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Residents press council on cemeteries, transit complaints, park safety and property‑tax reform
Summary
During public comment, residents raised concerns about an alleged HRT bus removal, alleged retribution and unfulfilled neighborhood commitments, protections for Barnes Cemetery, lighting and safety at Barfield tennis courts, and advocacy for state bill HB 10 on property tax reform; city staff pledged follow‑up and cited a consultant report due Jan. 26.
Several residents used the meeting’s public‑comment period to press the council on a range of neighborhood and policy issues, from cemetery protections to park safety and state tax policy.
Paul Harden described being accused of drinking aboard a Hampton Roads Transit bus and said he was banned; mayor and staff asked him to provide details after the meeting so the city could share the complaint with HRT for follow‑up. Joan Weaver spoke about long‑standing community grievances and alleged retribution by city departments, saying the neighborhood’s promises have not been fulfilled: "We were desecrated. We were robbed," she said.
Theresa Roundy presented historical and legal materials concerning Barnes Cemetery and emphasized that cemeteries are governed under cemetery law rather than ordinary real‑estate law. She provided staff with documentation and urged that sites with human remains receive archaeological review and legal protection before any disturbance.
Darren Williams, who helps maintain Barfield (Bradfield) tennis courts, thanked council for recent repaving but said lighting problems persist, that skaters are damaging court surfaces, and that loud, profane music and threats to court users have led to calls for increased enforcement. The city manager told Williams that the contractor responsible for the lighting had been scheduled to repair the system on January 20 and that parks staff would coordinate on targeted park‑ranger presence for enforcement.
Travis Adams urged council to support HB 10 at the General Assembly, a bill that would allow some localities to set property‑tax rates separately for land and improvements to encourage productive land use and address vacant or blighted parcels.
City manager remarks after public comment committed staff to follow up: staff will attempt to work with HRT on Harden’s complaint; staff expect to receive a consultant’s infrastructure assessment for a neighborhood project on January 26 that will inform use of approximately $1.5 million set aside for the neighborhood (the manager noted an earlier $250,000 investment for updated infrastructure assessment); and parks staff have scheduled contractor work on lighting at Barfield Park.
Speakers who raised legal or procedural materials left documents with the clerk and were told the city attorney would review submissions as appropriate.
