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City manager warns federal grant pullbacks could threaten services and cites $20 million EPA flood grant
Summary
The city manager told the Hampton City Council that recent federal executive orders and mixed agency guidance require a grant‑by‑grant risk assessment; he cited a $20,000,000 EPA flood‑mitigation grant for Aberdeen Gardens and said about 80 positions rely on federal or pass‑through funds.
The city manager told the council the administration is reviewing federal grants case‑by‑case in light of recent executive orders and mixed guidance from agencies, and urged a conservative approach to spending until reimbursements are certain. He said the city had been "very successful in getting a lot of federal grants" and that staff plans to pause spending on grants judged high risk.
"We got a $20,000,000 EPA grant to deal with flooding in the Aberdeen Gardens area," he said, using the award as an example of a project staff would assess for reimbursement risk. He added that "around 80 positions" are supported either directly or through pass‑through federal funds and recommended prioritizing human‑service positions such as victim‑witness counselors and a domestic violence coordinator to avoid harm to vulnerable residents.
The manager said the city has sought written clarifications from granting agencies about their ability to process reimbursements; some agencies have authorized continued spending while others, he said, sent blanket guidance not to spend. He described staff proposals to use fund balance as a contingency to maintain essential positions and to prepare both 'best case' and 'worst case' budget scenarios for the council as new information arrives.
