Residents, nonprofit leaders and city employees urge council to fund youth programs, arts and collective bargaining
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Summary
During the public comment period, 35 speakers urged continued or increased support for local nonprofits (Virginia Living Museum, Virginia Symphony, YMCA, YVCHR), called for recurring funding for violence-intervention and community programs, and multiple city employees urged support for collective bargaining and higher wages.
Public comment at the April 14 session featured 35 speakers who raised neighborhood needs, nonprofit funding requests and workforce concerns.
Nonprofit and arts requests: Sarah Messer Smith, president of the Virginia Living Museum, thanked council for past support and described the museum's reach, saying the institution serves tens of thousands of students and families. Shannon Kelly, president and CEO of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, described the symphony's regional economic and educational contributions and said the orchestra asked the city for a larger community support agency grant allocation after funding fell from roughly $35,000 to just over $7,000 last year.
Youth programs and YMCA: Lisa Scheider, a Gildersleeve Middle School teacher and volunteer with the Tom and Anne Honeycutt YMCA, spoke in support of the Y's Y Achievers program and asked the council to consider increased funding to expand teen programming that provides college and career exposure and safe spaces for adolescents.
Community safety and violence intervention: Latonya Denson ("Miss Abyss") and Dr. Chanel Ketchmore, representing community-based intervention groups, urged recurring, stable funding for community violence intervention and prevention. Ketchmore specifically asked council to consider an annual line item for gun violence prevention and intervention work.
City workforce and collective bargaining: Multiple city employees and supporters, including Curtis Hartsfield (Public Works veteran), Keith Graham and others, thanked council for steps such as a $18 minimum wage decision and asked the city to adopt policies that support collective bargaining and address wage compression and retention concerns among skilled and frontline workers.
Neighborhood requests and service issues: Residents requested a bench at an HRT stop (2721 Mary Oaks & Warwick Landing), raised concerns about unfinished infrastructure in the Huntington Point subdivision, and reported parking/communication problems related to a no-parking posting on 14th Street.
Why it matters: Public commenters tied the budget to daily services, workforce stability and nonprofit program continuity. Several speakers urged that modest line-item investments sustain programs that serve youth, vulnerable residents and public-safety prevention efforts.
What happens next: Council acknowledged the comments, thanked speakers and continued the budget public hearing to April 16 for additional testimony and deliberation.
