Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Government topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Norfolk council honors Northviews state champs, adopts several grant and budget ordinances
Summary
At its April 14, 2026 meeting Norfolk City Council recognized Northview High Schools boys basketball team for winning the VHSL Class 5 state title and approved multiple FY2026 appropriations and grants, including $20,000 from the Carnegie Corporation and several public-safety and recovery grants; a conditional-use permit for a restaurant (C4) was amended to prohibit disc jockeys as permitted entertainment.
Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander read a proclamation on April 14, 2026, recognizing the Northview High School Pilots and head coach Ricardo Foster for winning the 2026 Virginia High School League Class 5 boys basketball championship.
"It was a great season," Coach Ricardo Foster told the council, calling the title "surreal" and thanking players, coaches and the school community.
On the consent agenda the council considered and adopted a block of ordinances amending the FY2026 annual appropriations ordinance to accept several grants and appropriations. The measures approved included a $20,000 gift from the Carnegie Corporation of New York for the Downtown (Slover) and Van Wyck branches of the Norfolk Public Library; a $32,096 aid-to-localities grant from the Virginia Department of Fire Programs that increases funding for the citys fire services; $33,235 in grant funds from the Virginia Crisis Intervention Team Coalition to support Norfolks Crisis Intervention Team program; and $22,958.46 in federal substance abuse block grant funds to support local recovery courts.
Councilor Melita said an amendment to conditional use permit C4 for a proposed restaurant at 241 Granby Street would remove disc jockeys from the list of permitted entertainment; the amended ordinance authorizes live entertainment and on-premises sale of alcoholic beverages for an establishment named Black Eyed Peas restaurant but excludes DJs from permitted entertainment.
Votes and procedure: The council dispensed with the charter requirement for reading the ordinances twice and adopted the ordinances with the effective date. During roll call the members present recorded affirmative responses (Mr. Clanton, Mrs. Doyle, Mrs. Johnson, Mr. McGee, Mr. Page, Mr. Smigel, Mr. Thomas and Mayor Alexander) for the consent items recorded in the transcript.
Why it matters: The appropriations and grants fund library programming, fire services, crisis-intervention work and substance-abuse recovery services—resources that affect public safety and community services across Norfolk.
Next steps: The ordinances were adopted with their effective dates as read; item C4 was approved with the specified amendment restricting one form of entertainment.
