Newport News Council establishes City Auditor office, approves code changes, tax-exemption expansion and property purchase

The Newport News City Council on Jan. 14 adopted four separate measures intended to increase transparency, align City Code with the charter and state law, expand a surviving-spouse tax exemption, and authorize acquisition of property to support the Safe Haven Empowerment Center.

City Manager presented each item and recommended approval. “I recommend approval,” the City Manager said as the council moved through the agenda. Council members voted on each measure by roll call; most measures passed unanimously. Councilman Harris abstained from the property purchase vote and filed a written declaration with the city clerk disclosing a personal interest.

The first ordinance formally established the Office of the City Auditor as an independent entity with duties that include appointment of the City Auditor, defined roles and responsibilities, and a fraud, waste and abuse hotline. The City Manager said the ordinance is meant to “foster transparency, accountability and efficiency in City governance.” There were no public speakers on the item; the council approved the ordinance on a 6-0 vote.

A second ordinance amended Chapter 2 of the Newport News City Code to streamline administrative processes, clarify budget-submission procedures to align with the City Charter, expand criminal-history and background-check requirements for designated applicants, employees and volunteers, and remove the Department of Internal Audit from the city code. The council adopted that ordinance by a 6-0 vote.

A third ordinance amended city code (Chapter 40, section 40-70.07 as listed on the agenda) to broaden the real-property tax exemption available to surviving spouses to include spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty as determined by the U.S. Department of Defense, in addition to those killed in action. The council approved that amendment 6-0.

The council also adopted a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute documents to purchase a portion of property at 15446 Warwick Boulevard from St. George’s Episcopal Church. The City Manager said St. George’s offered to sell a “2.638 proportion” of the parcel to the city to support current operations of the Safe Haven Empowerment Center and provide opportunities for future growth. The resolution passed with a recorded vote of 5-0 and one abstention: Councilman Harris said he would abstain “due to a personal interest in the transaction as I am the executive director of the Safe Haven Apartment Center,” and that a signed declaration was on file with the city clerk.

The consent agenda, which the council approved earlier in the meeting, included minutes of a Jan. 14, 2025 work session and a resolution changing the Feb. 11 regular council meeting location to the Denbigh Community Center at 15198 Warwick Boulevard; the consent agenda passed by roll call.

No members of the public spoke during the council’s deliberations on these agenda items. The City Manager was authorized to execute required documents for the property purchase and the newly adopted ordinances will be codified per city processes.

The council continued with other agenda items and community announcements following the votes.