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Votes at a glance: Chesapeake council approves consent items, seed funding, right-of-way and remote-participation policy; funeral-home MOU continued
Summary
At its Aug. 12 meeting the City Council adopted a slate of consent and regular-agenda measures, including endorsement of a $750,000 rail grant application, a $150,000 seed funding award, a right-of-way with Dominion Energy, and a policy for individual remote participation; the Briggs Funeral Home memorandum of understanding was continued 30 days.
Chesapeake City Council on Aug. 12 voted unanimously on multiple routine and regular-agenda items. The mayor and eight council members adopted the consent agenda, approved a seed-funding award, authorized a right-of-way agreement with Dominion Energy and adopted a remote-participation policy. The council continued one public-safety-related memorandum of understanding for 30 days to allow staff to provide additional information.
Key outcomes (motions, results and short details):
- Consent agenda (approved 8-0): The council approved acknowledgment of a rezoning application REZ2024-014 (Sawyer Property) for future public hearings; accepted two resignations (Dwight Parker from the Chesapeake Integrated Behavioral Healthcare Board and Jamaica Jackson from the Chesapeake Interagency Consortium); accepted and appropriated $2,500 from the Office of the Attorney General for a Virginia rules camp grant requested by the police department; approved a $318,080 transfer within library capital projects from the Russell Memorial Library addition project to library facilities improvements; and adopted a resolution endorsing Purdue Agribusiness LLC’s application to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation for $750,000 in industrial access railroad funds.
- Item 4 — Great Bridal Village Plan implementation seed funding (approved 8-0): The council approved a resolution awarding $150,000 in seed funding to Atherton Construction and Development Incorporated and appropriating funds through the Economic Development Authority. During public comment, resident Vic Nicholson asked: "On city manager item 4, is there any conflict of interest with Atherton Construction?" The council did not take additional action on that question at the dais.
- Item 5 — Memorandum of understanding with Briggs Funeral Home (continued 30 days): A motion to continue the MOU for removal, storage and limited cremation services during routine and mass-casualty incidents passed unanimously; the item was continued to the Sept. 9, 2025 City Council meeting to allow the city manager to present additional information.
- Item 6 — Clerk of the Circuit Court staffing (approved as emergency 8-0): The council added one full-time-equivalent deputy clerk position, appropriated $51,509 in state revenue for FY2026 and transferred $25,491 within the clerk's operating budget to cover costs for the remainder of the fiscal year. The motion was adopted as an emergency to make funds available immediately.
- Item 8 — Right-of-way agreement with Dominion Energy Virginia (approved 8-0): Council authorized the city manager to execute a nonexclusive franchise/utility right-of-way agreement on city-owned property at 1733 Indian Creek Road.
- City Attorney item 1 — Remote participation policy (approved 8-0): The council adopted a policy permitting individual remote participation by Chesapeake City Council members under specified conditions.
- New-business initiating resolutions (approved 8-0): The council asked the Planning Commission to consider zoning-code amendments aligning Article 12 of the Chesapeake Zoning Ordinance with the recently updated South Norfolk historic-design guidelines, and separately asked the Planning Commission to consider amendments to chapter 70 to update medium- and size-requirement references for final subdivision plats consistent with changes promulgated by the Virginia Library Board.
Other procedural actions included approval of the agenda and July 2025 minutes, adoption of closed-meeting certifications, and routine proclamations and awards. Where the agenda or public comment raised potential conflicts or questions (for example, a public commenter asked about a conflict involving Atherton Construction), the council did not take immediate remedial action at the meeting and in at least one case continued the matter to allow staff to provide more information.
Ending: Most items passed unanimously 8-0; the Briggs Funeral Home MOU was continued to Sept. 9 for additional information and review.
