Council votes: sponsorships approved, closed session authorized and certified

Newport News City Council took several procedural and funding votes near the end of its April 8 work session. Council recorded unanimous roll-call approvals for small contingency sponsorships and for entering and certifying a closed meeting.

Council approved two sponsorship requests earlier in the meeting by unanimous roll call (6–0). The minutes and staff packet list the matters as:

- Approval of a council contingency item described in the packet (referred to as "Crimson Thunder" request dated 02/2013); vote: 6–0. - Approval of a $10,000 title sponsorship for the Newport News Police Department Friends of the Badge breakfast (motion introduced by Councilman Coleman); vote: 6–0.

Council later voted to convene a closed meeting under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The motion, read on the record, invoked Section 2.2-3711 of the Code of Virginia and identified two topics: discussion of prospective candidates for appointment and personnel matters related to council appointees, and discussion of the potential disposition of publicly held real property in the northern section of the city where discussion would affect negotiating strategy. The motion to enter closed session passed by roll call, 6–0.

After the closed session, council made the required certification that, to the best of each member’s knowledge, only matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements were discussed and only the public-business matters identified in the motion were considered. That certification passed by roll call, 6–0.

Before adjourning, council approved a final council contingency sponsorship of $3,000 for the Books on Bikes program (sponsored by Councilman Harris); roll-call vote 6–0. The meeting adjourned after that motion carried.

No other ordinance readings or budget votes were taken during the April 8 work session; the session was primarily informational as part of the FY2026 budget work plan.