Council approves lease extension, stream restoration grant, poultry‑permit transfer and $100,000 for police training; votes at a glance

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Newport News City Council on April 8 approved a slate of routine and project‑level actions, including a grant agreement for stream restoration, a lease extension for a fire station, an ordinance change for animal permits and an appropriation to support police training.

Votes at a glance (all approved):

- License agreement for Chestnut Avenue access (g1): Council approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a license agreement among the City of Newport News, 5100 Chestnut Avenue, LLC, and Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association, Inc., for use of city property at 5198 Chestnut Avenue to maintain secure ingress and egress to nearby properties. Motion recommended by staff and approved by roll call (motion carried 6‑0).

- DEQ grant for Governor Drive stream restoration (g2): Council authorized the city manager to execute a grant agreement with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for the Governor Drive stream restoration and BMP project. The project will restore approximately 885 linear feet of Flax Mill Creek between East Governor Drive and Riverview Farm Park and construct a stormwater management facility to manage runoff from Riverview Farm Park. Approved 6‑0.

- Two‑year lease extension with Peninsula Airport Commission (g3): Council approved a two‑year lease extension for Fire Station 11 at 1000 Bland Boulevard, effective July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027, at the same annual rent of $20,700. All other lease terms remain unchanged. Approved 6‑0.

- Ordinance amending City Code Chapter 6 (g4): Council adopted an ordinance amending City Code Chapter 6 (Animals and Fowl), Section 6‑2 (location and maintenance of poultry and animal yards) to transfer responsibility for issuing poultry permits from the Department of Planning to the Department of Parks and Recreation. The change centralizes permitting and enforcement in Parks and Recreation, which houses animal control officers. Approved 6‑0.

- Appropriation for police training (h1): Council approved a resolution appropriating $100,000 from the Local Criminal Justice Training Academy Fund to support the Newport News Police Department's training. The appropriation was requested from an unappropriated balance cited in the meeting as $129,722.25; the appropriation will cover travel and training costs and any unspent funds will carry forward. Approved 6‑0.

- Consent agenda (f1–f4): Council approved minutes from March 25 work session and regular meeting, a resolution canceling the May 27 regular meeting, and a resolution accepting the donation of rooftop solar services and equipment at the Early Childhood Development Center. Approved 6‑0.

Details and context: City staff recommended each action during the meeting. The stream restoration project is funded in part by a DEQ grant and is intended to address streambank stabilization and stormwater management. The poultry permit transfer to Parks and Recreation is intended to improve enforcement efficiency by colocating permitting and animal control operations. The $100,000 appropriation will be used by the police department for academy and training program costs; unspent funds will carry over to the next fiscal year.

Roll call votes were recorded in the meeting; motions were moved and seconded and carried unanimously where indicated. The council also voted 6‑0 to continue the FY2026 budget public hearing to April 10 at 7 p.m.

Sources: City manager presentations and roll call votes at the April 8, 2025 Newport News City Council meeting.