Council adopts five-year CIP amid objections on tax pressure; Parks & Rec fee changes draw strong public opposition

The Hampton City Council on April 22 adopted the FY2027-2031 Capital Improvement Plan after a public hearing and a roll-call vote. Councilwoman Campbell said she would vote no on any tax rate above $1.12 and announced she would vote against the CIP; the clerk then called the roll and the motion carried with a majority in favor and a recorded Nay from Campbell.

Earlier the consent agenda — including authorization to donate a fireboat to the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Department and approval of April 9 special-session minutes — passed without discussion.

During the public-comment period, many speakers pressed the council on unrelated but budget-related matters: residents raised a long-standing drainage problem behind a home on Mac Alba Drive that the stormwater department had not fully resolved; leaders of multiple volunteer youth-sports programs urged council to reconsider a Parks & Recreation policy that would charge practice-field fees they described as a "double tax" for 100% volunteer organizations and estimated to cost teams $3,500 to $6,000 per season.

Jay Stephens, president of Peninsula Youth Football and Cheerleading (PIVCO), said the umbrella of five programs serves 800 to 1,000 children and that the new practice fees would create financial hardship for families and risk removing access to youth sports. "This fee is a double tax," Stephens said, asking council to review the policy.

Several other volunteers, including Dina Moore Hughes and Alexis Start (who described long-term volunteer service to Hampton children), said the fees were announced midseason and would be passed to parents, potentially pricing children out of programs that provide mentoring and crime-prevention benefits. Ashley Genrette of the Virginia Eagles told council that bringing organizations into Parks & Rec would waive fees but said that option was not immediately viable for many groups.

City Manager Ponte and staff responded in detail. Staff said stormwater crews had done manual cleaning but recommended a full regrade that would require temporary removal of rear fences where property owners had constructed improvements in an easement. On field fees, Parks & Rec staff acknowledged inconsistent past enforcement, said a prior fee structure existed, and offered to convene an immediate follow-up meeting with affected organizations and Parks & Rec leadership to find a solution or a revised policy; the manager said staff would gather comparative data from peer cities and explore grant or Office of Youth and Young Adult Opportunities support.

Other public questions addressed the AquaPlex enterprise fund, the $10 million golf-course allocation in the CIP (targeted to Hamptons golf-course improvements using one-time savings), tiny-home transitional housing planning (rough planning estimate of roughly $4.5 million for about 50 units), and a recent council data tour of data centers. Ponte said staff will prepare follow-up materials and public sessions on the latter topics.

The meeting also included an appointment: the council appointed Brian DiProchio as an alternate to the Western Tidewater Regional Jail Authority.