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Public commenters press council on online posting of proposed legislation, question pedestrian-bridge funding
Summary
A remote commenter identified as George urged the council to publish proposed legislation online before meetings to enable informed public comment; Mary Shones questioned why a suspended Grand Avenue pedestrian-bridge project (missing a $3M local match) lacked funds while money exists for a Governor's Parkway bridge that would affect Briar East Woods.
During the public-expression portion of the March 23 meeting, a remote participant identified as George urged the council to post proposed legislation online before meetings so residents can review and provide meaningful comment. George said the current practice is “unduly and burdensome” and suggested failure to publish proposed ordinances could raise First Amendment concerns; the claim received no recorded response in the segment.
In chambers, Mary Shones asked the council to explain a February 26 memo suspending the Grand Avenue pedestrian-bridge project after Norfolk Southern declined a $3,000,000 local match. She said the city appears to have funding for a separate Governor's Parkway bridge that would require clear-cutting Briar East Woods and asked why funds were not available for the Grand Avenue location, which she described as needed for school safety. Shones requested a follow-up conversation after the meeting.
Council leadership acknowledged the comments and said staff would follow up; no formal action was taken during the meeting on either transparency posting or bridge funding.
