summary minutes of the hrpdc/hrtpo community advisory

HRPDC/HRTPO CAC Summary Minutes – January 14, 2021 -

Summary Minutes of the HRPDC/HRTPO Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting

January 14, 2021

The HRPDC/HRTPO Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting was called to order at noon. Pursuant to the declared state of emergency in the Commonwealth of Virginia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to protect the public health and safety of the Committee members, staff, and the general public, the CAC Meeting was held electronically via Zoom. These electronic meetings are required to complete essential business on behalf of the region. A recording of the meeting is available on the website.

HRPDC/HRTPO CAC Members in Attendance: Terry Danaher, Chair (PO) Carlton Hardy, Vice-Chair (NN) Brandon Carter (CH) John Kish (CH) Jim Bowie (HA) Cynthia Taylor (IW) Christian Strange (NO)

HRPDC/HRTPO Staff: Robert A. Crum, Jr. Keith Cannady Pavithra Pavasthrati

OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE Eric Stringfield (VDOT)

Mark Geduldig-Yatrofsky (PO) Garry Harris (PO) George Mears (SU) Dianna Howard (VB) Brad Martin (VB) Delceno Miles (VB)

Kendall Miller Robert Cofield Joe Turner

Following Chair Terry Danaher’s calling the CAC meeting to order, Ms. Kendall Miller, HRPDC/HRTPO Administrator, Office of Community Affairs and Civil Rights, read the HRPDC/HRTPO Electronic Meeting Policy Statement detailing the Commonwealth of Virginia Governor’s ongoing declaration of the Commonwealth’s state of emergency due to COVID-19, and its impact on public meetings.

Ms. Dianna Howard expressed concern over her lack of comfort with the HRPDC/HRTPO virtual meeting platform and indicated she felt unable to clearly and adequately communicate her thoughts and questions to the committee. Ms. Miller offered to provide another Zoom meeting platform training for CAC members. Ms. Howard and Mr. George Mears indicated they were interested in receiving training.

Mr. George Mears expressed concern over the direction of the CAC. Citing the CAC’s lack of depth since expanding its purview to the HRPDC, Mr. Mears said he felt the CAC had become

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a cheerleading squad for the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce and their efforts. He expressed concern over his assessment of agenda items being presented to the CAC over the last 18 months and encouraged the HRPDC/HRTP0 to return to the approach historically used with the CAC. Ms. Kendall Miller replied that she would work with the CAC to ensure that they retained their purview and that they continued to be effectively utilized as an advisory committee. Chair Danaher asked Committee members to present concerns during the Old/New Business agenda item. Public Comment Period The public was provided an opportunity to comment in advance of the meeting by email or phone. There were no comments received via either option as of 48 hours before the meeting. Submitted Public Comments There were no submitted public comments. Approval of Agenda Chair Danaher asked for a motion to approve the January 14, 2021 agenda as presented. Motion: Ms. Dianna Howard Moved to approve the agenda as presented, seconded by

Ms. Delceno Miles. The Motion Carried. Summary Minutes of the November 12, 2020 CAC Meeting Chair Terry Danaher asked for a motion to approve the summary minutes of the November 12, 2020 CAC meeting as presented. Motion: Ms. Dianna Howard Moved to approve the summary minutes of the November

12, 2020 CAC meeting as presented; seconded by Ms. Delceno Miles. The Motion Carried.

Review of Robert’s Rules of Order and CAC Bylaws Mr. Robert Crum Jr., HRPDC/HRTPO Executive Director, and Ms. Kendall Miller, HRPDC/HRTPO Administrator, Office of Community Affairs and Civil Rights, provided a review of Robert’s Rules of Order and the CAC Bylaws: Robert’s Rules of Order – Mr. Crum provided an overview of Robert’s Rules of Order. He explained that the CAC’s knowledge of Robert’s Rules of Order would assist them with navigating CAC meetings efficiently. Mr. Crum provided a summary presentation on this

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parliamentary guiding document as well as an overview of various sections pertaining to discipline, disputes, and conflict of interest. CAC Bylaws - Ms. Miller followed Mr. Crum with an overview of the current CAC bylaws. Covering each section, Ms. Miller informed the CAC that certain segments of the bylaws were under review and would be updated over the next two months. She went on to say that the draft bylaws would be presented to the CAC at the March 2021 meeting and ended by saying the CAC bylaws would be emailed to the CAC following the CAC meeting so that members could review and share with her any recommended updates. Following the presentation, Mr. George Mears stated that he believed the CAC had become too watered down. Chair Terry Danaher asked that the CAC provide recommended changes to the bylaws in writing. Ms. Miller assured the CAC she would provide a process by which the CAC could provide recommendations. HRPDC/HRTPO 2021 Legislative Agenda Mr. Robert Crum Jr., HRPDC/HRTPO Executive Director, provided a review of the 2021 HRPDC/HRTPO Legislative Agenda. He reminded the CAC that the agenda consisted of Regional priorities that had been discussed by or presented to the CAC over the last 12 months and went on to say that the General Assembly’s session began on January 13, 2021. The HRPDC/ HRTPO’s Legislative Priorities include but are not limited to:

o Coastal Resiliency o Broadband o Off-Shore Wind o Smart Scale Funding o I-64 Gap between Hampton Roads and Richmond o Elizabeth River Crossing Toll Agreement

Ms. Dianna Howard commented that she had no recollection of the HRPDC/HRTPO staff presenting to the CAC on many of the legislative priorities. Mr. George Mears agreed, saying that the CAC should not approve or comment on the HRPDC/HRTPO Legislative priorities given the fact that they were not apprised of some of the topics covered. Mr. Christian Strange agreed. Mr. Crum and Ms. Miller replied that many of these topics were presented to the CAC over the past 12 to 18 months. Ms. Miller invited the CAC to identify any topic areas which require further discussion. Mr. Crum noted that the CAC soulc consider informing the public of the Legislative priorities of the HRPDC/HRTPO rather than taking a formal position. The CAC members concurred with this recommendation.

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Old/New Business Mr. Robert Crum Jr., HRPDC/HRTPO Executive Director, provided the CAC with an update on the Commonwealth of Virginia’s COVID-19 vaccination effort and outlined the Region’s desire to assist the Commonwealth with the effort. Mr. Crum also provided an update on the Regional Transportation Advisory Panel (RTAP). Adjournment With no further business to come before the HRPDC/HRTPO Community Advisory Committee, Chair Terry Danaher asked for a motion to adjourn. Motion: Mr. George Mears Moved to adjourn; seconded by Mr. Brad Martin. The Motion

Carried. The meeting adjourned at 2:12 p.m.

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Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) Chief Administrative Officers Meeting Summary Minutes of February 3, 2021

The Chief Administrative Officers (CAO) Committee Meeting was called to order at 11:30 AM by Mary Bunting, CAO Committee Chair and Hampton City Manager. Ms. Bunting asked Mr. Robert Crum, HRPDC/HRTPO Executive Director, to provide a statement regarding today’s virtual/electronic meeting. Mr. Crum noted that pursuant to the declared state of emergency in the Commonwealth of Virginia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to protect the public health, safety and welfare of the Committee members, staff and the general public, today’s CAO Committee meeting is being held electronically via Zoom. Mr. Crum noted that the Zoom access information was published with the agenda for use by Committee members and the general public to access today’s meeting. The following members of the CAO Committee were in attendance: Mary Bunting Hampton Patrick Duhaney Virginia Beach Brent Fedors Gloucester County Amanda Jarrett Franklin Mike Johnson Southampton County Randy Keaton Isle of Wight County Albert Moor Suffolk Neil Morgan York County LaVoris Pace Portsmouth Chris Price Chesapeake Cynthia Rohlf Newport News Melissa Rollins Surry County William Saunders Windsor Michael Stallings Smithfield Scott Stevens James City County Andrew Trivette Williamsburg Randy Wheeler Poquoson Others in Attendance Robert Crum HRPDC/HRTPO Keith Cannady HRPDC Pavithra Parthasarathi HRTPO Whitney Katchmark HRPDC Diane Kaufman Senator Kaine’s Office Drew Lumpkin Senator Warner’s Office Caleb Smith Representative Luria’s Office

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Hampton Roads CAO Meeting – February 3, 2021 Summary Minutes

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Mark Geduldig-Yatrofsky Portsmouth Resident Chris Stone Clark Nexon Skip Styles Wetlands Watch Ron Carlee Old Dominion University Peter Stephenson VML Insurance Programs (VMLIP) Approval of Agenda and Meeting Minutes Ms. Bunting asked if there were any additions or revisions to the agenda or the Summary Minutes from the January 6, 2021 meeting. Ms. Bunting noted that since there were no changes, that the roll call vote for approval of the Agenda and Meeting Minutes could occur together. Mr. Wheeler from Poquoson made a motion to approve both the Meeting Agenda as well as the Summary Minutes from the January 6, 2021 Meeting. A second was provided by Mr. Fedors from Gloucester County. Mr. Crum proceeded to the roll call vote: Mary Bunting Hampton Yes Patrick Duhaney Virginia Beach Yes Brent Fedors Gloucester County Yes Amanda Jarrett Franklin Yes Mike Johnson Southampton County Yes Randy Keaton Isle of Wight County Yes Albert Moor Suffolk Yes Neil Morgan York County Yes LaVoris Pace Portsmouth Yes Chris Price Chesapeake Yes Cynthia Rohlf Newport News Yes Melissa Rollins Surry County Yes William Saunders Windsor Yes Michael Stallings Smithfield Yes Scott Stevens James City County Yes Andrew Trivette Williamsburg Yes Randy Wheeler Poquoson Yes The motion passed unanimously Public Comment Period Ms. Bunting asked if there were any members of the public who wanted to address the CAO Committee. Mr. Skip Styles from Wetlands Watch thanked the CAO Committee and the HRPDC for the region’s work and leadership on areas related to sea level rise. He noted that the HRPDC and the region have advanced work in this area that is a national model. He encouraged our region to play more of a leadership role at the State level to share this work and begin to shape State policy that is critically important to address this issue.

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Mr. Styles also referenced the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act (CBPA) amended regulations. He noted that our region and others successfully advanced comments asking that the public comment period on these proposed regulations be extended. Comments are now due the beginning of May. He stressed the importance of our region staying engaged with the advancement of these regulations, noting the impact they could have for our region. Mr. Crum thanked Mr. Styles for his comments, and noted that plans are for Ms. Katchmark of the HRPDC staff to brief the CAO Committee on the CBPA regulations at their March CAO Committee meeting. Regional COVID-19 Response and Vaccination Update Ms. Bunting asked Mr. Crum to introduce this item. Mr. Crum noted that a copy of the January 21, 2021 correspondence from the HRPDC to Governor Northam expressing concerns about the rate of vaccinations in Virginia and the Hampton Roads region was included in today’s agenda. He reminded members that this correspondence was approved by the HRPDC at its January 21 meeting. He noted that following the receipt of this letter, the Governor’s office reached out and scheduled a virtual meeting with the HRPDC Chair and Vice Chair, CAO representatives and the Executive Director. Mr. Crum noted that one of the recommendations agreed to by the Governor was the formation of a CAO Advisory Committee that would consist of eight to ten CAOs from around the State who would meet with the Governor’s team on a weekly basis to discuss what is working and what needs improved regarding the vaccine rollout. He reported that Mary Bunting from Hampton and Chip Filer from Norfolk will represent our region on this Advisory Group. Mr. Crum indicated he is working with the Governor’s office and about eight PDC regions to have appointments made to this CAO Advisory Committee. Mr. Crum also noted that progress has been made at the General Assembly regarding the advancement of bills in the House and Senate that would allow local government staff to issue vaccines to the general public. He reminded the CAO Committee that the HRPDC also took action to support these bills with a regional letter at the January 21 HRPDC meeting. Ms. Bunting noted that there is continued value in hearing updates from each other regarding the COVID-19 pandemic response and vaccine rollout in each locality. She asked Mr. Crum to do a roll call of each CAO member and asked each CAO to provide a report from their locality. Mr. Crum proceeded with the roll call and each CAO shared an update from their local government. Topic areas included status reports on local vaccination clinics, coordination with local health districts, the status of Phase 1A and 1B vaccine rollouts, the registration systems for vaccines, collaboration with health institutions, and the challenges of vaccine supply availability.

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General Assembly Session

Mr. Crum summarized the Regional Legislative Agendas of the HRPDC and HRTPO as well as bills that are advancing around these priority areas. Ms. Bunting asked Mr. Crum to call a roll call of the various localities to learn about important issues that each government is tracking this General Assembly session. Mr. Crum proceeded with the roll call. Major discussion items included a proposed bill that would allow local governments the option of posting land use public notices on locality web sites and bills related to solar power, local cigarette taxes/regional tax board and the timing of local government elections.

Adjournment

There being no further business to come before the CAO Committee, the meeting was adjourned at approximately 12:30 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Crum Recording Secretary

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Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) Chief Administrative Officers Meeting

Summary Minutes of March 3, 2021 The Chief Administrative Officers (CAO) Committee Meeting was called to order at 11:30 AM by Mary Bunting, CAO Committee Chair and Hampton City Manager. Ms. Bunting asked Mr. Robert Crum, HRPDC/HRTPO Executive Director, to provide a statement regarding today’s virtual/electronic meeting. Mr. Crum noted that pursuant to the declared state of emergency in the Commonwealth of Virginia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to protect the public health, safety and welfare of the Committee members, staff and the general public, today’s CAO Committee meeting is being held electronically via Zoom. Mr. Crum noted that the Zoom access information was published with the agenda for use by Committee members and the general public to access today’s meeting. The following members of the CAO Committee were in attendance: Mary Bunting Hampton Patrick Duhaney Virginia Beach Amanda Jarrett Franklin Mike Johnson Southampton County Randy Keaton Isle of Wight County Albert Moor Suffolk Neil Morgan York County LaVoris Pace Portsmouth Chris Price Chesapeake Cynthia Rohlf Newport News Melissa Rollins Surry County William Saunders Windsor Michael Stallings Smithfield Andrew Trivette Williamsburg Randy Wheeler Poquoson Others in Attendance Robert Crum HRPDC/HRTPO Keith Cannady HRPDC Pavithra Parthasarathi HRTPO Whitney Katchmark HRPDC Diane Kaufman Senator Kaine’s Office Drew Lumpkin Senator Warner’s Office Caleb Smith Representative Luria’s Office Mark Geduldig-Yatrofsky Portsmouth Resident Ron Carlee Old Dominion University Peter Stephenson VML Insurance Programs (VMLIP)

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Hampton Roads CAO Meeting – March 3, 2021 Summary Minutes

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Approval of Agenda and Meeting Minutes Ms. Bunting asked if there were any additions or revisions to today’s agenda or the Summary Minutes from the February 3, 2021 meeting. Ms. Bunting noted that since there were no changes, that the roll call vote for approval of the Agenda and Meeting Minutes could occur together. Ms. Jarratt from Franklin made a motion to approve both the Agenda for today’s meeting and the Summary Minutes from the February 3, 2021 Meeting. A second was provided by Mr. Johnson from Southampton County. Mr. Crum proceeded to call the roll call vote: Mary Bunting Hampton Yes Patrick Duhaney Virginia Beach Yes Amanda Jarrett Franklin Yes Mike Johnson Southampton County Yes Randy Keaton Isle of Wight County Yes Albert Moor Suffolk Yes Neil Morgan York County Yes Chris Price Chesapeake Yes Cynthia Rohlf Newport News Yes Melissa Rollins Surry County Yes William Saunders Windsor Yes Michael Stallings Smithfield Yes Andrew Trivette Williamsburg Yes Randy Wheeler Poquoson Yes The motion passed unanimously Public Comment Period Ms. Bunting asked if there were any members of the public who wanted to address the CAO Committee today. Mr. Mark Geduldig Yatrofsky addressed the CAO Committee noting that the virtual meetings used during the COVID-19 pandemic have in many ways increased public access to public deliberations, while decreasing the need for residents to spend time traveling to meetings. He noted that many aspects of these virtual meetings have been positive, and he recommended that we advocate with the General Assembly for allowances to continue to utilize virtual meeting platforms after the pandemic and related State of Emergency concludes. Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act (CBPA) Amended Regulations – Mr. Crum reminded CAO Committee members that at the February HRPDC meeting, staff provided an overview of the process for the Commonwealth to consider proposed

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regulatory amendments to the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. These revisions were presented to the State Water Control Board in December 2020. The amendments incorporate resiliency and sea level rise and mature trees into the criteria in response to House Bill 504 from the 2020 session. The draft regulations are available for public review in the Virginia Register until May 3rd. Mr. Crum noted that at the February HRPDC meeting, staff presented a process for the region to develop comments on the proposed regulations, which included a discussion with the CAO Committee at today’s meeting. He introduced Ms. Whitney Katchmark, HRPDC Principal Water Resources Engineer, to provide a briefing to the CAO Committee. Ms. Katchmark began by providing an overview of the proposed regulations, noting that HB504 (2020) adds two new considerations to the regulations that implement the Chesapeake BayPreservation Act. These include the following:

• Coastal resilience and adaptation to sea level rise and climate change • Preservation of mature trees or planting of trees as a water quality protection tool

and as a means of providing other natural resource benefits Ms. Katchmark proceeded to review the timeline for these regulations:

• December 9, 2020 - DEQ staff presented draft regulations to the State Water Control Board. The Board authorized DEQ to submit proposed regulations for a 90-day public comment period and required DEQ staff to convene a stakeholder meeting after the comment period concludes.

• February 1, 2021 – The proposed regulations are posted to Virginia Town Hall for a 90-day comment period.

• May 3, 2021 - Comments are due on the proposed regulations. Ms. Katchmark then discussed the importance of the proposed regulations to local governments. She noted that local governments must implement CBPA programs, and that to address issues related to climate change could result in significant increases to staff time. The proposed regulations could also be controversial, especially if they are not consistently applied across the region. They would also provide a new framework for development near the shoreline, which raises some important questions such as how regulations will balance water quality and flood protection and whether permits should be based on projected future conditions. Different perspectives and challenges related to the new regulations were also reviewed. As high tides and storms inundate more land, property owners may want to add fill to elevate their properties. County attorneys say the CBPA doesn't allow fill in the Resource Protection Area (RPA). It is important that DEQ addresses this issue. If regulations don't provide a path for fill, then property owners could build a wall one foot inland of the RPA and wetlands will drown if sea level rises.

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For water quality advocates, wetlands and buffers are essential to maintaining water quality and fill in the RPA should not be allowed. Regulations should allow space for wetlands to migrate in land as sea level rises. Ms. Katchmark reviewed the discussions that have occurred with local government staffs. Most believe it is possible to add flood protection and protect water quality, but it will require increased staff time and expertise to effectively strike this balance. There is concern that the State does not provide adequate tools or technical assistance for this nuanced approach. Some believe that the CBPA regulations may be the wrong tool to address this balance. It might be best for us to advocate for the regulations to be put on hold so that the Commonwealth could set up a traditional water quality advisory panel to develop regulatory language. Ms. Katchmark noted that there is an existing, funded study through the Virginia Coastal Zone program that was originally meant to work through these issues that is coordinated by DEQ and involves VIMS, William and Mary Coastal Policy Clinic and Coastal PDCs. Ms. Katchmark continued by reviewing some concerns with the current draft:

• Clarity o What are flood mitigation practices? o What climate change impacts should be considered?

• Tools

o How to assess future impacts of sea level rise, storm surge, and precipitation at a parcel scale?

• Unintended Consequences

o Impacts to Community Rating System scores o Limiting use of Water Quality Impact Assessments

Ms. Katchmark concluded by reviewing a potential schedule for the HRPDC to develop regional comments on the proposed CBPA regulations: Ms. Bunting asked the CAO Committee for comments and questions related to the presentation. The discussion among CAO Committee members highlighted the following points:

• CAO Committee members agreed that the best approach for proceeding may be to request that the deadline for finalizing the CBPA regulations be extended.

• There was agreement that the proposed regulations are very complex and would have a significant impact on local government staffs. There was also agreement that if the regulations were implemented in an inconsistent manner across the various localities, this could cause confusion and adverse impacts.

• The CAOs agreed that preparing regional comments was a good approach, and supported the process outlined by staff for proceeding.

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Hampton Roads Workforce Council Update Mr. Crum noted that the Hampton Roads Workforce Council and the Greater Peninsula Workforce Board are nearing completion of the merger of the two organizations. He introduced Shawn Avery, President of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council. Mr. Avery provided a briefing to the CAO Committee on the status of the merger, and also outlined the necessary steps to be completed by June 30th. He noted that he was available to address any local government board on this process. Ms. Jarratt noted Mr. Avery has been invited to address the Franklin City Council. Mr. Wheeler indicated the Poquoson City Council may also be interested in a briefing. Ms. Bunting complimented Mr. Avery on the work to make the Hampton Roads Workforce Council an even stronger organization. Locality Roll Call Ms. Bunting noted that a valuable part of CAO Committee meetings is the continued sharing of information about important regional topics. She brought to the CAO Committee’s attention the following items that were included in the agenda as topics that different CAOs wanted to hear input on today:

• Updates on utility shut-offs/late fees due to the COVID pandemic • Updates on the COVID vaccination rollout from each locality • Issues/updates related to the preparation of locality budgets for FY 2022, including

plans for employee compensation. Ms. Bunting asked Mr. Crum to do the roll call of the various localities requesting input on each of these three topic areas. Mr. Crum proceeded to call on each CAO to provide a report from their locality on each of the topic areas. Other Business Ms. Bunting reminded CAO Committee members that if they have any topics they would like to discuss at future CAO meetings, to please let her or Mr. Crum know. Adjournment There being no further business to come before the CAO Committee, the meeting was adjourned at approximately 12:30 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Robert Crum Recording Secretary

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summary minutes of the hrpdc/hrtpo community advisory

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