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New Kent supervisors adopt 2026 legislative agenda, push for local control on housing and road funding
Summary
The Board adopted its 2026 legislative agenda, asking the General Assembly for flexibility on AFD board membership, funding for alternatives to groundwater and dam repairs, more secondary road maintenance funding, and tailored treatment of EPA standards for fire apparatus; supervisors stressed opposition to state mandates on local land-use decisions.
The New Kent County Board of Supervisors voted Nov. 24 to adopt its 2026 legislative agenda, a document the county will use to communicate priorities to state and federal lawmakers.
County staff member Mr. Hathaway presented the revised agenda, which requests several items of state attention and funding. Key requests include allowing the commissioner of revenue to designate a deputy to serve on Agriculture and Forestal District advisory boards, financial support for local alternatives to groundwater when state permits become more restrictive, state assistance for dam-safety upgrades, and additional secondary road maintenance funding tied to impacts from major interstate projects. Hathaway also urged special consideration for EPA regulations affecting fire and rescue apparatus, noting manufacturers’ new emission standards have reduced vehicle longevity for apparatus that idle frequently and operate intermittently.
On local control and housing, the agenda calls for support for housing development that "respects local planning and authority." Hathaway said the county opposes state mandates that would take away local land-use authority. "We just believe that skill games...it should be a local decision," Hathaway said when discussing state-level authority and local decisionmaking. (Hathaway discussed a range of items including skill games regulation, K–12 benchmark funding issues, and collective bargaining.)
Ms. Pearson moved to adopt the legislative agenda; the motion passed on a roll call with votes recorded as: Mr. Moyer — Aye; Ms. Pearson — Aye; Mr. Stiers — Aye; Ms. Stewart — Aye; Mr. Evelyn — Aye.
What happens next: With adoption, staff can distribute the agenda (including a pocket brochure) to the county’s state and federal representatives and use it to guide advocacy during the upcoming General Assembly session.
