Newport News continues FY2026 budget hearing as residents press for youth, mental‑health and homelessness funding

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Newport News City Council continued its public hearing on the city manager's recommended fiscal year 2026 operating budget on April 8 and heard more than a half‑dozen public commenters asking the council to fund community programs serving youth, people experiencing homelessness and residents with mental‑health needs.

The hearing on the recommended budget was continued to Thursday, April 10, at 7 p.m. in Room 113 of the Denbigh Community Center. Mayor Philip Jones said the continuance gives the council a second hearing required by state code before adopting the budget.

The budget presentation shown during the meeting emphasized five core areas of focus: public safety, schools, essential services, housing and efficient government. The presentation said the proposal would add eight police officers and 12 firefighters, fully fund the Newport News Public Schools' recommended salary adjustments and maintain investments in roads, water and trash collection. The city manager described the process as “priority‑based budgeting” to align spending with those priorities.

Why it matters: The public hearing is part of the legally required budget adoption process and is the formal opportunity for residents and community organizations to request specific funding or to question the city's fiscal priorities before council votes on the final budget in May and June.

Public commenters linked their funding requests directly to the budget. Terry Finner, assistant principal at Heritage High School, urged the council to approve a community support grant for My Brother's Keeper/My Sister's Keeper, a Newport News Public Schools mentorship program formed after a 2021 school shooting. "This isn't just a mentorship program. It's a life changing lifeline for our young men and women," Finner said, telling council the program offers academic support, mental‑health guidance and retreats for participants.

Christopher Moore, president of Back for the Kids Movement, said his gun‑violence intervention group applied for the community support agency grant but was not selected and asked council to reconsider or allow a review. Katie Morgan, executive director of Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads, described a school‑based ‘‘Service through STEM’’ program that has expanded from nine to 12 Newport News partner schools and grew from 272 to 662 elementary students assisted; she thanked the city for prior funding and asked council to continue support.

Jason Thornton, executive director of Literacy for Life, said the nonprofit had served 229 Newport News residents in the current fiscal year and thanked council for including the organization in the recommended budget; the organization plans to move to a central Newport News office in May. Chanel Ketchmore, representing Ketchmore Kids (a gun‑violence prevention grantee), brought two young people to testify and asked for continued funding.

Philip Hatchet, past chairman of Peninsula Pastoral Counseling Center, told council the local counseling nonprofit — which he said provided more than 8,000 therapy sessions last year — was omitted from a requested $10,000 community support grant. He described the organization as nonreligious and local, and said the grant would fund counseling for uninsured residents; he asked council to revisit that omission.

On homelessness, Aaron Easter of Virginia Organizing urged the council to release the results of a city‑funded housing study by VM Advising and to set aside local funds for a year‑round shelter. Council discussion included a budget figure for homelessness funding: Lisa Cipriano, the city's budget director, said the current city budget for homelessness is $2,300,000; a later speaker noted additional community support dollars increase the total local response.

Whitney King of the Autism Society of Tidewater thanked council for recognizing April as Autism Acceptance Month and urged members to continue work beyond symbolic recognition.

Council action: At the end of the public comment period council voted 6‑0 to continue the FY2026 operating budget hearing to April 10 at 7 p.m. in Room 113 of the Denbigh Community Center.

Councilmembers, staff and community groups will have additional opportunities at the April 10 hearing and at a planned April 22 work session before the council considers adoption of the school operating budget on May 13 and the city's operating budget later in the spring as required by state code.

Sources: City budget presentation and public comments at the April 8, 2025 Newport News City Council meeting.