2026-10-27 - City Council (briefing session) Meeting

00:09one. Welcome all. We're going to call

00:10this meeting to order.

00:13>> All right. So, Mr. Mayor, members, the

00:15council, the first briefing will be

00:16provided by the F the VB SPCA. They're

00:19going to come and briefly the council

00:20about their overview of their offerings

00:22and to give council update about their

00:24other programs as well. So, we'll be

00:25joined by their CEO

00:28and also officer.

00:34>> Okay,

00:41>> thank you for coming. A very important

00:43topic.

00:50[snorts]

00:55So, good afternoon. Uh, thank you for

00:57the opportunity to share our story at

00:59the Virginia Beach SPCA and how we serve

01:01our local Virginia Beach residents and

01:02our surrounding communities here in

01:04Hampton Roads.

01:05Thank you as well for your partnership

01:07by supporting us in your annual budget.

01:09We appreciate that. At Virginia Beach

01:11SPCA, we build and sustain relationships

01:14between people and animals through

01:15sheltering, affordable care, education,

01:20and community partnership.

01:23As a private 501c3 nonprofit

01:26organization, we've been serving our

01:27community since 1966, and our mission

01:29has stayed consistent, helping to create

01:32a more humane and re a responsible

01:34community by eliminating animal

01:35suffering while increasing human

01:37compassion.

01:39We often say that the first day of the

01:41rest of an animal's life begins when

01:42they arrive at the VBSPCA.

01:46We're pleased to be joined this

01:47afternoon by the Virginia Beach Animal

01:49Care and Adoption Center, which will be

01:51presenting to the council after us. Both

01:53organizations have a pivotable and

01:56distinct role serving our community.

01:58Although we have different

01:59responsibilities, one focused on animal

02:02control, public safety, enforcement,

02:03municipal sheltering, the other on

02:05private nonprofit sheltering, affordable

02:07vet veterary care, and humane education.

02:11At the end of the day, we have a shared

02:13interest in the well-being of our

02:14animals and of our residents.

02:17We feel that through transparent

02:18communication, referrals, and coord

02:21coordinated problem solving, our two

02:22organizations can continue to provide

02:25services that complement one another

02:27while still serving our animals and our

02:28residents.

02:32At VBSPCA, there are three core pillars

02:35that define the services we provide.

02:38Those are shelter and adoption,

02:39affordable veterary care, and humane

02:42education.

02:44Through these pillars, we address animal

02:45welfare, help maintain family stability,

02:49address animal wellness, which leads to

02:51pet retention,

02:54uh affordable veterary uh excuse me, pet

02:56retention, support vulnerable residents

02:58through affordable veterary care and our

03:01food pet food pantry as well. We also

03:04create workforce pathways for those

03:06interested in veteraryian medicine and

03:08shelter management. and we help build a

03:11more humane community while also

03:12providing positive economic impact to

03:14the city of Virginia Beach.

03:16Through our services year-to- date,

03:18we've treated over 10,000 pets, we've

03:20sheltered over 2,000 animals, and we've

03:23provided humane education to slightly

03:25over 4,600 students in our schools.

03:30As we previously shared, we often say

03:33that the first day of the rest of the

03:34animals life begins the very day that

03:36they arrive at the VBSPCA.

03:39Pictured here is a picture of Door

03:40Center puppies. Door center puppies are

03:43a perfect example of that narrative.

03:46People come to us when they need help

03:47finding a new home for a family member,

03:50when they just no longer can afford to

03:52take care of them, or when they're ready

03:53to grow their family through adoption.

03:56Each of Dors's puppies, you see in this

03:58picture here, each of her puppies found

04:00their forever homes pretty quickly. As

04:01you can imagine, puppies find home

04:04quickly, just as young uh young babies

04:06and young children do. But the adult the

04:09adult dogs take a bit longer.

04:12Doris stayed with us for over a year

04:15waiting and hoping for that forever home

04:17to arrive. I'm happy to say that just

04:19recently Doris found her forever home

04:21with a gentleman who chose to make her a

04:23part of his family. And we're not

04:25exactly sure who truly rescued whom. But

04:27we do know this. Every time she does

04:29come to visit, she only comes to visit

04:31to say hello. She doesn't come to stay.

04:34Door center puppies are just one of the

04:36many examples of the families that were

04:37that were formed through the work we do

04:39at the VBSPCA.

04:41We're going to dive a little bit deeper

04:42into the work that we actually do and

04:44I'm going to ask that Danielle Nance

04:46will take a few minutes to walk through

04:47the core services and how those services

04:49affect our animals and our and our uh

04:51community here in Virginia Beach.

04:54Danielle,

05:01>> good afternoon. It's good to be with you

05:02all. Thank you for having us again.

05:08So, the Virginia Beach SPCA welcomes and

05:11provides care for dogs, cats, and small

05:13animal companions arriving through owner

05:16surreners, but also from transfers from

05:19other animal welfare partners. Our

05:22intake is a scheduled by appointment

05:24model and based on available capacity,

05:26allowing our team to assess each animals

05:29needs and provide appropriate housing,

05:32daily care, veterinary treatment,

05:34enrichment, and adoption support.

05:37Ongoing demand requires careful

05:40management of staffing and space, as you

05:42can imagine, to maintain quality care.

05:44Continued coordination with the city's

05:47shelter offers opportunities to align

05:49transfers, respond to community needs,

05:52and thoughtfully use existing

05:54facilities. These efforts strengthen our

05:56local animal welfare network while

05:58keeping services within each

06:00organization's capacity. As a private

06:02nonprofit, the Virginia Beach SPCA's

06:05shelter services complement the city. As

06:07we've talked about today, um, city's

06:10municipal sheltering, our role is

06:13distinct, but as Hans said, our

06:14partnership helps expand the resources

06:16available to animals and provides

06:19and the people who care for them.

06:21Apologies there. Our appointment-based

06:23intake process helps us make our

06:26commitment responsibly. It gives our

06:28team time to understand the

06:30circumstances, assess an animal's needs,

06:32and determine whether we have the right

06:34staff and space available. For

06:37residents, making the difficult decision

06:39to surrender a pet is an opportunity for

06:42us to also have a compassionate

06:44conversation and explore whether

06:46resources could keep the animal um with

06:49their beloved family. For our shelter

06:52partners, coordinated transfers provide

06:54another pathway to care and adoption.

06:56Together, these services help address

06:59the community's needs while protecting

07:00the quality of care for animals already

07:03in our shelter.

07:08So, veterinary care for pets and

07:10families. A successful adoption

07:12placement is just the beginning of a

07:15relationship that may last many years,

07:16and families need access to veterinary

07:19care throughout that time. The Virginia

07:22Beach SPCA's affordable veterinary

07:24services helps support that

07:25relationship. Our clinic serves pets

07:28already living in the community,

07:30extending our reach beyond the animals

07:32in our shelter. This allows us time,

07:34this excuse me, this allows us to help

07:37families maintain their pets health and

07:39address concerns that could otherwise

07:40become barriers to keeping them at home.

07:43Preventative care and timely treatment

07:45are important tools for helping pets

07:47remain with families. A routine

07:50examination can identify a concern

07:52before it becomes more serious. When an

07:54animal becomes sick, access to treatment

07:57gives the family an opportunity to

07:58respond before the situation may become

08:02more difficult to manage. For some

08:04households, the obstacle is the cost of

08:07care. By making veterinary services more

08:10accessible, we can address medical needs

08:12that might otherwise place the

08:13relationship for that family at risk. We

08:16see this work as an important connection

08:18between our clinic and our shelter

08:20mission. Supporting animals already in

08:22homes can prevent some families from

08:25reaching the point where surrender is

08:27the only option.

08:32So, our full service veterinary clinic

08:34serves qualifying households earning

08:36under 65,000 along with active duty

08:39reser families and first responders.

08:42These eligibility pathways reflect the

08:44different circumstances of the residents

08:46that we serve. For households managing

08:49limited income, access to affordable

08:51care can make a meaningful difference in

08:54their ability to address a pet's medical

08:56needs. For military families and first

08:58responders, our clinic provides another

09:00community resource to support the

09:02animals who are part of their

09:03households. Our wellness clinic offers a

09:06separate pathway to care and is

09:08available regardless of income that

09:10gives residents who may not qualify for

09:12full clinic care an opportunity to

09:14access preventative services offered

09:16through this setting. The distinction is

09:18important. A wellness visit serves as a

09:21different purpose from an appointment to

09:23address a more complex medical concern.

09:26Spay and neuter services are another

09:28resource available regardless of

09:30household income. residents may need the

09:32specific service even when they receive

09:34their pets care elsewhere.

09:42So, the Virginia Beach SPCA currently

09:44provides veterinary care through three

09:46access points connecting a centralized

09:49full service clinic, a neighborhood

09:51wellness location, and mobile services

09:53to reach animals and families with

09:55different needs. Our expanded Holland

09:58Road uh clinic location provides an

10:01array of fullervice vet care for pets

10:03living with families in our community as

10:06well as in our shelter prep in our

10:08shelter who are preparing for adoption.

10:11Our wellness clinic located at the Pets

10:14Smart, it's actually inside the Pets

10:16Smart at Hilltop Plaza creates another

10:18point of access within Virginia Beach.

10:21It gives residents an additional

10:22location for preventative services and

10:25extends our presence beyond Holland

10:27Road. For a family, location and

10:30convenience can influence whether

10:31routine care fits into an already

10:33demanding schedule. Hilltop offers

10:35another location to help us bring

10:38preventative care closer to residents.

10:41And finally, we have our beloved uh

10:43mobile surgical unit, better known as

10:46the neuter scooter. And this allows us

10:48to bring services closer to communities

10:50across the 757, including the Eastern

10:53Shore.

10:56Working with regional partners, we're

10:57able to connect animals and families to

11:00care.

11:06A little bit about our affordability

11:08structure. Our incomebased pricing

11:10provides a concrete example of how we

11:12address affordability. Our published uh

11:15K9 spay fees range from 180 to 255 for

11:20households earning under 65,000 compared

11:24to 280 to 355 for households earning

11:28over 65,000 which is a $100 difference

11:32between our pricing tiers. That

11:34difference reflects our fee structure.

11:36It is not a a comparison to private

11:38veterinary prices or a calculation of

11:40total household savings. But by making

11:43care more accessible, we help families

11:45with their pets health needs and support

11:47our broader goal of keeping pets healthy

11:50and in their homes.

11:57Jumped ahead on myself there. Um, I'm so

12:00excited to introduce to you uh Melo. So

12:03Melo is a sweet French bulldog that

12:06arrived at the Virginia Beach SPCA a few

12:09weeks ago and he was not able to use his

12:13hind legs. Uh he was also suffering from

12:16a flea infestation.

12:18So while Melo is a story of an owner

12:21surrender, he's a wonderful example of

12:23our mission at work and how our medical

12:26team was able to make sure that the

12:28outcome was one of um hope and happy

12:31endings. He needed medical attention,

12:33daily care, and a team willing to work

12:35through his needs. Um, our medical team,

12:38which is under the guidance of Dr. Wy

12:40here with us today, evaluated Melo

12:42through multiple assessments and X-rays,

12:45provided necessary treatments, and as

12:47his care progressed, a remarkable change

12:50happened. Melo began walking, playing,

12:53and running, as any dog deserves to do.

12:56Shortly afterward, Melo was adopted by a

12:58loving family who had recently adopted

13:01another French bulldog from us. He not

13:03only left our shelter with a new uh

13:06family, he also got himself a sibling.

13:09Melo's recovery again reflects the work

13:11of the entire team from veterinary staff

13:13providing treatment to shelter staff

13:15caring for him each day and adoption

13:17staff helping him find the right home.

13:19His story is one example of the mission

13:22that becomes a tangible outcome for an

13:24animal and a family.

13:26Melo's care is also made possible

13:28through our fundraising efforts.

13:30Annually, the care that we provide

13:32medically to animals that reach our

13:35doors exceeds 400,000. So, we really do

13:38depend on the generosity of our

13:40community.

13:43Philanthropic support is an established

13:45part of how the Virginia Beach SPCA

13:47delivers its services. Our community's

13:49generosity helps sustain the medical

13:51care, daily attention, and adoption

13:53support that animals like Melo need.

13:59The Virginia Beach SPCA's investment in

14:01Virginia Beach extends beyond animal

14:03care through humane education that dates

14:05back to 1968.

14:07We help young young people develop

14:10compassion, understand responsibility,

14:12and recognize how their choices affect

14:14others. Our mission calls us to

14:16eliminate animal suffering while

14:18increasing uh human compassion.

14:20Education gives us an opportunity to

14:22pursue both goals by helping children

14:24understand that animals have needs and

14:27their actions have consequences and that

14:29kindness is something they can practice.

14:31Our compassion classroom so aligned

14:34education is offered and provided in the

14:37classrooms at no charge to Virginia

14:39Beach City Public Schools. It's designed

14:42to support classroom learning while

14:44reinforcing kindness, respect,

14:46responsibility, and empathy.

14:52A bit of a snapshot here of additional

14:54classroom learning that happens in City

14:57of Virginia Beach public schools. So, we

14:59just spoke about our compassion

15:01classroom. Our literacy program is an

15:04additional program, listening ears. It's

15:06at the third grade level and helps third

15:08graders uh build confidence by pairing

15:11them with an animal to do reading inside

15:13the schools. Our shelter pet pals is a

15:16writing program helping students develop

15:19reading and writing skills through their

15:21interest in animals. And for our middle

15:23and high school level students, we offer

15:25career exploration through volunteer

15:27opportunities for ages 14 through 17,

15:31service learning projects and fairs,

15:33career fairs and expose, and other

15:35experiences. These [snorts] activities

15:37not only introduce students to the

15:39responsibilities of animal care, but

15:41also the ranges of jobs and careers

15:43within the animal welfare sector.

15:46Looking ahead, discussions with Bayside

15:48Health Sciences Academy and Virginia

15:51Beach City Public Schools workbased

15:54learning specialists are exploring small

15:56group sessions for students interested

15:58in veterinary careers. These are

16:00developing opportunities to connect

16:02classroom interests with practical

16:04exposure to the field, building on our

16:06longstanding educational role in the

16:08community.

16:14The Virginia Beach SPCA's ability to

16:16provide affordable care depends on our

16:19skilled veterinary team. Behind every

16:21veterinary appointment at our

16:23organization is a team of trained

16:25professionals. Our veterinarians,

16:27licensed veterinary technicians,

16:29veterinary assistants, and customer

16:31service representatives work together to

16:33guide animals and their families through

16:35care. The work of our clinical team

16:37ranges from wellness appointments to

16:39diagnostics, dental care, and orthopedic

16:42procedures. The breadth of service

16:44requires a substantial base of

16:46professional knowledge and technical

16:48skill set.

16:56The Virginia Beach SPCA offers a several

16:59potential entry points into animal

17:01welfare careers, including animal care,

17:04veterinary assisting, and client

17:06service. Employees can build practical

17:08skills and pursue greater

17:09responsibility, including supervisory

17:12roles. Licensed clinical careers require

17:15additional formal education and

17:17credentials with separate pathways for

17:19veterinary technicians and

17:20veterinarians. And as you've heard, we

17:23are also explor exploring expanded

17:25school partnerships at the high school

17:27level to explore student ambassadors and

17:30veterinary career awareness as I've

17:32mentioned. and I will turn it back over

17:34to Hans to wrap us up. Thank you.

17:43>> Thanks, Danielle.

17:47So, in an effort to place some scale on

17:49our overall impact, I thought it best to

17:51share a brief financial data overview

17:54for you so you have some perspective on

17:55the services of that relates to our

17:57services and our and our workforce

17:59investments. Our 2025 audit expenses

18:03totaled 6 point uh 6,620,000

18:07including 3.4 million in salaries and

18:09benefits and a little bit over 52,000

18:12that we spent on staff training and

18:13upskilling. As Danielle was saying, we

18:15find it's exceptionally imperative for

18:17us to try to help create some laded

18:19approach for some of our technicians and

18:21assistants who feel that the veterary

18:23medicine role or veterary medicine if

18:25you will is an opportunity for them.

18:27Essentially, 89 cents of every dollar is

18:30reinvested back into supporting the

18:32programs and services that Dell just

18:34shared with all of you. These figures

18:36demonstrate direct organizational

18:38activity and workforce investment that

18:40we've placed back into our organization,

18:41but also within the city of Virginia

18:43Beach.

18:47VBS VBSPCA provides meaningful access to

18:51affordable veterary care. You just heard

18:53Danielle share that through our clinic,

18:55our mobile unit, our wellness center, it

18:58allows for us to provide a significant

18:59portion of our community, those who are

19:01at a certain threshold and beyond the

19:03city of Virginia Beach actually the

19:05opportunity to find the services that

19:06they need to support the animals that

19:08they have in their in their households.

19:10Also, our food pantry assists those who

19:12find themselves having to make that

19:13difficult decision. Do they put food on

19:15the table for themselves? Do they put

19:16food on the table for their animal? And

19:18it allows for them to to not have to

19:20worry about making that financial

19:21decision. Through our workforce

19:23initiatives, we hire and we retain the

19:25skilled labor force that supports

19:28animals like Melo and others. In fact,

19:29Melo was supposed to be here today. We

19:31were actually hoping he would be, but

19:32he's probably out running in the park

19:33and enjoying his sister right now. Um,

19:36[clears throat] but it uh it helps us

19:38retain the skilled labor force that we

19:40have. It helps us upskill those who are

19:42interested in furthering their career,

19:43which directly leads to additional

19:45wealth creation. And that's our goal is

19:46to help our employees create that wealth

19:48opportunity for themselves as well. We

19:50also help provide career pathway

19:52opportunities for our local college

19:53population as you heard Dell share and

19:55we are currently trying to create a

19:56similar opportunity for our high school

19:58population through recent conversations

19:59with Christine Johnson over at Bayside

20:01Health and Service Science Academy. Our

20:04partnership with the Virginia Beach City

20:05Public Schools allows us to connect with

20:07students in our local schools which

20:09complements what our city's trying to do

20:10from an educational program perspective.

20:13As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, we

20:16simply couldn't do any of this work or

20:17all of this work, if you will, if u that

20:19we shared with you today without the

20:21generosity and support of our local

20:22community and the countless volunteers

20:24who give their time to support our

20:26mission. Um we look forward to

20:28continuing this partnership with both

20:29the Virginia Beach Animal Care and

20:31Adoption Center and with the Virginia

20:33Beach City Public Schools, working

20:34together to fill those gaps in services

20:37that meet the needs of the residents and

20:39animals in our local community.

20:41Thanks for listening to our story today.

20:43We appreciate the opportunity to have

20:44shared it with you to you and we also

20:46want to thank you again for um providing

20:49some support to our organization through

20:50the city's annual operating budget.

20:52We're grateful for this partnership and

20:54we're happy to take a few questions if

20:55you have any as well.

20:56>> Hey, well, let me get started then. I'm

20:59sure Michael is going to make some very

21:01good comments.

21:03Virginia Beach is acknowledged as one of

21:06the most caring city in the country for

21:09a lot of reasons. We take care of people

21:12and you know as evident we take care of

21:15animals and animals are very so

21:18important uh to so many people uh that

21:22you know they combat loneliness and

21:24their service animals and [snorts] you

21:26know things of that order. And I've been

21:29involved with the SPCA since I first got

21:31elected back in 2004.

21:34And I actually uh adopted two animals by

21:38a black lab named Jacob Jake. And this

21:42is going to be interesting. Uh a

21:44dachshund and his name was Oscar Guyer

21:47Winger. Okay. [laughter]

21:51And

21:52you can't make this stuff up,

21:54[clears throat] you know.

21:56No, but I'm just saying that and I was

22:00also, you know, part of the you did the

22:02a grand opening at the expansion when

22:04you open up the new veterary clinic and

22:06my goodness, what a magnificent

22:08facility.

22:09>> And every time you go into the place,

22:11you know, the the paid staff and a lot

22:13of volunteers and things of that nature,

22:16>> you truly have a magnificent

22:18organization and do Virginia Beach

22:20proud. Michael,

22:21>> thank you.

22:22>> Thank you, Mayor. Well, I'm glad you did

22:23open it up because Mayor Dyer and his

22:25wife Trish known to be animal lovers and

22:28um as long as I've been here mayor, I've

22:30always um seen him and the council stand

22:34up in support of animals, whether

22:36through our partnership with the SPCA,

22:38our animal services division that we're

22:40going to hear from in just a minute or

22:42even

22:43>> [snorts]

22:43>> um when it comes to some of the

22:45conditional use permits and and other

22:48applications we've reviewed over time,

22:50Mayor Dyer, and I think the council um

22:53has has always uh stood with animals and

22:56those who care for them and protect

22:58them. So, thank you, mayor, and and

23:00thank you for uh co-sponsoring this

23:03presentation today. It's sort of like

23:04animal day here in city council this

23:06afternoon, which is a good day. Um I

23:09want to welcome you all to city hall. I

23:11do have just a couple questions and um

23:13and one policy question that I'll end

23:15with uh at the end, but um

23:20we have a new CEO at the SPCA and it was

23:23a great opportunity to um to to do a

23:27report like this to remind the community

23:29about all the incredible uh services

23:33that you provide the community. But you

23:35did you sort of got here in a unique way

23:38and and I wonder if you could you I

23:39think it's important that people know

23:40who's leading their their local SPCA and

23:43you have a unique story how you got

23:45here. I wonder if you would mind sharing

23:47whatever version of it you're

23:48comfortable with.

23:49>> I think we're lucky to have you there. I

23:50know we're lucky you there.

23:52>> Yeah, I I I appreciate that. It it is

23:54kind of a unique story. Um I spent 35

23:56years of my career in the financial

23:57services industry. Uh the first 25 in

23:59Los Angeles. I managed working for JP

24:02Morgan. Uh I managed the Los Angeles

24:04market u managing the private client

24:06wealth management platform um adding

24:09building uh financial centers there to

24:12help connect the dots with clients

24:15around their financial wellness and and

24:17uh wealth growing their helping grow

24:19their wealth if you will. Uh and then I

24:21moved to Virginia uh and did a somewhat

24:24similar role briefly for Bank of

24:26America, but then I was the chief

24:27operating officer, the local chief

24:28operating officer for Bank of America

24:30here, which basically meant that all

24:31eight lines of businesses reported to

24:32me. I was primarily responsible for

24:34managing the full P&L and breath of the

24:37organization, but also one aspect of the

24:39eight spinning plates I had, if you want

24:40to call it that, the eighth spinning

24:42plates was community engagement and

24:44managing the local foundation and

24:46philanthropic support of the

24:47organization. So each market there's um

24:5079 mark or excuse me uh 80 markets now

24:52across the board and each one has a set

24:55dollar amount from the large foundation

24:57bucket and I manage the foundation here

25:00locally to help support the local

25:01nonprofit organizations enhance their

25:04mission and offset some of their

25:05expenditures. Um, I retired and I was

25:09retired for about two months and my wife

25:10said, "Uh, go go go do something." And I

25:13was lucky enough I was lucky enough to

25:16know some folks who knew that there were

25:17some opportunities in a couple nonprofit

25:19organizations and one that happened I

25:21happen to be passionate about. We've

25:22always rescued and adopted animals,

25:25primarily dogs. Um, and so this was a

25:28unique fit, but one that made sense. And

25:30a lot of folks asked me, why would you

25:33go into animal welfare? and it's not

25:34what you've done in the past. And my

25:37response is very simple. What we do at

25:40Virginia Beach SPCA is we connect

25:43families and make families and help

25:45create relationships. The relationships

25:47we connect are between animals and

25:48humans. But what we also do is we

25:50connect organizations and individuals

25:52who want to support the cause and want

25:54to support helping offset some

25:56challenges that people have locally.

25:57whether it's financial burdens that they

25:59can't help support their animals,

26:01whether they can't support them by with

26:02food or medical attention. Um, my entire

26:06career has been about building

26:07relationships. And so transitioning into

26:09the role, I may not have that animal

26:10welfare background. I do I'm supported

26:12by individuals who do, but I have the

26:14relationship building background. And

26:16that's what we do. We do it every single

26:18day. People walk through the doors to

26:19either help us have us help them with

26:21their family member or find a family

26:23member to build a relationship with. and

26:25then they walk through the other doors

26:26into our clinic to help us maintain that

26:29relationship by providing them the

26:30medical attention they need to sustain

26:32that animal's life. And so holistically,

26:35it's all about relationships. And it may

26:37not be financial services, but at the

26:39end of the day, it's building families

26:40and creating partnerships and

26:41relationships to bring people together

26:42and create a sustainable life. And thank

26:44you for sharing the importance of

26:46animals because realistically, the

26:47emotional wellness that they bring to

26:49the table is far beyond anything we can

26:50measure with anything else.

26:51>> That is true. They at the end of the day

26:53love us. Whether we have a great day,

26:55whether we have a terrible day, they're

26:57there and they will always be there. And

26:59it's our responsibility to treat them

27:01with that due respect and turn.

27:03>> Yeah. When I walked through the door, I

27:04got three docks on set welcome

27:07aggressively.

27:08>> Love.

27:09>> With love. Yes.

27:10>> I just have one more question. But no

27:11matter what's going on in our lives,

27:13that's one of the most incredible

27:15things. you know, they they're there and

27:18they're they have capacity for

27:20unconditional love that humans do not

27:22possess. And it's it's pretty

27:23incredible. I was lucky to have um a

27:27rescue animal that's part of my family.

27:29Um and the conditions that she came from

27:32were um horrific.

27:36>> And I know that's true for uh many of

27:38the animals that end up in your care and

27:41and also in the care of the

27:43>> of the Virginia Beach Animal Shelter.

27:45Um, and so this is the policy question.

27:47I just want to just in case for some

27:49reason you have to go and we talk about

27:51this as part of our legislative agenda.

27:52I just wanted to

27:54>> sort of get you maybe not on record

27:56because I want to start stop short of

27:58asking you to convey an official

27:59position because I understand that can

28:00be more complicated. But one of the

28:02things we're going to talk to talk about

28:03a little bit later this afternoon is

28:05whether or not to establish an animal

28:07animal cruelty registry which which the

28:09Commonwealth has a has provided that

28:10municipalities are able to establish.

28:13Um, that registry could be used by

28:14individuals, by adopting agencies, by um

28:18by breeders, by organizations to

28:20determine whether the person who's

28:22applying to to to do an adoption has

28:25been convicted of a felony um animal

28:28abuse uh charge. And Chesapeake recently

28:32established that registry unanimously.

28:36Um, in my opinion, I see it as an

28:38additional resource that uh any

28:41individual or adoption agency could use

28:43to ensure that the cycle of abuse of

28:46animals uh is something that doesn't

28:48continue. Um, so I'm wondering a would

28:53would you see that as a resource that

28:55would be useful um as part of your I

28:58know you have established processes that

29:00are designed to protect but but would

29:02you see that as a a valuable resource

29:05that would provide any value?

29:07Additionally, we're contemplating

29:08whether asking the state to allow

29:10municipalities to include misdemeanor

29:13animal abuse convictions because many um

29:16even horrific examples of animal abuse

29:19are pled to misdemeanors or or they're

29:22reduced to nothing.

29:24>> Um and there are is another category

29:25where courts have barred individuals

29:28from possessing companion animals and

29:30there's no way to identify who those

29:32individuals are as part of an adoption

29:34process that I'm currently aware of. Um,

29:37so would you find a the utilizing the

29:40tools we have at our disposal now useful

29:43and potentially whether or not to to

29:46allow municipalities the option to

29:48expand that registry to include those

29:49other categories?

29:50>> Yeah. So So Michael, that's that's a lot

29:52there. Um, Council,

29:53>> that's not that much.

29:55>> Not that much.

29:56>> But um, [laughter]

30:00>> uh, here here's what I will say. Um to

30:02your point, we do have certain processes

30:04that we already have in place that help

30:06us vet as best we can and I think the

30:08emphasis is on as best we can. Um

30:11nothing is foolproof. As much as our

30:14team would like to do and ensure that

30:17every single animal goes to the right

30:19party, um there is always room for error

30:21unfortunately. So, I would say that um

30:24although I can't speak to the legalities

30:25of what you're trying to accomplish as

30:27an organization or as an institution, as

30:28a city, um I think any additional uh

30:32tool to help any of the organizations

30:34that are in our work, the work we do, I

30:37think any additional tool and additional

30:38resources

30:40would be absolutely beneficial. Um to

30:43what degree remains to be seen based on

30:44how it's managed and how it's but at the

30:46end of the day, anything that helps will

30:48help. Um,

30:52>> yes.

30:54>> Thank you.

30:54>> That is great. Cash,

30:56>> I want to thank you for your

30:57presentation. Welcome to the job.

31:00>> Thank you.

31:01>> I do want to just um comment while I

31:04can. My family, we're uh pet lovers and

31:08they bring us uh such emotional

31:10strength. So, this is a a subject that's

31:12near and dear to my heart. And also I

31:14just want to point out that you are

31:15inheriting a awesome team especially

31:18your chief advancement officer. She

31:21knows and before I was even on council

31:24her outreach in the community and really

31:27plugging uh normal citizens, regular

31:30citizens like myself to understand the

31:33mission of your organization and what

31:36you do for uh pets that are um

31:40estranged,

31:41>> right? They're not connected with the

31:42family. So, I just want to say good to

31:44see you again and uh success on your

31:47endeavors and thank you for bringing

31:49this to council's uh

31:51>> uh mind.

31:52>> Thank you. And I and I'll I'll to

31:54Danielle's warned a bit too as well. Um

31:57I worked with her when in my previous

31:59capacity as the chief operating officer

32:01for Bank America and I supported the

32:02organization that she had worked for

32:04before. So, I had had a connection prior

32:06to with the work that she had she had

32:08performed in our community. And one of

32:10the reasons why I accepted the

32:11opportunity was because I knew I had an

32:13amazing person at the helm. And then add

32:15that to an amazing individual like Dr.

32:17and the rest of the team um that was

32:19created by Derby Brackett who was the

32:20former CEO. I agree with you. It's a

32:22great team. I'm very lucky to be a part

32:24of the organization.

32:25>> Good. Good. Good.

32:27>> Okay. Anybody else? uh without question

32:30whether any everybody involved with you

32:33whether it be your board, your staff,

32:34your veterinarians,

32:36you know, compassion, empathy,

32:40>> and uh you know, just a love of animals

32:43is just overwhelming to see.

32:45>> Thank you.

32:46>> You know, kudos to all of you.

32:47>> Thank you very much. I would like to say

32:49I invite all of you to join at any time.

32:51Stop and take a tour as you've done. It

32:54is a remarkable location since the

32:55expansion. It's absolutely beautiful. We

32:57do welcome you as well. Hey, thank you

32:59very much. Appreciate it.

33:00>> Thank you.

33:02>> You all help make VB strong, even

33:05stronger.

33:07>> All right. So, Mr. Mayor, members of

33:08council, at this time, we'll be joined

33:10by Christopher Malden. He's the um

33:12animal welfare administrator for

33:14Virginia Beach Animal Services. He's

33:16going to give city council update on

33:17some of the great work that we've been

33:19doing in animal services of late and

33:20also to have a discussion with council

33:22regarding our animal proposed animal

33:25cruelty registration legislation.

33:27Welcome. Welcome. Hi there. Good

33:29afternoon everyone and thank you for

33:31having me. Um it's been a pleasure. Um

33:34but we'll uh we'll kind of get rolling.

33:36Um

33:39>> better there. Good. Fantastic. Um I'm

33:43sure everyone in this room is very aware

33:44of what we do and what we are as

33:46Virginia Beach Animal Services. But what

33:48I want to do today is tell you who we

33:49are and give you a little bit of

33:50backstory as well as touch on some of

33:52the uh desires and needs such as the

33:54animal cruelty registry that we would

33:56like to see moving forward.

33:59Um

34:00so our mission is very simple at the

34:02animal services bureau.

34:04>> Do it. There we go. Got it. All right.

34:08Our mission is very simple here at the

34:09animal services bureau. We're going to

34:11balance the health and safety and the

34:12welfare of all the needs and the animals

34:14in in our city. We don't care whether

34:17you've got two legs, four legs, or no

34:18legs. If you need assistance in that

34:20category, and we're here to to do that.

34:22That's what our job is. We are a service

34:23based commu or service based to our

34:25community for any of their needs in

34:27regarding the animal welfare.

34:29Our chain of command, which most of you

34:31are pretty aware of, we fall under the

34:32police department under Chief Nudigget,

34:34Deputy Chief Wesler, and then myself

34:36over top of the division.

34:39Um, a little bit about me. Uh, I was

34:41raised on the Outer Banks of North

34:42Carolina. So, a little less than two

34:43hours from here is where I'm from. Most

34:45of my family resides there still to this

34:46day. Uh in 2003 I started working in the

34:49animal welfare field scoop and poop,

34:52cleaning kennels. Uh quickly became a

34:54veterary technician after high school

34:55and then in 2012 I began working for the

34:57city of Virginia Beach as a caretaker.

34:59Uh in 2013 I became an animal control

35:01officer here. Uh and then in 2015 I got

35:04married and was dragged all the way

35:05across the country to uh Seattle,

35:07Washington to continue my career out

35:08there. became an animal control officer

35:10or as they like to call it a humane law

35:12enforcement officer and quickly became

35:14an FTO, a field training officer for

35:16them. Uh in 2017, uh we moved to Florida

35:20and that's where I've spent pretty much

35:22the last uh 10 year or well nine and a

35:24half years uh there. Uh started as a

35:27code compliance officer, which I did for

35:28about six months and got us out as

35:30quickly as I could uh back to animal

35:32services and animal welfare. Nothing

35:34against them, it just was not for me. I

35:35I uh I respect all of them that do it.

35:38Um became an animal control officer

35:40there, moved into shelter operations as

35:42a supervisor, became a program manager,

35:44and eventually the director of animal

35:45services at Ocola County. Uh decided in

35:492025,

35:52well really 2024, that it was time to

35:54get out of Florida. We had spent our

35:56time in the sun, but we're uh ready to

35:58get back to where I considered home. uh

36:00had a wonderful opportunity. Got to

36:02interview with Deputy Chief Witchend all

36:03at the time and they brought me back

36:05here to serve as y'all's animal welfare

36:06administrator. [snorts]

36:10[cough] These [clears throat] are kind

36:10of our priorities of where we want to be

36:12as a as the services bureau. We are ever

36:15expanding our veterary care. Uh the

36:18department last year approved for a

36:20second full-time veterinarian as well as

36:21converting a sworn law enforcement

36:23professional position to a full-time

36:26veterary technician. So, we have

36:28essentially gone up 100% in our staffing

36:30in that environment. We have two

36:31full-time veterinarian positions, two

36:33full-time uh veterary tech, licensed

36:35veterary techs, as well as two

36:37caretakers that are all permanently

36:39assigned to our veterary uh unit. Uh we

36:42are currently working with one

36:43veterinarian and our second one starts

36:44on November 12th. Um myself is working

36:48on strengthening our bureau leadership.

36:50Um, we prior to my uh taking over it, it

36:54fell under the command of a law a law

36:56enforcement official, a lieutenant back

36:58in my time there previously uh before me

37:00coming in, stepping in as a captain.

37:01This was a position that rotated in and

37:03out as as they came in and found

37:06opportunities promoted back within other

37:07parts of the division. Uh, but this is

37:09all I've done since 2003, minus a short

37:11stint somewhere else. Uh, and so

37:13bringing in a a subject matter expert I

37:15hopefully has uh changed things and made

37:17things a little bit for the better. Uh,

37:19but it is my job to raise up those that

37:20are underneath of me.

37:24So, we're moving a little too fast.

37:26There we go. Um, we are three units

37:28under one division. So, we are the

37:30shelter unit, the care unit, and the

37:31animal protection unit. Each one of

37:33these serves as an individual arm or leg

37:35of our division, but we all answer to

37:37one core, which is the animal services

37:38bureau. Um, we do this with as little

37:42staffing as possible. We currently only

37:44have 11 positions um for our caretaker

37:47position and that is to take over we

37:49care for roughly 200 plus animals uh on

37:51any one day given basis. Uh we already

37:54discussed the staffing in the the care

37:56unit. Uh we offer 17 officers for

37:58protection. Uh we're not quite 247

38:02um but we we cover most of the the the

38:04city from uh 7:30 a.m. till about 10:30

38:07p.m. And then we have overnight

38:08emergency which we'll talk about a

38:10little later. Uh the fourth arm of our

38:12division is our volunteers.

38:14We um we can't do what we do without

38:16them. Uh just as the VBSPCA spoke of,

38:19you're never going to employ enough

38:20positions to take care of every need,

38:22want task uh that we have. So things

38:25like uh playgroups, which we do seven,

38:27five days a week. Things like uh

38:28enrichment, which allow the animals to

38:30get a little bit of reprieve from being

38:32in their their kennels all the time. Uh

38:34pack walks to do socializations. us

38:36behavior training. The things that my

38:38staff just would not have time on a

38:40daily basis to do are covered by our

38:41wonderful volunteers. We currently have

38:44153 active volunteers. We roughly see

38:46about five of those on average per day

38:47and each one spends about 2 to three

38:49hours with us each day. So they are

38:50definitely a member of our family.

38:54Uh annual intakes. Uh so for 2025 we

38:57took in 46 4,617

39:00animals. Uh divided that across a

39:03multitude of differing things. So there

39:05was a question about poultry. Poultry is

39:07livestock. So if it was a companion

39:09animal such as a cockatu or a parakeet,

39:11that would fall into the other companion

39:12animals, but we uh had a a fighting

39:15case last year, which is why the giant

39:17number for poultry is there on that one.

39:20Um

39:21this is what we uh are our transfers

39:23out. So you'll notice that these numbers

39:25don't 100% match. One, we keep we keep

39:28about 200 animals within our care. Uh

39:30this number does not encompass things

39:31that are returned to their owners,

39:33whether that be in the field or via our

39:34lobby. So your dog or cat gets stray,

39:36you come in, we locate it, bring it back

39:38to you. And then the last number is

39:39obviously humane euthanasia, which is

39:41just a reality of our situation. We do

39:43everything we can to not euthanize

39:45except for severe medical and obviously

39:47severe behavior that would pose a public

39:49safety threat. Uh for 2026, we are year

39:53to date at 3,448

39:55animals. Come on, you got it. There it

39:58is. Um, and outgoing is that 2,310.

40:02Uh, we're probably going to be a little

40:03shy of the number that we hit in 2025,

40:06which is a good thing. It means we've

40:07done a better job of offering services

40:10to our citizens to keep their animals

40:11within their home or we were able to

40:13solve problems without impounding the

40:15animal to our care. Um, again, those

40:18numbers reflect everything except for

40:19those transfers or return to owners

40:21numbers as well as our humane euthanasia

40:23numbers. Our animal protection unit, as

40:26we discussed, is on on shift from 7:30

40:28a.m. to 10:30 at night. We run emergency

40:30standby from 10:30 to 7:30 uh a.m. Uh

40:34the a large portion of that from 10:30

40:36to 7:30 a.m. falls back on the police

40:39department. They would respond out and

40:41if it was a true animal emergency that

40:42we needed to come out, they would get a

40:44hold of our officer on shift and they

40:45would come out and uh and deal with

40:47whatever the case may be. Uh we look at

40:50a total of almost 15,000 calls per year.

40:53Uh the largest portion of that is made

40:55up of stray animals. So if you see

40:58something running on the side of the

40:59road and you call it in, we go

41:00investigate, try to locate the animal

41:02and bring it to safety or return it back

41:03to the owner. Uh the other portion of

41:05that largest animal is going to be uh

41:07picking up uh dead animals, which we

41:09offer as a service, as well as

41:10investigating uh sick and injured

41:12animals. Uh we have a huge plethora of

41:15wildlife in our wonderful city. So, a

41:17lot of those sick and injured animals

41:18tend to be your possums, raccoons,

41:20things that may have been clipped by a

41:21car or just exhibiting some signs of

41:23disease that we have to go out and pick

41:25up.

41:27Uh, as part of our community outreach,

41:29we offer rabies clinics and microchip

41:31clinics four times a year. So, in 2025,

41:33we offer 228. We provided 228 of that

41:36service divi up between microchips and

41:38rabies vaccinations. In 2026, we still

41:41have one more to go, but we're not going

41:43to quite match that number. A large

41:44reason for that is that we were without

41:46a veterinarian for about 3 months before

41:48we bought in our current full-time

41:49veterinarian. Uh this is something we

41:51want to expand upon now that we have the

41:53second full-time veterinarian. We want

41:55to go out into the community and where

41:56these strays are being picked up and

41:58where people who may not have

41:59transportation can come to us that we

42:01can go to into the community and provide

42:02the service to give them rabies and

42:04microchips at a low to no cost.

42:08Another big portion of our thing is

42:10community support and services. Uh we

42:11offer a full pantry uh that is runs off

42:14of donations. Um so if you're in a need

42:17for food or other supplies, crates, uh

42:20puppy pads, things such as that,

42:21especially or hay or something like that

42:23that you may need for your companion

42:24animal, we are happy to provide that as

42:26as needed. It also gives us to build

42:28that communication and rapport with the

42:30citizens of Virginia Beach so that they

42:32know when they do need some help. We're

42:34not just there to take your animal and

42:35enforce. We're here to educate, talk to

42:37you, and offer that service. We run a

42:39safety net team through our field

42:42officers. Uh that's a [clears throat]

42:44when anybody needs anything, whether

42:46they need to be put in touch with a

42:47lowcost clinic, whether they need to be

42:48put in touch with the pet pantry,

42:49whether they need rehoming services, one

42:52of our safety net team officers who've

42:53been trained to go out there and kind of

42:54deal with a little bit more of a crisis

42:56intervention situation, we'll go out,

42:57talk to them, figure out where we can

42:59offer that help and provide that if

43:01needed. We recently passed a crisis

43:03boarding. Uh this is again only for the

43:05citizens of Virginia Beach. But if

43:07you're in a position where you're going

43:08in for a medical treatment or you're

43:10you've become uh you know lost a place

43:13to stay, but you don't really want to

43:15give up your animal, you have a plan,

43:16you know, something's coming through. We

43:18can take that animal in. You still have

43:19to surrender it to us so that we can

43:20provide medical care. You still have to

43:22have it spayed and neutered so that

43:24we're not making more. But we will

43:26temporarily house that animal for

43:27anywhere from 2 weeks to 30 days

43:29generally in a foster home so that it's

43:31not taking up a resource at our facility

43:33and just be able to return that back to

43:34the owner where that animal is going to

43:35be happy and healthy. The volunteer

43:38program we already discussed. We

43:39recently started back up our sheriff's

43:40office partnership. So people who are

43:42doing time on the weekends uh are able

43:45to come do that time for us and give a

43:46little bit back through a community

43:47service effort. So, they'll come in,

43:49check in with our shelter uh

43:51supervisors, and be able to be of

43:53service to our facility generally on the

43:55weekends. Um, special events and

43:57outreach. We were just recently out at

43:59Hunt Club set up there for one of their

44:00animal days. Uh, we try to get out there

44:02and do as much as we can. This is where

44:04we really want to grow and put our name

44:06out there in the community to be able to

44:07get out there and do more events to get

44:08more eyes on us as well as just be able

44:10to get more uh flow of traffic, people

44:13to come in and see us. like with an

44:14annual intake of between four and 5,000

44:16animals. The more people that I can get

44:17to walk through our front door, the more

44:19people can make that connection and go

44:21home with a pet.

44:25Community partnerships as well as our

44:26CAC. So, this is a fund set up uh

44:28through the second precinct uh that are

44:31that we run. This is if somebody wants

44:32to donate uh directly to our facility

44:35and allows us to have a little bit of

44:36cash set aside that we can take care of

44:38some of those things through our safety

44:39net program for the pet pantry. uh if

44:42they need help spaying and neutering and

44:43they can't fully afford it. If they need

44:45something to keep the pet in the home

44:47and it is something that we approve of

44:49that they're able to go through make a

44:50small application and we can use those

44:53donation funds so that burden doesn't

44:54fall back onto the city's budget for

44:56things that really shouldn't necessarily

44:58have to. But this allows us to this has

44:59been probably the biggest outreach thing

45:01that we've had the ability to do. We've

45:03paid for eye entropian surgeries. Uh

45:05we've paid for skin exams to go to a

45:07specialist so that people can actually

45:08just find out what the treatment if they

45:10it is they can provide for the animal or

45:11whether they need to make a decision to

45:13to give that pet up. Uh we found that

45:15this really just takes the burden off of

45:18the homeowner or the the animal owner to

45:21keep that animal in their home if that

45:22is the right decision for that animal.

45:24It also means that we have a backup plan

45:26for when an adoption is starting to go a

45:28little sour and maybe they need a little

45:29bit of inhome training. Uh we're able to

45:31reach out. They have to go find the

45:34person that they want it, do the

45:35application, and we can have somebody

45:36come out and actually spend a little bit

45:38of time on some behavior support,

45:39whether that's barking, pulling,

45:41possibly urination or feces in the

45:43house. Can kind of hopefully knock those

45:45situations out so that that home, that

45:46pet again can stay in the home.

45:50Walking through our adoption process,

45:51this is just to give everybody a purview

45:53of how it works. So, you come inside,

45:54you meet our animals, you spend a little

45:56time learning, connecting with one of

45:57the staff. We try to do set you up with

46:00the best one that's going to fit your

46:02lifestyle as well as, you know, fit your

46:04your living situation. Um, if you have

46:07already have a pet, you're a dog, at

46:09least you're welcome to bring it down.

46:10We can introduce them in a safe

46:12environment, make sure that there's at

46:13least not going to be an initial

46:14negative response and be able to

46:16hopefully process that and then go home.

46:18Uh, application and approval. Uh this is

46:20a little bit where the we'll talk about

46:22the animal cruelty registry a little bit

46:23later, but this is where we would

46:24implement that process to be able to

46:26search that database, be able to find

46:28out if this person was not only on our

46:31list, but possibly on a surrounding

46:32municipality's list and be able to deny

46:34that application if they actually truly

46:36were unable to um own pets in the in at

46:39least in our city or in a neighboring

46:41city that we can do. Then we finalize

46:43the adoption and send you home

46:46uh transfers and partnerships. So this

46:48is a quick view of one of the ways that

46:51animals leave our care that are not um

46:53being adopted. Uh so these are just kind

46:56of the the four that we pulled, but you

46:58can see that we send out anywhere from

47:0050 to 100 animals uh for any one of

47:03these situations. We have about 15 total

47:05that pull from us on an annual basis. Um

47:07and just to give you an idea that this

47:09is a a way that we most of our animals

47:12leave via adoption. This is an area that

47:14we feel we definitely need to grow in is

47:16being able to make these partnerships

47:18and be able to spread the love a little

47:20bit amongst the other uh nonprofits and

47:22shelters. Um but this is problematic

47:24across the board for a litany of

47:26reasons. Um but every shelter reality in

47:29our country at this point is struggling

47:30with uh capacity issues. So these

47:33numbers could be higher but these these

47:34places are taking animals from

47:36everywhere else just as we are.

47:40And we'll talk about our current current

47:41priorities. So the biggest one that we

47:43have right now is our capacity for care.

47:44Again, we care for nearly 200 animals a

47:46day with an annual intake of between

47:48four and 6,000. So meeting those animals

47:50needs and getting our staffing up to

47:51where we need it to be is really the

47:53priority that I'm setting forth and and

47:56you know to to discuss over the coming

47:58year of how do we get there to be able

47:59to care for those. Our population is

48:00ever growing. Generally 20 to 30% of the

48:03people that move to an area bring an

48:05animal with them. The more apartments,

48:07the more things like that, the more

48:08things that become restricted on those

48:10animals. they just end up coming through

48:11our door for care. We are the only open

48:13admission uh shelter operating within

48:15the city of Virginia Beach, which means

48:17you do not get turned away as long as

48:18you are a Virginia Beach resident. Uh we

48:20do hope to implement some things like a

48:23appointment-based uh surreners. That way

48:26that we can just make sure that we have

48:28space and time set aside to have those

48:29hard discussions with people that want

48:31to surrender their pets, but also make

48:32sure that we're properly managing our

48:34intake so that we can have the space

48:36when our field officers come across

48:37needing to pick up 30 cats in a hoarding

48:39situation or something like that. uh it

48:42does not mean in any way that we'd be

48:43turning people away, but if you're

48:44moving in 6 weeks and we can give you

48:46some resources to rehome that animal on

48:48your own, then we would like to be able

48:50to do that so that and set that

48:51appointment so that if all else fails,

48:53you walk through our door, we take that

48:54animal, processed, moved on. Um trying

48:58to improve our most of our animals that

48:59we are unable to move. So the most of

49:01the animals that do end up on our human

49:03youth in Asia list are cats. Uh, so we

49:05are looking at better ways to intake

49:07cats, better ways to house cats, uh, and

49:10just try to figure out what we can do to

49:11keep really the cats that just don't

49:12need to be within our care, just to keep

49:14them out of our care and keep them

49:16whether it be in the home or wherever it

49:17is that they're being taken care of. Uh,

49:19refocusing the protection unit. Uh,

49:22we've gone through a little bit of a

49:23rebranding as a as a unit as a whole. uh

49:26and refocusing the the the protection

49:29unit and the animal services officers to

49:31really have that service-based mindset,

49:32community first, education when

49:35appropriate and then enforcement as not

49:37necessarily the last resort, but when it

49:38is the appropriate reaction to then do

49:40that. Part of that again comes back to

49:42our animal cruelty registry. So the

49:44animal cruelty registry um looking at

49:47what Chesapeake is planning to do and

49:49what they have already done. If we want

49:50to do something similar to that and be

49:52able to just list the felony animal

49:55cruelties, that's a database that we can

49:57more than likely have up sometime early

49:59next year, have it processed, made to

50:01look good, put it on our our website

50:03just as uh Chesapeake has done. Um so

50:06anytime somewhere around February of

50:07next year, we could easily have that one

50:09up and running with the council's

50:10approval. Um if we do move into the

50:13misdemeanors and the court ordered, that

50:16list grows exponentially, right? And it

50:19and it it becomes a much bigger burden

50:21to try to maintain. We are in court on a

50:24weekly basis with the misdemeanors and

50:26the the court orders for for not being

50:29able out to own animals. So at that

50:31point, we would have to readress whether

50:32it be a staffing or some kind of a

50:34situation that if he wanted to grow it,

50:36but as it stands right now, what we're

50:37legally able to do, we could have it up

50:39and running within the first couple of

50:41months of next year.

50:42>> [snorts]

50:42>> Uh I think we've kind of talked and uh

50:45council member Luchi already discussed

50:47the purpose of it and animal services

50:49would just like to reiterate that we are

50:50in complete support of it. It is

50:52something that we would find useful. Uh

50:54I would like to eventually see this grow

50:56as a mindset that just because we can

50:58list the ones here in Virginia Beach is

51:00not going to help someone in Curry Tuck

51:02or someone in Portsouth or someone in

51:04Hampton. is really will need to be a

51:06regional thing that is possibly

51:08addressed on a larger basis so that our

51:10databases hopefully one day can

51:11interconnect so that when we go to

51:13search that database not only are we

51:14pulling up the unfortunate citizens in

51:17Virginia Beach that cannot own animals

51:18but if you've driven across the border

51:20from Chesapeake that you'll populate on

51:21that list as well versus one of my

51:24clerks having to sit down and search 15

51:25different websites to try to figure out

51:27whether this person has been restricted

51:28in another municipality and again

51:30there's always the issue we're so close

51:31to the North Carolina state line you're

51:33there's always going to be gaps I

51:34understand. But I do feel that we

51:36should, if we're going to set it up, I

51:37would like to see it set up for success

51:38with a strategy to try and work as a

51:41collective together with our region to

51:43try and get it to be the most useful

51:45list, not only to us, but to people as

51:46the SPCA, to any other rescue or

51:48nonprofit that is doing an appointment

51:50or doing um adoptions.

51:54So, again, we talked a little bit about

51:55the uh rebranding that we've done. Uh

51:58when I first came here last September,

51:59we had about 15 different names

52:01depending on where you've looked us up

52:02in the the city's archives. We were

52:04animal control, animal enforcement,

52:06animal services. We are Virginia Beach

52:08Animal Services. That is who we are. It

52:10is who we will be moving forward. So

52:12these are kind of the the images that we

52:13want to try to present to the citizens

52:16to try and get our name out there. We

52:18want to be a little bit more than just

52:19that place down on bird neck. We want

52:20people to when they when they think of

52:22adopting an animals, think of the VBSPCA

52:25and think of us. You want to walk, we

52:26want you walking through one of our

52:27doors. We want the that we want the

52:29neighboring cities when when I when you

52:31Google search animal shelter, I want the

52:33Virginia Beach animal shelters to be the

52:34first ones that pop up for you. I want

52:36you coming here and looking and because

52:38I do feel that we as the the city take

52:41care of our animals better than the

52:42surrounding areas. And that means that

52:44you should be coming here to get an

52:45animal because we've made sure that

52:46we're doing the best by that animal.

52:50This is something my staff asked to

52:51include. Uh they wanted to let you guys

52:54know why they do what they do. So there

52:55are differing quotes on here from that

52:57they do it because of the love of the

52:58animals. They do it because no one else

53:00will. Uh they just wanted to know that

53:02uh yes they show up. They get they get

53:05paid to be here. But be a little blunt.

53:08Most of the job is scooping up and

53:09cleaning up poop. Whether you're in a

53:10field officer and you're cleaning up the

53:12baggage on the street or you're coming

53:13in to scoop the poop of the kennel. It's

53:15more than a paycheck that gets them to

53:17come through the door. So, I told them

53:18that I'd include their quotes for you

53:19guys to see that they really do have a

53:21passion and a heart for why they do what

53:23they do.

53:25And then moving forward, so reiterating

53:27our commitment to protecting those

53:29animals and the citizens of the of the

53:31city of Virginia Beach. And then just

53:33wanting to to request where do you guys

53:36want to go with the animal cruelty

53:37registry? Is this something that the

53:39council wants to support and attempt to

53:41move forward with or is this something

53:43that we need for later in discussion?

53:45And as always, if anybody has any

53:46questions, I'm happy to answer them to

53:48the best of my ability.

53:49>> Michael, I'll get the ball rolling.

53:51>> Thank you, Mayor. Well, I do have some

53:52questions about your presentation, but

53:53let's start with the animal um culty

53:56registry. Um and I would like to

53:59formally request and I'll follow up with

54:00an email um that we um create an

54:05ordinance that would authorize

54:07the animal services division to move

54:09forward with the implementation as you

54:11described with a goal of by February

54:132027. previously discussed contemplated

54:16whether it would be more appropriate to

54:18do that as part of the budget u process

54:20but I guess it can be done in a way

54:22that's budget neutral which is fantastic

54:24um and uh in light of that then um I

54:28would like to make that request and also

54:30solicit uh support from members of this

54:32body for establishing that and thank you

54:34for your recommendation and and for all

54:36of your work you know as was

54:39>> sure

54:39>> Mr. may um does any does any member of

54:42the council have any issues with us

54:43bringing forward a piece of legislation

54:45for the animal registry as um we talked

54:48about we can do it in a budget neutral

54:50fashion. You know, we'll talk more about

54:52the legislative item that has been

54:54discussed by council that may need a

54:56little additional more support but to do

54:58the base level what the general assembly

54:59authorizes we can do now and get it up

55:02and ready for you know a February March

55:05time frame. Rosemary,

55:07>> I think it's a wonderful idea, Michael.

55:09Thank you for bringing this forward. Uh

55:11my my only question is right now maybe

55:14start with the felonies.

55:15>> Uh because he was saying that doing the

55:18misdemeanor would be overwhelming.

55:19>> We can't even We're not authorized to do

55:22that.

55:22>> And then maybe at a later date if we

55:24could bring theies.

55:26>> I mean the misdemeanor if it's

55:27authorized.

55:28>> If it's authorized. Yeah, that's what

55:29I'm thinking the same. [clears throat]

55:31Pardon me for interrupting, but I was

55:33just thinking the same. Since that's

55:34what's authorized now and we can be done

55:37in a budget neutral fashion, let's move

55:39forward with that. And if and or when

55:41>> we're authorized to expand the scope of

55:44that registry, we can have that

55:45discussion at a later date.

55:48>> I think it's a grand idea and I just so

55:50happy that you're supportive of it. It

55:53is a wonderful facility and there so you

55:56go in there and it's it's animals. I

55:59mean, you see horses, you see poultry,

56:01you see rats, you see all kinds of You

56:06do. My granddaughter love the rats. They

56:08thought they were so cute. [laughter]

56:10I mean, they have all kinds of animals

56:12in there. It's It's quite a joy to go in

56:14there and see them. And then and one way

56:16is a joy. The other way you want, oh, I

56:18want to bring them all home. So,

56:20>> um, thank you for what you're doing. It

56:22is a a joyful act that all of you do.

56:26>> Thank you,

56:27>> Michael. Uh thank you, mayor. Just a

56:29just one going back to the registry. It

56:32it's very exciting because uh

56:36it's just another step that we can take

56:39to ensure that there's less animal

56:43cruelty in our city and throughout the

56:45region. I do want to note that I agree

56:47with you.

56:49In addition to expanding to include

56:52misdemeanors and/or those who are barred

56:54from possessing companion animals, we

56:56should be looking at a regional registry

56:58or a statewide registry. And there are

57:00people who are interested in that.

57:01Unfortunately though, at this moment in

57:03time, the only thing we're authorized to

57:05do is to create individual municipal

57:07registries. So, it's great that

57:10Chesapeake has has led the way in our

57:12region by establishing this. We're going

57:14to be number two following up, which is

57:16which is very good for our community.

57:18And I just want to um encourage and

57:22challenge our other sister cities in the

57:24region to contemplate to consider

57:26establishing the same. So hopefully

57:28Norfick and Portsmith and Newport News

57:30Hampton will all be following suit and

57:32joining us in this effort. Um and thanks

57:35to all the professional staff and

57:37council who have expressed their

57:39support. It's very good thing. I have

57:42two questions. Well, one one comment and

57:44then one specific question.

57:47I think you're um underelling your

57:50rebranding vision and I want to

57:52compliment you on that and thank you for

57:54that. When I was growing up here, it's

57:56animal control. You know, I think does

57:58the do the cars still say that for for

57:59now? I know they're

58:00>> some that say animal control and some

58:01that say animal enforcement. So, they're

58:03a mismatch at the moment.

58:04>> A mismatch at the moment, but it's it

58:08doesn't really reflect what the officers

58:11and and all the professionals who are

58:13involved in that process do because it's

58:15not it's not about control. It's about

58:17it's about care. It's I've been on ride

58:19along with with those officers and um

58:22they what they do is more compassion

58:24than control. And um and I really credit

58:28you and compliment you for have and your

58:30colleagues for having the vision to

58:32rebrand in that fashion because it's a

58:34it's a I think it enhances community

58:37engagement and connection and I also

58:38think it more accur accurately reflects

58:40the work that's happening there. Um, I

58:44also just want to take a moment to just

58:46um express my appreciation for council

58:49member Hutcherson who isn't here today

58:51but is also liazison to the animal

58:53services advisory board and it's a real

58:56uh pleasure to work with him in support

58:59of your work. Um, and I and I know he's

59:01interested in in all these topics we're

59:03discussing. Finally, just have a

59:05question.

59:07If you had a magic wand

59:10[clears throat] and an unlimited budget,

59:12which no one has, okay, we don't have it

59:15here as you know, no magic wand and

59:18budgets are constrained. But if you did,

59:21where are your biggest issues? In other

59:23words, is it, you know, I know there's

59:25been some staffing challenges. I know

59:26that there's some um capital, you know,

59:31issues related to the building or we we

59:33recently supported a fence there, which

59:35was great. Um, and and I'm really glad

59:39we did that and thank the council for

59:41that. But where do you see like if you

59:43could fix an issue that you have some

59:45kind of a log jam that you have in in

59:48your operations, where does it exist?

59:50>> So I think the biggest one that we have

59:51right now is our capacity for care. Uh,

59:54so really that we break that down into a

59:55visual for you. Imagine a funnel. You've

59:57got a really big one end that you pour

59:59it in and a really small end where the

1:00:01stuff comes out.

1:00:03I've got tons of animals coming in

1:00:05through that big end and I've got a very

1:00:06small ability to push animals out the

1:00:09small end. We [clears throat] generally

1:00:11just do walk-ins. We don't have a huge

1:00:13marketing or advertising budget. We do

1:00:15some social media as we can, but we

1:00:17don't have a presence or a name um in

1:00:19the community in the way that when

1:00:21initially somebody uh thinks of wanting

1:00:24to adopt an animal, uh they're they

1:00:26don't they don't think of us. We're

1:00:27animal control, right? where you go down

1:00:28there, that's that's the where the

1:00:30animals go to do whatever it is that we

1:00:32do with them. Uh so I think that the the

1:00:33the amount of animals coming in versus

1:00:36the amount of animals coming out is the

1:00:37biggest issue. Uh the second one caveat

1:00:40to that is it goes along with capacity

1:00:42of care is staffing. We have 11

1:00:44full-time caretakers to take care of

1:00:46those 200 plus animals and that's not

1:00:47even a day. Everybody has to have a day

1:00:49off. Uh if you run the um UF, ASPCA, U

1:00:55uh United World, which used to be Humane

1:00:58Society or Humane World, all of them

1:01:00have a metric or an equation for should

1:01:01to figure out your capacity for care. If

1:01:03you plug our numbers into every one of

1:01:05them, it's going to give you an insane

1:01:06number that says I should have 17 people

1:01:08per day to care for the animals. That's

1:01:11that is over an abund. Realistically, I

1:01:15should be at about 12 people per day,

1:01:18which would mean I would need roughly 17

1:01:19to 18 full-time positions. So, we're

1:01:22It's not like we're miles away from

1:01:24where I believe the end goal to be, but

1:01:27it is it is that is our biggest thing.

1:01:28That equates for turnover. If I lose a

1:01:31caretaker right now, which currently I'm

1:01:32down three, my supervisors and my

1:01:34shelter manager are out there cleaning

1:01:36cages. I cleaned cages last week because

1:01:38we had somebody call out. All of those

1:01:40things, those people are the people who

1:01:42should be pushing animals out. They

1:01:44should be making the connections with

1:01:45the rescues. They should be implementing

1:01:47foster protocols. And we don't have the

1:01:49time to do it because we simply have to

1:01:52make sure the animals are fed,

1:01:53medicated, uh, cleaned up, and have a

1:01:56safe place and a warm place and a clean

1:01:57place to sleep when we go home at night.

1:01:59Those are the two biggest metrics. They

1:02:00both kind of circle that capacity for

1:02:02care.

1:02:03>> I just put a

1:02:05just to wrap up my comments. I did get

1:02:07an email from the shelter manager just

1:02:09yesterday and the subject of the email

1:02:10was possible puppy.

1:02:13So that was a very this is a very she's

1:02:16somebody's marketing. She's doing she's

1:02:18at least marketing to me.

1:02:20>> Um [snorts]

1:02:21>> it's very small department very isolated

1:02:24market we're looking at.

1:02:25>> It's hard to ignore an email that says

1:02:27possible puppy.

1:02:29>> You cannot ignore that email.

1:02:32>> What year did your facility open up? Uh

1:02:35the current one u I believe so I started

1:02:38there in 2011 and I believe it had been

1:02:40open for two years prior to that before

1:02:42me starting so somewhere around 2008

1:02:442010.

1:02:45>> Yeah about 2008 and 10. Um you know just

1:02:47a little background you know prior to

1:02:49that facility they had a a facility on

1:02:53Leroy

1:02:54>> and it was really not a good situation.

1:02:57You know, it was uh Parvo outbreaks and

1:03:01they had a lot of center. You know,

1:03:02remember Rosemary back then, Barbara.

1:03:05And uh you know we we we had to really

1:03:09build this new facility because the

1:03:10other one uh was so substandard and it

1:03:13was really a very very well done and and

1:03:17Jim Wood and I were the first liaison

1:03:20you know because they decided to put

1:03:21together you know task force committee

1:03:23of over and I'll tell you what you had

1:03:26so many different people when when you

1:03:28talk about uh passionate people those

1:03:31who really care for animals you know you

1:03:34get them all at the table you're talking

1:03:36a table of passion and uh but but once

1:03:40again I got to commend you uh because

1:03:42the broad spectrum of what you do u you

1:03:46know number of times I you know I I

1:03:48called animal control uh for various

1:03:50reasons you know sometimes uh you know

1:03:53finding a walk dog or you know things

1:03:55like that and uh and and every time you

1:03:57know the folks came out they were so

1:03:59kind and professional and courteous and

1:04:01everything you know I think you set a

1:04:03very good tone

1:04:05Okay. Just wanted to thank you.

1:04:07>> Appreciate it.

1:04:08>> Appreciate.

1:04:09>> Anything else?

1:04:11>> Charlie, help cut the ribbon.

1:04:13>> Thank you all again.

1:04:15>> Thank you.

1:04:16>> So, Mr. Mayor, members of council, at

1:04:18this time, Brett McKenzie will come and

1:04:20brief city council on the draft

1:04:22legislative agenda that's going to be

1:04:24presented to you all for consideration

1:04:25on November 10th. We're going to be

1:04:27working to pass out the PowerPoint for

1:04:28you. And I also want to take the chance

1:04:30to introduce Jesse Williams Reynolds.

1:04:32She's going to be taken over from Bran

1:04:34after adoption and she's going to carry

1:04:36it to the general assembly. So Jesse, if

1:04:37you could take a moment and just

1:04:39introduce yourself to the council.

1:04:45>> Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and

1:04:47members of council. So I'm absolutely

1:04:49thrilled to be part of the Virginia

1:04:51Beach team. Just a little bit about my

1:04:53background. I was born and raised in

1:04:54Hampton Roads, and I currently live in

1:04:56Hampton. Don't hold that against me.

1:04:58with my husband and our blended family

1:05:00of four boys and our two rescue dogs. Um

1:05:03I've spent the past 11 or so years

1:05:06serving in the state legislature for two

1:05:08state senators, one of whom represented

1:05:10Virginia represented a small portion of

1:05:12Virginia Beach. Um Senator Lum Lewis.

1:05:15Um,

1:05:17and I'm like I said, I'm thrilled to be

1:05:19with you, be here with you today. And I

1:05:21just want to say that ever since I've

1:05:23been here for like 11 days, 12 days, and

1:05:26everyone I've met has been absolutely

1:05:28wonderful. And I think that's a

1:05:29testament to the culture you all are

1:05:30building here. And I just wanted to say

1:05:32thank you for that and for all that you

1:05:34do for the city. Thank you.

1:05:44>> Good afternoon, Mr. Mr. Mayor, uh Madame

1:05:46Vice Mayor, members of the council, it's

1:05:48a pleasure to be here with you one last

1:05:50time uh this afternoon. Um today we are

1:05:54going to uh review the legislative

1:05:57agenda timeline. Uh just provide a

1:06:01reminder of the guidelines for how the

1:06:04legislative agenda is adopted. Uh we

1:06:06have a few additions to the legislative

1:06:08agenda since the last time I was before

1:06:10you. Um,

1:06:12and uh, we have all the slides from uh,

1:06:16my previous presentation that I'm not

1:06:18going to go through each of them, but if

1:06:20there's a discussion that you would like

1:06:21to have, we're happy to bring those

1:06:22slides up. At the conclusion of today's

1:06:24presentation, we're simply looking for

1:06:26any requested changes that you would

1:06:28like to the final draft agenda that

1:06:31would be presented to you at the

1:06:33November 10th meeting for um, adoption.

1:06:38Um, so as we I think mentioned twice

1:06:40here already, now uh the draft

1:06:42legislative agenda will come before you

1:06:44at your next city council meeting for

1:06:46adoption on November 10th. After

1:06:49November 10th, uh Jesse will take the

1:06:51package and work with our delegation to

1:06:54find uh bill patrons and work with them

1:06:56to get the bills drafted and introduced.

1:07:01Um,

1:07:02so we have done the draft legislative

1:07:05agenda. When it comes before you on

1:07:07November 10th, you'll have the option of

1:07:09voting on the package as a whole, or if

1:07:13there are individual items that you

1:07:14would like to pull out and vote on

1:07:15individually, you'll have that uh that

1:07:18option. Um, legislative agenda items

1:07:20will require a twothirds majority for

1:07:23approval and uh charter amendments will

1:07:26require a three-4 majority for approval.

1:07:30So, as I mentioned, we've had a few

1:07:31additions uh that um the council has

1:07:34proposed. The first is adding the uh

1:07:38charter amendment for protecting the

1:07:39blue line. Um this proposal basically

1:07:43creates a supermajority requirement for

1:07:46approving any land use decisions uh

1:07:48below the blue line. Uh this was in our

1:07:51package last year. Um and again, this is

1:07:54a charter change, a proposed charter

1:07:56change.

1:07:58Second one is uh the uh tree

1:08:02preservation study that the green ribbon

1:08:04commission had proposed and that

1:08:05councilwoman Henley brought forward last

1:08:07week. Um this request uh would basically

1:08:12have Jark conduct a study to see how

1:08:15tree preservation could uh assist um

1:08:18tree can or sorry could assist with uh

1:08:21best management practices within

1:08:23Virginia's storm water regulatory

1:08:25framework. Uh as you look through the

1:08:28legisl the draft legislative agenda

1:08:29itself, you will see that we have placed

1:08:31this in the uh policy section section

1:08:35under the um environment and um storm

1:08:38water section.

1:08:41Uh the next one is the um

1:08:45is a proposal from the mayor asking to

1:08:49um increase the um the offense for a

1:08:54certain segment of uh traffic

1:08:56violations. This would move them from a

1:08:58secondary offense to a primary offense.

1:09:01You may recall back in 2021 the general

1:09:03assembly um made the opposite move.

1:09:06These were primary offenses. they

1:09:09reduced them to secondary offenses.

1:09:13And then the last uh addition is the

1:09:16animal cruelty registry proposal. Um in

1:09:1920124 the general assembly gave

1:09:22localities the authority to create and

1:09:24maintain an animal cruelty registry. And

1:09:26as as you've heard from the previous

1:09:27presentations,

1:09:29um would allow you to place people who

1:09:32were found guilty of a fan a felony um

1:09:36and dealing with animal fighting or uh

1:09:38injury to police. This proposal would

1:09:41add two additional types um individuals

1:09:44convicted of a misdemeanor, animal

1:09:46cruelty offense, and individuals who

1:09:49have been barred by a court from

1:09:51possessing companion animals.

1:09:54Uh Mr. Mr. Mayor, that's the conclusion

1:09:56of my presentation. As I mentioned, we

1:09:58have all the other slides if there's

1:09:59further discussion on any of the other

1:10:00items that have been previously

1:10:02proposed.

1:10:03>> Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor, members of C, as

1:10:04you all know, there's a lot of other

1:10:06things that's already in legislative

1:10:07package. We just thought it'd be a

1:10:08better use of your time to go over the

1:10:10items that were recently added, but if

1:10:12council ever wants to go back to the

1:10:14other items, we have them in the back of

1:10:16the presentation that we can go to if

1:10:17city council wants to revisit some of

1:10:19the items that was already previously

1:10:20discussed or presented to you all.

1:10:22Rosemary,

1:10:24>> I would really appreciate

1:10:29and I text him. I'm not totally

1:10:31surprising him because there's a lot of

1:10:33legislation that is going to affect the

1:10:35police powers and all that. If he could

1:10:38give us what his priorities are, if he

1:10:40could [clears throat]

1:10:42uh start from top to bottom, I think

1:10:45that would be really helpful to us. So,

1:10:47you're going to chief, go ahead.

1:10:58Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor,

1:11:00members of council. Thank you for the

1:11:01opportunity to clarify. I know we have

1:11:04asked for a lot of assistance. So, when

1:11:06you're looking at uh the number of items

1:11:08that we have proposed, I think first and

1:11:10foremost, uh number one is what we had

1:11:13previously referred to as our popup

1:11:15legislation that we're now calling

1:11:17community safety zones. I think that is

1:11:20the biggest public safety priority for

1:11:22us as we move uh through the winter back

1:11:25into spring that we can get some

1:11:27assistance from our general assembly

1:11:29with legislation to address our

1:11:32community concerns with large crowds and

1:11:34the gun violence that happens in our

1:11:36resort area. Number two uh for the

1:11:39police department would be the

1:11:41possession of firearms while

1:11:43intoxicated.

1:11:44uh what we believe there is a gap in the

1:11:47current code that to be charged under

1:11:50this provision you have to have a CCW

1:11:52permit but it does not impact someone

1:11:56that does not have a permit and I think

1:11:58what we're finding with the

1:11:59proliferation of firearms uh in our

1:12:01state uh that we do have individuals

1:12:04that will embibbe with alcohol also

1:12:07possess firearms and it creates a

1:12:09dangerous cocktail that our officers are

1:12:11encountering. So, we would like to see

1:12:13this ranked as number two. Number three

1:12:15would be expanding the circumstances

1:12:18that prohibit disclosure of the

1:12:20subpoenas in our search warrants. Many

1:12:22times when we're doing an investigation

1:12:25and we're obtaining a search warrant or

1:12:27a subpoena that gets filed with the

1:12:29clerk of courts, we have folks that are

1:12:31very diligent in their job. I think uh

1:12:34you know Stacy's in the room that our

1:12:36friends in the media are constantly

1:12:38looking at that for sources of

1:12:40information, but sometimes our

1:12:42investigations are not over. That

1:12:44subpoena or search warrant is just one

1:12:46of many of a long complex investigation.

1:12:50And if we had additional legislative

1:12:52authority to keep them shielded while we

1:12:54conduct our long-term investigation,

1:12:57sometimes those pertinent facts would

1:12:59not get out into public venue before

1:13:00we're ready. Uh number four would be

1:13:03increased penalties for the prostitution

1:13:05around our massage parlors.

1:13:08Unfortunately, so many of our human

1:13:10trafficking investigations

1:13:12uh are linked to the massage parlors

1:13:15that uh my detectives believe that

1:13:17giving us some additional penalties on

1:13:20the back end may def uh deter some of

1:13:23that action. And then last number five

1:13:26would be increasing increasing our

1:13:28representation from a law enforcement

1:13:30perspective for the forensic science

1:13:32board. Uh there's a lot of you know uh

1:13:35scientists and uh other practitioners on

1:13:38that forensic services board but many of

1:13:41the things that we do it is also law

1:13:43enforcement related. We would like to

1:13:45have a bigger voice from the public

1:13:47safety community and uh those are those

1:13:51are how I would rank them. Ma'am,

1:13:54>> thank you so much. I think it's really

1:13:55helpful to know. I mean, they're all

1:13:57important, but especially when Jesse's

1:14:00got to be up there and welcome, Jesse um

1:14:03to be fighting for for us to know

1:14:08>> exactly because sometimes you have to

1:14:10work harder, you know, and sometimes you

1:14:12have to take some and you may not get it

1:14:14all. You know, sometimes you have to

1:14:16take part of a loaf instead of the whole

1:14:18loaf. So, it's really nice to be able to

1:14:20have it and we really appreciate you and

1:14:21and all the work that that you're doing

1:14:24and and our men and women. We really

1:14:27appreciate you.

1:14:28>> Thank you, Vice Mayor.

1:14:29>> Hey, Jennifer. Sorry.

1:14:31>> Mr. Mayor, can I just want to clarify

1:14:33something right before you speak? Mrs.

1:14:34Mrs. Rouse is that. Okay. Um Brent, the

1:14:37items that the chief mentioned, just for

1:14:39the council's clarity, were those items

1:14:41included in the draft or were any of

1:14:43those and the ones that were may have

1:14:44been requested but weren't brought

1:14:46forward?

1:14:46>> Uh yes, Mr. Manager. I believe there

1:14:48were two of those that we put in the

1:14:50requested but not um included portion

1:14:54and as we were um compiling the package

1:14:57as a whole. We were really trying to we

1:15:00had a lot of requests this year from

1:15:01different departments. Um and I just try

1:15:04to remind folks that it's a short

1:15:06legislative session. Um they put they

1:15:08always put bill limits on the number of

1:15:11bills that any legislator can introduce.

1:15:13They've put even greater restrictions

1:15:14this year. So there's just a um and our

1:15:17time frames kind of constricted here

1:15:19with some of the changeover. So there

1:15:21was there were some challenges with the

1:15:23the number of proposed bills that we had

1:15:25that we tried to um just we did our best

1:15:28to try and prioritize as a whole.

1:15:30>> But council could always tell us to do

1:15:32something different. So just wanted to

1:15:33let you all know that if you want us to

1:15:35add those elements, we can. Brent, can

1:15:37you clarify which of the items that the

1:15:39chief mentioned were included? I know is

1:15:41the community event zones. So, community

1:15:44event zones and the possession of

1:15:46firearms are in the package. Um, as is

1:15:50the forensic science board. Um, the

1:15:52number three and number four that the

1:15:54chief mentioned, the um expand the

1:15:56circumstances of the uh uh disclosure

1:16:02um and the increased penalties for the

1:16:04prostitution near massage parthers.

1:16:07>> Yep. So, council, we could add those

1:16:09back or we can leave them out and do

1:16:11them next session. But if council wants

1:16:12us to, we can just go ahead and put them

1:16:14in the package that you'll adopt.

1:16:16>> Let's digest what's going on today.

1:16:19Then, you know, we can do because we're

1:16:21going to have u, you know, the task

1:16:23force, you know, for safer Virginia

1:16:26Beach. You know, we're having our final

1:16:28meeting on Thursday, I believe, and

1:16:29there might be some recommendations

1:16:31coming out of there or reinforcement for

1:16:33what we're doing. So, we'll do that.

1:16:37>> So, Mr. Mayor, we'll add those two back

1:16:39and then we'll send the report out to

1:16:40the council just so you can get a sense

1:16:42of what's in there now.

1:16:43>> Okay, let's go with Jennifer first and

1:16:45>> thank you, mayor. Um, and I'm actually I

1:16:47appreciate the question from the vice

1:16:48mayor. I support um adding those items

1:16:51to the agenda and we'll see what

1:16:52happens. Um I have paused with the um

1:16:56request for increasing certain traffic

1:16:58offenses from secondary to primary and

1:17:02to that there would reestablish greater

1:17:06more serious violation for traffic stops

1:17:10for quite a few reasons. Um

1:17:16the first two that are coming to mind.

1:17:18Um, I think that this could

1:17:20unintentionally put the police and the

1:17:22public in an uncomfortable

1:17:25relationship that it might create more

1:17:27antagonistic interactions than um than

1:17:31have to happen. I think that our police

1:17:33officers um are doing really important

1:17:37work and ought to continue doing that

1:17:39work. and to um pull someone over for

1:17:42[snorts]

1:17:43not wearing a seat belt for objects

1:17:45hanging in the mirror. I think that that

1:17:47creates this interaction of the police

1:17:49or just, you know, picking on people or

1:17:53pulling people over for these minor

1:17:55offenses. Um

1:17:58I also think that like there's an

1:17:59affordability issue now and so if

1:18:02someone doesn't have a tail light

1:18:04replaced, they should be aware of that

1:18:06and work to improve it. but there

1:18:08shouldn't be a criminal offense for

1:18:11that. So, I don't support adding this to

1:18:14the agenda. I do I'm behind what the

1:18:17chief wants to add. I think those have

1:18:19merit, but I can't get behind this.

1:18:21Thank you.

1:18:22>> Okay. And if I can respond to that,

1:18:24Jennifer, um, from what I understand,

1:18:26these were in place in 2021

1:18:30and it was after the George Floyd uh

1:18:33tragic incident.

1:18:35Uh, and correct me if I'm Greg if you

1:18:37can help me out with this. Uh, there was

1:18:40calls to uh defund the police. There

1:18:43were calls to take away sovereign

1:18:44immunity and these tools that police

1:18:48were using to potentially

1:18:52uh, you know, get guns off the street.

1:18:54And that's my uh kind of understanding

1:18:57was there. We have too many people

1:18:59coming to our ocean front carrying

1:19:02firearms.

1:19:04And once again, if they're not breaking

1:19:06the law, it's not a problem. But, you

1:19:08know, Chief, if you I know it's a hot

1:19:10spot, but if you can touch on this a

1:19:12little bit, what why this might be

1:19:14necessary?

1:19:15>> Absolutely. You know, I I think the

1:19:17officers feel that there were certain

1:19:19valuable tools that were taken away from

1:19:21them in regards to traffic stops. And

1:19:23you know, we're very cognizant about the

1:19:25concerns about the overp policing and

1:19:27the traffic stops, but I think the

1:19:29reality is that the individuals that are

1:19:32committing violent crime in our

1:19:34community, they have to get there. And

1:19:36most of the time they're doing it by

1:19:37vehicle. They're traveling by vehicle to

1:19:40wherever they're going to commit that

1:19:42homicide, robbery, shooting. And we have

1:19:46there there's no doubt that our officers

1:19:47have saved lives. I can think of one

1:19:49incident a couple years ago where we

1:19:52stopped a car for a very minor violation

1:19:55and once we peeled back that onion and

1:19:57arrested the individual in the car with

1:19:59a multitude of guns, he was on his way

1:20:02to commit a a u a targeted homicide for

1:20:06money and we saved an individual's life

1:20:09based off that low-level traffic stop.

1:20:11So, we we do understand the concern, but

1:20:14we do feel that there would be some

1:20:16benefit to giving some of that uh

1:20:18authority back to our officers. And one

1:20:20that really comes to mind is our

1:20:23inability to enforce just simple

1:20:25jaywalking anymore. We're seeing

1:20:28increases in pedestrian

1:20:30severity for our traffic crashes and our

1:20:33fatalities because we don't have the

1:20:35authority to enforce simple jaywalking

1:20:38violations anymore. and we're seeing it

1:20:40play out with serious injuries in our

1:20:42crashes. So, that's that's what we'd

1:20:44like for consideration.

1:20:46And if I could also bring up especially

1:20:48the marijuana pod uh there there's a lot

1:20:52of concern from the businesses at the

1:20:54ocean front during summer you know with

1:20:56the pervasiveness of this and uh you

1:21:00know once again u you know I you know I

1:21:04I really think you this is something

1:21:06that has to be discussed and you know

1:21:08this is my personal vision you know

1:21:10especially

1:21:12uh coming from North New Jersey and

1:21:14working in a hospital where I see the

1:21:16results of where I saw the results of

1:21:18violence.

1:21:20And if this can actually save one life

1:21:24or save one person from getting shot, it

1:21:28would it be worth it?

1:21:30I think you know my answer. Okay.

1:21:32Anybody else at this point? Borrower,

1:21:35please.

1:21:35>> Uh on a minor a more minor uh topic, the

1:21:39tree preservation study. Uh it doesn't

1:21:42have to be a Jark study, just a study.

1:21:45So that's not the important part of

1:21:48this, the Jark part, just a study to

1:21:49[clears throat]

1:21:50see if we could have the uh uh

1:21:53preservation of mature tree plant and be

1:21:55recognized as a BMP. Doesn't matter who

1:21:58does the study.

1:22:01>> Okay. At least we got it out there.

1:22:03Yeah, brother Mayor.

1:22:05>> Well, I just want to talk about the

1:22:07process for next time.

1:22:10If if anybody wants to say anything else

1:22:12about the package, they should and then

1:22:13I'd like to wrap up with the process.

1:22:16>> Talk about the process.

1:22:17>> Well, I I' Oh, Michael, did you

1:22:20>> just one comment and I'm going to go

1:22:21back to the animal registry and the I

1:22:24just want to thank everyone involved. I

1:22:27think we move forward in a really

1:22:29positive and collaborative fashion on

1:22:31that issue. I think it's going to have a

1:22:32materially positive impact on our

1:22:34community both establishing the register

1:22:37under the provisions that are currently

1:22:39provided and the potential to expand

1:22:42that each municipality can create their

1:22:44own scope. So while we're debating other

1:22:46issues that are, you know, important and

1:22:49in some cases people [snorts] have

1:22:51different perspectives, I think it's

1:22:53really I just want to take a moment if I

1:22:54could and I'll wrap it up just to say I

1:22:56think it's really wonderful how we came

1:22:57together on that issue and I and I

1:22:59really believe and know that it will

1:23:00have a positive impact on um people and

1:23:04animals in our community. So thanks to

1:23:06all involved for that. Sorry, Vice

1:23:08Mayor.

1:23:08>> Thank you.

1:23:10Just glad that you are including the

1:23:12affordability

1:23:13for housing and transportation

1:23:16everywhere we go. Those are key. We also

1:23:20leading the charge on.

1:23:21>> Yes, ma'am.

1:23:22>> Thank you.

1:23:25>> Okay. I'd like to recommend if

1:23:28since we have to have eight votes or

1:23:31nine votes for our amendment for each of

1:23:33these things to go into our legislative

1:23:35package, I'd like to recommend if you

1:23:37would number each one of these items and

1:23:41then when we sit down, we can go through

1:23:42and anything that uh there's any

1:23:46discrepancy if if everybody's fine with

1:23:48something with all they don't we just

1:23:50pull kind of like we do with the agenda.

1:23:52Pull the ones that you think there might

1:23:54be

1:23:56something discussion then we can find

1:23:58out how much support there is for each

1:24:00one of those. So if we can say okay

1:24:02number three

1:24:04um I've got a problem with that and then

1:24:07we can see how the council feels and

1:24:09find out if there's

1:24:11a support of eight for it.

1:24:14How does that sound to

1:24:15>> Yeah. Patrick,

1:24:16>> Vice Mayor, um we currently and I just

1:24:19want to make sure we we do right by your

1:24:22um the process if the council wants to

1:24:24go around that path because of you know

1:24:27how elections a state holiday and it's a

1:24:29city holiday as well. We don't have a

1:24:32meeting next week. We currently have it

1:24:34programmed to be on your agenda on the

1:24:3610th. If council wants more discussion

1:24:38on it, we could move it to the 17th

1:24:40because we're we're condensed or we're

1:24:42moving we're meeting we have voting

1:24:44meetings right after each other as well.

1:24:46So council prefers we could have it on

1:24:48the 10th have it on the agenda for the

1:24:5010th but council have further discussion

1:24:52or we can leave it on the agenda for

1:24:54vote and council still have discussion

1:24:56and defer it. But I just want to make

1:24:57sure we give you all the right time that

1:24:59you all need to address this. I think

1:25:02it's kind of important that we get it

1:25:04right and because once again I think you

1:25:07point out that uh without question you

1:25:10know there's a shorten agenda in the

1:25:13thing we got to pick it right so I would

1:25:16say you know let's vote on the 17th you

1:25:18know have a discussion on it on the test

1:25:20>> we can do the discussion on the on the

1:25:22numbered items

1:25:23>> and see how how everybody feels and then

1:25:26>> I I think it's fair

1:25:28>> it'll be less chaotic

1:25:29>> yeah know Yeah, because the discussion

1:25:31in the vote. Yeah, Dana,

1:25:33>> just letting you know there is a public

1:25:34hearing for the charter change on for

1:25:36November 10th. Uh that's just statutoily

1:25:38required for any request for a charter

1:25:40change.

1:25:40>> We can still do that, mayor. So, just

1:25:42want to clarify.

1:25:42>> Yeah, let's go ahead and do that, you

1:25:44know, and then have the discussion and

1:25:46that way, you know, and there I think

1:25:48there would be more clarity especially

1:25:50on some of the controversial stuff.

1:25:52>> So, if you can number them all, then we

1:25:54can all come prepared for discussion.

1:25:58So like the charter is going to take

1:26:00nine votes and we're going to need to

1:26:01know if there's I mean I think there

1:26:03will be didn't have a problem last year

1:26:05but I'm just using that as an example.

1:26:07>> So mayor we'll take the guidance we got

1:26:09here including adding those additional

1:26:11uh public safety items that the chief

1:26:12mentioned that council concurred on.

1:26:14We'll update the list and we'll resend

1:26:16it to you all and either this week or

1:26:18next week's council package and then

1:26:19we'll work to have a discussion on the

1:26:2110th. We'll still do the um the public

1:26:23hearing for the charter the blue line

1:26:24charter amendment and then depending on

1:26:27how how the 10th goes we assume that

1:26:28it'll be on the 17th for a vote of

1:26:30council.

1:26:31>> That's okay.

1:26:32>> I think that's good.

1:26:33>> Good.

1:26:33>> Thank you.

1:26:35>> Um

1:26:36>> thank you.

1:26:37>> Brandon will do this way instead of the

1:26:39clap. So thank you

1:26:42>> council member.

1:26:44>> Thank you for being with us.

1:26:46>> Don't really laugh.

1:26:47>> Apparently it's extended another week.

1:26:49[laughter]

1:26:51He can't get rid of me. I understand. I

1:26:53understand that desire.

1:26:54>> Don't let it go, man.

1:26:55>> Hey, Brett, I salute you in that

1:26:57silence.

1:26:58>> Thank you.

1:26:59>> Thank you, Brett. We've enjoyed you.

1:27:01>> Thank you.

1:27:01>> Work. [clears throat] We appreciate your

1:27:02work.

1:27:03>> Thank you, ma'am.

1:27:04>> All right. So, Mr. Mayor, members of

1:27:06council, at this time, we'll be joined

1:27:08by Nancy Helman, director of convention

1:27:11and business bureau. She's going to give

1:27:12city council an update on how the 2026

1:27:15um season has went so far as it relates

1:27:18to occupancy and then also provide

1:27:19council key updates on some other

1:27:21priorities that the CBP is working on

1:27:23with our stakeholders. So go ahead and

1:27:26the floor is yours.

1:27:30>> Welcome.

1:27:31>> Hello. Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice

1:27:34Mayor, members of council. Mr. Duhaney,

1:27:36Mr. Harmier. I'm here today to provide

1:27:39you with an overview and update from the

1:27:41Convention and Visitors Bureau and the

1:27:43Visit Virginia Beach brand.

1:27:45We have several things to discuss today

1:27:47and my plan is to move through this

1:27:49agenda with efficiency. Our primary

1:27:51focus will be on performance. Before I

1:27:53dive in, I wanted to remind you that

1:27:55we're hosting our annual state of

1:27:57tourism event next week where tourism

1:27:59economics and Oxford economics company

1:28:02will be in town to share a detailed look

1:28:04at the 2025 impact of tourism. We'll

1:28:08talk more about that as we roll through

1:28:10the presentation. What I'm sharing today

1:28:12is performance updates from FY26.

1:28:15As a reminder, the fiscal year for the

1:28:17city is from July 1st to June 30th.

1:28:20The statistics on this slide are

1:28:22representative of the fiscal year 26

1:28:24extended through September 2026. We saw

1:28:28growth in hotel occupancy, average daily

1:28:31rate, and revenues. All good news.

1:28:34According to Co-Star Star report, we

1:28:36outperformed our competitive set in

1:28:38occupancy, including destinations like

1:28:41Myrtle Beach, Atlantic City, Coastal

1:28:44Carolina, Wilmington, and Ocean City.

1:28:47Our goal remains unchanged to position

1:28:50Virginia Beach as a year-round

1:28:52destination with a particular emphasis

1:28:54on extending our high demand summer

1:28:56season. We prioritize strategic special

1:28:58event bookings, thoughtful and impactful

1:29:01marketing and public relations, and

1:29:03strong performance across leisure,

1:29:05travel, sports, tourism, and group

1:29:07business.

1:29:09For a moment, we'll focus on the 2026

1:29:12summer season. As you can see from this

1:29:13chart, according to Co-Star Star report,

1:29:16we show we showed growth year-over-year.

1:29:18I'd like to draw your attention to

1:29:20August and September. The shift in Labor

1:29:23Day caused August to be flat, but when

1:29:25you look at the strong growth in

1:29:26September, you can see the effects of

1:29:28the Supergirl event, group business,

1:29:31additional transient room nights, and

1:29:33other programming. Again, we're proud

1:29:36that we outperformed our comp set in

1:29:38this space as well.

1:29:40FY26 brings so many exciting awards to

1:29:43celebrate and I wanted to share a few

1:29:45with a few with you to highlight. This

1:29:48sampling represents achievements from

1:29:49across our business units from sports,

1:29:52tourism and leisure to marketing and

1:29:54meetings and conventions. We are

1:29:57competitive and we love to win.

1:30:00Public relations and earned media are a

1:30:03very big part of the visit Virginia

1:30:05Beach brand and messaging. We engage

1:30:07media and travel writers to create brand

1:30:09awareness and drive traffic to our

1:30:11website. A great example of that was

1:30:13when our director of media relations,

1:30:15Aaron Goldmire, and her team engaged

1:30:18Travel and Leisure magazine and earned

1:30:20coverage in an article called Best

1:30:22Hidden Beach Towns, which featured

1:30:24Sandbridge Beach. After its release in

1:30:27August, we saw a 9.4%

1:30:30increase in traffic to the Sandbridge

1:30:32landing page directly attributed to this

1:30:34article. That's what it looks like when

1:30:36strategy and execution align. As you're

1:30:40aware, our public relations team also

1:30:42landed landed the most coveted award of

1:30:44them all, being named one of the 52

1:30:47places to visit in 2026 by New York

1:30:50Times. To date, that placement has

1:30:52generated more than 1 billion

1:30:54impressions and more than 10 million in

1:30:56ad equivalency value. This coverage has

1:30:59been used to promote multiple events,

1:31:01festivals, attractions, and more.

1:31:05So, I was here in June and we did a

1:31:07deeper dive into our marketing program,

1:31:09but here are a few updates to highlight

1:31:11and share. When we last met, I was able

1:31:13to share information on the surge

1:31:15campaign, which we're thankful that

1:31:17council helped us to fund by utilizing

1:31:19the reserves in the tourism advertising

1:31:21program fund or the tap fund. The Surge

1:31:24campaign was developed to enhance our

1:31:25out-ofmarket advertising with additional

1:31:28messaging aimed at driving summer spend

1:31:30and highlighting Virginia Beach as a

1:31:32family-friendly destination.

1:31:34That campaign delivered more than 38

1:31:37million impressions and 180,000

1:31:40conversions. In FY26, we launched AI

1:31:44Max, an enhancement for Google search

1:31:47engines that led to a 49% increase in ad

1:31:50clicks, and our newly optimized Visit

1:31:52Virginia Beach website saw more than 5

1:31:55million users in FY26. A very special

1:31:58thank you to the advertising advisory

1:32:00committee and council liaison, Council

1:32:03Member Dr. Ross Hammond and Council

1:32:04Member Remick, as well as our CVB vice

1:32:07president of marketing, Anna Stone, and

1:32:09our marketing team for delivering these

1:32:11amazing results. [snorts] Also, at my

1:32:14June presentation, I shared information

1:32:16about a few new marketing initiatives,

1:32:18the social content creators program and

1:32:22the drop in Philadelphia. Here you can

1:32:24see the latest statistics demonstrating

1:32:26the success of those efforts. We're

1:32:29certainly pleased to see that 413 trip

1:32:32itinerary requests came from our content

1:32:35creators. And it's important to note

1:32:37that an according to an October

1:32:39publication by Business Research

1:32:40Company, influencer marketing is

1:32:43expected to grow to a 44 billion

1:32:46industry with major growth in the travel

1:32:50and tourism space by 2030.

1:32:53So, switching gears, I wanted to share

1:32:55the fiscal results from our business

1:32:56divisions at CVB. This slide highlights

1:32:59our meetings and conventions, convention

1:33:02sales and services division. One

1:33:04exciting update is the arrival of our

1:33:06two new welcome wave mobile visitor vans

1:33:09and three new golf carts already to

1:33:12deliver exceptional customer service to

1:33:14both citizens and guests. These

1:33:17enhancements help us to ensure visitors

1:33:19have a positive and memorable

1:33:21experience, one that encourages them to

1:33:23return to Virginia Beach again and

1:33:25again. The Virginia Beach Convention

1:33:28Center continues to be a hub of activity

1:33:30for both citizens and guests. In

1:33:33addition to the to the stats that you

1:33:35see on this slide, the 20-year-old

1:33:37building is also undergoing major CIP

1:33:39projects, everything from HVAC systems

1:33:42to elevator upgrades.

1:33:45This slide shows the FY26 success of our

1:33:49resort management team. In addition to

1:33:51the impressive stats that you see on

1:33:53this slide, they also delivered new

1:33:55resort branding, new bandshell at 17th

1:33:58Street Park, new programming and

1:34:00management of the beach events program,

1:34:02as well as the return of the bi-weekly

1:34:04summer fireworks, which kicked off on

1:34:06July 4th weekend, and so much more.

1:34:09They're also responsible for the

1:34:11management of the beach ambassadors

1:34:12program, which you can see from this

1:34:14slide, delivered great results in

1:34:16providing a high level of support in

1:34:18FY26.

1:34:19The ambassadors removed more than 2,000

1:34:22stickers, picked up 90,000 pounds of

1:34:25litter, and powerwashed 240 blocks.

1:34:30We also hosted important legacy events

1:34:33like the ones that you see on the screen

1:34:35as well as new events that help keep

1:34:39help us to grow our resort market share

1:34:42and keep us relevant.

1:34:45I wanted to spend some time today giving

1:34:47you a deeper look into our sports

1:34:48tourism program as it's often dis

1:34:51discussed in the business community. Our

1:34:54sports division is led by Danny Tim and

1:34:56a small but mighty team of seven total

1:34:58event sales and service professionals.

1:35:00The city began this program 27 years ago

1:35:03when it was on the cutting edge of the

1:35:05industry. And I know this well because I

1:35:08was a member of that team all of those

1:35:10years ago. As this slide shows, the

1:35:12program has become a national leader and

1:35:15true powerhouse delivering substantial

1:35:17economic returns to the city. And while

1:35:20there are only 52 weeks in a year, we

1:35:22consistently host multiple events on any

1:35:25given weekend at venues across the city

1:35:27from the Princess Hand corridor to the

1:35:29oceanfront.

1:35:31I thought I would walk you through a

1:35:33quick case study as to how sports

1:35:35tourism is a force multiplier for

1:35:37Virginia Beach. In February 2026, the

1:35:40height of our winter and off season, we

1:35:43hosted 17 sports tourism events. We'll

1:35:47use the example of the Excalibur Cup

1:35:49Gymnastics Championship. A big shout out

1:35:52to Excalibur Gymnastics and Gustavo and

1:35:54Marina Moore who own and operate a local

1:35:57business in District 1. They host a

1:36:00large meet at the Virginia Beach

1:36:01Convention Center in February that's

1:36:03grown into an international championship

1:36:05event that is a mustattend on the USA

1:36:07Gymnastics Competition calendar. The

1:36:10event features 3,000 athletes, 9,000

1:36:13spectators, and more than a thousand

1:36:15hotel room nights. And more than 80% of

1:36:18the participants come to Virginia Beach

1:36:20from out of market. Hosting large events

1:36:23like this in February provide us with

1:36:25occupancy lift and res revenue lifts

1:36:28that are important, especially for that

1:36:30time of year.

1:36:33So, this slide shows you an example of

1:36:34how we market and advertise our sports

1:36:36tourism program with the goal of keeping

1:36:38VB Sports and the city top of mind. You

1:36:41can see the impressive stats that this

1:36:44specific campaign delivered.

1:36:47Taking a closer look at the Virginia

1:36:48Beach Sports Center. This venue

1:36:50continues to outperform projections from

1:36:52the Victus feasibility studies that were

1:36:55done prior to its opening. A big thank

1:36:58you to our operating partner, Sports

1:36:59Facilities Companies, and general

1:37:01manager, Ryan Lad. Our teams work

1:37:03closely together to deliver a

1:37:05world-class experience to the guests

1:37:07that come to this facility. Besides the

1:37:10low the largest and most high-profile

1:37:13track and field events, basketball

1:37:15recruiting tournaments, and volleyball

1:37:17championships, the VB Sports Center also

1:37:19hosts a wide variety of sports.

1:37:22everything from wrestling, gymnastics,

1:37:24and indoor field hockey to cornhole

1:37:26chess and more.

1:37:29This slide is just a few of the notable

1:37:30events hosted by our sports tourism

1:37:32team, and I'll leave it on the screen

1:37:34for a second.

1:37:36[laughter]

1:37:38So, what's next? FY27 is shaping up to

1:37:41be a lot of fun with a ton of big

1:37:43projects coming up. We're really excited

1:37:45about some of the new festivals and

1:37:47programs programs that will be launching

1:37:49this fiscal year.

1:37:51New holiday and seasonal programming is

1:37:53going to be kicking off this winter

1:37:55featuring the Holiday Trail of Lights at

1:37:56the Virginia Aquarium. Another big

1:37:59December event is the American Youth

1:38:01Football National Championship in the

1:38:03Princess Anne Corridor that features

1:38:05more than 6,500 athletes. A very busy

1:38:09spring is is coming down the pipe as

1:38:11well with the arrival of new activ a new

1:38:13activation in April called Bulls Bands

1:38:16and Bikes which will feature an

1:38:18action-packed weekend of the Bulls and

1:38:20Barrels rodeo on the south end of the

1:38:22beach oceanfront concerts in the park

1:38:24and an all-new dialedin action sports

1:38:28FMX and BMX event right on Atlantic

1:38:30Avenue. We're also looking forward to

1:38:33officially welcoming back the Patriotic

1:38:34Festival in May featuring country stars

1:38:37Bailey Zimmerman, Ella Langley, and

1:38:39Riley Green. And we're very excited to

1:38:42begin working on our tourism development

1:38:44plan in the next couple of months. A big

1:38:46thank you to the finance department for

1:38:48assisting us in helping to select a

1:38:50vendor vendor partner to complete the

1:38:52study. A tourism development plan is a

1:38:55five-year strategic roadmap that

1:38:57outlines a destination's vision for

1:38:59growth, investment, and development. For

1:39:02Virginia Beach, it will guide efforts to

1:39:04strengthen the tourism industry, enhance

1:39:07the visitor experience, and support

1:39:09long-term economic vitality while

1:39:12aligning our stakeholders, citizens, and

1:39:15the business community. The last time a

1:39:17tourism development plan was done was in

1:39:192003. This is a very detailed and

1:39:22immersive process and we'll look forward

1:39:24to checking in with you along the way.

1:39:27Finally, as I said before, our goal for

1:39:29FY27 remains the same. New growth in

1:39:32target feeder markets, new strategic

1:39:34marketing, doubling down on

1:39:36partnerships, growing our business base,

1:39:38and generating meaningful economic

1:39:39impact through tourism while maintaining

1:39:42our position as a world-class

1:39:44destination.

1:39:47We're looking forward to seeing you on

1:39:49November 5th at our annual state of

1:39:50tourism event where an economist from

1:39:53tourism economics and Oxford economics

1:39:55company will be in Virginia Beach to

1:39:57discuss the economic impact of tourism

1:39:59for the year 2025. We'll also be hosting

1:40:02two free educational sessions for

1:40:05members of the hospitality community

1:40:07immediately following the event.

1:40:10Finally, because our advertising is

1:40:12meant to be served to travel dreamers

1:40:14around the world, we invite you to join

1:40:16our social platforms to stay upto-date

1:40:18and see all of the latest advertising

1:40:20and marketing. Like us, friend us, and

1:40:23join us in spreading the word that just

1:40:26like the New York Times said, Virginia

1:40:28Beach is one of the top places to visit.

1:40:30Before I wrap today, I would like to

1:40:32thank the entire CVB team for their

1:40:34unwavering commitment to making Virginia

1:40:36Beach shine. many of them are here

1:40:38today. So with that, I'll be happy to

1:40:41answer any of your questions.

1:40:42>> Yeah, let me just start by saying uh you

1:40:45know being honest, we had a little bit

1:40:47of rocky start in April and May, but boy

1:40:49did we come back strong when we really

1:40:52think about it. And you know, almost

1:40:54every event and you know, once again, uh

1:40:57we earned our our stripes as the safest

1:40:59city over the summer. [snorts] And

1:41:02what's really amazing to me, Nancy, is

1:41:04how many events you can do

1:41:06simultaneously.

1:41:07>> Yes, sir.

1:41:08>> You know, sometimes two, three, four

1:41:10events that are of significant magnitude

1:41:13and handle the crowd. And when you look

1:41:16at the integration of what you know,

1:41:17public works and everything, get the

1:41:19beaches clean, everything.

1:41:21[clears throat]

1:41:21I mean, it it's a marvelous operation

1:41:24that you have. One question. Um, and I

1:41:28found this out. The number of wrestlers

1:41:30that came a couple month, how how many

1:41:32were there?

1:41:33>> Wow. I think it's about 8,500 wrestlers

1:41:36in in March and 6,500 in May. And

1:41:39>> yeah,

1:41:40>> I invite you out to the Virginia Beach

1:41:41Sports Center. Um, you know, this coming

1:41:44up m March and May. And that event has

1:41:48gotten so big that it's grown into the

1:41:49convention center as well. So, both

1:41:51sides of the street are filled with

1:41:53wrestlers. They're all over the city. I

1:41:55I think somebody told me 6,500.

1:41:58I'm not exactly sure, but but think

1:42:00about the magnitude and think about the

1:42:02families that come here from all over.

1:42:04Yes, sir.

1:42:04>> And what you're doing, this is like

1:42:06passive advertising. People come to the

1:42:08beach for the first time. How many say,

1:42:10"I want to come back."

1:42:11>> That's the goal.

1:42:13>> Yep. And uh you know, I'm I'm sure you

1:42:15don't have a total uh tally count for

1:42:18this summer in terms of visitors.

1:42:20>> So, we'll be announcing the 25. I don't

1:42:22want to get ahead of myself to, you

1:42:23know, bury the lead, but we're gonna be

1:42:25announcing those that data next week.

1:42:27>> I tell you what, you know, it was

1:42:29obviously a very good thing and

1:42:31expanding the shoulder, you know, I

1:42:34don't think getting rid of the shoulder

1:42:35season is really good of an economic

1:42:39impact for everybody in the city. So,

1:42:42that's a good thing. Kudos, Rosemary.

1:42:45Nancy, as always, you two do such an

1:42:47amazing job and these numbers are just

1:42:50mindblowing and especially, you know,

1:42:52the economy is sort of lagging and yet

1:42:55it's still

1:42:57>> by what [clears throat] you and your

1:42:58team do and and and also what the

1:43:00council has done to support these events

1:43:02gets people because we're we're a

1:43:04drive-to destination which even in tough

1:43:06times helps us. Um do we have any

1:43:10numbers of how the restaurants did this

1:43:13year compared to

1:43:16the past?

1:43:17>> So that'll the whole look of the entire

1:43:20tourism industry will happen in um the

1:43:22tourism economics presentation and then

1:43:25we'll do another one again next year as

1:43:27well.

1:43:28>> So that will be on November 5th.

1:43:30>> Yeah, November 5th. But that focuses on

1:43:3225, right? to look at the total numbers

1:43:34for that will be um in a 2026

1:43:36presentation from next year.

1:43:38>> I know we we at a lot and I I see lots

1:43:40of people in the restaurants and

1:43:44so and we still are the lowest meal

1:43:47stacks in the region.

1:43:49>> Thank you.

1:43:50>> Okay, great. Thank you. Thank you. Thank

1:43:53you.

1:43:53>> Thank you.

1:44:02>> [clears throat]

1:44:03>> All right. So, Mr. Mayor, members of

1:44:04council, at this time, we'll be joined

1:44:06by Caitlyn Alco with the plan

1:44:08department. She's going to give city

1:44:09council a briefing on the pending

1:44:10planning items that will come before you

1:44:12on November 10th and November 17th at

1:44:14your council meeting.

1:44:19>> Good afternoon, mayor, vice mayor,

1:44:20members of council. As the city manager

1:44:22just said, I'm here to run through the

1:44:24items on both of your November agendas.

1:44:27So, starting off, we'll look at November

1:44:2810th. There are a total of 10 planning

1:44:30items on that agenda for your

1:44:32consideration.

1:44:35Item one is a request for a subdivision

1:44:37variance for 4716 Hook Lane. This is in

1:44:40district 9.

1:44:42The applicant is seeking a variance to

1:44:44section 4.4B and D of the subdivision

1:44:47regul regulations to address

1:44:48deficiencies in required lot width,

1:44:51street frontage, and lack of direct

1:44:52access to a public street in order to

1:44:54subdivide the parcel into three single

1:44:56family lots. The parcel is zoned R75

1:45:00residential district and is located in

1:45:01the Beachwood neighborhood and the Shore

1:45:03Drive corridor overlay. The R7.5

1:45:06district requires a minimum lot area of

1:45:097,500 square ft, a minimum lot width of

1:45:1175 ft, and then a minimum street line

1:45:13frontage of 60 ft.

1:45:16At approximately 36,500 square feet,

1:45:19this parcel is larger than many of the

1:45:21parcels within the Beachwood

1:45:22neighborhood. And while it has frontage

1:45:24on both Northampton Boulevard and Hook

1:45:26Lane, since Northampton Boulevard is

1:45:28access controlled, direct access is not

1:45:30permitted. When this parcel was

1:45:32originally platted in 1902, it was well

1:45:35over one acre. However, it has been

1:45:37subject of two takings. The first for

1:45:39the creation of Northampton Boulevard

1:45:41and then the second to Widen Hook Lane.

1:45:44Given the unique dimensional

1:45:46characteristics, this parcel has the lot

1:45:48area to accommodate the three proposed

1:45:50parcels, but lacks sufficient street

1:45:51frontage frontage to subdivide as

1:45:53proposed without a subdivision variance.

1:45:56While proposed lot 7C, which is shown in

1:45:58orange on the slide there, will meet all

1:46:00the dimensional requirements for the

1:46:02R7.5 district. Proposed lots 7A and 7B,

1:46:05which are shown in blue and yellow,

1:46:07respectively, will be deficient in lot

1:46:09width and street line frontage and will

1:46:11lack direct access to a public street.

1:46:13To provide access to proposed lots 7A

1:46:16and B, the conceptual plan depicts a 29

1:46:19foot wide private access easement on the

1:46:22east side of the property.

1:46:25The applicant has provided inspirational

1:46:27images shown on the slide here depicting

1:46:29the proposed single family dwellings

1:46:31which appear to be generally consistent

1:46:33with the character of the surrounding

1:46:34area and the design principles outlined

1:46:36in the shore drive corridor design

1:46:38guidelines. As the shore drive corridor

1:46:40design guidelines recommend the use of

1:46:42shared access drives, staff had

1:46:44recommended that access to all proposed

1:46:46lots be via the private access easement

1:46:49and that a separate curb cut and

1:46:51driveway for proposed lot C not be

1:46:53permitted. However, the planning

1:46:54commission removed that requirement with

1:46:56their recommendation. Staff also

1:46:58recommended condition six to require the

1:47:01front facade of the dwelling for

1:47:02proposed lot 7c to be at least 5t wider

1:47:05than the garage and that the garage

1:47:07portion of the dwelling be set back at

1:47:09least 5t further from the street than

1:47:11the uh primary facade of the dwelling.

1:47:13However, again, the planning commission

1:47:15with their recommendation of approval

1:47:17did remove that condition. We have not

1:47:19received any opposition to this request

1:47:21and had one letter of support from the

1:47:22Civic League.

1:47:25Item two is a conditional resoning and a

1:47:27conditional use permit request for 2548

1:47:30Potter Road that I briefed you on last

1:47:32month and which was deferred at your

1:47:33October 20th hearing. As a quick

1:47:36reminder, the applicant is requesting to

1:47:38reszone the property to conditional I1

1:47:40for use as a bulk storage yard.

1:47:43The site is proposed to be developed

1:47:44with 14 individual storage lots that are

1:47:47intended to be leased for the storage of

1:47:49contractors, vehicles, equipment, and

1:47:50materials.

1:47:52The required screening and fencing are

1:47:54shown around the perimeter of the

1:47:55storage yard. However, the applicant is

1:47:57requesting a deviation from the 25 foot

1:47:59wide landscape buffer along the eastern

1:48:02property line and instead is proposing a

1:48:0410-ft wide buffer in that area.

1:48:07Since this item was deferred, the

1:48:09applicant met with surrounding property

1:48:10owners to discuss their concerns.

1:48:12specifically regarding potential noise

1:48:14impacts. Based on those discussions, the

1:48:16applicant is amanable to a condition to

1:48:18establish quiet hours for the storage

1:48:20yard from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. should

1:48:23the city council deem such a condition

1:48:25appropriate.

1:48:29>> Item three is a conditional.

1:48:31>> Okay, Michael.

1:48:33>> Mayor, just want to just revisit a

1:48:36previous conversation we had about this.

1:48:39I have had some concerns about this

1:48:40application

1:48:42and some of the neighbors that I have

1:48:44spoken to have had concerns about this

1:48:46application. Um, and the consensus that

1:48:50I've been able to

1:48:52um to g to to understand is that while

1:48:57this is not going back to the magic

1:49:00wand, this is not, you know, the most

1:49:02ideal preferred use according to a lot

1:49:06of the folks from the neighbors. Um

1:49:10but they vastly prefer this use. The

1:49:12people I've spoken to and I've spoken to

1:49:14many um compared to that it be an open

1:49:20space where

1:49:22we could have u a revisitation of the

1:49:25issues from people who are experiencing

1:49:27homelessness that were occupying that

1:49:28site and causing issues in the

1:49:30neighborhood. So, while I've had

1:49:32concerns with the use with the storage,

1:49:35um the applicant uh through their

1:49:37representative has um shared their um

1:49:42rules and regulations for those who will

1:49:44be utilizing the space and as well

1:49:47they're um voluntarily profering some

1:49:50additional conditions particularly

1:49:52related to noise. Um and they have an

1:49:56enhanced landscaper landscape buffer in

1:49:59the front. a enhanced um gate and and

1:50:02fence that's beyond what they're

1:50:05required to do. Um again,

1:50:09it's not the best case scenario, but

1:50:13having the issues returned that that

1:50:16neighborhood has been experiencing is a

1:50:18has been a greater and more um emergent

1:50:20concern. And so um I just wanted to

1:50:23share with you as an update to my

1:50:25previous comments that we've worked

1:50:26through a lot of those things. And

1:50:28again, while not ideal, um, this would

1:50:31be a preferred use according to most of

1:50:33the folks I've spoken to.

1:50:34>> Thank you, Mayor.

1:50:37>> All right. Item three is a conditional

1:50:39resoning request for 700 and 724 Baker

1:50:42Road in District 4. The applicant is

1:50:45requesting a conditional resoning from

1:50:47B2 Community Business District to

1:50:49conditional A18 apartment district to

1:50:51develop the 1.66 66 acre site with a 23

1:50:54unit town home style condominium

1:50:56development resulting in an overall

1:50:58density of 13.9 units per acre. This

1:51:01property is located along Baker Road and

1:51:03is currently developed with a daycare

1:51:04center and commercial office space.

1:51:07As depicted on the conceptual site plan,

1:51:10the proposed development consists of

1:51:12five three-story buildings with access

1:51:14to the development provided by a shared

1:51:16drive driveway from Baker Road. The site

1:51:18will have a maximum lot coverage of

1:51:2041.8% 8% which complies with the 50% max

1:51:23lot coverage permitted in the A18

1:51:25district for multif family dwellings.

1:51:27The conceptual site plan appears to

1:51:29satisfy all applicable landscaping

1:51:31requirements and includes an 8 foot wide

1:51:33path along Baker Road in accordance with

1:51:36the city's active transportation plan.

1:51:39An 8ft tall vinyl privacy fence is

1:51:41proposed along all sides and rear of the

1:51:43site and a monument sign 5t in height is

1:51:46proposed at the entrance. Each unit will

1:51:49contain a one and a half car garage and

1:51:50a two-car driveway satisfying the

1:51:52parking requirement.

1:51:54The images on the slide here depict the

1:51:56proposed materials and color scheme for

1:51:58the buildings which will have a maximum

1:51:59height of 33 feet 8 in. Staff is unaware

1:52:02of any opposition to the request and the

1:52:04planning commission recommended approval

1:52:06on consent.

1:52:08Item four includes three requests

1:52:10related to 3386 and 3396 Holland Road in

1:52:14District 10. This item was deferred at

1:52:16your October 6 hearing. Since I've

1:52:18previously briefed you, I'm just going

1:52:20to run through some highlights here.

1:52:22Again, this is a request to reszone the

1:52:24rear 2.2 acres to O2 office district in

1:52:27order to construct a mini warehouse

1:52:29facility with an associated bulk storage

1:52:31yard. The required landscape buffer is

1:52:34provided along all lot lines that abut

1:52:36the adjacent apartment district and the

1:52:38bulk storage yard is proposed to be

1:52:39enclosed with an 8-ft tall privacy

1:52:41fence. Deviations to the bulk storage

1:52:44yard screening are requested in the

1:52:45areas shown in orange there and this is

1:52:47due to constraints based on existing

1:52:49easements and then a communication tower

1:52:52on site.

1:52:54Staff is unaware of any opposition to

1:52:55this request and the planning commission

1:52:57recommended approval with a modification

1:52:59that operable vehicles could be stored

1:53:01on the site in addition to boats and

1:53:03RVs.

1:53:08The next item is a request for a

1:53:09conditional use permit for 993 Autumn

1:53:11Harvest Drive in District 1. The

1:53:14applicant is proposing to provide care

1:53:16to 12 children within an existing 2300

1:53:19ft² single family dwelling. They are

1:53:22proposing to provide care for children

1:53:23ages 2 to 5 in a monastery inspired

1:53:26environment. Hours of operation will be

1:53:29Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 5:30

1:53:31p.m. with staggered pickup and drop off

1:53:34to avoid any traffic congestion in the

1:53:35area.

1:53:37The fence backyard will serve as the

1:53:39outdoor play area. There is an above

1:53:41ground pool and deck located in the rear

1:53:43yard as well, and the applicant is

1:53:45proposing to install a 4ft tall metal

1:53:47gate to restrict access to that area.

1:53:50Staff has recommended conditions eight

1:53:52and nine to ensure that the pool area

1:53:54remains properly enclosed and that that

1:53:55fencing is maintained.

1:53:58Staff received one letter of support and

1:54:00five letters of opposition related to

1:54:02the request with those in opposition

1:54:04noting concerns related to safety,

1:54:06traffic, and noise. The planning

1:54:08commission did recommend approval of

1:54:09this request with modifications

1:54:11including a reduction in the maximum

1:54:13number of children from 12 to 10 and

1:54:16then a requirement that a handrail be

1:54:18installed on the stairs on the back

1:54:20deck.

1:54:24Agenda item six includes two conditional

1:54:26use permit requests for 481 Southland

1:54:29Haven Road in District 3. The applicant

1:54:31intends to operate a tattoo parlor and

1:54:34body piercing establishment within a

1:54:351500 square foot unit of an existing

1:54:37shopping center. Proposed hours of

1:54:39operation are 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

1:54:41daily. And while they will operate

1:54:43mainly by appointment, they are going to

1:54:45offer walk-in services on designated

1:54:47days.

1:54:48Except for a new building signage, there

1:54:50are no exterior modifications proposed.

1:54:52Adequate parking is available on site.

1:54:54We have not received any opposition to

1:54:56this request and the planning commission

1:54:58recommended approval of both items on

1:54:59consent.

1:55:03Item seven is a conditional use per

1:55:05request for 941 Alaskan Road in District

1:55:086.

1:55:10As with the other items, since I briefed

1:55:11you on this last month, I'm just going

1:55:12to touch on the main points here. Um, as

1:55:15a reminder, a CUP for an indoor

1:55:17recreational facility was approved by

1:55:18this body back in February of this year.

1:55:21That's the concept plan you see up on

1:55:22the slide there. that was specific for

1:55:24the paddle and pickle ball facility on

1:55:26the eastern portion of the site, but it

1:55:28also included a byite 8200 square foot

1:55:32restaurant on the western corner and a

1:55:34total of 176 parking spaces to support

1:55:37both use both uses. That conditional use

1:55:40permit was modified um a couple months

1:55:42ago to reduce the boundary of that cup

1:55:45to only include the recreational

1:55:47facility on the eastern half of the

1:55:48site. At the September briefing, there

1:55:51was a request for additional information

1:55:53on the development potential of the

1:55:54site, which was provided to you in your

1:55:56Friday package.

1:55:59The current proposal includes a

1:56:00four-story self- storage facility with 8

1:56:038,000 ft of ground flooror retail. Since

1:56:05the site is located within the greater

1:56:07than 75 decel noise zone and the APZ2,

1:56:10any proposed discretionary use would

1:56:12need to be compatible with both the high

1:56:14noise zone and APZ2.

1:56:16However, for any byite use within the

1:56:19Bichu district, you do not have that

1:56:21same requirement to have the ACUS

1:56:22compatibility. So, it does kind of open

1:56:24up a little bit more development

1:56:26potential there.

1:56:28The applicant did work extensively with

1:56:30staff on the building elevations to

1:56:32include a mix of materials and faux

1:56:34windows to make the proposed building

1:56:35appear more like a commercial office or

1:56:37retail building rather than a self-s

1:56:39storage facility.

1:56:41Um staff did receive two letters of

1:56:43support, 18 letters of opposition, and

1:56:46then a petition of opposition with over

1:56:471,000 signatures. Again, while staff

1:56:50appreciates the applicant's willingness

1:56:52to work on the building design, um

1:56:54ultimately the proposed use does not

1:56:56align with the recommendations of the

1:56:58comp plan um specific to the resort SGAA

1:57:01and the Alaskan Road corridor. And

1:57:03therefore, staff recommended denial of

1:57:05the request and for similar reasons,

1:57:06planning commission also recommended

1:57:08denial.

1:57:12Item eight is a request for conditional

1:57:13use permit for 312 Edinburg Drive in

1:57:16District 8. The applicant is proposing a

1:57:18residential kennel to allow up to six

1:57:20dogs within an existing 1,800 square

1:57:22foot single family dwelling. The

1:57:24applicant is seeking approval solely to

1:57:26house her personal pets. No commercial

1:57:28kennel, boarding operations, or other

1:57:30animal types are proposed. The applicant

1:57:33currently has four dogs and wishes to

1:57:35obtain one or two more, which triggers

1:57:37the conditional use permit requirement.

1:57:40All dogs will reside within the existing

1:57:42dwelling and will only be let outside

1:57:44for fresh air and bathroom breaks. The

1:57:47backyard is fully fenced in and then

1:57:49there is a secondary fence within the

1:57:51backyard to provide additional

1:57:52containment. No exterior modifications

1:57:54are proposed with this request. Staff

1:57:57received three letters of support and

1:57:58two letters of opposition with those in

1:58:00opposition expressing concern related to

1:58:03noise and barking. There were no

1:58:04speakers in attendance at the planning

1:58:06commission hearing and the commission

1:58:07recommended approval on consent.

1:58:11Item nine is a request for a conditional

1:58:12use permit for a short-term rental at

1:58:1451121st Street in District 6. This

1:58:17request is for a three-bedroom

1:58:18short-term rental which requires three

1:58:20parking spaces. The site currently

1:58:22contains a threecar gravel parking pad.

1:58:25However, that gravel parking pad does

1:58:26not meet the public works design

1:58:28standards manual. So staff has

1:58:30recommended condition two to require

1:58:32that that parking pad be update upgraded

1:58:34to meet our standards and that a

1:58:36driveway permit be issued before an

1:58:38annual permit will be issued for the

1:58:39short-term rental.

1:58:42While the site has no prior zoning

1:58:43complaints or violations, it is

1:58:45currently advertised with the last known

1:58:47documented stay on June 1st of 2026.

1:58:50This request was recommended for

1:58:52approval by the planning commission with

1:58:53the added condition that the cup cannot

1:58:55be activated until the property is in

1:58:57good standing with the commissioner of

1:58:58the revenue.

1:59:01Similarly, item 10 is another short-term

1:59:03rental request. This one for 414 22nd

1:59:06and a half street in District 6. This is

1:59:08another three-bedroom unit. There is one

1:59:10parking space on site and the applicant

1:59:12has submitted an intent to lease parking

1:59:14agreement to use two spaces within the

1:59:16at the jungle golf commercial parking

1:59:18lot which is 0.16 miles from the site.

1:59:22Again, this has no prior zoning

1:59:24complaints or violations, but it is

1:59:26currently advertised with the last

1:59:27documented stay of June 21st of this

1:59:30year. This request again was recommended

1:59:32for approval by the planning commission

1:59:33with the condition that the cup cannot

1:59:36be activated until the property is in

1:59:38good standing with the commissioner of

1:59:39the revenue.

1:59:41Moving on to your November 17th agenda.

1:59:44There are only two items. The first

1:59:46being a street closure request adjacent

1:59:47to 624 Surfside Avenue in district 5.

1:59:51This is a request to close a 7 and a

1:59:53half foot wide portion of an un

1:59:55unimproved 15 foot wide rideway adjacent

1:59:58to 624 Surfside [clears throat] Avenue.

2:00:01The portion of the alley to be closed

2:00:03currently contains various accessory

2:00:05structures belonging to 624 Surfside

2:00:07Avenue. Additionally, a shed was

2:00:09constructed outside of the area to be

2:00:11closed that does not meet the required

2:00:12sideyard setback. a zoning violation has

2:00:15been issued for these structures that

2:00:17were erected without a permit and do not

2:00:19res uh meet those setback requirements.

2:00:22Additionally, there is a drainage

2:00:23easement proposed for the entire closure

2:00:25area. So, any improvements that are

2:00:28either existing within the closure area

2:00:30or proposed within the closure area will

2:00:32require a separate encroachment

2:00:33agreement approved by this body. We have

2:00:35not received any opposition to this

2:00:37request and the planning commission

2:00:38recommended approval at their September

2:00:40hearing.

2:00:42The final item is a modification of

2:00:44profers and a conditional use permit

2:00:46request for a portion of the parcel

2:00:47directly north of 1900 corporate landing

2:00:50parkway in district 5.

2:00:52The site is located within the special

2:00:54economic growth area 3, the greater than

2:00:5775 decel noise zone and the corporate

2:00:58landing business park. The proposed bulk

2:01:01storage yard is considered a compatible

2:01:02use within the noise zone. The applicant

2:01:05is the contract purchaser for the

2:01:06western roughly 16 acres of the larger

2:01:09parcel and a subdivision plat is

2:01:11currently under review for that.

2:01:14The modification of profers is necessary

2:01:16as the current profers prohibit exterior

2:01:18storage except during construction of a

2:01:21permanent facility. The applicant is

2:01:23proposing a 33,000t warehouse building

2:01:26on a portion of with an outdoor storage

2:01:28area for construction materials,

2:01:30equipment, and vehicles associated with

2:01:32their business. The proposed warehouse

2:01:34is permitted by right.

2:01:37The applicant is requesting a deviation

2:01:39from the required fencing around the

2:01:40perimeter of the bulk storage yard and

2:01:42intends to install an 8ft tall

2:01:44decorative metal fence in the area shown

2:01:46in orange there. Um, and a 8ft tall

2:01:49vinyl coated chain link fence with

2:01:51privacy slats in the area shown in blue.

2:01:54The small area shown in purple. The

2:01:56material will depend on the visibility

2:01:58from the right of way. If it is visible

2:02:00from the right of way, they'll install

2:02:01the decorative fencing.

2:02:03All existing vegetation outside the

2:02:05limits of disturbance is proposed to

2:02:07remain. This was um presented to the

2:02:10Virginia Beach Development Authority

2:02:11given that it is in Corporate Landing

2:02:12Business Park and received unanimous

2:02:14support from that group. There were two

2:02:16speakers in opposition at the planning

2:02:18commission hearing with concerns about

2:02:20the proposed use and visibility.

2:02:22Following the hearing, the planning

2:02:23commission recommended approval of the

2:02:25request by unanimous vote. Mayor, that

2:02:27concludes my presentation. I'll stand by

2:02:28for any questions.

2:02:29>> Any questions? [snorts]

2:02:31>> Thank you.

2:02:32>> Okay. Thank you very much.

2:02:35Okay. Uh moving on to council comments.

2:02:37If you don't mind, I'll I'll start uh

2:02:40last Thursday. I spent the week up in

2:02:42the Pentagon with the day up in the

2:02:44Pentagon.

2:02:46And um at the risk of repeating myself

2:02:50uh we were with the Hampton Roads

2:02:52Military Federal Facilities Alliance

2:02:54which works with every branch between

2:02:57here and Fortus language. Every 100

2:03:01secretary or assistant secretary of uh

2:03:05department

2:03:06of war that we spoke to once again

2:03:10emphasized the critical need of housing,

2:03:14daycare. Um and the new wrinkle was for

2:03:17the communities to help out uh

2:03:20supporting the infrastructure [cough]

2:03:22of the facilities [clears throat]

2:03:24uh that have been deteriorating over a

2:03:26number of years. And uh once again uh

2:03:30the need for housing

2:03:33uh which they say is mission critical

2:03:36for recruitment and retention and for uh

2:03:40them to conduct their operations.

2:03:43Once again just kind of bringing that

2:03:46forward. Um and the other um thing is

2:03:50the Hampton Roads Planning Commission at

2:03:52the last meeting uh adding to their

2:03:56legislative agenda. Uh you know they're

2:03:59still calling a popup event. We may want

2:04:02to let them uh know about the change,

2:04:05but the Hampton Roads Planning

2:04:06Commission is coming on board uh you

2:04:09know with that. So I think that's once

2:04:12again um and I can tell you that a lot

2:04:15of the 757 mayors uh you know we are all

2:04:21have confronting

2:04:23violence

2:04:25that's going on not only in our nation

2:04:28but in our local communities. and uh you

2:04:32know we have to take some very proactive

2:04:34action if we're if we can just not allow

2:04:38what's going on.

2:04:42>> Oh

2:04:44ask

2:04:46um what the secretaries under

2:04:48secretaries are requesting

2:04:51um and it's part about for us to

2:04:54participate in the infrastructure needs

2:04:56of the bases.

2:05:01I kind of like that's the job of the

2:05:03federal government to be doing that. I

2:05:05mean, we have enough

2:05:06>> I I appreciate that very much. But

2:05:09>> let me let me let me finish. But we do

2:05:11have um lobbyists who work in Washington

2:05:16and maybe we need to ask them to start

2:05:20lobbying for more help with with the

2:05:23military. and and I know that they're

2:05:25looking for as we heard it uh last week

2:05:28with uh JB

2:05:30um instead of receiving money to receive

2:05:33and kind that will help them with with

2:05:35those kind of things. But uh anyway, I

2:05:38guess

2:05:39>> no, but there there was a general and I

2:05:41appreciate what you said, but once

2:05:42again, the commanding officer of JB

2:05:46uh I think she had a budget I think 28

2:05:50million for repairs and they have over a

2:05:52billion dollars in needs.

2:05:54>> I know. And uh and you know, we hear the

2:05:57same thing from Oceanana, but but I can

2:06:00tell you that both the commanding

2:06:03officers of Oceanana and JB are very

2:06:07grateful to the city because of, you

2:06:09know, we got relationships with our

2:06:11police for active shooters,

2:06:13>> [clears throat]

2:06:14>> uh you know, fire coverage and, you

2:06:16know, some of the uh you know, the other

2:06:18some of the joint infrastructure and

2:06:20everything we said. But once again, it's

2:06:23uh you know, and you're 100%, you know,

2:06:27correct, but once again, um you know,

2:06:30you know, the air the aircraft hangers

2:06:32at Oceanana are deteriorated.

2:06:35>> The barracks at these bases are

2:06:37deteriorated. And I believe uh if I'm

2:06:40not mistaken uh Norfolk's thinking about

2:06:43building [clears throat]

2:06:44um for NOB

2:06:47you know living space on barges because

2:06:49they're running out of land too. Uh so

2:06:52once again uh we have to improvise,

2:06:55adapt and overcome. And I really agree

2:06:56with you Rosemary because military

2:06:59readiness in in in the conflicts in the

2:07:02world going on today. We got to be ready

2:07:05and we're not ready.

2:07:08Anybody else at this point? Michael and

2:07:09then Ameilia.

2:07:11>> I'll let Ameilia go first if you want

2:07:13to.

2:07:14>> Okay.

2:07:16[snorts] Thank you. I wanted to mention

2:07:18that today uh when I served on the beach

2:07:22governing board which is the title is

2:07:26bringing an end to all city homelessness

2:07:29and that's coordinated by Ruth Hill

2:07:32Pamela Shine and their new board chair

2:07:35uh Mark Stevens. A couple of things that

2:07:39came up.

2:07:41excited about their new e newsletter and

2:07:45it's called beachwave of change

2:07:48and you can visit that if you go to the

2:07:51city website under be in the know to see

2:07:56what all is a really nice uh product

2:07:59they have put out. Another thing is that

2:08:03the homeless and homelessness week would

2:08:07will be November 14th through 22nd and

2:08:12they are asking people to drop off any

2:08:17new under clothing and those areas for

2:08:21adults to drop it off at the um human

2:08:24resource center. Then the winter winter

2:08:28shelter begins from November 25th

2:08:32and they chaired about the JC new

2:08:36building which is on the 17th. We

2:08:39discussed the gayla

2:08:41and um for 40 years and uh they're

2:08:46having already 19

2:08:49least of the new 38 bed housing

2:08:55and we want to congratulate

2:08:58director Todd Walker for this work.

2:09:01Um, another thing is that on the BBCDC

2:09:05and Sulie,

2:09:07they're doing the ribbon cutting at

2:09:09Burton station for Tranquility, the

2:09:12second building. And already have people

2:09:15moving in and they have about 200 on a

2:09:18waiting list just to tell you how

2:09:21serious this housing uh crisis is. And

2:09:25then finally, [clears throat]

2:09:27I had received a nice award. Oh.

2:09:30>> Oh.

2:09:31>> Yes. From the Timberland Way Cares

2:09:34Incorporated.

2:09:36And also

2:09:38right there standing was Timberland. So

2:09:41it's really good. I thank you for being

2:09:43there saying some good words about what

2:09:45he's doing for the city. And uh it ran

2:09:50legacy of arts education and community

2:09:54impact award which I received that

2:09:56Saturday. So, I was really humbled and

2:09:59thanks and I think that's my whole list.

2:10:02I thought I'd write it out so I can go

2:10:04straight down. [laughter]

2:10:06>> And you can hear the applause in all of

2:10:08our minds.

2:10:09>> Yes.

2:10:11>> Okay. Michael,

2:10:12>> thank you, Mayor. Um, I just want to

2:10:14provide three updates. And the first,

2:10:16I'd like to um talk about the art

2:10:19installation at Mount Trashmore called

2:10:21Where Wonder Grows Sanctuary. And it's

2:10:24really properly titled because it really

2:10:27is wonderful and I think wonder is

2:10:30growing there and it is a sanctuary

2:10:31because there are thousands of people

2:10:34visiting during the daytime and at night

2:10:36time uh to see this art installation

2:10:38created by this Australian creative

2:10:41collective. The director of this

2:10:44collective is a is a a scientist. He has

2:10:47a PhD in chemistry by trade and he

2:10:50actually um fabricated all of the

2:10:54elements of the installation. So in

2:10:57other words, the flowers that you see

2:10:58there um have color applied to them and

2:11:01other things. And he actually created

2:11:03all those using the chemicals to get the

2:11:05colors to apply them and then cut them

2:11:07out and then fabricated them. There's

2:11:09actually 11,000 individual pieces at the

2:11:11at the installation and people are

2:11:13coming together to enjoy it. I've seen

2:11:15intergenerational connections being

2:11:17forged. I've seen connections between

2:11:19neighbors. I've seen a lot of people

2:11:21that I know there. Um, and I've only

2:11:23been there twice. [clears throat]

2:11:25Seen moms with strollers sort of peel

2:11:27off the path and discover it. Um, and

2:11:30share that experience with the with uh

2:11:33their friends and their children. And

2:11:36um, I don't know. I wish we were open

2:11:38more more evenings than we are, but I

2:11:40think it's I think it's going great. Um,

2:11:42it's actually good to sort of have a

2:11:44critical mass maybe because people are

2:11:45really out there. Hundreds and thousands

2:11:47of people each night are out there and

2:11:49in the daytime. It's a big hit and I

2:11:51think it proves that people love art.

2:11:53They love to h have a shared experience

2:11:56in this climate and this what's going on

2:11:59in the world. They love to people we all

2:12:01love to have something that's positive

2:12:03and free that we can enjoy together. Um,

2:12:06and all of this is made possible

2:12:09um through the policy decisions that

2:12:12council made a number of years ago which

2:12:13created a funding stream that made

2:12:16opportunities like this available. But

2:12:18it's not just that. It's the people who

2:12:19supported that policy change, all the DB

2:12:22arts folks. Um, it's all the citizens

2:12:25who who backed that up. And also, I

2:12:27really want to um make a point of

2:12:30appreciation to the cultural affairs

2:12:32department. every single one of them and

2:12:36um they were working hard to make sure

2:12:37this was up and running and on time and

2:12:41um the parks and recck uh team at Mount

2:12:44Trashmore that made space for this. I

2:12:47know this is a little unconventional for

2:12:48them um but it's a good thing and um

2:12:52they've been so great. So there's just a

2:12:54lot of uh a lot of recognition to go

2:12:57around, but the most important thing is

2:12:59that this is something that's connecting

2:13:01our community through something that

2:13:03through beautiful, through something

2:13:05that's positive, through something

2:13:06that's interesting, and it's a really um

2:13:09good thing. And so I just want to ask

2:13:11please go see it. Anyone who's watching,

2:13:13anyone of you all sitting around the

2:13:15table, take your families, take your

2:13:17friends and go see the exhibition. I

2:13:20know maybe you want to wait a week or

2:13:21something and I get that. Um, [laughter]

2:13:24I do I do get it. Maybe Mrs. Henley, if

2:13:27you want to wait till next week, do it.

2:13:28But, uh, but please take your families

2:13:30and go and um and enjoy it. And so, I

2:13:34promise you, you won't be sorry if you

2:13:36do.

2:13:36>> And before I get to Rose,

2:13:37>> I got two more. But I'll make them quick

2:13:39though.

2:13:41>> Um,

2:13:43we recently had a visit this weekend

2:13:45from a delegation from our sister city

2:13:48of Alangapo in the Philippines. um got a

2:13:52chance to um meet the mayor, Rubino,

2:13:58and his father who's also the mayor.

2:14:03>> Um

2:14:03>> sister

2:14:04>> and his sister who's a council member

2:14:06[laughter]

2:14:07talk about her family.

2:14:09>> Um and and and also the the uh students

2:14:13who were from there and um it was really

2:14:16wonderful to welcome our friends from

2:14:18the Philippines. Of course, Philip the

2:14:20Filipino American community is part of

2:14:23what makes Virginia Beach such a really

2:14:24special place to live and um and having

2:14:27that connection is um I said Rabino is

2:14:30Paulino, but please forgive me, but that

2:14:32having that connection is is really um

2:14:36very special and it's a special part of

2:14:37what Virginia Beach is. So, hats off to

2:14:41Maria Weisen Seal um and also to the

2:14:44entire Sister City Association team for

2:14:47coordinating that uh that visit. Then

2:14:49finally, um Mayor Dyer and I got to

2:14:53chance to welcome more than 3,000

2:14:55athletes from all over the country uh

2:14:58who were here as part of the Stonewall

2:15:00Sports National Tournament. Simone

2:15:04Sports is the uh it's a national LGBT uh

2:15:07community-based sports [clears throat]

2:15:10league and their national tournament was

2:15:12here last weekend and um so they got a

2:15:15chance to experience Virginia Beach

2:15:17hospitality and it's really uh fantastic

2:15:20to to welcome so many people from all

2:15:23walks of life and all across the country

2:15:25to [snorts] Virginia Beach. You know, a

2:15:27place where everyone can achieve their

2:15:29full potential and everyone is welcome.

2:15:32And let me say that, you know, the

2:15:34organizers were very complimentary of

2:15:37Virginia Beach. U one of the gentlemen

2:15:40was from Philadelphia and he was totally

2:15:42amazed about Virginia Beach. So once

2:15:45again, this is a great way to get people

2:15:47to come back. Rosemary,

2:15:49>> uh, yesterday, uh, in in district five,

2:15:53uh, Hampton Road Sanitation District,

2:15:55uh, had a a groundbreaking with Virginia

2:15:59Natural Gas, and I don't totally

2:16:02understand all the science of this.

2:16:05However, HRSD processes all of the

2:16:08sewage from Virginia Beach and

2:16:09Chesapeake of 48 million gallons a day.

2:16:13And there is a bio gas that is a product

2:16:17of that. And what they are doing is

2:16:20partnering with Virginia natural gas and

2:16:23turning that bio gas which also doesn't

2:16:27help the surrounding odors. [laughter]

2:16:30Uh turning that into natural gas that

2:16:34that people will be able to utilize for

2:16:36their hot water heaters and everything

2:16:39that you use natural gas for. and

2:16:40they're going to build a pipeline. And

2:16:42so this was it was a pretty amazing

2:16:45thing that they're doing and uh just

2:16:48thought I would like to to mention that

2:16:49and compliment them for the for the

2:16:52innovation of what they're doing and uh

2:16:55the good work.

2:16:57>> Anybody else?

2:16:58>> Yes, sir. Lastly,

2:17:00>> um glad to be back. Uh and in coming

2:17:03back, I went to the landfield which is

2:17:06in our district and um went to go

2:17:09encourage them and just give them the

2:17:11type of support to thank them for

2:17:13keeping our um our community safe and

2:17:17just uh it's well organized. And so I

2:17:20just went to the landfill and um

2:17:23encouraged the employees there. So that

2:17:26sits in our backyard. And with that,

2:17:28you've got people that have been there

2:17:30from 7 to 8 to 10 years. And so I just

2:17:33wanted them to know, I told them I was

2:17:35going to bring it up at at council

2:17:37comments, but they really are on the

2:17:40front lines for us, uh, making sure to

2:17:43keep our city safe and providing a

2:17:46wellorganized different from other

2:17:48municipalities. We really have a good

2:17:50thing. When you look at other

2:17:52municipalities,

2:17:54the city of Virginia Beach has a great

2:17:57system in place for um collecting items

2:18:01and so that we can keep our city safe

2:18:04and our community safe. You know,

2:18:06speaking as the former landfill baron,

2:18:10you know, before mayor days, I was there

2:18:12this morning and it's amazing how clean

2:18:16and organized and the people are just

2:18:19super helpful and things of that nature.

2:18:22It's a welloiled machine there.

2:18:24>> But, but when you think about a

2:18:26landfill,

2:18:28[clears throat] I didn't see any litter.

2:18:29I didn't see anything. And it's just a

2:18:32remarkable operation. You know, it takes

2:18:34a lot of moving parts to run a city and

2:18:38uh tell you what, we got it going.

2:18:40Appreciate it. Okay. Anybody else?

2:18:43Alrighty. Here we go. The chair will

2:18:45entertain a motion to recess into a

2:18:47closed session pursuant to the

2:18:49exemptions of the open meetings allowed

2:18:51by section 2.2 3711A code of Virginia as

2:18:55amended for [snorts] the following

2:18:57purposes. Personnel matters,

2:18:59discussions, considerations or

2:19:01interviews of prospective candidates for

2:19:03employment, assignment, appointment,

2:19:05promotion, performance, demotion,

2:19:07salaries, disciplining or resignation of

2:19:10specific public officers, appointees or

2:19:13employees of any public body pursuant to

2:19:15section 2.2 371181.

2:19:19This cancel appointments for boards,

2:19:21commissions, committees, authorities,

2:19:22agencies, and appointees. I have a

2:19:24motion.

2:19:25>> So move.

2:19:26>> Second.

2:19:28Hi

2:19:38>> Vice Mayor Wilson.

2:19:39>> Hi.

2:19:40>> Hi.

2:19:42Okay, we are recessed into close

2:19:52[music]

2:19:55order and I'm going to ask for a motion

2:19:57to certify the close move.

2:20:00>> Second council.

2:20:03>> I council Jackson.

2:20:06>> I

2:20:11Vote 7 verify the close session.

2:20:13>> Nice have it. Thank you all very much.

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