Hampton opens 'I Value' budget engagement: in‑person sessions, online polling and manager’s calendar announced

City staff described the annual "I Value" public engagement program at the Hampton City Council work session and announced dates and formats for resident input ahead of the fiscal‑year 2026 budget.

Mary Fugere, who leads the city’s convention and visitor bureau and oversees external marketing efforts, introduced the city’s longstanding pre‑budget public engagement program and encouraged residents to participate. City staff said the program solicits community priorities before the city manager issues a recommended budget so council and staff can consider resident priorities earlier in the process.

Officials listed multiple participation options: in‑person meetings (the presentation named Tuesday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hampton Aquaplex and Saturday, March 22 at 9 a.m. at the American Theatre in Phoebus), a Facebook Live session with the city manager on Thursday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m., and an online polling window that staff said opens on March 18 (the presentation gave the online dates as March 18 through March 25 in materials). Staff said the I Value results will be presented to council on March 26; the city manager’s recommended budget is scheduled for release on April 15, with two public hearings planned April 23 and May 7 and final approval on May 14.

Presenters described capital and operating requests that residents can weigh, including proposed capital projects such as improvements to the Hampton History Museum and Visitor Center, renovation of Bluebird Gap Farm, upgrades to Hampton City Schools technology and steam‑plant maintenance, waterfront and downtown infrastructure work, and a pilot to convert some city fleet vehicles to electric. Operating proposals the presentation cited include an internship program (20 positions, called CHIP), expanded summer employment, a temporary housing program for young adults called "Hopeful Hampton," and budgeted investments in employee compensation and city events.

Council members urged broad outreach beyond social media. Councilwoman Harper recommended direct mail postcards to reach older residents and those without reliable internet access; staff said they will use a mix of mail, subscriber e‑news and social media and will try to include postcards when budgets permit. Vice Mayor Brown and other council members echoed efforts to reach older and low‑internet households and noted online polling often increases total respondent counts while reducing in‑person turnout.

City staff said they had collected roughly 170 online responses to date and that the engagement will inform budget discussions through the manager’s recommended budget and council deliberations.