Council reviews proposed 2026 legislative program; staff to leave item for later action

John Blair, a city staff member, presented the proposed 2026 legislative program Oct. 23, which incorporates the Virginia Municipal League's legislative platform and several city‑specific position statements.

Blair described four city submissions: support for the Virginia Municipal League's program; a previously adopted position backing a potential one‑cent sales‑tax referendum; a staff‑draft request to amend Virginia's Freedom of Information Act to exempt utility account numbers from disclosure to help prevent fraud; and a request from the assessor to correct statutory language that currently refers to "historic landmark" in the commercial rehabilitative tax‑credit provision and should read "historic district," aligning it with the residential statute. Blair said he consulted with Megan Ryan of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government regarding the FOIA carve‑out and described it as a "very limited exception" that hides only account numbers while leaving financial details available.

Blair also described a request from Transportation staff (Rodney Rhodes and the city's transportation planner) to seek a study or statutory change relating to a subdivision‑code provision that now allows certain Northern Virginia towns to require dedication of land for curb, gutter and sidewalk; the staff recommendation is to ask the General Assembly to study whether that authority should extend to other localities rather than request a direct statutory change this year.

Council did not act on the legislative program that evening; Blair said the item was informational and staff will return with any revisions if council wishes to adopt a formal program later.