Coraggio Consulting
Henrico County Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting, Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Date: Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Place: Henrico County Board of Supervisors, Virginia
Length: 2h 17m (video)
Official meeting video (Swagit): https://henricocountyva.new.swagit.com/videos/300868
Official agenda (Henrico County): https://henrico.gov/pdfs/manager/meetings2024/032624ag.pdf
Official minutes (Henrico County, regular meeting): https://henrico.gov/pdfs/manager/meetings2024/032624regmins.PDF
Agend-O-Gram, Apr 9, 2024 (records the Board's approval of these minutes): https://henrico.gov/pdfs/manager/meetings2024/4-9-24Agend-O-Gram.pdf

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-26. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:11:59] Again, thank you for joining us for our March 26, 2024, Henrico County Board of Supervisors meeting. The first portion of our meeting will be our public hearing today. We will start our meeting officially like we normally do.

[00:12:15] We start with our Pledge of Allegiance, then our invocation, and our invocation will be given by Tina Schaaf, Islami, Muslim, and I don't want to mess this up.

[00:12:32] So, Ms. Tina, when you come up, you make sure that you just tell us, just share. And for those of you who are here and making public comments, we're going to ask that you, if you're in person, that you use the lectern in the back of the room.

[00:12:50] For those of you who are watching online, welcome. Thank you for joining us. You can comment remotely, and you go to henrico.us forward slash supervisors. Click on Guidance for the Board of Supervisors meeting. Scroll down and click on WebEx and a moderator will let you know when it is your time to speak.

[00:13:11] Stand with me for our Pledge of Allegiance and Invocation. Good evening. My name is Tina Shroff and I am from the Ismaili Muslim Jamaat Khanna in Henrico.

[00:13:44] Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Alhamdulillahirrabbilalameen. Ar-Rahmanirrahim. Maliki yawmiddin. Translation, in the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful.

[00:14:19] All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, the most beneficent, the most merciful, the lord of the day of judgment you alone we worship and you alone we seek for help guide us to the right path the path of those upon whom you have bestowed favors not of those cursed ones

[00:14:42] and nor of those who have gone astray surah fateha 117 mr chairman members of board we move

[00:15:20] into our budget public hearing which is agenda item 96-24 this is a resolution for approval of the operating and capital annual fiscal plans for fiscal year 2425 and allocation of car tax relief for fiscal year 2024.

[00:15:37] Tonight marks the budget public hearing, but this board paper that you will consider, Mr. Crawford will cover in a presentation, must be deferred until your next meeting on Tuesday, April 9th, 2024.

[00:15:54] Mr. Crawford, you presented last Monday a budget overview to the board, and Mr. Chairman, members of the board, you've reviewed the entire budget Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday of last week, met with every county agency, including our school system, the superintendent and school board.

[00:16:16] So, Mr. Crawford, you have an overview for the board this evening? Yes, sir, for the board and for the public. And the folks that are here. So with that, thank you, Mr. Manager, and good evening, Mr. Chairman, members of the board. It's an honor to present the fiscal year 25 manager's proposed budget at this public hearing.

[00:16:42] The continuation of a process that began in earnest in September with initial revenue estimates, personnel recalculations, leading up to the call for budget estimates from departments in November.

[00:16:59] And with the analysis of those estimates, then the introduction of the manager's proposed budget on March 12th, and then the review with the board last week, tonight, again, this is the continuation of that public process.

[00:17:20] The budget that presented is built with four pillars in mind, listed here on this slide. First and foremost, the people who serve the employees of this county and then the people we serve, the residents who work, play in Henrico.

[00:17:45] It also keeps in mind the businesses that help maintain the quality of life that our residents have, and then all built on the foundation of the fiscal discipline that's required for the best service provided at the lowest tax burden for our residents the high level look of revenues with the fiscal year 25 budget balanced at 85 cents per 100 of assessed value for the real estate tax break does reflect

[00:18:20] an 8.4 percent increase when compared to the fiscal year 224 budget however as discussed with the board in the overview presentation the manager reference on monday the current trend for fiscal year 24 revenues actually is to meet or even exceed the estimates presented for next fiscal year.

[00:18:43] So the $1,255,000,000 we anticipate to end up exceeding that amount in the current year as it stands. On the expenditure side, this budget continues to allocate the lion's share of resources to this county's highest funding priorities, education and public safety.

[00:19:09] $75 million of the general fund's budget growth has been dedicated to those two vital areas. As far as taking care of the people, the employees who are essential to every service provided by this county, 4.8% across the board salary increase is proposed.

[00:19:33] In addition, in areas where the county is experiencing high employee vacancies, there's nearly $17 million included in what we're calling a critical shortage adjustment.

[00:19:51] Budget begins the implementation of the Henrico Cares initiative that was introduced shortly before the budget was introduced.

[00:20:10] Over the next five years, through a growing partnership between Henrico County Public Schools, mental health, and then private providers, nearly $5 million will be allocated. The first year of this phase-in process totals $1.7 million, with the goal of providing access to a continuum of mental health care resources to all children, school staff, and parents within Henrico schools.

[00:20:44] On the capital budget for fiscal year 25 is in excess of $327 million. Continues the multi-year plan for bond projects approved by the voters in 2022, $110.8 million for those projects in fiscal year 25, $120 million for maintenance and expansion of the county's water and sewer system.

[00:21:19] There are expanded maintenance efforts for both our school system and for general government facilities. And then $30 million for improvements to the transportation network, including those focused on pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

[00:21:36] Now, once facilities are built, they must be staffed and maintained. In that vein, 10 new positions for park maintenance and programming are proposed. 12 new positions, this is the third of a three-year phase-in for the opening of new positions for the new Bungalow City Firehouse.

[00:21:58] And then net new operating costs for new South Police Station are included in the budget for fiscal year 25. Being mindful of the tax burden on residents, the fiscal year 25 budget continues to focus on providing tax relief.

[00:22:22] It does this in a three-pronged approach in fiscal year 25 with the budget picking up the new recap program, which freezes participants' tax liabilities. It also allows for the expansion of eligibility for this program, increasing the maximum income from $105,000 to $125,000, and increasing the maximum net worth from $700,000 to $750,000, and I'll note that that excludes the primary home for participants.

[00:23:00] RECAP is on top of the longstanding Real Estate Advantage Program, or REAP, which is fully funded in this budget. And then the last tax relief measure is the doubling of the standard deduction for business licenses, not only reducing the liability for our local businesses, particularly small businesses, but also enhancing the county's attractiveness for economic development prospects.

[00:23:30] As noted, the board reviewed the budget all last week, and through the last week's budget reviews, there were a number of changes that are identified on this slide.

[00:23:47] First is the addition of a full-time community health worker for the Richmond Henrico Public Health at a total of $89,500. Then the remaining changes are to the non-departmental section allocations to the non-profit agencies, and regional efforts.

[00:24:12] First of those, the $355,000 that have been proposed for Henrikus is zeroed out. The amount for the Neighborhood Resource Center increased from $40,000 to $50,000.

[00:24:30] The amount for the Colpit Learning Center increased from $10,000 to $15,000. The amount for Big Brothers Big Sisters services increased from $10,000 to $20,000. The amount for court-appointed special advocates, or CASA, from $5,000 to $10,000.

[00:24:51] And then the last increase, child savers increase from $15,000 to $25,000. And the last change was funding zeroed out for originally funded at $10,000.

[00:25:07] And then, Mr. Chairman, members of the board, on this last slide, as you were going through the budget deliberations last week during your school budget review, And actually, I think there's some conversations ahead of that between board members.

[00:25:25] There was a dialogue with the school board and the superintendent regarding planning periods for elementary schools. And these planning periods encompass two different components.

[00:25:41] One is pre-K planning. And you can see that cost there where new teachers would provide art, music, and PE at a cost of $960,000. K-5 planning would extend planning time to five days a week, 60 minutes a day, significant higher cost at $3.6 million.

[00:26:05] After conversations with the board, the board's instructions to the manager and the budget staff were to find the funds for the elementary school planning periods. And so the recommendation here is that a reserve be created for future appropriation for those planning periods.

[00:26:30] That's a fancy way of saying that the planning periods for elementary schools would be funded effective July 1 in the fiscal 25 period.

[00:26:40] Mr. Chairman, before we close out, before Justin closes out, I simply, I'd like to say to the staff, we've got the budget staff here, Mr. Crawford, Mr. Hinton, who spent hours with Justin on this budget, but to all of you, the budget analysts, to all of the agency heads that are here, you were given targets, you came through once again, and you continue to allow us to do some pretty remarkable things within the allocations.

[00:27:13] that each of you operate. Mr. Crawford, thank you again for the work of your staff. Mr. Chairman. Mr. Manager, before we do comments from our colleagues, from my colleagues, I think it's a couple persons that wanted to speak. We do. In the public. So let's take those first and then we'll wrap up with board comments. Okay. I do have two individuals that have signed up to speak.

[00:27:41] Beth Mowdy, sorry, if you would go to the podium right behind you. This is my daughter Beth, and do you want to say hello back?

[00:28:18] We're here today on behalf of Parents for Community-Based Services. There's some members here in the audience of that group. And I'd like to tell you a little bit about my Beth, because she's benefited from some things that are in your budget every year.

[00:28:35] Beth is 37. She's been disabled since she had meningitis at 10 months of age. And so she's been disabled, but she has many talents. And we like to tell people about her talents.

[00:28:53] First of all, no one can beat her at crazy age. We have all tried. She's very good at cards. She can read and write just about anything. And she's such a good hugger.

[00:29:11] like she's always hugging people as you can see she once got best hugger award at camp baker one summer so she's very proud of that award she also loves holidays doing crafts shopping at target using her cell phone she just learned how to use that so she's very proud of that but i'm especially proud of her because every election she she wants to vote and i take her and she's voted in every election that she possibly could, primaries, anything that comes up,

[00:29:45] she wants to be there. So I'm very proud of her for that. But we're here today to thank you all for supporting people like Beth in our community when they graduate from high school. You know, when she was in high school, I worried what was going to happen to her when she graduated from Deep Run because she loves her routine, she loves school, and the social part of it as well.

[00:30:12] And I was a teacher at the time. I even thought, well, when she graduates, I think I'm going to have to quit my job as a teacher here in Henrico because what am I going to do to take care for her during the week? But thanks to your support, all of you supervisors, thank you over the years.

[00:30:29] You've always supported us, and we've not had to worry. Henrico's provided Beth and others like her the opportunity to work or go to day support programs upon graduation. So Beth graduated back in 2007, and almost immediately she started working at Hermitage.

[00:30:49] Now she's at Dominion Waiver Services. Good job, Beth, because she was ready for a change. So she loves going to Dominion. That's how she spends her day during the week.

[00:31:05] Thanks to all of you, she has a wonderful, fulfilled life here in Henrico. She lives in a group home run by Riggins Residential, and they give her 24-7 care.

[00:31:21] Every day of the week, she goes to Dominion Waiver Services, and then on weekends, she's home with us and the family. So we want to thank you all very much for graciously meeting with members of our group.

[00:31:38] We've met with all of you in the past few weeks. You've met different members. So we thank you for meeting with us and listening to our stories and for your continued and very much needed financial support for some of our most vulnerable citizens here in Henrico.

[00:31:56] You guys are great. Thank you so much. Thanks, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Max Mizells. Mr. Mizells.

[00:32:17] Scott, which is in the Tuckahoe District, here to try to save you some money. I'm not here asking for anything. I'm asking you to consider dropping Henrico County out of membership in the Virginia Association of Counties, which is known as VACO.

[00:32:39] If I'm not mistaken, I think you pay $85,000 a year in dues to this organization. That doesn't include the other expenses like the junkets and national meetings that they have. The Virginia Association of Counties, one of the main things that it does, as you know, and I don't think the public is aware, is that it goes to the legislature and lobbies, and it usually lobbies against the interests of the citizens.

[00:33:05] As one example, when the property rights amendment was being considered about 10 years ago, which was the amendment that was eventually passed that prevents government bodies from taking public property for private use, like the Kelo decision in Connecticut where property was taken and then given to Pfizer to build a factory that was never built.

[00:33:29] the amendment prevents that. VACO and the Virginia Metropolitan League were the last opposition to passing this amendment at the General Assembly, which is certainly not in the interest of the citizens of Henrico. So it strikes me as ironic that in this day and age, our tax dollars are going to pay for an organization to lobby against our interest. And to give you an example, $85,000 is all I know about, but they had a recent meeting in Washington, D.C., which was held at a Hilton.

[00:34:05] I don't know if any Henrico representatives went to that. And the national meeting is scheduled for Tampa, which is going to be at a Ritz. The Goochland County dropped out of this also about 10 years ago, and I've talked to the former chairman of the board of Goochland as well as some of the supervisors, and their only regret is not having dropped out sooner.

[00:34:27] The way it hasn't affected that county in one bit, I don't think dropping out would affect our county. They told me that they found out about it because they were asked to give an allocation for a junket in Hawaii. And they said, why are we sending someone to Hawaii?

[00:34:45] I've been told by former members of the board here that county members buy insurance through VACO. The insurance is still available whether you're a member or not. I've been told that they have seminars. The seminars are available, whether you're a member or not, as long as you pay for the insurance and pay for the seminars.

[00:35:08] Henrico has, I think it's wrong that VACO goes and lobbies against our interest. Whether you're a member or not, they would still continue to lobby. But we have our own political liaison, Mike Schnorman. So I don't understand why we have our own political liaison as a full-time employee and also paying another organization to go lobby for us.

[00:35:31] The $85,000 plus are the taxes of my whole neighborhood. I think that all the houses in my subdivision are what's funding this if you take our taxes. And that would pay for another policeman, another fireman, another teacher, and who knows what else.

[00:35:48] So I'm imploring you that we drop out of Vaco. They're on the wrong side of almost every issue. I don't think the citizens of the county would have one iota of difference in their lives if we weren't a member. And I think most people in Henrico don't know about this organization and the money that you spend on it.

[00:36:07] If the citizens knew, they would be out the door lining up to join me and asking you to save us money or put the money to better use. So Gooshland has survived. They're happy with it. Their only regret is not having gone out earlier.

[00:36:23] I'm imploring that my supervisor look at his turtle and ask him how he would vote and that the rest of you consider dropping out of ACO and using the money for better use than harming the citizens of the county. Okay, that's all the folks that have signed up to speak.

[00:36:43] Is there anyone else that wishes to address the board on the budget this evening? Yes, ma'am, if you would go to the back, please. Hi there. I wanted to talk to this board about not necessarily what we're spending money on, but where that money comes from.

[00:37:05] Property tax revenues are based on an equation of land plus improvements. There is no situation in which land is ever going to be worth more than land plus improvements. And any land without improvements, therefore, is a hit to the county's bottom line.

[00:37:26] So I want to ask, what does done growing look like? We talk about being in a growth model. We are constantly approving upzonings, rezonings for more intensive uses. and at some point, there may not be anything left to develop.

[00:37:44] What does that scenario look like? When is that? What do we want Henrico to look like in 5, 10, 50, 100 years? This is the first step for the next 100 years. We know that protection of green spaces and conservation of important places keeps property tax values stable and high in the long term.

[00:38:08] We also know that industrial sites are boom and bust at best, dependent on market factors beyond our control and lacking the resilience of small businesses. We also want to think about the cost of infrastructure factored into development approvals because it doesn't make sense to approve developments that might generate a few hundred thousand dollars in property taxes over their lifetime, but they're going to require us to build a $2.5 million sidewalk.

[00:38:37] Henrico has a plan to develop based on residential and a designation of commercial. But there's a big difference between industrial jobs on sprawling, dirty, noisy, fenced-off industrial sites and small businesses, retail businesses, hospitality businesses.

[00:39:00] These are also commercial, but you can live next door to them. They do not depress the property value around them. They actually raise it, usually. You can live next door to them, they are good neighbors, and they help grow our economy. We want to make Henrico a wonderful place to live, work, and play for everyone, including the people that are right now paying property taxes and living next door to landfills and industrial sites and major highways.

[00:39:29] So I ask this board to consider where the revenue is coming from, what is our plan for when we are no longer growing, what is our plan for 50 or 100 years from now, and let's make this budget the first step towards a long future of financial stability.

[00:39:47] Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. Mr. Callahan? I had actually signed up to speak during the regular session, but I think it's more appropriate that I speak now.

[00:40:07] I'm Frank Callahan. I do live in the Three Chalk District, but I'm also the educational chairperson of the Henrico NAACP, and really that's what I'm here to talk about, the budget and some of the things that we have been working with the school district and mentioned with quite a few of you before.

[00:40:26] And the reason I came to speak tonight was because Tyrone Nelson had the article in the paper about the dropout rate. And that is something that we have been working with the school district on because it is a major problem. If you look at the dropout rate in Henrico County for between 2012 and 2021, the dropout rate was higher than every one of those years except one year was higher than the state.

[00:40:52] When you start looking at this dropout rate, you will see that in 2022, there were 509 students dropped out of school, with over 400 of them being minority students. In 2023, there was over 11.5% of the students with special needs have dropped out of school.

[00:41:12] So we do have this difficulty. And I'm very happy to hear that within the next year, you're going to be doing something with the elementary teachers and their planning period. Because when you start to look at the elementary schools, and even though a lot of them are accredited, when you start breaking down the statistics which are presented by the Virginia Department of Education, you will find out that there are six elementary schools in English that have a rating of three.

[00:41:47] Now, they give them a rating of 1, 2, and 3. In my opinion, a 1 is like a C or higher, a 2 is a D, and a 3 is a failing. So there are six schools with a 3 rating in English, and four, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, that was the middle school. It's eight schools in elementary that have a rating of 3, and 12 of them have a rating of 2.

[00:42:08] In math, there are seven schools with a rating of 3, and seven with a rating of 2. These are all statistics from the U.S. Department of Education's, I'm sorry, the Virginia Department of Education's website dealing with students in special needs.

[00:42:25] And I'm so happy to hear that you're going to allow the elementary teachers to get this additional time, and I hope that they really prepare to work with these students. Because when you go into the middle school, you will see that they have the problems.

[00:42:41] Also, in 10 of the 12 middle schools, they also have this problem in English. And all of these statistics, again, come from the Virginia Department of Education. The other thing is we're dealing with students with special needs and the dropouts.

[00:42:57] Every year, because the federal government gives school districts money, every year the federal government requires that school districts report in what is called the Commonwealth of Virginia Public Schools FFY Report. And I went in, and I've looked at these reports for the last several years, and quite a few of them talk about the dropout rate of minority students and how they are not accomplishing what they're supposed to be accomplishing.

[00:43:25] So all of these things, you know, all of these are reports by the federal government. And, by the way, the federal government just came out last month and cited 12 schools in Henrico County that need support, and they listed specifically who they are. The Virginia Department of Education came out with two additional ones.

[00:43:43] So that's right now in the last month 14 buildings, school buildings, that have been cited for needing additional help. So with all of this in mind, and all of these are public information, I'm very happy again to hear that the elementary schools where I think a lot of these problems start hopefully will be solved.

[00:44:05] But the other thing is when you look at it, and this is something I'm still researching. I went back to look at the 2018 Ann Holton report and what that proposed and what that suggested needed to be done. I'm still trying to find out how much of that suggestion from that report of 2018 was implemented because I think there were a lot of excellent suggestions in that report.

[00:44:31] So all in all, I'd like to say, first of all, I think that the school board and the supervisors, you're doing an excellent job. You're going out and you are actually talking about this problem. And I see that the community is supporting you on this, whereas in other counties, there's uproars over it.

[00:44:51] And police have to be called in to escort people. So thank you for doing that. And, again, the NAACP is willing to help every way we can. And just to let you know, I will be speaking to the same issue Thursday night at the school board meeting. So thank you very much. And, again, anything that we can do, please let us know.

[00:45:10] Thank you, Mr. Callahan. Is there anyone else that wishes to address the board this evening in person? Kenny, is there anyone on WebEx this evening? Oh, I'm sorry. Come on forward. Good evening.

[00:45:31] My name is Monica Hutchinson, president for Henrico County NAACP. Just want to echo everything that Frank, who is our education chair, said, but also just say thank you to the board. I know a lot of times you hear when we have issues, but I also just really honestly want to say thank you.

[00:45:48] Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for raising the awareness in the issue for the disparity between Eastern Henrico and Western Henrico. A lot of us have been kind of screaming about this for years, but it is good to know that there are people paying attention now.

[00:46:03] And also thank you for in the budget for making sure that we have funding when it comes to Henrico County creating and implementing the Marcus Alert, something that's extremely important here when it comes to mental health. increase in the budget for mental health funding is going to have a very good lasting here in our county and for those that aren't aware we have been working on it here in the county on creating a Marcus Alert plan that fits us that works for Henrico County and so like I said thank you very much for supporting this initiative thank you for supporting all of the initiatives across

[00:46:41] the county because of you guys thank you miss Hutchinson is there anyone else that wishes to address the board this evening in person? Kenny, is there anyone on WebEx this evening?

[00:47:02] I don't want to speak to the site. All right, colleagues, we'll start with my vice chair, Mr. Smith, and then start to my right, Ms. Whitehead, Reverend Cooper, and Mr. Rogish. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the folks who spoke today. You know, we spent an entire week poring over this budget, which clearly is the result of hours, days, weeks, months of work for so many folks on our staff so I want to say thank you in that regard for the folks who are listening for the folks that I represent in Brooklyn for the folks that we collectively

[00:47:40] represent in the county this budget stands on you heard Justin say it's several pillars for me it hits so many highlights and I just grabbed a few that I want to make sure the constituents here and have a chance to to respond to in the time they have to provide comment you know first and foremost education this budget funds over 700 million dollars in education first time it's cross that number ever, 80% higher over the last decade plus, 80% higher investment in the education of our kids in the last decade plus, I'd say 11 to 12 years in this county. That speaks to me about continued commitment, infrastructure, investments in new schools, new buildings,

[00:48:19] investment in the people, the staff, the educators, the support staff in schools. This budget speaks to that. It leaves nothing behind that was asked for by the schools. You heard the manager talk to additional asks that this board will continue to consider as necessary and quite frankly you heard us at our press conference invest in our students with the cares initiative and the mental health initiative to get our students closer to the help that they need bringing it to to where they are the second thing Mr. Chairman and my fellow colleagues citizens that are listening represents is public safety finishes the staffing of firehouse 23 upgrades to jail east and funding

[00:48:56] increased funding for our public safety heroes across the board in public safety. Third, pedestrian safety. It's something I hear all the time. This budget has $27.5 million of funding in it for sidewalks, pedestrian safety, and a variety of road improvements, plus 2.5 in it for sidewalks.

[00:49:15] A $30 million commitment to trying to continue the effort to make our roadways safe for both motorists and pedestrians. Fourth is infrastructure, $120 million folks invested in water and sewer improvements that this county, this long-standing county needs, delivering clean water and sewer services to our residents, particularly the investment in the Brooklyn District is so necessary in this regard as we see water and sewer improvements being made currently and continued across in the county's plan.

[00:49:47] And finally, for me, the fifth one is simple. It's the continued fiscal prudence that this county continues to demonstrate. Freezing of the tax rate at 85 cents again is a staple, a pillar of what this board has continued to do for decades. We just heard the budget director, Justin Crawford, state that revenue projections set is the projected number that we think we would land on at the end of this fiscal year.

[00:50:08] Folks, if that isn't continued commitment to fiscal prudence and providing for contingency and planning for this county long term, I don't know what is. And it, quite frankly, provides for the flexibility that I would request that I need in order to properly serve the folks I represent and that we collectively represent.

[00:50:28] So, folks, on the education front, the public safety front, pedestrian safety front, the infrastructure improvements, our mental health commitment, our libraries commitment, this is an across-the-board budget that fits within the scope and mission of this county. And it was a pleasure to go through it, 735 pages of it, in addition to the capital improvement plan.

[00:50:46] And, Mr. Chairman, thank you for the time to allow us to comment on that. I'm excited to continue to review the budget. I'm excited for the public to have their opportunity to weigh in on it. Thank you, sir. Mr. Chairman and those assembled, you know, when I was told that I had to clear my calendar for an entire week to hear the budget, I was not excited and looking forward to that.

[00:51:14] I'm not a numbers person. I'm a people person. I'm a services. I'm a feel-good kind of person. And I wasn't optimistic that that was going to be a lot of what we heard, but it was actually quite the opposite. And what became clear to me, not even halfway through the first day, was that, yes, we were looking at numbers on 735 pages of a binder, but what we were seeing and hearing were the voices and the faces of people who work diligently for this county.

[00:51:43] I was amazed that there were departments that I didn't know existed that have been working and toiling for the residents of Henrico County behind the scenes without any fanfare on, you know, working with the funds that they have and coming and asking for, you know, what they need to do their job and not more.

[00:52:04] Because they recognize that every dollar counts when you're dealing with stewardship for the residents of the county. But hearing and being able to put faces to names and voices that I had seen on paper or heard over the phone and seeing the passion and the dedication of the folks behind the scenes for Henrico County government was truly awe-inspiring and very humbling for me that we get to sit up here and sort of take credit for the work that so many other thousands of people do.

[00:52:35] So thank you, because I said this many times in this brief time I've been up here, You guys make us look good, and we're so appreciative of it. One of my favorite parts of the budget was the non-governmental section, and that was, I think, about $1.3 million.

[00:52:56] And I sort of knew this existed, but I hadn't really thought about it before, but that's where we get to, and you heard a little bit about some of the adjustments that we made. We get to support folks in the community, And I think that that's such an important part that sometimes we overlook when we are dealing with the work of local government, because we are government, but so much of what is done in the trenches are folks who aren't employed by the county.

[00:53:26] They're doing things on top of their regular jobs. They're volunteering. They're committing themselves to organizations. They're taking leadership roles. They're out there beating the streets for the cause that, for whatever reason, is near and dear to their heart. And then on top of that, they take the time to submit applications for us for funding.

[00:53:43] And just hearing all of those stories, similar to the folks that we heard from today for the special needs community, was really my favorite part because as local government, we are nothing without the people and the work of the people. So I just want to shout those folks out.

[00:54:02] I think that we got some really great applications from folks doing some really good work. and I am so honored and humbled to be able to support with government funds the work of people. So thank you for. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[00:54:23] So I kind of echo a lot of the sentiments that my counterpart, Mr. Schmidt, as well as Ms. Whitehead, share, especially Mr. Schmidt, in his itemization of priorities. So I'm not going to go over all of them, but I, too, am excited about the record increase in educational funding.

[00:54:41] Having served the last eight years on the school board, I don't think in the history of the schools we've ever had over 15.4% raises in a two-year period, as well as, as stated, a $704 million investment as far as budgetary allocation.

[00:54:58] But also, I'm excited about the fact that we approved the recommendation from our county manager in talks with us as the board to create something we've never done before, preserve future appropriation, that the schools has the flexibility to allocate these resources to programs that they feel and deem a priority.

[00:55:21] So that gives them the flexibility. There is a priority that they want to address. They can. Never before have we had that budgetary line item. So very excited about our increase in our allocation of our public safety as far as infrastructure and walkability because we want to make sure that Enrico County is the place where we want to live, work, play, and especially educate your children across the county.

[00:55:47] So thank you, Mr. Supervisor Chair, and thank you to the staff, the budget staff, for all the hard work. I'm still recovering from that week, but it was a great week, so thank you so much. Mr. Chair, thank you.

[00:56:04] Echo, same thing the other guys have said, Ms. Whitehead as well. You know, ran on three things, public safety, public education, public employees. And I thank you, Mr. Manager, Mr. Chair, board, colleagues. We've taken care of the schools by adding $53 million to theirs.

[00:56:23] We've taken care of public safety by adding $20 million to that budget. And we've taken care of our public employees, which is the heart of Enrico. by giving the raises and adding $56 million in salary. So thank you, everyone.

[00:56:39] I enjoyed the week as much as everyone did. So thank you. Colleagues, just to be clear, Mr. Manager, the motion we will receive today is to defer the vote on the budget for two weeks.

[00:56:58] So after my very brief comments, we'll need a motion to defer it, and then we'll end this meeting, take a break, try to start out meeting at six o'clock on time or a little thereafter. I just want to circle back and thank county manager and staff. The Board of Supervisors only has one employee that works for them and that's the county manager. Everybody else works for the county manager. On general government side and if you're on school side you work for the superintendent. We have an incredible

[00:57:32] staff of people who do some great work and they start early and you know they put together you know this 1.2 and a half billion dollar spending plan for us which is a guide and through the years or through the year and we make some adjustments sometimes we spend it all sometimes we don't sometimes we hold some of it sometimes we need need more and regardless of what area

[00:58:06] those persons work in they do a great job I put our team and Henrico against any other team in Commonwealth. I can't go outside the Commonwealth, but I know we have the best group of folk around working for us here in Henrico County. So I just want to say thank you for all the work that you put in. I ditto what Ms. Whitehead shared, which is our staff makes us look good. You know, only an arrogant fool would try to act like they are the ones doing the work. We don't. Generally,

[00:58:41] our staff does the work and we get the credit. And, you know, we offer up some ideas, but we We have some, we offer up some ideas, but we have an incredible group of people who make things happen. We share ideas, and then they take it and make it a reality.

[00:59:01] So I want to thank them first. It's been exciting to go through this first budget with this group of Board of Supervisors members. You know, being able to be around persons who have not gone through the process before brings a certain level of freshness and transparency.

[00:59:18] and, you know, just being around people who don't accept that we do it just because we did it. And so they ask questions, they dig, they push, they prod. And so this was really a refreshing budget season.

[00:59:35] And so I want to say thank you. And the greater commitment to the work that everybody is doing. I don't want to say the numbers again, but $800 million for public education and public safety. that lets you know our commitment, and then all of the other work that goes into making sure that you have sidewalks, and streets, and recreation, and parks, and utility, clean water, and I can, you know, libraries to go to. I can go down the line of things that we do, and so I'm excited.

[01:00:15] I will excitedly, you know, vote on this budget in two weeks. I look forward to continuing doing to work. Any other comments? Any other comments, Mr. Manchin? No other comments, Mr. Chairman, except thank you and the board for everything that you do for the staff and the citizens of this county. Yes. Mr. Chairman, I make a motion that we defer. I'm voting on this budget for two weeks. Second. All right, motion made by Reverend Cooper, second by Mr. Rogish. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Anything else, colleagues? All right, let's say we're going to

[01:00:53] get started at 6 0 5 give you guys 10 minutes um we'll convene at 6 0 5 to the second part of our

[01:12:15] evening we have already had our official opening to our meeting we just took a break uh so we're going to jump right into our agenda uh turn it over to you mr manager chairman a um motion would be in order for approval of minutes from the march 12 2024 regular and special meetings as well as the special meeting of march the 8th 2024 so moved all right motion made by mr smith second by mr rogers all in favor say aye any opposed thank you mr manager mr chairman members of board

[01:12:54] members of the audience i do have one comment this evening and so throughout march henrico county has celebrated women's history month i'm going to ask amagati to come forward as well as Reina Vann. And so Women's History Month has been celebrated with a series of engaging programs and events. And as we close out the month, we invite everyone to join us this Thursday for the, drum roll please, 2024 All Henrico Reads Community Conversation Event. So if you have not read the

[01:13:34] book by Cheryl Strayed that's going to be the topic of this conversation, you really need to take the time, even if it's after the event. I started it last night, had to put it down because we had a budget public hearing. So I also encourage everyone to explore the remarkable contributions of county staff and historical figures, a lot of information on the county's multicultural community engagement, women's history page. So Amma Gatti, Amma is the founder and executive director of Culture Encounters. She embodies, and I think it's all appropriate that we have a group

[01:14:11] of students here the spirit of collaboration for the betterment of our community as a proud Henrico resident. She is joined by Culture Counter staff Nadira Berry. Nadira, if you would come forward, and Joe Oliver. Amma, y'all, Nadira, come on, come on forward. And so, Amma, welcome and thank you for joining us and honoring Women's History Month. I believe you have a story to tell.

[01:14:39] Advisors, Mr. Chairman, County Manager, Distinguished Guests, good evening. In recognition of Women's History Month and the celebration of women entrepreneurs in Henrico County, I am honored to represent the bold spirit of immigrant women who fearlessly bring their ideas, dreams, and values to new communities.

[01:15:08] Oprah Winfrey once said, I was once afraid of people saying, who does she think she is? Now I have the courage to stand and say, this is who I am. I am Amagati from Ghana, West Africa, a woman, wife, mom, daughter, sis, and friend.

[01:15:32] I am also the founder and executive director of Culture Encounters and a proud Ghanaian immigrant who calls Eastern Henrico County home. What began as a small organization to empower youth through the arts in Eastern Henrico is now a dynamic 501c3 with a mission to ignite cultural curiosity, knowledge, and appreciation within our region for all ages.

[01:15:59] Culture Encounters is the realization of my dream to forge a community where everyone feels welcome and included. We provide opportunities for individuals to immerse themselves in the vibrance of diverse cultures, contribute to our local economy, and foster meaningful connections that transcend cultural boundaries.

[01:16:24] Everyone is invited to celebrate the rich tapestry of our region from curated dining experiences at immigrant-owned restaurants where people from all backgrounds are introduced to the foods, the preparations, and tastes of Afghan, Ethiopian, Pakistan, to name a few, to conversations that connect, where panelists share their perspectives on an array of topics central to diverse communities.

[01:16:53] I value being part of a community and want to give others an experience. And as a leader, I am known for my fervent commitment to the knowledge sharing and fostering genuine relationships. When Monica Smith Callahan invited me to take part in my Henrico Academy 2023 program, I was grateful for the wealth of knowledge available.

[01:17:18] It was encouraging to know that anyone can build a business and thrive in Henrico. As immigrants, we need that hand-holding to support and to learn the process of starting a business. I got to know people to reach out to you.

[01:17:36] Those are the connections that I made. I am dedicated to sharing what I have learned and empowering fellow entrepreneurs, particularly women, recognizing their pivotal role in driving economic growth and societal change. Today, I am honored to stand as a beacon of our county's dynamic community of women entrepreneurs, a force characterized by innovation and resilience.

[01:18:00] This celebration serves as a testament to our unwavering determination and ability to triumph over obstacles, void by unwavering support and resources provided by our county. In the words of an old adage, there is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise.

[01:18:24] Here's to every woman boldly pursuing her dreams, shattering boundaries, and embracing limitless possibilities. Thank you for the steadfast dedication of supporting women entrepreneurs in our county. Your commitment is deeply valued.

[01:18:42] Thank you in a kind of language. Mr. Chairman, I have no other comments this evening. Thank you, Mr. Manager.

[01:18:58] Colleagues, any Board of Supervisors comments tonight? Mr. Manager, I have invited students, as pointed out by the county manager, representing the Deep Run Blue Cheese Robotics team, as they have called themselves.

[01:19:17] And before they come up, I just want to say I went to a tournament this past weekend, or perhaps the weekend before that, and it was my first time ever going to a robotics tournament, I must confess, and I don't know what I expected, but what I got was not what I ever would have imagined I would have expected, because it was this massive pep rally for robotics.

[01:19:37] And when I say that, we can all imagine the pep rallies that we have for sports in our high schools. This was that time, I think, 1,000. And it was such a diverse group. It was kids that had put their blood, sweat, and tears into creating these actual working robots with lights and movement and just beyond what I would have imagined was possible for high school students and freshmen all the way through seniors.

[01:20:00] I was incredibly impressed, but I will tell you, it wasn't just the fact that these kids are incredibly intelligent and smart and using nomenclature that is far beyond me. But when they described to me the work that they've been doing in advocacy, and in particular, recognizing that not every student in this county even has the ability to access robotics because it's an expensive endeavor and it takes a lot of commitment and travel.

[01:20:26] And they are sitting here as students of Deep Run High School and reaching down and saying, here's what we need to do, Governor. Here's what we need to do, General Assembly. Here's what we need to do, local government, to ensure that every student has access to this. And they're putting their weight behind that.

[01:20:44] I'd ask you guys to hear from Abhi and his group that is with him today, and they can share a little bit of the work that they're doing. Yes, I've asked them to give me a cheese head, too. Hello, fellow board members. My name is Abhya Somala, and I'm the advocacy lead for First Team Blue Cheese, based out of Deep Run High School.

[01:21:16] FIRST stands for Further Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. This is an international youth organization that is, in its simplest form, a robotics competition where teams of students design, build, and program robots to complete specific challenges.

[01:21:35] These challenges vary each year, pushing students to think creatively and strategically to overcome obstacles. However, first is more than just robots. The skills students learn go beyond just robots. They learn how to fundraise, how to build a brand around their team, and most importantly to me, how to advocate.

[01:21:56] Our team started in 2006, and we have competed every year and even winning the World Championships in 2016. However, our team, again, is more than just robots. We work to integrate STEM into our community through demos at schools, hosting robotics camps, and holding our annual STEM Fest at Short Pump Talent Center.

[01:22:20] We know that it's important for students to receive the opportunity to grow, pursue leadership roles, gain technical skills, all while having fun. But underserved schools oftentimes do not have the resources to support STEM plus C competition teams. We wrote a bill known as the STEM Plus C Competition Grant Program Pilot in 2016.

[01:22:45] This program provided over $1 million in grants to start STEM competition teams in Title I schools in Virginia since it was created. In 2022, we wrote a bill to make that program permanent.

[01:23:01] This year, that bill, SB 5, passed through both the Virginia Senate and House unanimously and is now waiting on the governor's signature. The first program has levels that span from kindergarten all the way to 12th grade, and our goal is to help get teams in Henrico County and to be a STEM resource for all Henrico teachers.

[01:23:26] In two weeks, on Tuesday, April 9th, Harvey Elementary School in the East End of Henrico will be hosting the first LEGO League Explorer Expo from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. This level is for students ages 6 to 10, and there will be teams there all over from Henrico sharing their projects and motorized solutions they programmed using LEGO kits.

[01:23:52] Our team will be there with our robots supporting the kids. we invite all of you to come out and see these young robotists in action. Also, you may notice that not all of our team members are here tonight. We have a total of 73 members on our team.

[01:24:10] Our build, programming, and strategy teams are up at our build site in Ashland, working furiously to prepare for our upcoming District Cat Championships. We're the only Henrico team that qualify to compete in this tournament.

[01:24:26] And if we perform well, we will earn a spot to compete at the World Championships that is held at Houston, Texas from April 17th to April 20th. The last time we competed in the World Championship was in 2019.

[01:24:42] Unfortunately, if we can qualify, not all of our students will be able to attend because the costs, including hotel and airfare, will cost around $1,000 per student. Luckily, the District Championships is being held locally at Virginia State University.

[01:25:00] from April 4th to 6th, so our full team will be able to attend. We would love for you to attend to see us compete as one of the top 54 teams from Virginia, D.C., and Maryland, and for us to give you a VIP tour across the venue.

[01:25:17] I have flyers here with more information about the event. And finally, if you guys have any questions about robotics or STEM, please let us know. We'd be happy to answer any of them. And before I end this, thank you, Ms. Whitehead, for inviting us to this board meeting and recognizing us.

[01:25:35] It really means a lot to all of us. Thank you. I got 3D printed cheese.

[01:26:22] It's a center check. I'll be. It's a bear. Would you guys like to wear a cheese head? Very much. Go ahead. Would anyone like to wear a cheese head?

[01:26:39] It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. You're already a princess. Do you want a cheese head? Wow.

[01:26:48] thank you any other colleagues um manager i mean sorry board member comments seeing none mr manager

[01:28:17] oh no recognition of news media i don't know news media in-house for those of you watching online Thanks for covering him, Michael Keone. Turning back over to the manager. Mr. Chairman, we move into presentations.

[01:28:33] We have two proclamations this evening. The first one, I'm going to ask our Tuckahoe District Supervisor, Jody K. Rogish, to the podium to present to the following individuals. And they are from the Tuckahoe District, Colin Waltall and Nicole Bridge.

[01:28:52] From the Brooklyn District, Teresa Harris and Lynn Yurchak. From the Fairfield District, Dale Alexander. From the Verona District, Bland Godden and Eileen Rivera. Joining them is Megan Brown, Executive Director of Keep Henrico Beautiful, and Bentley Chan, our Director of Public Works.

[01:29:09] This is a proclamation for Keep Henrico Beautiful Month, April 2024. Okay, our proclamation.

[01:29:25] Keep Henrico Beautiful Month, April 2024. Whereas littering is unlawful, unsightly, and hazardous to health, and whereas the Keep Henrico Beautiful Program and Keep Henrico Beautiful Committee of Appointed Volunteers were established in 1980 to develop and lead educational litter prevention activities and encourage participation of all Henrico County residents in litter prevention and recycling.

[01:29:50] And whereas for the past 44 years, members of the Keep Henrico Beautiful Committee have dedicated their time, talent, and energy to the successful direction of anti-litter education programs, and whereas the Keep Henrico Beautiful Committee disseminates educational materials and sponsors programs, special events, and workshops to foster public awareness of the environment, including the Plant Native Festival and the Land Lover Series in partnership with Henrico County Public Libraries, and whereas the Keep Henrico Beautiful Program is a member of the Don't Trash Central Virginia campaign with nine other

[01:30:30] localities and one tribe to unite the region in the fight against litter. And whereas, the Keep Henrico Beautiful program has a strong relationship with Henrico schools by providing classroom presentations and lesson plans on litter prevention, recycling, and watershed protection that correlate with the Virginia standards of learning. Now therefore, be it proclaimed that the Board of Supervisors of henrico county virginia hereby recognizes april 2024 as keep henrico beautiful month urges all henrico residents to show their environmental stewardship by recycling and

[01:31:06] not littering and encourage the public to celebrate our clean county by joining the efforts of keep henrico beautiful signed by tyrone nelson chairman board of supervisors thank you Thank you. Someone make some comments.

[01:31:33] Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to serving the community during this special month. Thank you so much for this proclamation, making April Keep Him Right Go Beautiful Month. We think every month is Keep Him Right Go Beautiful Month, just like we think every day is Earth Day.

[01:31:53] But we do have a special day in the county. We would like to celebrate Earth Day. We invite everyone on Saturday, April 20th to Deep Run Park from 12 to 3 p.m., a free event for everyone celebrating Earth Day. And Keep Henrico Beautiful is partnering with Recreation and Parks and the Heart Committee.

[01:32:14] So we hope to see everyone there. Thank you. I forgot to mention Gwen Miller and Cabell Whipple are here as well, and we appreciate them. Ms. Chairman, it is a proclamation for Library Week, April the 7th through the 13th, 2024.

[01:32:45] I'm going to ask our 3CHOP district supervisor, Misty Whitehead, to the podium to present the proclamation to the following library advisory board members. Gail Atkins from the Verona district, Suchi Jane from the 3CHOP district, Valerie McBee and Sharon Cox.

[01:33:04] Joining them, Mindy Ward, President of the Friends of Henrico Library, Meg Medina, ALA Honorary Chair of National Library Week 2024, as well as our phenomenal Director of Libraries, Barbara Weidman, Angela Bennett, Assistant Director, and Alex Hamby, Assistant Director.

[01:33:27] I get to honor my favorite people all day today, all evening today. I said in budget hearings that you guys are one of my favorite departments, and I cried when I went to a Fairfield library.

[01:33:42] I just have to confess that. I am going to read this proclamation now. Proclamation of the Board of Supervisors of Henrico County, Virginia, National Library Week, April 7 through 13, 2024. Whereas libraries offer the opportunity for everyone to read and to connect with others, learn new skills, and pursue their passions no matter where they are on life's journey, and whereas libraries adapt to the ever-changing needs of their communities, developing and expanding services, programs, and collections that are as diverse as the populations

[01:34:16] they serve, and whereas libraries have long served as trusted institutions striving to ensure equitable access to information and services for all members of the community, regardless of race, ethnicity, creed, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or socioeconomic status.

[01:34:37] And whereas libraries are accessible and inclusive places that promote a sense of local connection, advancing understanding, civic engagement, and shared community goals. And whereas libraries play a pivotal role in economic development by providing resources and support for job seekers, entrepreneurs, and businesses contributing to local prosperity and growth, and whereas libraries share information about and make choices that are good for the environment, creating thriving communities for a better tomorrow, and whereas libraries

[01:35:11] are treasured institutions that preserve our collective heritage and knowledge, safeguarding both physical and digital resources for present and future generations, and whereas libraries are an essential public good and fundamental institutions in democratic societies working to improve society, protect the right to education and literacy, and promote the free exchange of information and ideas for all, and whereas libraries, librarians, and library workers are joining library supporters and advocates across the nation to celebrate National Library

[01:35:48] Week 2024 with the theme of Ready, Set, Library, and whereas the American Library Association's National Honorary Chair for National Library Week 2024, is Newberry Award-winning author, National Ambassador for Youth, Young People's Literature of the Library of Congress, and Henrico resident, Ms. Meg Medina.

[01:36:13] Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Board of Supervisors of Henrico County, Virginia, that the week of April 7-13, 2024, will be celebrated in the county as National Library Week, and all residents are encouraged to visit their library in person or online to enjoy the amazing resources the county's libraries offer.

[01:36:37] Signed this day, Tyrone E. Nelson, Chairman, Board of Supervisors. Mr. Chairman, members of the Board of Supervisors, and Mr. Manager, as Chairman of the Library Advisory Board, I would like to thank you for this proclamation.

[01:37:01] I am proud of all that the Henrico County Public Library System has to offer. We, the Library Advisory Board, would like to thank all of you and the county manager for your continued commitment and support of public libraries in Henrico County.

[01:37:21] National Library Week has been recognized annually for more than half a century. We encourage all Henrico citizens to take advantage of the lifelong learning opportunities available to them at their libraries, whether it be for research or homework help, pleasure reading, story time, job search assistance, e-books, or one of the many other services our libraries offer.

[01:37:54] We are so proud of the vibrancy of all of our libraries in Henrico. Thank you again for your continued support and commitment to providing excellent public library services to all of our citizens.

[01:38:13] Thank you.

[01:38:33] Thank you.

[01:38:48] I want to publicly recognize that that was Ms. Whitehead and Mr. Rogish's first proclamations, and Reverend Cooper is taking notes of what not to do.

[01:39:07] Great job, you two. Ms. Manager, appointments. Mr. Chairman, members of the board, we do 97-24 as a resolution for appointment of member, in this case, to the Board of Building Code Appeals.

[01:39:24] This board paper would appoint Shane Oberholzer, mechanical contractor, to that board for a term that would expire December 31st, 2028. Mr. Chairman, a motion would be in order. Motion, colleagues.

[01:39:43] All right, motion made by Mr. Rogan, seconded by Mr. Smith. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes.

[01:40:26] Public hearing items, Mr. Manager.

[01:40:44] Mr. Chairman, as we move into public hearing items, the first three items are items that involve CDBG or home funds. Mr. Lebo is going to cover all three of these items, but we begin with Agenda Item 98-24, which is a resolution that authorizes the manager to submit the 11th Amendment for Henrico County's Fiscal Year 2019-20 Annual Action Plan and to execute contracts for CDBG activities. Mr. Lebo.

[01:41:13] Thank you, Mr. Manager. Good evening, Mr. Chair and members of the board. There are three separate items on your agenda tonight, each of which requires separate action and a public hearing. This brief presentation addresses all three items, each an amendment to the previously approved annual action plan.

[01:41:31] As you may recall, the annual action plan is the county's official submission to HUD outlining how we intend to use our federal funding and the accomplishments within that upcoming year. If approved, Agenda Item 98-24 amends the 2019-2020 Action Plan to reallocate $186,000 of unexpended community development block grant funds provided under the CARES Act.

[01:41:57] We recommend that the funding be used to support the Homeless Street Outreach Program administered by Commonwealth Catholic Charities, as well as the Family Crisis Program that would be administered by Humankind. Human County will use this funding to assist individuals and families with limited financial assistance, which could help individuals remain in their homes.

[01:42:17] The second item for your consideration is Agenda Item 99-24. If approved, this paper would authorize the submission of a technical amendment to the 21-22 Action Plan, which incorporated the Home ARP Allocation Plan, as you may recall, which is to be used to help individuals that are homeless or on the verge of homelessness.

[01:42:36] Currently, we're working with the City of Richmond as well as Chesterfield County to issue a request or notice of funding availability to provide funds for permanent supportive housing as well as non-congregate shelter. This amendment is necessary to provide consistency among the plans related to preferences for access to PSH and non-congregate shelter.

[01:42:58] There are no changes to any funding amounts or any expected outcomes with that amendment, if approved. And then last but not least, Agenda Item 100-24 requests approval to amend the current year's allocation plan. This amendment will swap funding sources to support the Carter WIS III development and reallocate additional funding to a homeowner rehabilitation program, which makes needed home repairs to help lower-income seniors and disabled individuals remain in their home.

[01:43:26] There are no other programs that are proposed to be changed or impacted with this amendment. That concludes my presentation. I'm happy to answer any questions you all may have. Thank you, Mr. Lebo. Colleagues, are there any questions as it relates to, we're going to do the resolutions individually, but if you have any questions about any of the resolutions, go ahead and ask them now.

[01:43:48] Any questions for Mr. Lebo? All right, this is a public hearing. Is there anyone here to speak to Resolution 9824? Kenny, is there anyone on WebEx? No, sir, no one to speak to this item.

[01:44:06] Is there a motion? Mr. Chairman, move the resolution. Motion made by Mr. Smith, second by Reverend Cooper. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? 99-24 is also a public hearing item. Is there anyone here to speak to resolution 99-24?

[01:44:25] Kenny, anyone on WebEx? Sir, no one. Is that motion? All right, motion made by Reverend Cooper, second by Mr. Rogan. Y'all in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? 100-24 is a public hearing item.

[01:44:43] Is there anyone here to speak to it? Kenny? Yes, sir. All right, motion made by Ms. Whitehead, second by Mr. Rogan. Y'all in favor, say aye.

[01:44:59] Aye. Any opposed? Thank you. Mr. Manager. Next, Mr. Chairman, 101-24 is a resolution for signatory authority. This is amendment and renewal of lease of county property at 917 Willis Church Road, which is in the Rana District. Mr. Anthony. Thank you, Mr. Manager, Mr. Chairman, members of the board, ladies and gentlemen.

[01:45:18] This item and the one to follow are lease renewals. This first one would authorize the county manager to execute an amendment to the deed of lease for a dwelling located at 9170 Willis Church Road to commence on August 1, 2024, and end July 31, 2025, to Ms. Motley.

[01:45:38] The board paper also authorizes the county manager to extend the lease for additional terms. The directors of road property and recreations and parks recommend approval of the board paper. The county manager concurs. I'll be happy to answer any questions. Generally, we have set up these type of agreements.

[01:45:58] So this is a renewal. So this person has been here for a while. Yes, sir. Mr. Manager, just in general, people who usually stay in these properties that we own and we do the leases, there's some type of connection or?

[01:46:14] It's typically, Mr. Chairman, members of the board, members of the audience, you will either find, typically we may have some exceptions, teachers, employees of the school system. You'll find police officers, firefighters, employees of the local government that potentially end up leasing properties that we own for a variety of reasons.

[01:46:40] And in this case, you have two back-to-back in the Verona Magisterial District. Colleagues, are there any questions? There are no questions. Is there a public hearing? Is there anyone here to speak to this particular item? Seeing no one, is there anyone on WebEx?

[01:46:59] No, sir. No one to speak to this item. All right. And we, well, it's in Verona. So move the resolution. Check. Motion made by myself. Second by Reverend Kubal in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Next, Mr. Chairman, 102-24, also resolution, also for signatory authority.

[01:47:18] The amendment renewal in this case would be 9729 Malvern Hill Lane, again, within the Verona District. Mr. Anthony. Yes, sir. Thank you once again, Mr. Manager, Mr. Chairman, members of the board, ladies and gentlemen. This board paper would authorize the managers to execute an amendment to the lease of 9729 Malvern Hill Lane.

[01:47:37] The lease would extend for one year, but beginning July 1, 2024, ending on June 30, 2025. Mr. Welch will be paying a monthly rent of $1,000. The board paper also authorizes the county managers to extend the lease for additional terms. The directors of real property and recreation and parks recommend approval of the board paper.

[01:47:57] The county manager concurs. I'll be happy to answer any questions. Questions from my colleagues. Public hearing, anyone here to speak to this particular resolution? Seeing none, is there anyone on WebEx? No, sir. All right, so move the resolution.

[01:48:15] All right, moved by myself, seconded by Mr. Rokas. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion passed, Mr. Manager. Next, Mr. Chairman, 103-24 is the resolution for signatory authority, in this case easements for City of Richmond access for the Stoney Run Bridge replacement project, which is in the Verona District.

[01:48:33] Mr. Anthony. Thank you once again, Mr. Manager, Mr. Chairman, members of the board ladies and gentlemen this board paper would authorize the execution of agreements to sell and convey easements to the city of richmond on county-owned property as part of the city of richmond stony stony run bridge replacement project the directors of public works public utilities and real property recommend approval of the board paper county manager concurs i'll be happy to answer your questions questions it's a public hearing anyone here to speak to this resolution all right seeing none is anyone on webex there's certainly one to speak

[01:49:11] All right. So move the resolution. Second. I mean, moved by myself. Second by Reverend Cooper. All in favor say aye. Aye. Only opposed. Mr. Magic. Next, Mr. Chairman, a highlight, if you will. 104-24 is an ordinance to revise the county's floodplain and stormwater management ordinances, including the implementation of the updated FEMA floodplain maps.

[01:49:36] A number of conversations that have been had with the board on this topic, Ms. Owen presenting. Kristen, anything you'd like to offer outside of what you're going to read as far as the resume? What does this mean for Henrico and its residents?

[01:49:52] Yeah, thank you, Mr. Manager, Mr. Chairman, and members of the board. So this ordinance is, this adoption is required for us to continue participating in the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA requires that we adopt these maps by the effective date so that we can continue to get those benefits and our residents can get those benefits.

[01:50:09] So the National Flood Insurance Program gives our residents access to flood insurance, which they may not be able to get otherwise, as well as certain federal grants and loans, state loans and grants, and disaster assistance funding from FEMA. So this board paper would enact new flood insurance rate maps as required by FEMA and related state and federal law.

[01:50:31] The proposed ordinance also makes minor changes to correct citations and clarify existing language. The new ordinance will become effective April 25th, 2024, when the new flood insurance rate maps and flood insurance study go into effect. The director of public works recommends approval of this board paper, and the county manager concurs.

[01:50:49] I need to answer any questions. Thank you for the presentation. Is there, are there any questions for my colleagues? Mr. Manager, we did all, we were all briefed, I think, 2-2-1s or individually.

[01:51:07] You were briefed individually by Ms. Owen. We may have talked about it in a work session, too, I think. Well, we've had a running conversation. This was discussed at budget. But ultimately, Kristen, you know, the outcome that you have had with FEMA, and I don't want you to spoil any future announcements, but I want you to give a little bit of a preview, means what for our residents?

[01:51:33] Yeah, so we are actively working to join the Community Rating System Program, which will give a discount on flood insurance premiums to our citizens. So I'm not going to spoil what the discount will be yet. But our ordinance is a huge part of that. So we are getting almost three classes' worth of credit from our ordinance alone, which each class is worth a 5% discount.

[01:51:54] So it's a pretty huge effort. So we're very excited. That's incredible. Thank you. Thank you for your work on this. It's a public hearing. Is anyone here? I'm sorry, colleagues, did you have anything you want to share? It's a public hearing.

[01:52:09] is anyone here to speak to this ordinance anyone online no sir no one to speak this item all right let me get a motion motion made by Reverend Cooper second by Mr. Rogers all in favor say aye aye opposed thank you next Mr. Chairman we do have one individual that has signed up for public comments is Ms. Adrienne Tinsley here Ms. Tinsley so as you come forward Ms. Tinsley and anyone else that addresses the board if you would begin your comments by stating your name and address for the

[01:52:44] record and again the board asks that you usually you're fine come on forward good evening I'm here today because the last time I was here I talked about the traffic lights and the street lights I want to first start with the traffic lights when I go to work the traffic lights only two people can go through the lights and I know that the engineers can adjust that um it's it's and then

[01:53:20] also they're not synced so that when you go through one light you got to stop and then you got to go through the next light and so you're burning a lot of gas by doing that um so I really would like to see if there's some type of um survey or something that you could do to check on the traffic lights and then um the street lights I was um a passenger with a friend of mine and she almost hit a deer because coming um down poncy track and pump road there's no lights

[01:54:00] and um a week later I was driving and I almost hit a deer and so I'm just wondering is there in opposition to putting street lights up anyone are you finished before we start talking were you finished with your comments uh no i still have some more comments all right well you you keep going and we're okay so um my other comment is the real estate assessment i've had several people

[01:54:32] come out and um assess my property because i appealed it and they told me what was wrong in my um on my property and our HOA installed a fence and that fence they did not leave any um space at the bottom so it goes all the way down to the ground so recently my um back the rear of my house looks like a pond and so it's trapped because no water can flow out of it um because

[01:55:09] they said that they really installed it improperly. So my question is, if you all can tell me what's wrong, why don't you address that to the HOA? You know, I can do that, which I did, but I would think that if you can identify what is wrong, then you should be able to have a conversation with the HOA to get it corrected. So that's another one. And then recently, or not

[01:55:45] recently, but for about a year now, helicopters, planes, drones, whatever, I really can't identify what they are. I do know a helicopter when I see it, but they constantly hover over my house, and i'm wondering why um so this has been going on for some time i'm wondering why they're constantly hovering over my house and so when i go in and out i feel like i'm being followed by

[01:56:20] whatever this is up in the sky and um and then um recently i went to the police office and um My concern is that there's no staffing on the weekend because I went to complain about something and there was no one there but one person who was able to assist me.

[01:56:47] And last year when I went, the young lady, the receptionist, told me to go outside and call in. She assumed that I had a cell phone that I could call in, which I did. And I called in, and no one answered, so I went back in, and I told her I wanted to file a complaint.

[01:57:09] And she told me not one police officer was available for me to file a complaint, not one. And so when I went the other day to file a complaint, no one was there.

[01:57:25] It was dark, and then the lady across the hall also, you know, she answered me and told me what to do, and that's how I knew what to do. But I'm just wondering why we have no staffing on the weekends. So that's it.

[01:57:44] That's it? Okay. All right. So the manager is going to ask a few persons to go speak out. I mean, go outside and speak to you. So timing and streetlights, actual lights on roads, I think the drainage in your backyard, weekend staffing in police stations, and then I think it was the helicopters.

[01:58:16] So we're going to send, Mr. Manager, I don't, you know, which department heads? Can I have Mr. Hughes, Mr. Levo, and Chief English out in the lobby? And, ma'am, they'll meet you out in the lobby and talk to you. Thank you. Let me ask you, the street, your first complaint, where is that?

[01:58:37] the timing of the traffic. The timing of the street lights. You said there's only two cars go through and then it stops. Oh I mean so I go um North Gaten to what's that Lauderdale. Okay so they're going to need to know specifically what lights. Oh I can I can jot that down. Okay so they'll they'll they'll meet you out there. Okay thank you. These are three of our um best leaders in the county. All right is there I don't have anyone else that has signed up to speak. Is there

[01:59:14] anyone in person that wishes to address the board this evening? Kenny, is there anyone on Webex that wishes to address the board this evening? Okay, Mr. Chairman, with your indulgence, move into the general agenda. I'm going to ask Mr. Newby to handle the first two items on the agenda, the first 105-24 and 106-24. Mr. Newby? Yes, sir. Mr. Chairman, members of the board, Mr. Manager, these two papers are two standalone appropriation papers. The first paper, Mr. Chairman, appropriates 4.5 million dollars to support initiatives to revitalize housing in the

[01:59:53] community and the funding would come from the fund balance within the general fund via an interfund transfer to the capital projects fund with that i'd be happy to answer any questions questions colleagues hearing none motion oh i'm sorry did you have a question reverend cooper okay motion made by mr smith second by reverend cooper all in favor motion passed and mr chairman the second paper would appropriate funding in the amount of two million dollars for the acquisition of real property at Virginia Center Commons, the property at issue would provide additional parking for the Sports and Entertainment Center.

[02:00:32] And funding for this acquisition would come from the fund balance within the general fund via an interfund transfer to the Capital Projects Fund. With that, I'd be happy to answer any questions. Thank you, Mr. Newby. Any questions? What was the amount, Mr. Newby? Mr. Chairman, $2 million.

[02:00:47] $2 million. Any other questions? Motion. All right, motion made by Ms. Whitehead, seconded by Mr. Rogan. Y'all in favor? Any opposed?

[02:01:02] Thank you. Next, Mr. Chairman, 107-24 is an introduction of an ordinance that would amend the ordinance approved regarding the Home Purchase Assistance Program. Mr. Lebo. Thank you, Mr. Manager, Mr. Chair, members of the board. This board paper introduces for advertisement and public hearing on April 23, 2024, a proposed ordinance to amend and reordain the ordinance establishing the Henrico County Home Purchase Assistance Program.

[02:01:28] Essentially, this requested change will align the forgiveness schedule with the pay period for the school system, as well as allow employees of the county, constitutional officers, as well as the schools to transition to entities created by the county and still remain eligible for the program.

[02:01:50] So it would be the EDA and the Sports and Entertainment Authority. The Director of Community Revitalization recommends approval of this board paper and the county manager concurs. i'm happy to answer any questions you all may have thank you um mr lebo any questions now we did hear you talked about this during budget week two right yes sir yep any questions all right motion motion made by reverend cooper second by mr rogers all in favor say aye aye any opposed motion passes thank you next mr chairman 108-24 is the resolution for award of contract

[02:02:28] this is the annual contract for traffic installation repair and maintenance countywide mr hughes all right thank you mr manager mr chair members of the board good evening this board paper awards an annual contract to b&b signal company for traffic signal installation repair and maintenance on an as needed and as requested basis estimated first year expenditure is approximately two million dollars which may increase or decrease depending on the actual need of the county the annual contract consists of furnishing all furnishing all labor supervision materials, supplies, and equipment necessary for successful completion of various project

[02:03:04] assignments for installing, repairing, or maintaining traffic signal equipment at signalized intersection zone by the county. The annual contract is expected to begin in March of 2024 and will remain in effect for a period of one year with two one-year renewal options. The county received two bids on this, and based upon a review of the bids, B&B Signal Company is the lowest responsive and responsible bidder funding to support the contract is available within individual project budgets and maintenance the director of public works and purchasing director or purchasing recommend approval of the board paper and the county manager

[02:03:41] concurs i'd be happy to answer any questions on this any questions for mr hughes there ain't none need a motion moved by ms whitehead second by mr smith all in favor say aye any opposed Next, Mr. Chairman, 109-24 is an award of contract, annual contract for guardrail maintenance.

[02:04:07] Mr. Hughes. Thanks, Mr. Manager. Support paper awards a unit price contract to L.S. Lee for guardrail maintenance, repair, removal, and upgrades on an as-needed and as-requested basis for the county. First-year expenditures will be approximately $850,000, which may increase or decrease depending on the actual needs of the county.

[02:04:26] The annual contract is expected to begin in July of 2024 and will remain in effect for a period of one year with two one-year renewal options. The county received one bid on this. However, that one bid was in a line with what we're paying right now. Based upon a review of the bid, L.S. Lee is the lowest responsive and responsible bidder and the costs are, well, there you go, in line with current costs or similar words.

[02:04:50] Funding to support the contract is available within the project budget, which is largely a maintenance budget. The Director of Public Works and Purchasing Director recommend approval of the board paper and the county manager occurs, so I'd be happy to answer any questions on this one. Thank you again.

[02:05:06] Questions? I have a question about 108-24. Repair. That was just a repair. Well, let's go through this, and then I'll go back. Motion for 109.24.

[02:05:23] Don't move. All right. Second. All right. Motion by Mr. Smith. Second by Mr. Rogish. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed? I was going to mess with you, Darrell, but my spirit told me to just let it go. That was good.

[02:05:39] It covers repair. As soon as it came out of my mouth, some just said, you know what, just let it be. Yeah, let it be. I don't know what spirit that was, so let's just move on. 110, dance 24. Next, Mr. Chairman, members of the board and members of the audience, the next five items are actually involved.

[02:06:00] Funds that come from the Central Virginia Transportation Authority. Those funds really come from you, the taxpayers, and go to this entity and then come back. Mr. Hughes has been successful in obtaining a lot of funding for a lot of county roads.

[02:06:15] And Terrell, if you would take the board through these next five items, 110-24. All right. Can we take these individually? Yes, sir. Yeah, okay. The Department of Public Works has negotiated an agreement with the Central Virginia Transportation Authority, I'll say CVTA, under which the county will construct approximately 8,500 linear feet of roadway to include widening of Woodman Road between Hungry Road and Mountain Road from a two-lane undivided roadway to a four-lane divided roadway with a shared use path and sidewalk.

[02:06:49] The estimated cost for the design, right-of-way, and construction of the project is estimated at $46 million. CVTA has agreed to reimburse the county up to $27.8 million from regional funding with the remainder of the cost to be paid from a combination of county funds and Virginia Department of Transportation, or VDOT, revenue-sharing program funds.

[02:07:13] This board paper authorizes the county manager to execute an agreement in a form approved by the county attorney. The director of public works recommends approval of this board paper and the county manager concurs, so happy to answer any questions on this one. Question from Mr. Hughes.

[02:07:29] Mr. Chairman, I will say, if my friend in Fairfield agrees, this is an important project for our residents along this corridor. The Woodman Road corridor with the improvement of the circle, the connection of Woodman Road extension to Route 1 to the Sports Center, and the increased development right there at Woodman and Hungry.

[02:07:46] Mr. Cooper, I don't know if you hear as much as I do from my side of that split road, but this is a project that has been a long time coming and right on time, as fast as you can do it, and I'm willing to throw a hat on and grab a shovel.

[02:08:02] So, Mr. Hughes, thank you. Mr. Cooper, I don't know if you want to comment on it, but I just wanted to share that. Well, I sit on the CVTA board, and so when I'm seeing the projects that are approved, and especially one that has significant impact on the district and a road that I travel almost daily here to the county, I not only sit here as a supervisor but also as a resident who this would benefit greatly.

[02:08:27] So I'm excited about this. Thank you, Mr. Smith. It's all yours, sir. I so move. Second. All right, motion made. Reverend Cooper second. Mr. Smith, all in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Thank you. 111-24. Yep, 111-24. This is a signatory authority with CVTA for Brook Road Improvements, Villa Park Drive to Hilliard Road.

[02:08:49] So the Department of Public Works has negotiated an agreement with the CVTA under which the county will construct improvements along Brook Road between Villa Park Drive and Hilliard Road to improve traffic flow and provide pedestrian accommodations. The estimated cost for the design, right-of-way, and construction of the project is $10.7 million.

[02:09:08] CVTA will reimburse the county up to $10.4 million from regional funding, and the county will pay the remainder of the cost. This board paper authorizes the county manager to execute the agreement in a form approved by the county attorney. The director of public works recommends approval of the board paper, and the county manager concurs.

[02:09:24] I'd be happy to answer any questions on this one. Questions? No questions. All in favor. I'm sorry, I need a motion. I'll make a motion. All right, motion by Reverend Cooper, second by Ms. Whitehead.

[02:09:42] All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Hard not to get excited about the CVTA money when they're paying for everything. All right, so this is 112-24, signatory authority with CVTA. The project is the Green City Connector Trail and Bridge in the Fairfield District.

[02:10:00] The Department of Public Works has negotiated an agreement with the CVTA under which the county will construct approximately 0.66 miles of 12-foot-wide paved shared-use path along Athens Road and Scott Road, including reconstruction of the Scott Road Bridge over I-95 to create a bicycle and pedestrian-only bridge.

[02:10:19] The estimated cost for the design, right-of-way, and construction of the project is $20 million. CVTA has agreed to reimburse the county up to $9.9 million from regional funding, and the county will pay the remainder of the cost. This board paper authorizes the county manager to execute the agreement in a form approved by the county attorney.

[02:10:36] The director of public works recommends approval of this paper, and the county manager recurs. So I'd be happy to answer any questions on this one. Is there a motion? Well, you know, Mr. Jimmy made a comment about I didn't have any resolutions earlier.

[02:10:54] I've got four next ones I'll be saying motion. I mean, it's, I'm actually, I'm wondering how you get so many millions of dollars of projects at one time. Did he say he was sitting on that board? Well, actually, he's not on the CVTA board.

[02:11:12] I'm on the CVTA board, and I'm just wondering how did I miss all of this and not see Verrano on any of these lists. But go ahead. That's why I said I was on it, because I want you to know I know you got the money. Thank you, sir. Right. Some more, Mr. Chairman. Second. All right, motion made by Reverend Cooper, seconded by Mr. Smith.

[02:11:29] All in favor, say aye. Aye. Be opposed. All right, 113-24, Signature Authority with CVTA for the Magellan Parkway Bridge and a roadway project in the Fairfield District. The Department of Public Works has negotiated an agreement with the CVTA under which the county will construct a new four-lane curb and gutter roadway with a raised median, paved shared use path for the south side of the roadway, a sidewalk along the north side between Englewood Farms Drive and Scott Road, including a bridge across I-95.

[02:12:00] The estimated cost for design, right-of-way, and construction of the project is $33 million. CVTA has agreed to reimburse the county up to $18.5 million from regional funding, and the county will pay the remainder of the cost. This board paper authorizes the county manager to execute the agreement in a form approved by the county attorney.

[02:12:18] The director of public works recommends approval of the board paper and the county manager. So happy to answer any questions on this one. Questions, colleagues. All right, Reverend Cooper. So moved, Ms. Chairman. Moved by Reverend Cooper, seconded by Mr. Rogish.

[02:12:36] All in favor say aye. Aye. All right, this is 114-24, signatory authority with CVTA for North Gaten Road Interchange and I-64. Improvements in the 3CHOP district.

[02:12:52] The Department of Public Works has negotiated an agreement with the CVTA under which the county will construct a new interchange at North Gaten Road and I-64. Reconstruction of the interchange at West Broad Street and I-64 and improvements on I-295 between I-64 and Knuckles Road.

[02:13:09] The estimated cost for the survey and preliminary design of the North Gaten Road interchange at I-64, presently referred to as short pump area improvements, is $3.2 million. The CVTA will reimburse the county up to $3.185 million from regional funding, and the county will pay the remainder of the cost.

[02:13:32] This board paper authorizes the county manager to execute the agreement in a form approved by the county attorney, and the director of public works recommends approval of this board paper, and the county manager concurs. So one thing I will add, there's another about $2 million that VDOT has in an agreement that's going to them to do an environmental study, so you may see some activity on an environmental study in public meetings.

[02:13:54] We will be handling the design work for the project, so this gets this project kicked off, and we have gotten approval for some additional funding for this project from CVTA, Not quite at this level where we're going to have the money distributed to us with the agreement, but that will be forthcoming.

[02:14:10] So happy to answer any other questions. Any questions? Yeah, this is – I do have a quick question. So 3.2 for the design and the survey.

[02:14:28] You said about two for the environmental work. So that's just five for the study and design. Just study and design. What's the – because this is a huge project. So what's the – where do you think the price tag is going to be? For the total package, somewhere between $200 million and $300 million. And this is, I mean, years?

[02:14:49] It's a number of years to get the whole package done. So once we get the environmental study, we're hoping that the first phase of the project will be the Northgate interchange phase and some other supporting improvements. That last round of CVTA, I think we're looking at another $60 million in CVTA regional coming to this project, but there's still some additional funding, so we'll still be pursuing federal grants and state.

[02:15:13] We have actually a state smart scale grant that we'll be coming back to you all for in a few months for support on, for some additional funding to try to close that gap. Thank you, sir. Ms. Whitehead? All right, moved by Ms. Whitehead.

[02:15:30] Second by Reverend Cooper. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion passed. Mr. Manager? Next, Mr. Chairman, is 115-24, a resolution for acceptance of roads in Fairfield. Thank you, Mr. Manager. So moved. We just talked about this upstairs.

[02:15:51] So moved. I'm sorry, Reverend Cooper. Y'all going to let him go through it again. I'll take my move back if you want to go ahead, if you want to move or not second it. Second. Motion is made by myself, seconded by Reverend Cooper.

[02:16:12] All in favor, say aye. Any opposed? Thank you. Mr. Manager. Mr. Chairman, no other items on the agenda this evening? Colleague, any other comments? All right, meeting adjourned.

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