Hampton Council reviews $295 million FY2022–26 capital improvement plan

City Council members on the Hampton City Council reviewed the manager’s proposed FY2022–2026 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), a five-year rolling plan the city presented for public hearing and adoption. City management said the plan totals roughly $294,988,492 and ties each capital project to council strategic priorities including economic growth, education, good government, living with water, placemaking and safe and clean community.

Jenny Thomas, a management and systems analyst in the budget office, summarized the CIP criteria and funding sources, saying projects must generally cost at least $50,000 and have a minimum five-year life. Thomas listed example project allocations: Buckroe Bayfront infrastructure $500,000; downtown investments $2,500,000; Coliseum maintenance $4,500,000; school maintenance and technology $67,400,000; and a proposed 9‑1‑1 emergency operations center at about $12,600,000.

The manager framed the CIP as conservative and responsive to realistic revenues. “When we develop a CIP, we try to be very conservative,” City Manager Mary Bunting said, adding that first-year projections are adjusted once the revenue picture is clearer. The manager told council that the first year of the CIP would be included in the manager’s recommended budget and that the council will hold a public hearing and vote on the CIP that evening, with additional public hearings scheduled for the overall city budget.

Council members asked staff to provide more clarity on several line items and to ensure the public understands which projects would be funded in the near term and which are planned in later years. The city will present the CIP publicly later the same day as part of the statutory process for budget adoption.