Coraggio Consulting Henrico County Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting, Tuesday, September 22, 2026 Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2026 Place: Henrico County Board of Supervisors, Virginia Length: 1h 40m (video) Official meeting video (Swagit): https://henricocountyva.new.swagit.com/videos/401996 Official agenda (Henrico County): https://henrico.gov/pdfs/manager/meetings2026/092226ag.pdf Official minutes (Henrico County, regular meeting): https://henrico.gov/pdfs/manager/meetings2026/092226regmins.PDF Official Agend-O-Gram, Oct 13, 2026 (records the Board's approval of these minutes): https://henrico.gov/pdfs/manager/meetings2026/10-13-26Agend-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 2026-10-25. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [00:00:03] I want to say good evening, everyone, and welcome everyone to the Henrico County Board of Supervisors meeting for September the 22nd, 2026. Public comments will be given from the lectern in the back. For everyone who is watching the live stream of tonight's meeting on the county website, you can participate remotely in the public comment portion of the meeting. [00:00:25] Speakers, you will see a timer located at the back dais, and once you begin speaking, the timer will begin. You will see a yellow light alerting you to the remaining time once the timer turns red. You will hear a beeping sound letting you know that your time has expired. [00:00:42] Speakers on WebEx, the timer will begin when you begin speaking. You will hear a beeping sound when your next time has expired. Go to the Board of Supervisors webpage at herico.us backslash supervisors. Click on Guidance for the Board of Supervisors meeting. [00:01:00] Scroll down and click on Webex event. A moderator will let you know when it's your time to speak. I want to say thank you. We'll begin this evening with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the invocation given this evening by Steve Boots, chaplain for the Enrico County Police Division. [00:01:17] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, to the republic, with one nation, and to God. Remain standing, please. [00:01:36] Let's pray. Father, again, we thank you so much for your goodness to us. We thank you for the opportunity we have to participate in this way. We do pray for those in our community who may be struggling. I pray that you'd help them to be pointed to you as a source of their help and their strength. [00:01:52] I pray that you'd help us help them. And we also thank you for our first responders and for the work that they do every single day. I pray that you'd protect them and keep them safe as well. We thank you for our board and for our county manager. I thank you for their willing to serve and all those around them that help them do their jobs. [00:02:08] And now tonight, I pray that you just give them wisdom as they make decisions that will help move this county forward. And again, we thank you for all that you do for us. In Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. [00:02:41] Colleagues, I will call for a motion to approve the regular and special meeting minutes from Tuesday, September the 8th, 2026, regular and special meeting. So moved. Second. Moved by Reverend Nelson, seconded by Mr. Rogus. All in favor, say aye. Aye. [00:02:56] Opposed, the ayes have it. Minutes are approved. Mr. Manager, do you have any comments this evening? Mr. Chair, members of the board, I do. I have two comments this evening. I'm going to ask my Henrico Academy alumni, Yuriko Ota, to come forward. [00:03:15] Yuriko, would you come forward? Yuriko is the founder of Silk and Soul LLC, and she is going to share some remarks. But before she does, I want to remind everyone that September 15th through October 15th is recognized nationally as Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month, and Henrico County joins communities across the country in celebration. [00:03:38] Here in Henrico, we're grateful for the Hispanic and Latino residents, leaders, organizations, and families who help strengthen and enrich our community each day. Their traditions, perspectives, and contributions continue to make Henrico a more welcoming, vibrant, and connected place for all. [00:04:00] So without further ado, Yuriko. Thank you. Good afternoon, Mr. Manager, Chair, and members of the board. Thank you for inviting me to join you in recognizing Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month. This month celebrates the incredible diversity of Hispanic and Latino people. [00:04:20] We come from many countries, cultures, and traditions, but we share a deep pride in our roots, our family, and the contributions we make. Our stories live through our businesses, food, music, traditions, and service for others. [00:04:37] For me, this celebration is deeply personal. I'm proudly Peruvian, and my culture has shaped who I am from the values my family install in me to my passion for food, entrepreneurship, and bringing people together. [00:04:54] Through my business, community involvement, and culture events such as PeruFest RBA coming in October, I have witnessed what happens when people are given a space to share the traditions and feel genuinely welcome and valued. I'm especially grateful to call Henrico home. [00:05:13] This county has given me many opportunities to grow, form meaningful connections, and become more involved. My experience with my Henrico Academy helped me better understand the county and showed me how important it is for residents from every background to have a voice and sit at the table. [00:05:33] This celebration also reminds us that diversity is not only something to recognize once a year. It's a strength we should embrace every day by listening to one another, supporting families, and encourage future generations to honor their roots. [00:05:52] As we celebrate Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month, I hope we continue creating spaces where every culture is respect, every story is value, and everyone feels that they belong. Thank you, and have a wonderful evening. Thank you. [00:06:13] Thank you, Erika. So I do have a second comment, and I'm going to ask our Deputy Chief Scott Sutton to come forward. So for those of you in attendance, members of board, we're gathered today to take a moment to go through what happens after a fire and how the fire marshal's offices handle the aftermath of disasters in our community. [00:06:39] We've had some questions recently. As a recap, at 10.07 p.m. on Saturday, July 4th, our emergency communications staff received the first call. They came in quickly reporting that there was an active heavy fire at the four-story-tall apartments. [00:06:57] Darby House, including on the roof. An engine company dispatched from Fire Station 2 was the first on scene at 10.13 p.m. and used a deck gun to attack the fire on the roof. That began the county's response to what would become a three alarm fire, would involve personnel from more than 30 fire and police units, and would generate more than 430 calls for service to our 9-1-1 emergency communications staff. This was a historic fire, unlike anything that I've ever seen [00:07:31] during my tenure with Henrico County. That night, I witnessed dozens of public service employees doing what they do, risking their own lives to save the lives of others, providing selfless public service without hesitation. Our efforts obviously continue, spearheaded by Monica Smith callahan as far as uh recovery for the residents and at this point i'd like to ask deputy chief sutton who is the fire official and oversees the fire marshals to share some more information scott [00:08:05] thank you mr manager good evening mr manager mr chair members of the board tonight i'd like to use two recent fires the darby house fire and the swim rva fire to give you some perspective on a part of the fire department's work that's not always readily visible when most people think about a significant fire they understandably think about the emergency response the apparatus the firefighters the evacuations the work necessary to control the incident what is less visible is what happens after the fire trucks begin to leave for significant fires the fire [00:08:44] marshal's office becomes one of the primary fire department resources responsible for carrying that incident forward that work can continue for days or weeks it may involve scene examinations interviews surveillance video evidence collection search warrants laboratory and forensic testing legal consultation coordination with law enforcement property owners insurance representatives and other involved parties and ultimately determining where and how the fire started in a large residential fire our role extends beyond the investigation we often remain one of the primary fire department resources assisting residents [00:09:23] property management as they deal with the consequences of the incident darby house and swim rva are very different fires but together they provide a good picture of the complexity importance of that work i'm going to begin with darby house this investigation remains active so there's limited information as to what i can appropriately discuss publicly but the work completed so far demonstrates why determining the cause of a significant fire can take time our personnel have returned to that property five separate times including two visits that were essentially full day operations during one of those early visits investigators recovered the [00:10:00] building's digital video recording system from an office that had experienced a roof collapse that video became a significant part of the investigation we were fortunate to have an intern assigned to our office who was trained to use the system he spent approximately a week and a half reviewing footage but reviewing surveillance footage as an investigation like this is not simply watching it once an interview may identify a person we did not previously know was important we may learn about a vehicle an activity or a particular time period that suddenly has [00:10:34] significance when that happens we have to go back watch the video again we also obtained surveillance footage from neighboring properties and worked with building management to identify individuals and vehicles captured on camera to date we've conducted 12 interviews as the investigation progressed investigators obtained a search warrant for a specific apartment recovered and processed evidence and obtained a separate court order for financial records because all of the residents have been displaced simply locating some of the individuals involved [00:11:08] required additional work information developed through interviews generated additional leads and several hours of follow-up at businesses in the surrounding area we've worked with henrico police personnel on forensic examination of evidence including fingerprint and dna processing later in the investigation our personnel participated in a joint exam with investigators representing multiple insurance interest by that point some material from the area of origin had already been removed during the cleanup process fortunately our investigators had extensively photographed and documented those areas beforehand during that examination we were also able to access [00:11:48] an area previously inaccessible because of the roof collapse that's where we were able to recover additional evidence including the resident's barbecue that they had earlier in the evening to eliminate that as a potential cause each of those steps matter an interview may change the importance of a piece of video a forensic result may support or eliminate an investigative theory access to an area that was previously inaccessible may allow us to eliminate another possible cause that is why significant fire investigations can take time at darby house we still have a couple [00:12:26] of additional interviews to complete before we're prepared to definitively state the cause of the fire i think that's an important point our goal is not to provide the fastest answer our responsibility is to provide the most accurate answer that can be supported by the totality of the evidence not having an immediate answer does not mean an investigation is not progressing in a complex case it often means investigators are doing the work necessary before reaching a conclusion at the same time all of the investigative work was occurring our personnel [00:13:01] were also dealing with the people who had suddenly lost all of their homes the building had no normal electrical service elevators were out portions of the structure had been damaged it was july it was extremely hot water mold spoiled food environmental hazards all developed quickly residents understandably wanted to get back into their apartments some needed medications or documents others were concerned about pets several primarily wanted to retrieve urns containing the [00:13:35] remains of family members all of these things just simply couldn't be replaced one of our captains located the cats that had survived the fire probably saw it on the news they were found hiding inside of a dresser he reunited them with the owner which was no simple small task to her we also encouraged significant encountered significant accessibility challenges one resident relied on an electric wheelchair weighing several hundred pounds that had been left on the upper floor stairwell landing with the elevators unavailable there was no one to simply go retrieve [00:14:14] it to us that may sound like property recovery problem to that resident it was a mobility problem and it was independence those are the types of problems that continue after the emergency response ends and during those days and weeks the fire marshal's office often becomes the connection between the fire department and the people trying to recover from what happened move on to swim rva that demonstrates a different side of the same responsibility that fire occurred during the [00:14:48] early morning hours of july 7th 2026. unlike darby house we have completed the origin cause determination for that fire after evaluating the available evidence the fire marshal's office determined that the fire was accidental and resulted from an electrical failure or an electrical event within the building what is important for the board to understand is the amount of work necessary before we were prepared to make that determination the initial scene examination lost lasted approximately seven and a half hours during that time investigators photographed documented the building evaluated fire patterns examined the electrical system [00:15:25] conducted interviews reviewed surveillance footage coordinated with property owners and identified and preserved relevant evidence we also contacted chestfield fire and utilized an atf accelerant detection k9 clover during our preliminary and follow-up portions of the investigation the primary investigator returned to the property two additional occasions as the the investigation continued. In total, approximately 15 hours of the primary investigator's time was documented physically at the scene. But once again, scene time only tells a small part of the [00:16:03] story. A substantial amount of work took place away from the scene. One major component involved obtaining digital evidence. Investigators determined that surveillance information maintained by Ring could potentially be relevant to the investigation. Obtaining that information required researching and preparing a search warrant, presenting the warrant to a magistrate, Serving the warrant, communicating with Ring regarding the legal process, receiving the information produced in response, and then reviewing a substantial amount of digital data that was returned. [00:16:38] That process alone required several additional hours of investigative work that would have never appeared in CAD as time spent at the fire scene. Our personnel also spent considerable time reviewing photographs, surveillance footage, laboratory reports, electrical evidence, and investigative documents. [00:16:58] Evidence had to be collected, documented, and submitted to the lab. Investigators had to compare lab results with what they observed at the scene. The electrical system had to be evaluated in conjunction with the fire patterns and other physical evidence. Surveillance information had to be compared with witness statements and the developing timeline of the incident. [00:17:17] There was also follow-up correspondence and consultation with the Commonwealth Attorney's Office, coordination with other involved parties, the case administration, and continued review of the evidence as additional information became available. And then all that information had to be brought together in a final report. [00:17:36] That report was not simply a matter of writing down a conclusion. It needed to document the investigation and clearly explain how the physical evidence, the fire patterns, the electrical evidence, the laboratory findings, the surveillance information, the witness information supported that final determination. [00:17:53] The report went through multiple rounds of review and revision to make sure that the conclusion was clearly documented and supported by evidence. Ultimately, after completing that process, were able to definitively classify the swim rva fire as accidental and identify the electrical failure or event within the building that was the cause that conclusion is important because it demonstrates how origin and cause determinations are actually made it's not one photograph it's not one lab result it's not one witness statement or a piece of footage came from evaluating all of [00:18:27] those pieces of evidence together and coming to the story that they told that is what a complex origin and cause investigation requires. The visible portion of the investigation may be an investigator standing inside of a burned building, but much of the work happens afterwards. [00:18:43] Reviewing that evidence, analyzing photographs, obtaining records, watching videos, working with labs, evaluating electrical systems, conducting interviews, developing timelines, consulting with other professionals, and documenting why the evidence supports a particular conclusion. [00:19:02] For SWIM RVA, we conservatively estimate 40 hours of work by the primary investigator alone. That does not include the additional time contributed by several other members of the fire marshal's office. So while the emergency itself may have occurred during a matter of hours in July, that work was necessary to definitively determine what happened continued well beyond that morning. [00:19:26] So I think those two incidents demonstrate the role of the fire marshal's office better than simply listing our responsibilities. Darby House shows what an active, complex investigation looks like when there is still work to be completed before we are prepared to definitively state what caused the fire. [00:19:47] SWIM RVA shows what the process looks like when it reaches completion. An investigation involving extensive scene examination, physical, intellectual evidence, laboratory testing, surveillance, and digital evidence, legal process, and many hours of follow-up that ultimately allowed us to reach a definitive conclusion. [00:20:06] They also demonstrate why significant fire investigation sometimes takes weeks and months to complete. Our responsibility is not to provide the quickest answer. Our responsibility is to provide an answer that is accurate, objective, and supported by evidence. [00:20:22] And throughout that process, the Fire Marshal's Office provides continuity for the fire department. Someone has to preserve and evaluate the evidence. Someone has to conduct the interviews and review the hours of video. Someone has to work with the laboratories, law enforcement partners, property owners, insurance representatives, attorneys, and other involved parties. [00:20:46] Someone has to continue helping residents after a major residential fire when they're trying to recover medications, pets, mobility equipment, and irreplaceable belongings. And ultimately, someone has to put all that information together to determine what happened. [00:21:05] For our fire department, that responsibility belongs to the fire marshal's office. emergency response may last hours our involvement may continue for days weeks or months in many ways the fire marshal's office is a part of the fire department that remains after the fire trucks have left continuing the investigation assisting those affected coordinating with our partners and carrying the incident through to its conclusion darby house and swim rva are two very good examples [00:21:33] of why that role is so very important to henrico county and the people we serve thank you that are in attendance and i i see we have quite a number of residents this is this information is for you there's a lot that has been written some questions that have come up about you know why has it taken so long in particular to come out with a conclusion for the darby house fire [00:22:08] and the reason quite frankly is just like scott noted we're very careful because before we come out with an outcome and i just want to say thank you july 4th was i mean we had never seen anything like it and then three days later july 7th um swim rva you all i don't know how many hours you put in that week alone but i simply want to say thank you for what you and everyone in the fire marshal's office does thank you scott absolutely thank you so much sir thank you guys so mr chair uh no other [00:22:46] comments this evening thank you so much mr manager um colleagues does anyone have a comment tonight yeah i do have one all right we're gonna start with yeah i got a quick one mr nelson if you don't mind uh and you'll you'll appreciate this one i just want to i know she's not watching tonight but if someone is watching tonight and has mrs glover's cell phone number please text her happy birthday uh today is mrs glover's 90th birthday so ma'am if you watch this video if you look back if you get a text happy birthday um and we love you thank you um i do mr chair i'm gonna take a moment to highlight a new county initiative, Rebuild Henrico, which is designed to focus [00:23:25] reinvestment in public and community facilities, infrastructure, commercial corridors, and more. Earlier today, we launched the initiative at a public press conference announcing the county's purchase of a pair of blighted commercial properties on Williamsburg Road, the Bowl of America property, and the Old Days Inn. These properties have fallen into disuse and disrepair and become famous among surrounding residents and businesses. They were frequent trouble spots for Henrico police and for county code inspectors with more than 700 calls for [00:24:02] service. They were eyesores for the neighboring community and for our region as a whole. Williamsburg Road has long been known as the front door to the Richmond International Airport and into the Sandstain community. It is an essential gateway for the Henrico community. [00:24:19] Now these properties will be raised, cleared, and marketed as prime opportunities for redevelopment. It is my hope that other property owners and investors will see similar opportunities along the Williamsburg Road corridor and will work with us to help position this area for the future. [00:24:37] There is great potential here. I am grateful to have strong partners like the Henrico EDA and the Richmond International Airport for the work that's ahead. I would like to thank my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors, County Manager, and the EDA for recognizing the needs of this community and for taking action to address them. [00:24:59] I would also like to thank Dr. Perry Miller of the Richmond International Airport for his key partnership in this effort as well. I am excited about today's launch of Rebuild Henrico, and I look forward to having more conversations with our residents and with business owners as we plan for our next steps. [00:25:16] Thank you. Thank you so much, Reverend Nelson. Mr. Manager, Mr. Chair, members of the board, you have two presentations this this evening. We begin with a proclamation for Fire Prevention Week. This proclamation recognizes October 4th through the 10th as Fire Prevention Week and calls on and call this up observance to the attention of Henrico County residents. [00:25:43] Our Brooklyn District Supervisor Dan Schmidt is going to present this proclamation to our Fire Chief Doug Clevert, Deputy Chief Scott Sutton, and Assistant Chief Dan Kramer, if you all would come forward, sir. Thank you, Mr. Manager, fellow members of the board. [00:26:02] Come on around here, gang. We've got some show and tell here today. So while the fire folks are coming up, I want to maybe share something that may be a secret, maybe not. But the chair, I want to thank the chair for this opportunity to present this tonight. The chair has some discretion sometimes on who gets to present proclamations and resolutions. [00:26:21] And I appreciate him and all your consistent allowance for me to read these fire ones. So today, if you guys would hold this while I'm reading this, I thought this would be appropriate today as we call attention to the great work the fire department does. Very appropriate what we just did here a minute ago with these two remarkable fire stories from July. [00:26:42] But this is my great, great grandfather's. my grandfather's grandfather's helmet from 1880s it's i think they call it the new yorker is that that big duck bill on the back and certainly this peak believe it or not was intended to spread debris when it hits you on the head and if you notice the strength of this helmet i get why the peak might have been important but that is an 1880s fire helmet that i've held on to that my dad gave me so i thought it'd be appropriate here this evening members of the board folks who are in the room here residents who are dialed in in celebration of fire prevention week like to call attention october 4th through 10th 2026 and whereas fire is a serious public safety concern [00:27:21] both locally and nationally and homes are where people are at their greatest risk from fire and whereas henrico firefighters are dedicated to reducing the occurrence of home fires and home fire injuries through prevention and education and whereas henrico residents are responsive to public education measures and take personal steps to increase their safety from fire especially in their homes. Whereas the 2026 Fire Prevention Week theme, Charge into Fire Safety, Safe Charging is a superpower, works to educate the community on everyday charging habits that can help reduce the risk of lithium-ion battery fires to keep homes and communities safer. And whereas today's [00:28:00] homes burn faster than ever, an occupant may have as little as two minutes to safely escape a home fire. And whereas an occupant's ability to get out of a building during a fire depends on early warning from smoke alarms and advanced planning and whereas henrico county proudly celebrates the 104th anniversary of fire prevention week now therefore be it proclaimed the board of supervisors of henrico county virginia hereby proclaims october 4th through the 10th 2026 as fire prevention week and we call this observance to the attention of all henrico residents signed by our chair mr roscoe cooper and attested to by our clerk miss tanya brackett thank you all very much [00:28:38] want to get a picture I said plenty I was going to say I said enough a few minutes ago so if these two would like to first Mr. Manager, Chair Board of Supervisors we just want to say thank you for the continued support that you always show public safety as a whole not just [00:29:17] the fire department not just please Sheriff 911 but all of us no other words to be said but thank you and we really appreciate this Chair members of the board next proclamation is for active aging week October 5th through the 11th 2026 going to ask the tuckahoe district supervisor jody roguish who lives active aging uh as a lifestyle i think to present this proclamation to jaleesa turner our director of outreach and [00:29:55] engagement thank you mr manager i don't have the props that my colleague from brooklyn has um i could ask some of my colleagues to come down here as the act of aging but as the props right could to do some jumping jacks but uh there is one colleague up there that does not fit this um quite yet so we'll keep that uh to ourselves um this is the proclamation for the active aging week between october 5th and october 11th 2026 whereas county of henrica residents age 50 and older are integral to the history diversity and experience of the community and whereas the [00:30:32] community benefits from the numerous contributions of this population group and whereas the international Council on Active Aging has designated October 5th to October 11th, 2026 as Active Aging Week and as a time each year to celebrate community engagement, volunteerism, and healthy aging among adults over the age of 50. [00:30:55] And whereas the County of Henrico delivers services and offers programs through the Department of Recreation and Parks, the Outreach and Engagement Agency, and other county departments to assist older adults in remaining healthy and living independently and addresses opportunities for engagement, exercise, and socialization. [00:31:15] And whereas the county's advocate for the aging works to address the social determinants of health for older adults and improve the quality of life for older adults living in Henrico County. And whereas the county will offer opportunities to celebrate active aging week, including social and fitness-driven activities, promoting health and wellness, intergenerational activities, and opportunities for older adults to share wisdom and experience with others. [00:31:43] Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that the Board of Supervisors of Henrico County, Virginia, hereby recognizes the week of October 5th through the 11th, 2026, as Active Aging Week, and calls this observance to the attention of all Henrico residents. Signed by our Chair, Roscoe D. Cooper, attested by our Clerk, Tanya Brackett. [00:32:03] Thank you. Ms. Turner, thank you. How about a picture and a few words? Absolutely. Thank you. And I want to remind everyone in this room that we are all aging, okay? [00:32:23] Every one of us, from the moment that you are born, you begin aging, okay? So, thank you, Mr. Manager, Chair, and members of the board. On behalf of Outreach and Engagement and the Recreation and Parks Department, thank you for this Active Aging Week proclamation and for celebrating our older residents. [00:32:42] This week reminds us that there is no age limit on learning, making connections, or finding something new to enjoy, and our older adults bring so much to our community. Here in Henrico, we're not waiting until Active Aging Week to celebrate. [00:32:59] This Thursday, we're actually celebrating our residents who are 100 years or older at our centenarian celebration. So right now we have 17 centenarians that we will be celebrating. So that alone is just, this is a wonderful community to aid in. [00:33:17] In addition to that, on Thursday, October the 1st, residents can join us for our Fall Prevention Festival at the Deep Run Rec Center or our Older Adult Health and Fitness Expo at Eastern Henrico Rec. On Tuesday, October the 6th, we'll celebrate connections across generations at our Generations Together program at Deep Run. [00:33:40] And that's going to be in partnership with Recreation and Parks and the SPAN Center. And then to wrap up the week, on Friday, October the 9th, we will have our walk and fitness forum at the Eastern Henrico Rec Center. So with events happening across the entire county, we hope everyone finds the opportunity to join us. [00:33:59] And as you can tell, we're keeping our older adults engaged, informed, and most importantly, celebrated. So thank you again to the members of the board for recognizing Active Aging Week and for helping us celebrate the incredible older adults who call Henrico County home. Thank you. [00:34:18] Next, Mr. Chair, members of the board, you move into the only public hearing item you have, and this is Agenda Item 204-26, which is a resolution for budget amendments to the fiscal year 27 budget. [00:34:33] for the month of september mr crawford thank you mr manager and good evening mr chair members of the board these amendments were introduced at the board's last meeting on september 8th and have been duly advertised within the on the henrico citizen website as well as being as the list being posted on the office of management budgets website if approved this would increase the fy 27 budget by 32.3 million dollars of that total uh 7.8 million dollars is uh part of the reappropriation [00:35:13] so um unspent balances from the prior fiscal year that are coming that will come forward into this fiscal year 6 million of that will actually be uh is state funding that will be transferred over to our capital projects budget to for paving efforts within public works of with just new amendment requests that total is 24.5 million dollars 13.6 million of that [00:35:46] our additional capital project request 6.6 million coming from the virginia department of transportation for a roundabout project at route 5 and duran road and then there's also 3.2 million dollars of for fire apparatus needs very important to our public safety efforts there are the remaining is 11 million dollars for operating budget efforts of that 10.5 million are within the special revenue fund a lot of those are customarily state and federal resources that [00:36:25] anticipated in the original budget so with that as a quick overview i'll be happy to answer any questions that the board has this time thank you so much mr crawford colleagues are there any questions for mr crawford well this is a public hearing is there anybody present in person that would like to speak to this item is there anybody online that would like to speak to this item there's no one to speak to this item thank you so much then the public hearing is closed [00:37:04] some colleagues before we vote on it any other comments comments or statements hearing none is a motion move the resolution second moved by mr smith second by reverend else all in favor say aye opposed the ayes have the resolution is approved mr mr chair members of the board you move into your public comment period i do have a number of individuals that have signed up to speak as the chair noted in the introduction if you are here in person if you would go to the podium in the back of the room and begin your comments by stating your name and address for the record and And so we begin with Anthony Whitlock. [00:37:37] Mr. Whitlock, are you here? Yes, sir, if you would. [00:38:04] Making sure it's working. Before I do get started, I would like to just talk to the public really quick. Show of hands from everybody here. Who has somebody in their family that has a disability? It doesn't matter if it's a physical, mental, okay. [00:38:21] Another question I want to ask. How many of you guys have ever heard of Centers for Independent Living? That many, okay. That's fine. So my name is Anthony Whitlock. I am an independent living skills trainer for Resources for Independent Living. We are one of over 20 centers for independent living in the state of Virginia who work with the disabled community. [00:38:43] Our mission is assisting persons who are severely disabled and live independently in the community and encourage necessary change within the community so independent living is a possibility. Our nonprofit has been active in the Richmond area community since the 1980s and continues to help the greater Richmond area, Henrico, and the Chesterfield areas. [00:39:03] Last year, we helped over 770 direct face contact and interactions with our clients. And in Henrico, that was our biggest, with over 230 consumers last year and the rest in the surrounding communities. We don't charge for services at our agency. We simply provide resources, teaching, and advocacy for the disabled community. [00:39:22] Today, I'm here to talk about our agency and the impact that we have created in the community. We have had many successful stories and inspiring achievements that our consumers have done. An example I could share with you is years ago, we had a consumer who had been wheelchair-bound due to a severe car accident. He approached our agency with questions and concerns about his future. [00:39:41] One of our employees worked directly with him in order to contact Mobility Works to assist and help him get a vehicle for traveling around that is wheelchair-accessible, but also worked with his insurance companies to help him get railing and lifts installed in his home so he could stay as independent as possible. [00:39:58] We also had to talk to him about the reality of being in a wheelchair and the challenges that he will be facing ahead and how not only to advocate for himself, but to understand his rights under the American Disabilities Act. We also had successful stories with young adults and youth in our agencies as well who are seeking independence and knowledge of navigating the adult world with their disabilities. [00:40:21] One particular woman with multiple disabilities has made it her effort in order, sorry, one particular woman with multiple disabilities and makes it hard for her to walk as well and with other medical problems that she is facing, has not only gone to be a successful young woman in her life, but has also gotten her bachelor's degree and a few other associate's degrees from the VCU ACIP program along with J. Sergeant Reynolds. [00:40:47] She is also one of several young women and adults who travel with our agency to the general assemblies when we have the time to talk. This is one of just many things that our agency does for the greater Richmond community, as well as Henrico County and the surrounding areas. One of the big things that we are doing in our agency is working with the high school level students with disabilities. [00:41:07] Our biggest programs that we run are the summer youth program and as well as the home modification programs for people. The summer program is very crucial for our youth consumers in order for them to continue their education and growing in their social groups with their fellow peers. The reality, as most of us know, is that when it comes to the summertime, a lot of students don't retain the information that they're going to get during those school years. [00:41:29] And as we all know as well, going out with your friends, enjoying the summertime, you're really not thinking about school, are you? Probably not. But at the end of the day, we want to make sure that they still get that education in order for them to continue to grow and prosper as adults when they get older. And as well as the home modification projects, those are very important for our consumers as well in Henrico County because it allows them to stay as independently as possible in their own homes through getting grants or accessing and helping out with their insurance companies in order to install rails, ramps, lifts, and other modifications in their homes without having to rely on their [00:42:03] fellow loved ones or friends to take care of them. Right now in our agency, Henrico is the biggest area that needs our services the most. Over the last few years, we have seen a small decrease in our funding in the county. And in the last four years, we have seen a total of $12,000 lost from the county. I am here today just to plead and encourage you all to please do not forget about our agency. We are probably one of many people out here who really care about the disabled community. And I am probably one of the few people out here who really care about it as a passion. And I really, really, really would like for you guys to just not forget about us. That's all I really ask. Just don't forget about our program. Don't forget about resources for [00:42:41] independent living, but don't forget about the disabled community because a lot of people tend to forget about them or they just think that no one really cares. And I can't tell you guys how many times I have been in meetings or been in school board meetings or been with just some of these people who have told them that the world forgets about them. That hurts. And I know a lot of you who have family members or have had some kind of disability in your life knows that feeling of nobody's going to help me. What do I got to do? That's what our agency comes in. We take over and we help them out but our goal at the end of the day is not to hold their hand excuse me sir [00:43:17] we got to stop we got to be fair to everybody but i'm sure i speak on behalf of my peers can i just say one more thing before i answer you got to hurry up i'll finish it right now just to say in conclusion that i would like for you guys to all just to remember that at the end of the day everybody here is a fellow human being and we would like for you guys to keep that in mind thank you appreciate you and we thank you for your work that you do know that you have our support and we'll be talking to you all thank you um before we call the next speaker up we have an Eagle Scout in the house, and we want you to come on up to the front dice if you could. [00:43:51] We got more than one? All right. Good evening. My name is Oliver Peterson. I'm a Life Scout, Troop 2822, and I'm working on my citizenship and community merit badge right now, and thank you. Good luck, [00:44:28] sir. We can't wait to hear you succeed in achieving Eagle Scout. That's definitely the honor. Ms. Menger. Yes. Next, we have Ms. Thomas. Ms. Thomas, are you here? I'm sorry, sir. We're not Letting just people speak we call the names. Yeah. All right. Miss Thomas. Are you on Webex? Okay. I do not see a Miss Thomas, sir Richard Gladfelter mr. Gladfelter charge it to the head [00:45:04] Come on Thank you folks very much for having me this evening. I have a concern I've spoken with Dan Smith multiple times a few times about it and it's concerning the hedge hikes in the county of Henrico. [00:45:27] You had an ordinance about it, and you've done away with it. And I understand that was about five and a half years ago. Everywhere I go in the county estates keep Henrico beautiful. I feel like hedges or bushes that are 20-some feet tall growing across light lines is not beautifying anything, and it's a distance of about 200 feet. [00:45:50] The property in which I'm speaking about has approximately 200 feet of shrubs in front of their house, and now they're in, like, the county is paying to have dumpsters brought there, and he's been working to clean up the mess, and he's had two and a half acres of junk, and he's affecting the people across the street, and they're following in his footstep. And is it because of the Dillon Law that they've done away with it, or what is the problem? I just don't understand why Henrico County allows this to happen. You know, if someone could enlighten me with why it's allowed to go on, [00:46:29] And it's on Ackley Avenue is where it's at. It's in the 8600 block, and you can see it. And the bushes are at least 18 to 20 feet tall for 200 feet long. And they were housing a bunch of debris. [00:46:45] He's a junk hoarder. No, but the county, it took multiple times to get anyone to take care of the issue to go there. [00:47:01] And they're finally doing something. I'd like to talk with Dan Smith sometime. I think Ms. Smith's going to speak to you right now. Excuse me? I think Mr. Smith's going to speak to you right now. Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the privilege. Usually it's not a back and forth, but I do believe you were updated in the last couple days on the status of the notice of violations and the circuit court process with this individual. [00:47:23] Is that correct? Have you received an update recently on it? I was enlightened about that, but I was not told anything about the hedge height. The hedge heights were done with Dan Smith last fall. He said it was in control of the state doing that. It was not a county thing, and I need to know if it's about the Dillon rule and why we did away with not doing it and why the hedges were allowed to become over 18 to 20 feet tall. [00:47:48] Yeah, I just want to make sure that you were updated on the first piece, which was the hoarder violation, the folks on Ackley, and the second thing is I certainly, with the permission of the chair, I'll ask Mr. Newby just to give us a little update on the shrub ordinance policy. But I have not heard it and been enlightened by Mr. Smith, whether he's gone to the Senate or anywhere in the state. [00:48:08] we're gonna do it we're gonna do it for you right now richard hold on i think there's that's mr smith right there you're talking to yes we're gonna do it for you right now about that yeah now we're gonna get you some answers right now go ahead mr newby mr chair members of the board mr schmidt mr gladfelter so virginia code i have it up here in front of me 15.2 901 does allow localities to provide for the cutting of grass weeds and running bamboo and of course the county if henrico has an ordinance doing just that uh prohibiting uh grass from reaching certain height and weeds from reaching certain height the same law also specifically allows planning district 23 [00:48:46] to include in its ordinance provisions for cutting overgrown shrubs which is exactly what you're asking however planning district 23 is hampton roads virginia so currently there exists no authority under the dylan rule as you point out in this code section for henrico to have an ordinance to regulate the height of shrubs uh it is possible that the general assembly could be lobbied to give the board of supervisors that power in henrico county it's unclear to me whether the board would want to pursue such an ordinance if they are given such a power by by the commonwealth of virginia has anything been done have you said anything to them yet because this was last year [00:49:22] we talked yeah i'll help with this one and then we got to end this back and forth richard because i have the text chains here from the last year and a half of when we've had this conversation But you haven't enlightened me if anything has been done. No, actually, I'm going to help you with that because the text messages that I sent to you back in February said that we've discussed it with our state representatives, and it's in their hands right now. [00:49:43] No, I have not had any further meetings with them to push that issue currently. Well, do we think it's— I've got to stop you because this is not procedural. Mr. Smith will reach out to you if he chooses to. I'm sure he will to have this conversation, but we can't continue in this vein. [00:49:58] Thank you for your comments, and Mr. Smith will follow back up with you. Fair enough. Mr. Smith and I. All right, next is Andrea Bade. Is Bade? Yes. Hi, my name is Andrea Bade, and I live near Glenallen High School. [00:50:27] And I'm here speaking tonight about the Dominion-Next Era energy merger that I'm really concerned about. I attended the energy listening tour in Richmond about a week and a half ago by the lieutenant governor. And I want to first explain why I think this is so important, and then second, have my ask to you. [00:50:46] So first, I mean, this is a personal matter for me. I'm a mom of two twin boys who are two and a half, and they were born prematurely, and one of them is medically complex. And when you have a medically complex child, you have a lot of medical equipment, like feeding tubes, things that require electricity. [00:51:06] When you have a medically complex child or anyone in your household, electricity is not a luxury, it's a necessity. And I'm very concerned because NextEra has a very big history of cutting off people's utilities. Last year, they cut off over 1 million homes in utilities, but they made over $6 million in profits. [00:51:27] And I'm also very concerned as an attorney because one of the chairpeople of the SEC, Kelsey Baggett, has not recused herself from this matter. And as I'm sure the board knows, Ms. Spaggett, along with two other SEC members, get to decide if we're going to go through with this merger. [00:51:49] She was a former attorney for NextEra from 2022 to 2024. And as an attorney, I can tell you that there is the appearance of a conflict there. This is a very serious issue. And if you represent a client previously, how can you then be the judge essentially for that client? There's a huge huge concern with transparency as well. For instance, NextEra has just now changed the plan. [00:52:16] They've just now changed the ball and decided they're going to offer additional incentives to residents, allegedly. But this is after that six-month time period has already started running. That clock is ticking, and this decision has to be made by January. Additionally, if you look at any news from Florida, there's a lot of concern by Florida residents that their utility rates are going to be hiked up extremely high between now and 2030. And if we go through with this merger, that's going to affect Henrico County. It's going to affect every one of us who already have an increased utility bill and with food at an all-time high. So that's what brings me to my ask. [00:52:55] I'm asking the board to make a statement, a notice into the SEC case. I'm asking you to enter the case, like the city of Richmond has done, like the Arlington Board of Supervisors has done, like Charlottesville has done, because this is too big of an issue for Henrico and all Virginians for us not to have full transparency. And I think a perfect example is what was in the news today. [00:53:22] The Next Era was presenting, had testimony, there was a hearing today to determine if they had to release documents related to this matter, if they were relevant to the case. And there are just huge concerns with transparency about this matter. And what I think our government needs to see and hear is that counties, boards of supervisors, we are concerned, citizens are concerned about this merger. [00:53:49] And so we're entering because we want full transparency. We're going to provide that to our citizens because they deserve that. And it's going to affect every single bill that this county pays, every single budget item on your list. And I think our General Assembly members need to hear that so that they call an emergency session to extend this deadline from six months, and ideally make it so that we have a more fair board and potentially even five SCC members total addressing this issue instead of just the three. But I don't think they're going to do that just with citizens voices alone, because we've had this listening tour and people have been out and talking, but we [00:54:27] haven't seen any big changes yet, and that's what we need. We need our General Assembly to make a big change and listen. We need the governor to listen. This is something that they should get to decide before the SEC makes their final decision, which is in January, before the General Assembly is even going to come back together. Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate it. Ms. Rounds would like to make a statement. Thank you, Andrea. I will note, I believe that the time period for to file to be an intervener has passed, and I say that because I was briefed along with a colleague [00:54:59] of mine very recently about this very issue, and the information that we were given was that that deadline has already passed, so there can be no formal, we cannot join the case as formal interveners. I hear you, though, on something less than, or something other than that being a possibility, whether collectively or individually, and I know that those conversations are being had, so thank you. [00:55:23] Thank you. Next is Mr. Andrew Harris. Mr. Harris, are you here? Mr. Harris, are you on WebEx? I do not see him, Mr. Harris, sir. Okay. Linda Steenrod? [00:55:45] Linda Steenrod, Chase Grove Lane, Glenallen. I moved to this area of Virginia about three years ago and have attended several of the board meetings with a safety concern, and it's been brought to my attention that the sidewalks on staples mill road are going to be [00:56:18] connected is that true i mean i heard it was like project phase two of the sidewalks i can help with that and then mr hughes is uh i believe he's here he'll be able to meet with you after if you want yeah we just announced with some help from our federal partners that there's a 2.6 plus a three million dollar sidewalk project that's going to help finish that connections around the high school the religious institutions in the library okay well the reason i'm here is because when i heard that i wanted to come and thank you because this has been a safety concern of mine since i moved in [00:56:57] i have brought it up every time i've attended a meeting mr hughes is my hero because he has helped me with several things please please take that back please take sorry but i can't want him walking in the sideways big old head you know no well he's been very helpful and very communicative with me and supportive of this safety concern so i want to thank all of you for addressing this very important issue so i don't have to worry about myself walking uh on the street when i when there's no sidewalk [00:57:34] but also the children that I've seen walking and riding their bikes. So thank you very much for doing this. Thank you, ma'am. And just an afterthought also, I want to thank the Fire Marshal's Department for the presentation tonight. It was very informative, and I appreciate it. [00:57:51] Thank you all. Thank you, ma'am. Next is Mr. Thomas Watson. Mr. Watson, are you here? Are you on WebEx, Mr. Watson? He is. [00:58:06] Mr. Watson, you can now unmute. Hi, everyone. Can you hear me? Yes, we can hear you. Oh, excellent. All right. Thank you. I'm not sure if I'm on video as well, but I'm glad my audio is coming through. [00:58:24] Okay. Well, good evening. I'm Thomas Watson, a Henrico resident. First, I want to thank the board for their work and for the opportunity to speak and to do so remotely. I also want to make clear just at the outset that my comments today are my own. I'm using a business laptop to log in right now and not sure what email address is reflected on your end. So just to be clear, speaking in my personal capacity only today. I won't take up much time. I don't have any prepared remarks. I'm speaking today for two purposes. First, I just want to request that the county [00:59:00] add some plantings like trees, shrubs, or even just grass to the road medians on Patterson Avenue between the crossroads of Pump Road and Horse Pen. Obviously, driving throughout the greater Richmond area, we've all seen plenty of road medians, the concrete things between opposing traffic lanes that have beautiful trees or flowers. In some sections, Patterson Avenue has these too. However, the area between pump road and horse pen has several wide medians that are just pure concrete. And having the county, I think, invest in some shrubs, grass, trees there would [00:59:37] really help improve the aesthetic of the areas. Well, bring all of the, you know, benefits of plantings that I'm sure you're all familiar with. Increased property values, reducing heat island defects, just better mental and physical well-being for all residents. [00:59:54] Turning to my next subject, I would like to just note my strong objection to the implementation of the Amazon Prime Air program in Richmond, which I'm sure many folks here are familiar with, involves the use of flying delivery drones in our communities. Admittedly, I'm a little behind on catching up to this story. [01:00:13] That this was being contemplated only came to my attention today through a New York Times article I saw on the topic. And I then noticed there was a board meeting today, and I figured I might as well move quickly to voice my concerns. I will follow up with a written submission that more fully fleshes this out. [01:00:32] I think there's an opportunity for me to email the board, I imagine, as well as other representatives. But what I hope to accomplish briefly this evening is the following. I simply want to ensure that you are all aware of this issue. Make a public record of at least one constituents, i.e. myself, objection to these drone programs. [01:00:52] and to really beseech you all today to please closely examine this issue and to use your own political power and connections to oppose these drones and this Amazon program. In particular, I urge you to read the New York Times article, which just came out yesterday, I believe, exposing in no uncertain terms that Amazon's representations concerning the impact of these drones is really flatly contradicted by the lived experiences of real people who are experiencing harm and suffering from these drones in their neighborhood. In particular, there was a community [01:01:27] in Texas called Richardson, I believe, where a pilot program similar to the one being contemplated in Richmond was rolled out. And residents are really fiercely feeling like they had the, you know, the wool pulled over their eyes, told things would be okay, instead suffering seriously from, you know, all of the woes that you can imagine come with having 85-pound drones flying, you know, a thousand times a day, almost 300 days a year, seven days a week overhead in residential neighborhoods. As I'll detail in my written submission, the noise concerns in particular [01:02:01] are extremely troubling. There are also additional safety and privacy concerns, but as I'm sure also many public figures here know and have seen the research, you know, ambient noise is something that we all obviously live with in our communities and it increases as we live in, you know, more industrial societies, more urban environments. But really, the noise pollution that is being contemplated by these drones is a legitimate and serious threat to people's mental and physical health. And the studies on that are well documented. And I'll be happy to cite some of those in my written submission as well. Moreover, and this is like sort of the crux of it as well, [01:02:39] there's really no urgent or prevalent need that these drones are solving for, right? Like there's no there's no problem that needs to be addressed by these drones with the immediacy that is being sought and by the scale of their implementation that's being sought um you know they promised to deliver certain small goods within an hour or something like that most folks experience with amazon i imagine is that you can get something same day or maybe the next day or two obviously there are exigent circumstances where it would be convenient to have something delivered immediately to your home, but I think those are pretty substantially outweighed by the actual legitimate [01:03:18] and imminent material risks to public health and safety that these drones pose. I'll note that there's a notice and comment period for the FAA that's ending tomorrow on this topic. I imagine, like I said, this is something that's been already on many local politicians' radars, but I hope no one thinks that the horse has already left the barn here. [01:03:36] And I'll just conclude again by respectfully asking you all what these positions of power, influence, and public trust that you have to really please carefully learn about these risks, to not accept the self-serving statements of Amazon, and to take prompt action to oppose the proliferation of drones in our neighborhood communities. Thank you very much. Thank you, [01:03:57] Mr. Watson. Next is Charles Sledge. Mr. Sledge. Yes, sir. Good evening. My name is Charles Sledge. [01:04:22] It's my wife, Lori Sledge, up front. We live in the Verona district at Midview Road, 1686. We've been there for almost two years now. My concern is the speeding on Midview. [01:04:39] I have submitted probably at least 10 traffic complaints, which have all been responded to. I've spoken to traffic engineering, and they've brought me up to speed on some of the ideas of what they're trying to do to reduce the speed on Midview. [01:04:57] I guess I'm just looking for a remedy a little bit quicker. We encounter speeding cars all the time. I'm cutting the grass and people are blazing through. Not everybody, but the speed limit is 35 right now. I do understand that there is something on the table to reduce the speed to 25 and possibly put speed bumps or something in. [01:05:22] One of my suggestions was to maybe put stop signs at Alyssa Lane and Lindsay Gabriel to slow the speed of traffic. But I just want you to know outside of my traffic concerns that I do see communication. [01:05:37] I'm just looking for a resolution. Appreciate your time. Thanks for making the long journey from Varana out here to our meeting. I think Mr. Hughes tried to make a attempt with you. [01:05:53] I don't know if y'all talked today. He did call. Yeah, so have you met face-to-face before? We have not. Okay, so maybe afterward you can talk. I know Midview is one of the roles that we're looking at. I know you want us to do it quickly. [01:06:11] And it seems like something that can be done quickly, but it's in a group of other roads that we're looking at as well, possibly. We don't put speed bumps on roads that are 35 miles per hour. So the only way we can do speed bumps on Midview is to do 25. [01:06:29] If we do it on Midview, there's a lot of people in that area. And so a lot of people that use Midview, you might want speed bumps, but we've done this several times before, reduce speeds. and then the neighborhood goes crazy because we reduce the speed or put speed bumps there. [01:06:48] So it really is an evaluation process. I'm sorry that you guys are going through what you're going through. I know Midviews, behind you is a lot of, I mean, it's just a lot of houses in that neighborhood, but right across the road is just like a big open field. [01:07:05] You live there. Yeah, it's a mixture of suburb and rural right there where you are. So we do know, as you said, you've been reaching out. I know Lamont's been talking to you. Now Terrell is the top guy in the Department of Public Works. [01:07:25] So maybe we can talk for a few minutes. The meeting should be over soon. So maybe we can talk for a few minutes afterwards and see how closer we are to a resolution. Okay, I appreciate that. Thank you for your time. All right, thank you. Next is Meredith Cozera. [01:07:41] Yes, ma'am. Hi, my name is Meredith Cozera, and I am in 2524 North Wind Place in Henrico. [01:08:02] Good evening. I have called Henrico County home for the past 10 years. I'm speaking tonight not just as a resident, but as a parent with a 5-year-old daughter who's just starting her journey in our county school system. [01:08:18] I'm here to voice my deep concerns regarding the rapid development of data centers planned along the Route 288 corridor. While I understand that these facilities technically sit right over the border in eastern Goochland County, their real-world impact will not stop at a county line on a map. [01:08:40] These industrial complexes are slated to build shockingly close to our established housing developments and our neighborhood elementary school. What troubles me most is what appears to be a lack of cross-country, excuse me, cross-county attention and open communication surrounding the issue. [01:09:00] The physical proximity means our families and our young children will directly bear the burden of construction noise, environmental impact, including noise pollution, and potential traffic, regardless of which local government collects the tax revenue. [01:09:17] Beyond the immediate disruption to our neighborhoods and schools, there are critical regional infrastructure demands that directly involve Henrico. Specifically, how does Henrico County plan to support Goochland data centers from a water and wastewater perspective? Large-scale data centers place unprecedented demands on local utility infrastructure, particularly for cooling operations. [01:09:42] If Henrico's water and sewer systems are intended to support or connect to these developments, our community deserves clear transparency on capacity, environmental safeguards, and the long-term impact on our local utility resources. I urge Henrico County to engage now, especially with the recent passing of the Dominion Route 3 transmission lines, As well as Goochland's proposed amendment to the TOD, which includes requests for the data center builds to be placed firmly on the east side of 288, closer to Henrico County. [01:10:16] We owe it to our children and our neighborhoods to look at the full regional picture ASAP. I ask this board to proactively engage with Goochland leadership, assess the true cross-county impact, and most importantly, keep Henrico County residents informed. [01:10:34] Thank you for your time and for your leadership, and thank you specifically to Ms. Roundtree. I did receive an email today from your office. I appreciate that. Thank you all for helping us and supporting the constituents of Henrico County. [01:10:50] Thank you for your advocacy. Don't leave yet. Go on back real quick. Ms. Roundtree would like to address you, if you don't mind. Thank you, and I did ask that your email be responded to once I read it, so thank you. you're i get a lot of emails regarding this development because three chop does abut goochland county i want to um reassure you that we have been involved in this just not just isolated to isolated to me but i can speak for myself i have i attended and spoke at the goochland board meeting in opposition when they were considering it they passed it they but we went and our voices were heard i was there till i think almost midnight that night [01:11:29] went to many have gone to many meetings in hanover county on their cases that they've considered there as well i've met with and spoken with the attorney handling the case on behalf of goochland residents have gone to community meetings and so i know that i am not alone on this board with proactive attempts and then most of us or if not all of us sit on regional boards like for example plan rva where we are having regional conversations because you are right the air does not stop at the county lines and we have to have this collaborative conversation we cannot make our neighbors do anything but we can certainly use you know what we have available to us the [01:12:07] question about um you know the water um and other localities that that has been something that has been talked about as well we are aware of it and we want to make sure that any resource that we have is being used in in the best way for not just henrico but also um you know folks our neighbors around us um so everything that you say is is well taken i am appreciative of you reaching out to my office directly as well as coming here for the meeting and taking your time this evening to come out we hear you that's why we essentially have a moratorium and data centers in henrico county [01:12:42] and did that in 2024 um and so um we're in this together thank you thank you and thank you for continuing to fight for us all right mr chair i have no one else that has signed up to speak this evening. Thank you so much as manager. Real quick, hold on. So we always allow for persons who did not sign up to speak. So if you would like to speak to us, you may go to the back and line up one by one, please. Same rules apply to you that apply to those who signed up. So just, sir, if you want to get behind her, if you could, in front of the glass, stand behind her. Madam in the raincoat, [01:13:21] if you could stand behind him, that'd be greatly appreciated. Thank you all for your compliance. thank you yes ma'am okay good evening and thank you to the board for your time my name is ariah sears i'm a rhino resident mom and small business owner and i want to add my voice to the chorus of those against the use of flat cameras in our county as we know there are over 100 flat cameras in the county and the county spends a little over three thousand three hundred thousand dollars per year to essentially lease them from flock what we can't know is how much additional money is spent installing using auditing or fixing the cameras these are all costs you must consider as well [01:13:58] Despite the investment, though, these cameras are overwhelmingly unpopular. Any quantitative or qualitative measure, even as simple as a quick scan of the very active RVA subreddit, will tell you that our residents either do not want these cameras, don't know they exist, or do not want them once informed. [01:14:14] The county, per their website, added these cameras as a public safety measure, and Flock Safety, for its part, makes bold claims about their cameras' abilities to support law enforcement in fighting and stopping crime. However, data shows that in most cases, implementing flat cameras results in a modest improvement in lowering vehicular theft and solving vehicular theft crimes. [01:14:33] Some are in the 10 to 15 percent range, and that is some of their best data. For some of the bad, some counties have experienced one in three or 33 percent erroneous alerts, while another experienced a 71 percent error rate. These cameras are not reliable. They are also not safe. [01:14:49] There have been, as of today, at least 70 reported incidents of law enforcement across the country using flat cameras for inappropriate reasons. These include stalking ex-partners and violating restraining orders, spying on family and acquaintances, and running unauthorized searches without a judge's consent. [01:15:06] And while I know our county audits for appropriate usage every 30 days, which is a great practice, in theory, an officer that is perpetuating a crime does not need 30 days to commit it. These cameras have been used to assist ICE and illegal surveillance. They have been used to report on those crossing state lines to get abortions, and these are just the incidents that were reported about, all associated with law enforcement, to say nothing of how the cameras can be used by hackers, given Flock's struggles with data security, of which there are many. [01:15:34] That is effectiveness and safety. I'm not even going to touch on Flock mining data and selling it to corporations because there simply is not enough time to open that can of worms. While I understand Henrico County law enforcement needing greater efficiency, there are better ways to find it that center what the county and its people need. [01:15:50] This tech, unfortunately, is not that. It is designed to serve the same capitalist oligarchs that aim for nothing but profit at the sake of the very humanity of the people like you and me and everyone else in this room. Our county currently has main roads like Laburnum Avenue containing both the surveillance technology and people panhandling and sleeping. [01:16:09] We've had no issues powering these cameras via solar energy. Meanwhile, schools all over the county are struggling to cool their buildings enough to provide comfortable learning environments for our students, and residents struggle to pay their energy bills. The ways in which this county is thriving and successful on paper are diminished when those are daily realities. [01:16:26] The last thing I will say is that I believe it is important to assume positive intent until proven otherwise. I will not allow myself to believe that the decision to implement flat cameras in our county was made with all of this information available. Now that it is, now that I and several other residents of this county have loudly expressed our displeasure, I urge you to cancel this contract prior to the November renewal, as other municipalities across the country have already done. [01:16:52] Move away from investing in surveillance state technology, and please instead invest that money where it belongs, improving our county in tangible ways, and directly supporting the residents that need you the most. Thank you. Thank you so much. Just want to acknowledge you, and thank you for coming out and sharing. [01:17:13] You know, I do joke anytime people come out from Varana, I know it's a nice ride. so you know that we hear you we are talking and this is a very active conversation amongst our board so citizens are being heard thank you yes sir hi I'm board chair members of the board and the county manager I'm John Martin Owens of a 6315 Milhiser Avenue in the Brooklyn district I was coming tonight just to add to two topics with quick but um in particular horsepin [01:17:51] branch which is the stream that kind of runs behind our our house on millheiser between millheiser and morningside near the tan a market it has a a lot of debris you know like trees and um it's actually a drainage ditch at that point it's made out of concrete to carry the amount of water that comes through there and um well there's a lot of silt and grass in the drainage ditch as well [01:18:21] And so with the coming nor'easter this week, I guess, or whatever, I'm just concerned that without having some tender loving care to the area that we might experience flooding. [01:18:37] So I just wanted to ask that the county consider cleaning out the ditch as they have before so we can be safe. The other topic I wanted to, I just thought of tonight, I sure see a lot of people running red lights around here. [01:18:58] And, I mean, it's like I take one trip, you know, a day, and I'll see five or six cars running red lights. And I'm actually, I think I would be in favor of red light cameras in Rico County because I think something needs to be done about running the red lights. [01:19:30] Thank you. Thank you so much for that. Mr. Manager, I'm sure we're going to take inspiration as far as concern. I'm actually texting Mr. Hughes now. Thank you so much. I'm sure Mr. Smith appreciates you coming. Thank you, Mr. Owen. Good seeing you again. [01:19:45] Good to see you, Mr. Owen. Yes, ma'am. Good evening. My name is Courtney Dare. I live on 2540 Northwind Place in Henrico County. I'm a member of the Three Chop District. I'm here tonight to echo the concerns of my friend and neighbor, Meredith. [01:20:05] my much more eloquent friend and neighbor. I don't have anything prepared. I am a mom of three young children, three boys, ages four, two, and seven months, and never thought a 6 p.m. meeting would be a little vacay, but here we are. But all jokes aside, really, again, very concerned about the proposal of the data centers, quite literally in our backyard, not only just due to the health and safety of my neighborhood, our homes, but also the known concerns, again, with the power systems that will be running basically in the backyard of Knuckles Farm Elementary. [01:20:46] And, Ms. Rauncher, I know that you spoke at the Goochland Board of Supervisors meeting. I was there as well. Thank you for speaking. You spoke very well. And I obviously know that the proposal is in Goochland. And what I guess I'm looking for and to understand and just to see what we can do more of is while I understand that we can't necessarily make asks and demands and force another county to do something in a certain way, the way that it will be affecting me and my family and the rest of our residents in our neighborhood and so many other people, [01:21:23] and maybe I just am unaware, but what we can do in terms of asking for more clarity, as Meredith was saying, more, I guess, strict rules, noise ordinances, things like that, that Henrico can help fight for us as opposed to almost like the citizens of Henrico against Scoochland. But as I said, Ms. Rauncher, I know that you spoke very well. I know you've been involved, but I guess I'm just looking for help for you to help us, please. I'm looking for help [01:22:00] to in that i mean literally we can't for example impose a noise ordinance on it on an industry or a business that is located in another county um there have been discussions i actually was speaking to a colleague on the goochland board at a plan rva meeting not long ago about you know is there something that can be done at the state level to mandate discussions um across county lines when it is a project that is going to have an impact whether it's a data center or you know a mechanic shop or anything like that um and so i i think that that is gaining more popularity as a concept [01:22:39] as this i mean this is a bipartisan issue this doesn't i mean this crosses all uh it affects everybody and so um to the extent that you know we can beat that drum as local electeds electeds to say this is absolutely something that not only would work but that we are willing to do and that we want to do and that we're not insular and we want to have those communications um you know i will always advocate for that um we have talked a lot as the goochland situation was coming up and really putting our heads together everybody county manager all of us all the staff to say you [01:23:13] know what can we do um and so it wasn't you know it was as proactive as we could be um and we we we cannot wave that wand that we want to that we want to make and and i know i've stood in the yards of constituents that are looking at that you know parcel um right there so i will continue to be open to suggestion and you know continue to speak out talk with my colleagues there's not a stone that i think we've left unturned at this point but we'll keep on yeah thank you and sorry [01:23:47] just one follow-up question with that is there something um additional that we as citizens can do to mobilize, organize, fight the fight, anything that you would suggest? Yeah, and we saw this in Hanover. We had a lot of, well, both counties, we had a lot of Henrico residents that showed up at both meetings. [01:24:06] What I always kind of caution my Henrico folks is to be there, but let those residents be the voices, lead the conversation, because frankly, the electeds are going to listen the most to people that are casting ballots for or against them. But I think that both in Goochland and in Hanover, their residents very much appreciated the fact that Henrico residents filled up, you know, a lot of seats there. [01:24:28] So if it is a project that is in a neighboring locality, my suggestion is get with groups of people that are based in those localities and ask them directly how you guys can support their efforts. Thank you. Good evening, Mr. Chairman and members of the board. [01:24:53] And thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Jessica Harrison, and I am a neighbor of two of the previous speakers, Courtney and Meredith. And I'm also here to talk about a concern I have with the data centers as a resident of Henrico and also a homeowner. [01:25:11] My neighborhood backs right up to the Tuckahoe Creek. As you may know, Guchin County is currently reviewing amendments for their technology overlay district, which sits right along the Route 288 corridor. And if approved, this will clear the way for multiple data center campuses that pose unacceptable risks to Henrico residents. [01:25:29] While the final vote belongs to Goochland, the real-world impacts are not combined to their county borders. And several Henrico neighborhoods back up to the Tuckahoe Creek and are less than one mile from Route 288, meaning we all sit downwind, downriver, and within earshot of this district with very little geographical buffer. [01:25:51] want to state clearly that i am completely opposed to data center facilities this close to the county border i understand that goochland is focused on tax revenue goals but it shouldn't occur at the expense of henrico neighborhoods we completely understand that you do not control goochland's zoning board but you do represent us and we need our henrico leadership to step up and continue to be a strong advocate for its citizens we're asking you to formally reach out to goochland officials and ensure they build cross-border protections into their plans before any constructions [01:26:27] begin specifically i have seven critical issues that i would like to have addressed on one storm water and flooding so please direct henrico's department of public works to study how this concrete footprint is going to impact our tuckahoe creek watershed we need to ensure that the runoff doesn't cause downstream flooding bank erosion or ruin the creek's ecosystem two public utilities we need a firm boundary guaranteeing that goochland's developers cannot use or tap into henrico's public water or sewer lines to satisfy their industrial needs and we need assurances [01:27:05] that our water and electricity bills are not going to increase due to goochland's industrial development a three acoustic limits i'd like to request that the sound limits are 40 dba daytime and 30 dba nighttime and comparison low frequency by 55 dbc daytime and 45 dbc nighttime to eliminate any of the low frequency vibrations that are going to travel across the creek and to enforce this developers need to install industrial grade sound barriers an outdoor on outdoor cooling system and [01:27:39] deploy real-time noise monitoring for air quality because our homes do sit directly downwind we should insist on continuous air monitoring to protect our families from localized pollution of the backup diesel generators five light pollution ensure that goochland mandates a fully shielded down-facing light so these facilities don't ruin the night sky for neighboring henrico subdivisions six visual screening and setbacks require thick mature evergreen trees as a visual buffer along the eastern side of the project so that way they don't dominate our view of the creek [01:28:18] and the setbacks need to be increased to at least a thousand feet to keep equipment away from the harrico border and seven is raised community awareness a gucciland does not really communicate their plans outside of their county lines and i've been talking with my neighbors and hardly anyone knew about any of these developments and i feel like maybe if henrico could reach out to the residents about gucciolins plans so that way other residents can become engaged should they choose to do so members of the board we chose to buy homes and raise our families in henrico because of the incredible quality of life that this county offers we don't want to watch our [01:28:57] property values and peace of mind be eroded by a project happening just a few hundred yards away across the creek so i'm just asking you to use your leadership and voice to protect our shared borders and stand with your residents and open a dialogue with goochland to make sure our neighbors remain a peace neighborhoods remain a peaceful and safe place to live so thank you for your time and [01:29:20] your continued service to our community hello i'm jennifer butner and i am also with this same group i'm at one two three zero two shady lake place very concerned about the data centers in goochland but I know it's getting late. So my question actually is about the Dominion transmission lines. Is there anything that, I understand that Goochland is its own entity. We can't affect their [01:29:56] laws. We can talk to them, but Dominion is a private company and they are planning on putting transmission lines and substations back in Tuckahoe Creek. Is there anything that we can do to impact that, to move those lines off of the Tuckahoe Creek area more onto closer to 288? Some of the substations look like they're right in the middle of uh west creek parkway that's that's my question what can we do about dominion and have you guys had conversations with them already about where these transmission lines are going and where these substations are going it looks like they're [01:30:30] planning to put four back there so miss roundtree um i i am not under the impression that that final line alignment has been determined it has to go through a state process has to go through the State Corporation Commission. If you can leave your name and number with that gentleman back there if you would or one of our deputies I'll call you with the most recent information but I don't think that alignment is final. Is that your [01:31:09] understanding Ms. Roundtree? Yeah. That would be great. Thank you. Because that's also a large concern. We don't want these massive power lines right behind our homes as well so thank you do you mind if i so for the folks that are here i heard water there's very little that we can do in a in a dylan rule state where all the power comes from above but we do have one resource that we have allocated years ago to goochland we have [01:31:41] a contractual agreement to provide them with water but water at a certain rate and right now the rate that the county, Goochland County, has purchased from Henrico is 5.25 million gallons per day. So they are using about half of that. And the board has made, you know, there have been conversations, there have been conversations, administrator to administrator, staff to staff, [01:32:16] about expanding that allocation of water that has not gone anywhere so be that to say that some of what I think there's there are mistruths on both sides so some of these new data centers don't use the water that the old ones did I mean that that is a fact but Goochland also is going to have to make a decision as to whether it wants to allocate the rest of the water that it has for residential [01:32:51] development or development of a specific industry that's not something that we can you know this board can opine in you know Henrico doesn't tell other localities excuse me that we sell water to what they can do with it but understand that there is a finite resource of water that Goochland has and they're going to find themselves in a very difficult position if they continue only looking at one side of the ledger, which is the commercial side, as opposed to the residential. [01:33:26] So I hope that's helpful for you as community members in that area. As the manager stated, if you give a number, he'll reach out to you, your group, you know, make sure you're all aware of what's going on. Ms. Roundtree has already been here. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Yes, ma'am. [01:33:41] Anyone else present real quick who would like to speak to the board tonight? All right. If that is the case, this public comment section is closed. Ms. Manager. to submit an application to the Virginia Stormwater Local Assistance Fund for a project in the Fairfield District. [01:34:06] Mr. Hughes. All right. Thank you, Mr. Manager. Mr. Chair, members of the board, good evening. This board paper would grant authorization to the Director of Public Works to apply for funds in any amount from the Virginia Stormwater Local Assistance Fund to partially fund the Three Lakes Park Stream Restoration and Reynolds Community College Stream Restoration projects. [01:34:25] The county has identified that the Three Lakes Park Stream Restoration and reynolds community college stream restoration projects are eligible for fund grants uh the estimated cost of the three lakes park stream restoration project is 2.2 million dollars and the county anticipates that the fund will cover 50 of this cost uh the estimated cost of the reynolds community college stream restoration project is 800 000 and the county anticipates that the fund will cost uh will cover 50 of the cost uh the director of public works recommends approval of the board paper the county manager concurs and then the other i'll note the other 50% comes from our MS4 stormwater funds. This is going towards our Chesapeake Bay [01:35:04] credits for reducing pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay. Two phenomenal projects that's going to make a major impact. I move that resolution is approved. I move by myself seconded by Reverend Nelson and all in favor. I oppose I have it. Resolution is approved. [01:35:24] Next, Mr. Chair. Last item, 206-26 is a resolution for acceptance of road, singular, in the Brooklyn District. Mr. Hughes. Mr. Manager, this board paper would accept Dumbarton Plaza into the county road system for maintenance. The Director of Public Works recommends approval of the board paper and the county management. [01:35:42] Mr. Smith. Yeah, just a quick question. Sorry, Mr. Hughes. I thought Townhouse Road on the inside of it is private. We're just taking the front? Is that the front part? Up to Carrick, off Staplesville. That's correct. Then I'm all set. Thank you, Mr. Chair, to move the resolution. [01:35:59] Thank you, Mr. Smith. been moved by mr smith uh is there a second second seconded by mr roguish all those aye those opposed eyes have it the resolution is approved chair no other business this evening thank you colleagues are there any more comments that you'd like to share for dismiss can i just say one thing and i meant to say this um just got the presentation about the fire marshal um that was long and detailed and i was intrigued by all of it and i just wanted to say what i pulled out of that was investigative integrity and due process and as as a lawyer that means a lot to me [01:36:35] because what that means is regardless and i know that investigation with swim rva yielded you know that it was an accident it could have been the other way it could have been that somebody was found to be culpable for it whatever the result was what you guys did in the way that you do it meant that the process could be trusted and that whatever the evidence pointed to it was going to be relied upon and i say that as a defense attorney that when when i know that i've got evidence in front of me that can be trusted because the process was thorough and the investigation was balanced and fair and all of the the um the procedures were followed i have great respect for [01:37:11] that and i know that the fire marshal department doesn't get a lot of fanfare a lot of the time but you guys showed just how much the training pays off and the attention to detail and um just kudos thank you mr rogers yeah thank you mr chair just uh two things specifically on the uh data center i've encouraged residents to reach out to their state legislature as well because needing some help from the state there is a meeting at benedictine on october the fourth um i think it's from four to seven um that's being a town hall that's being hosted by the supervisor from goochland county so i just wanted to give that information out thank you mr thank you miss rogers mr smith [01:37:50] yes sir mr chair thank you for the opportunity here this seems to be a fire night i have a question mr mr whitlock were you in an elevator two weeks ago awesome i thought that was you um good to see you again sir mr whitlock and i were trapped in an elevator two weeks ago for nearly an hour 40 something minutes and while we're on the topic of the fire department um the chief is right there Mr. Whitlock your facial expression when I hung up from that trapped [01:38:27] elevator after calling that man right there uh that's the guy to thank and yes it was well sir I I pre it was wonderful to see you this evening these this hour was more enjoyable than the 46 minutes that we spent together but thank you good to see you uh so you're going to share where you We were at the Shore Pump Town Center in the elevator. [01:38:53] It was just Yalva 2? Yeah. So the escalator was broken, and the other escalator was broken, which we have some. Mr. Whitlock and I have issues with the maintenance department at Shore Pump Town Center. We're going to send some letters. But both escalators were out, and the sign said not to use them. [01:39:09] There was literally a hole, and it said, please use the elevator. I don't like using elevators. I want to walk the steps of the escalator. I got in it. mr whitlock joined me in the escalator and then power went off it didn't move so is that why you came tonight did that encourage you and the disability conversation thank you wow that's amazing but the chief answered his phone thank you sir and station i also want to say i mean mr whitlock did like every station in the area they came they were there ladders don't say that that loud ladders they did a phenomenal job they were going to come through the roof of that elevator. [01:39:50] Thank you, Chief. That's your man right there. Mr. Whitlock, good to see you, sir. I have a comment, too. I just want to go on record to say this is the first time in 15 years of being on the board that every board of supervisor member other than the chair had a comment, so I just wanted to make sure that I made a comment, too, just to get on the record. [01:40:09] I'm going to make a comment. Any of y'all got any more comments? Sir. Thank you all for being with us tonight. This meeting is adjourned. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Coraggio Consulting · aguyonx.com