subscribers without that provision, 50 million additional for affordable housing. And then again, I'll point out they appropriated $205.7 $5.7 million specifically for the Metro. That's their HRT equivalent for us over here. And I kind of made a few of us scratch our heads trying to figure out why that worked. But how do we come back as a region to get ours next year? Right, manager. So moving over to the House, the House leadership branded their budget as the Affordable Virginia budget. They made the larger investments in the Housing Trust fund in the Senate did. There are broader worker protections and labor incentives than what the Senate had passed. And it also backfilled the health and Snap reductions that were proposed as a result of the federal government changes to their program, um, public education investments, uh, the authorization for city council to advance a referendum, question of whether or not to impose a up to 1% sales and use tax increase for the specific and express purpose of constructing new schools or debt service requirements for new schools. That still is very much alive, but it depends upon the budget being passed in good order. What's unique and interesting is that since the legislation would be authorized via the budget, that means it has a two year window. So that means you have a very short amount of time to make a decision as to whether or not you wish to ask that question of the citizenry as it relates to the school funding and the needs that the that the that we have as a city moving forward. The state contemplates 3% raise for teachers and state employees. There is not a commiserate requirement at the local level to match that. So we saw that as a positive 6627 million for K-12. And specifically, they've identified additional monies for special ed in the House. They're providing additional flexibility from K-12 funding because each school has different priorities where they can appropriate. So they're creating some fungibility. Also, an additional appropriation of 160 million for early childhood development programs, higher ed, $65 million in additional Financial aid has been appropriated. And what we're very excited about is the 32.5 million in workforce grants. Everybody seems to be very supportive of that. They've got some great ideas and concepts, and we see that as being something that would be very helpful to what we're trying to do here in Norfolk and in the larger region. Housing investments in the Senate, 50 million more for the housing trust fund. It's not enough, but it's something. It gets us closer. 13 million for eviction prevention. We'll see what they're able to do with that. But what I understand is they've got a couple of professionals that would be hired that this local governments could actually call and work with the partner to find out if there's a way to break the cycle. 25 million in revolving loan fund for mixed use income housing. That is going to be a long line for that money. But we'll take it 17 million again eventually. Eviction prevention over in the House. Your next steps and I'm finished. This is my last slide. The governor has until May 22nd to act on all of the legislation that's still pending. Those are the items that I mentioned to you earlier in that graph. The assumed effective date for all the legislation that passed is July 1st, 2006. However, there are several bills that specifically call out that it would be a later effective date, and there's a variety of reasons for that, but it just usually delays it by six months. So the governor has 30 days from the General Assembly's passage of their state budget. So I just want to lay out for you that let's say that the the speaker is accurate and the General Assembly, they come back and they have a special session and they vote on their budget and they send it to the governor. She has 30 days. And then there's also some notification requirements when you post a budget and all these other types of things. And so your administration is already taking a very close look at what those potential impacts would be to us as it relates to the delay of the state budget. But there would be some impact. So the hope is that they will find a way to identify where that additional 1 billion in funding difference is going to come from, and find a way to get this budget passed intact so that we get the things that we specifically have asked for here in Norfolk. I will open to any questions that council members might have. Questions for Mr. Pennington. Yes. Mr. Johnson. Um, Mr. Brian Pendleton and to my city council. Thank you so very much for the support that, um, we had to introduce the legislation that was signed by the governor about, um, eviction mitigations because it was at an all time high just monitoring it during the pandemic. Um, understanding that people were having a difficult time then and coming out of the pandemic. So thank you for the support. And Norfolk took the lead. And our model can be used by other cities in the state of Virginia. So thank you. Thank you ma'am. All right. Mr.. All right. Thanks for the update. We have to have a budget by June 30th. That is correct. So if the General Assembly of the Council for three days and you very much. The, the. Government of the of the Commonwealth is not funded. However, provisions for emergency services, health care related, those types of things that have a time criticality that has all been identified and is not subject to what's happening with the budget. However, there is quite a lot of local government activity that depends upon successful and on time funding of the state budget. So there would be consequences and there would be impacts that would be felt. Uh, and as I was mentioning, uh, Councilman Doyle, um, there are notification requirements that are plugged in to this. So this really could be a situation I'm hoping for the best. Thank you. Sir. One other item. If you don't mind if I add just a brief mention. I would like to ask Lakitu. To stand up. I want to introduce Lakitu Frazier. Lakitu is our director of Parks and Recreation. I'll just. For background. Lakitu is a longtime leader in Parks and Recreation at the local government level. She has been recognized for several years at the statewide and national level for her leadership and the parks and recreation profession. Um lucida is a Norfolk State Spartan. Am I correct about that? So I think I got that, I got. A longtime colleague of mine, she is very passionate about service and the people we serve. Um, as I've taken some feedback from individual council members about how we want to improve on services, how we want to expand the programs we offer, and how we really want to make citizens proud to live here. I think the key to really embodies all those things through her work, and I really want to get I want all of you to get an opportunity to meet her, talk with her one on one very soon so you can get to know her. So yesterday was the first day in office, so just getting getting a handle on things. But again join me in welcoming Lexington please. Do you have one item for closed session. Mr. bull? Are the members of the council is similarly formally. Closed April 28th, 2014. Thank you very much. Purposes to set up clause 2907582-3711 of the Virginia Freedom of Information Laws 29. Discussion of public contract in the area 45. Separate Ward six for discussion of the terms of the contract and open meeting would adversely affect the negotiating strategy of the public body. Mr. Clinton. Miss Doyle. Hi, Mrs. Johnson. Hi. Mr. Page. Hi, Mr.. Thomas. Doctor. Alexander. Very close, sir. Okay. Thank you. Is this. Your trip has been cancelled, by the way. Mrs. Johnson. Thank you, Mr. Magee. Thank you, Mr. Page. All right. I got a doctor, Alexander. Thank you, sir. Appreciate it. And we'll do this. Here you go. Thank you all. Sorry. Mr. ball, I can now go to the restroom. Yeah. Thank you. You have. Got it. All.