Leesburg council trims, adds items to 2026 legislative program after staff recommendations

Leesburg town council members on July 7 weighed a staff-drafted 2026 legislative program and agreed to add several new policy positions while removing other items that staff said have not attracted sponsorship in Richmond.

Keith (town staff) presented the draft and told councilmembers the document is built from last year—s program and updated with department suggestions. He said the program contains two categories: general "position statements" that signal the council—s stance to local legislators and narrower "legislative priorities" that request specific bills or sponsors. "The first one we—ll propose to you is adding a real estate disclosure requirement," Keith said, describing staff—s recommendation that state enabling language be amended so Leesburg could require sellers to disclose when a home lies in a regulated historic district.

The council moved through the list item by item and, where the transcript records the outcome, the body adopted additions and deletions by the informal "are there four people?" consent checks the council used during the session. Council members asked staff to continue local outreach and to refine language before a formal adoption resolution is prepared.

Why it matters: the program provides Leesburg—s delegation and lobbying contacts an early signal about what the town expects in the 2026 General Assembly session, which staff reminded council begins Jan. 14 and will include the state budget. The mix…