Suffolk previews 2026 legislative agenda, emphasizes regional transportation, school construction and local charter updates
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Summary
Access Point Public Affairs presented Suffolk's draft 2026 legislative agenda to council, prioritizing regional transportation funding, three charter-change proposals, expanded support for 9-1-1 dispatchers, and a $500,000 request for a North Suffolk connector study; council members raised questions on school funding allocation, toll relief equity and juvenile detention capacity.
City staff and Access Point Public Affairs presented a draft 2026 legislative agenda that centers on regional transportation funding, updates to the city charter, and several funding and policy positions that staff said they will carry to Richmond.
Mindy Carlin of Access Point Public Affairs told the council the draft elevates regional transportation funding and sustainable transit as a top priority and seeks several charter amendments to modernize local language: revise council composition language to reflect eight council members after a directly elected mayor, remove obsolete city-clerk appointment language dating to the 1970s, and clarify department oversight to reflect the city manager's current responsibilities. Carlin said the changes "should not be controversial" and are meant to align the charter with current practice.
Carlin also said the city will continue to pursue state support for school construction and modernization and broadened a proposal to seek increased state investment for local fire services that would include changes to aid distribution and sustained grant funding for vehicles, equipment and recruitment. She raised a new funding request: $500,000 for a feasibility study of a proposed two-lane North Suffolk connector to link Nansemond Parkway with Shoulders Hill Road and improve connections to downtown.
Randy Carter, the city clerk, asked the council to support a legislative clarification on "excess fees," explaining the current statute and budget language differ on how excess clerk fees are allocated. "If we generate more fees than that monthly average is, that's called an excess fee," Carter said, and he argued budget language adopted in recent years reduced Suffolk's share; he told the council the locality has lost about $1.5 million under current budget language.
Council members asked several follow-ups. Councilman Rector asked whether recent dilapidated-structure and land bank timelines would be revisited; Carlin said localities are discussing refinements and staff can update the platform if council wants. Councilman Johnson pressed about how school construction funds would be allocated; Carlin said the city's draft seeks funding without locking in a single mechanism so staff can respond to multiple potential proposals, including a local-option sales-tax authority that has passed the General Assembly twice but was vetoed.
The mayor and other council members raised concerns about the toll-relief formula that currently leaves many Suffolk residents ineligible for relief and the state moratorium on creating new juvenile detention facilities, which the mayor described as causing regional capacity issues. Carlin and staff offered to supply existing studies and coordinate regional data to support future requests.
Next steps: Staff will take council feedback and return a revised legislative agenda for adoption next month. Several items on the draft are position statements rather than active city-led bills; staff said the city will proactively pursue a subset of priorities while retaining the ability to support regional or statewide initiatives as opportunities arise.
