Newport News council establishes independent city auditor, updates city code, expands surviving-spouse tax exemption and approves property purchase

Newport News City Council on Jan. 28 adopted a package of ordinances and a purchase resolution that together establish an independent city auditor, revise parts of the city code for administrative and safety purposes, expand a surviving-spouse real property tax exemption, and authorize purchase of a portion of property at 15446 Wharck Boulevard from St. George's Episcopal Church.

The measures passed with little debate. The ordinance creating the Office of the City Auditor passed on a recorded vote of 6-0 after the city manager said the office would be “an independent entity dedicated to fostering transparency, accountability, and efficiency in city governance” and recommended approval. Council also voted 6-0 to adopt a separate ordinance amending city code to streamline administrative processes, require enhanced criminal-history and background checks for certain applicants, employees and volunteers, and to remove the Department of Internal Audit from the code. Another 6-0 vote amended City Code chapter 40, section 40-7.07 to broaden the real property tax exemption for surviving spouses to include spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty as determined by the U.S. Department of Defense.

A separate resolution authorizing the city manager to execute documents to buy a portion of 15446 Wharck Boulevard from St. George's Episcopal Church also passed, 5-0 with one abstention. Councilman Harris announced he would abstain, citing a personal interest: he said he is executive director of the Safe Haven Apartment Center, which “may realize a benefit because of the transaction,” and stated his written declaration is on file with the city clerk.

The ordinance establishing the city auditor outlines appointment authority and duties and includes provisions for a fraud, waste and abuse hotline and guidelines for access and reporting. The city manager urged the council to approve the measure, saying it would strengthen transparency and efficiency in city operations.

The city-code amendment described by staff seeks to clarify procedures for budget submissions to align with the city charter, enhance safety protocols, and strengthen background-check requirements for designated positions. The amendment also removes the Department of Internal Audit from the code; the manager recommended approval of that change as part of the overall package.

The tax-exemption amendment changes chapter 40, section 40-7.07 to reflect updates to the Virginia Constitution and statutory code; the change specifically extends the existing exemption for surviving spouses to include those whose service member spouses died in the line of duty as determined by the U.S. Department of Defense.

On the property purchase, the resolution authorizes acquisition of “a 2.638 proportion” of the parcel at 15446 Wharck Boulevard from St. George's Episcopal Church. According to city staff, the purchase is intended to support operations of the Safe Haven Empowerment Center and provide space for potential future growth. The resolution directs the city manager to execute necessary documents to effectuate the purchase.

Council also approved a consent agenda (including minutes and a resolution changing the Feb. 11 council meeting location to Denbigh Community Center) and conducted a brief rollout of a new electronic voting system that the city manager and mayor said will require some fine tuning.

During the citizen-comments period, one speaker, John Bloom, urged attention to school safety and recounted a past incident he said involved a student and a teacher at Passage Middle School; Bloom said he believed school officials and law enforcement had reporting obligations. The council did not take action on the citizen comment during the meeting.

Mayor Philip Jones presided over the meeting. City staff said the ordinances and the purchase resolution will move forward for implementation as directed by the respective approvals.