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Portsmouth seeks state and federal help for infrastructure and homelessness; council asked for edits
Summary
City Manager Steven Carter presented a draft legislative package that includes proposed code changes, public‑safety technical fixes and funding requests: Prince Street transmission main ($16M), sanitary pump‑station rehab ($22M) and a homeless shelter with a $17M total need and a reported $9M funding gap; council will submit feedback before October.
City Manager Steven Carter presented a draft legislative agenda the council will review for submission to state and federal representatives. The package mixes statutory requests, technical fixes and project funding asks.
On state items, Carter proposed adding language to the Virginia Code (draft cited as 15.2‑22.86 in the packet) to allow certain special‑use permits to automatically expire after a change of ownership or a designated period, requested authority related to retired law‑enforcement officers and urged creation of a class‑2 misdemeanor for leaving firearms in unlocked vehicles. He also proposed technical changes to photo enforcement review periods and to the authority for certified reviewers for photo/video traffic violations.
Carter listed large capital funding requests for the state packet: Prince Street Transmission Main Project phases 1 and 2 ($16,000,000 requested), sanitary sewage pump station rehabilitation ($22,000,000 requested) and a portion of a homeless shelter project totaling $17,000,000; Carter said the city currently has a $9,000,000 funding gap to complete the shelter. He asked council to review the draft and give feedback ahead of an October deadline so the legislative committee can finalize the package for outreach to the General Assembly and a planned joint session in November.
Mayor Glover and several councilmembers also urged continued support for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and noted potential federal threats to its funding; Councilwoman Thomas suggested adding a request to channel recent maternal‑health funds toward a pilot in Portsmouth.
Next steps: council members should submit comments to the legislative committee before the October meeting; staff will update the packet and bring a final version for approval and transmittal to state and federal representatives.
