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City staff report progress on focus action plan; consultants present disparity‑study findings and Kempsville RFP options
Summary
Deputy City Manager Monica Croskey briefed council on a 45‑initiative Focus Action Plan and progress in EMS staffing, community engagement and attainable housing. Staff and consultant presentations recommended issuing an RFP for Kempsville with design safeguards, and BBC Research urged reintroducing project goals to address disparities in city contracting.
Deputy City Manager Monica Croskey told the City Council that the Focus Action Plan is intentionally action‑oriented and not a shelf document, and highlighted progress across its three focus areas — people, places and partnerships. "The focus action plan does not sit on a shelf," Croskey said, noting monthly interdepartmental reviews and a planned fiscal year‑end report in early September.
Croskey said investments in EMS produced higher hour‑by‑hour ambulance staffing after the city hired 24 positions and adopted a 24‑on/72‑off staffing pattern. She also described new outreach tools and pilots, including Parks After Dark and an Ages & Stages online resource to connect residents with programs.
Why it matters: the briefing gives council a mid‑cycle view of dozens of operational initiatives the city ties directly to council priorities. Staff emphasized that many items advance incrementally and that a full FY26 performance report will list status across the 45 initiatives.
In separate briefings, Acting Economic Development Director Emmy Archer asked council if staff should issue a request for proposals for the Northeast Kempsville quadrant. Archer said roughly 10.6 acres of city‑owned land could be developed for walkable mixed‑use; advisory committee input favored a mix of uses and attainable housing at roughly 80% AMI. She recommended RFP criteria that require concept plans, timelines and compliance with the historic Kempsville architectural guidelines. Council members pressed for preliminary surveys (utilities, environmental phase‑I) before an RFP; staff said much of that due diligence can be provided and recommended a 60–90 day response window for respondents and a fall RFP release.
Also on the agenda, Purchasing Agent Lavera Talentino and Sameer Bawa of BBC Research presented the 2025 disparity study update, which analyzed about $1.64 billion in contracts from July 2020 to June 2024. Bawa summarized the availability and participation analyses and reported disparity indices indicating substantial underutilization for several groups; for example, minority‑owned firms received a share of dollars well below measured local availability. The study recommended reintroducing an expanded project‑goals program and strengthening tiered small‑business measures to close gaps in participation.
What’s next: staff will circulate the full FY26 performance report in September; council gave general direction to proceed with Kempsville due diligence and an RFP process that incorporates community input; staff said any stormwater, zoning or historic design issues raised by the Kempsville advisory committee would remain part of the RFP evaluation. Council also signaled interest in considering BBC’s recommendations, including targeted project goals and small‑business refinements, as part of a policy follow‑up.
