[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6592779,"mediaKeyId","2769497-0e938bfaedeabfb6aeb71eafbae89c52","parentId",2769497,"title","City manager recommends $1.2 billion FY2026 operating budget; council sets April public hearings","audioSeconds",3646,"startMs",2193000,"endMs",5839000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2769497-0e938bfaedeabfb6aeb71eafbae89c52&start=2193&end=5839","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2769497-0e938bfaedeabfb6aeb71eafbae89c52/thumbnail_2193000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6592779/Virginia/City-manager-recommends-12-billion-FY2026-operating-budget-council-sets-April-public-hearings","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6592779-ec35fa96d12a30d625b9010105d64714/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145313&Signature=SA2M9OUuZT-QF4us6v-4ujHhRZd8vgXxiFfV4Xe99f8TVoKeQQzWlO-ScceFLJ1ShbTtF9UGqkqpdk8KmXSwcTu08KZ5Dgwm7QHPQDW2uC6AN7UKsXr4UcUYqJ4wY~Doo8Mp1uED04r4SGUCSQAGpH0qQ63ZobFSvykwR560yT1pCi~8c873HJhH9B3F0z9cMlJmgkEtMb-eby4okomRFfAl4MbVKcD1fOU~cyJEglYHppZc-feAm1SYnFsI7uO0Y-sVrp7kVxE5WbNEz0RW2M9WtkyvkeXSUHvywrImp8frSlZXnDc0XfA5YST~VcOLfWQpIaD2-Sumev5m2tzP2g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Newport News (Sugggested)","date","2025-03-25T23:14:27.09Z","article","The city manager's recommended FY2026 operating budget totals approximately $1.2 billion and was presented to the Newport News City Council; staff said the recommendation maintains the real estate tax rate at $1.18 per $100 of assessed value and includes no proposed increases to water, solid waste, stormwater or wastewater user fees.

Lisa Cipriano, Director of Budget and Evaluation, told the council the recommended budget funds the school superintendent's full operating request of $2,400,000, provides funding for the public safety step program started in the current fiscal year and includes a 3% general salary adjustment for eligible employees and movement of non-sworn general employees into a market-based compensation plan. Cipriano said the recommended operating budget aligns department requests with the city's strategic priorities and the results of an earlier citizen engagement survey.

Cipriano described a variety of revenue and expenditure assumptions presented to the council: a 3.76% average increase in assessed real estate values across property categories, an estimated increase in current real estate tax revenue if assessments hold, and a notable increase in participation in disabled veterans tax relief programs that staff estimated would reduce net new real estate revenue. Cipriano said staff identified 51 vacant positions, realigned 43 of them within the recommended budget to new priorities and added staffing to support new facilities coming online and to cover operating costs such as utilities and janitorial services.

The presentation also included two new online citizen engagement tools in the Balancing Act suite: a budget simulator that allows users to create and submit alternative budget scenarios and a taxpayer receipt tool that produces an unofficial estimate of an individual household's tax allocation. Budget analyst Chad Pritchett demonstrated both tools and showed how changes to tax rates and expenditures affect general fund balance and household impacts in real time.

After the presentation the council voted to adopt a public hearing schedule on the FY2026 operating budget: a public hearing will be held April 8, 2025 at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, City Hall, and continued to April 10, 2025 at 7 p.m. in Room 113 of the Demby Community Center. The motion to set the public hearing schedule was made by Councilman Coleman and passed on a 5-0 roll call.

Procedural actions at the start and close of the meeting were recorded in the minutes: the council unanimously approved a motion to allow Mayor Jones to participate remotely because he was attending a mayor's conference (motion carried 5-0); later the council voted to hold a closed meeting under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Va. Code \u0000A7 2.2-3711(A)) for candidate interviews, appointments and discussions of potential property transactions (motion carried 5-0). Following the closed session the council certified the closed meeting on a 4-0 vote with Mayor Jones absent.

Cipriano told council the recommended budget narrative, line-item documents, the 1 City, 1 Vision citizen survey results and links to the two engagement tools would be posted online and made available in libraries; staff said additional position papers and supporting detail will follow over the next month as council deliberates the budget.

Provenance: Excerpts of the meeting transcript contain the manager introduction of the FY2026 budget, Lisa Cipriano's presentation, the Balancing Act demonstration and the motions to schedule the public hearings and to move into closed session.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Newport News City Council Work Session 03-25-2025","oneSentenceSummary","The city manager presented a $1.2 billion FY2026 recommended operating budget that maintains the real estate tax rate, funds the school request and public safety step plan, realigns 43 positions and introduces two online citizen budget tools; City Council scheduled public hearings for April 8 and April 10 and approved meeting procedures.","taxTitle","Newport News (Independent City), Virginia","taxId",12491,"location","Virginia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6592784,"Newport News to run National Community Survey in April-May to inform strategic plan",846,1265000,2111000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2769497-0e938bfaedeabfb6aeb71eafbae89c52&start=1265&end=2111","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2769497-0e938bfaedeabfb6aeb71eafbae89c52/thumbnail_1265000.jpg","/articles/6592784/Virginia/Newport-News-to-run-National-Community-Survey-in-April-May-to-inform-strategic-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6592784-964a55755c2c69ddd67dc93a1218401c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771145313&Signature=CWOOeeWX~1gk73fNg88NVmLFnGqmzctYbQSrhGt18NEHw-xpvJ6uPs4ICjUuU5SrcAb6nTTZl7jhQCmU7Zj6Ppo3twRhoe3y36~R1vzsc~WlflZetnpcJkUeHTva1zGVcLdLzjbNmPlOW3Vk1QYTDpUjqWzN-p1I8sO8Z~iQoLhQbO3Ex-qUlKN9JiYUdTBmdWs~4ltCL23A7mWqSVWhOz8sd8bc6T7I7dSNBe7iG2vHcuBpk1Vyq4fqdXYtSP4FQrJDxBM48cCaMAx02f1NhIz-DlUgTOUj7YwBajcBB7JN4J3SrYA8VsgHKZik5533eKL4q~3cfGop35OKhtATbA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City officials told the Newport News City Council that the city will conduct the National Community Survey (NCS) in April and May to gather resident input for its next strategic plan.

Marlon McDaniel of the Office of Innovation said the survey will provide a \"scientifically valid, data driven\" snapshot to help set priorities and benchmark Newport News against peer communities. Brandon Barnett of Polco described the survey instrument, sampling method and planned outreach.

Polco said the NCS is a standardized instrument covering more than 140 community-related questions organized into 10 facets of livability. The firm plans a probability-based sample of 4,000 randomly selected household addresses derived from USPS listings and the city's GIS boundary files. Polco will use the birthday method to select a respondent within sampled households. Mailings will include an invitation postcard, a cover letter with a six-page questionnaire and a postage-paid return envelope; all mailings will also offer an online response option. In the final weeks of collection, Polco will run an open participation (self-selection) survey so any resident can respond.

Barnett said the city will weight survey responses to match city demographics using age, race, Hispanic origin, housing type and housing tenure and that results will be processed using SPSS, R and Python and delivered in Tableau and PDF formats. Polco is proposing standard add-ons: a Spanish translation of the survey, one-and-a-half pages of custom questions, and custom benchmark comparisons in addition to national benchmarks.

Council members asked about review of the final survey instrument and geographic balance. Councilman Long asked whether council would see the survey before distribution and whether the 4,000-sample would be geographically balanced. McDaniel and Barnett said council would have a review opportunity and explained that Polco will geocode the city address list, check district and subarea population percentages, randomize the household list, then re-geocode the final sample to confirm geographic distribution. Barnett also described oversampling of multifamily/renter households to improve representation of typically underrepresented groups.

City staff said the outreach plan will combine digital, traditional and in-person engagement and that a media kit and materials will be provided to council and the public before mailings begin. Staff emphasized the survey will be one element in a broader community engagement program that city leaders expect to inform both the strategic plan and future budget cycles.

Provenance: Excerpts from the council meeting transcript show the city manager introducing the survey presentation and Polco's Brandon Barnett describing the NCS methodology and follow-up Q&A.","City staff and Polco presented a probability-based National Community Survey the council approved for April–May, using a 4,000-household sample with an open participation option and bilingual materials to inform the city's next strategic plan.","actionData","errors"]

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City manager recommends $1.2 billion FY2026 operating budget; council sets April public hearings

Newport News to run National Community Survey in April-May to inform strategic plan