Newport News council approves childcare permit, code reorganizations, waterworks policy change and $360,000 opioid‑abatement appropriation

Newport News — At its Jan. 13 meeting the City Council approved several ordinances, a financial‑policy resolution and a $360,000 appropriation tied to opioid‑abatement funding.

Key votes at a glance

- Conditional use permit (Item E‑1): Council adopted an ordinance granting CUP Charlie‑2025‑0010 to Courtney Solis and Acacia Phillips to operate a family day‑care facility for up to 12 children on a 0.27‑acre parcel at 192 Colony Road (Zone R‑3). The public hearing had no speakers and the council approved the ordinance by roll call 7‑0.

- Administrative code reassignments (Item G‑1 and G‑2): The council adopted ordinances to amend City Code Chapter 2, Administration Article 24, and Chapter 13 (building regulations) to reflect that zoning enforcement responsibilities were moved to the Department of Planning in FY2024 and to align building regulations with the Uniform Statewide Building Code. The city manager recommended approval; both ordinances passed 7‑0.

- Waterworks financial policy (Item G‑3): Council approved a resolution updating the Waterworks Department Fund policy to raise the debt‑service coverage ratio from 1.2x to 1.5x annual debt service to strengthen the utility's ability to meet obligations. The resolution passed 7‑0.

- Appropriation from Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (Item H‑1): Council approved a resolution appropriating $360,000 from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority to sustain and build 'Operation Stop, Newport News, Citi,' a program targeting high opioid overdose death rates among Black American residents. City staff recommended approval and the appropriation passed 7‑0.

What council members said: The city manager presented each item and repeatedly "recommended approval." Council members had minimal substantive debate on the items and recorded unanimous roll‑call approvals. The approvals of the code and building‑code text changes were presented as technical updates reflecting an administrative shift of enforcement responsibility to the Department of Planning.

Procedural notes: Several items on the consent agenda (F‑1 through F‑4) — including minutes and a funding agreement with the Virginia Department of Health — were approved as a block 7‑0.

What's next: The CUP and ordinance amendments are effective per standard municipal adoption timelines; council also signaled further budget and committee work on other items raised during public comment (including requests for a recurring funding line for community street outreach and potential collective bargaining ordinance work).