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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-20-25 LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING - MINUTES DATE: October 20, 2025 TIME: 2:00 p.m. PLACE: City Council Chambers PRESIDING: Vice-Mayor S. Terry McGuire, Chair I. Call to Order, Roll Call, 4:30 p.m. PRESENT: Chairman S. Terry McGuire, Mayor Joseph L. Cobb, Council Members Nicolas Hagen, Vivian Sanchez-Jones, Phazhon Nash, Peter Volosin, and Evelyn Powers. OTHERS PRESENT: Dr. Alan Seibert, Constituent Services and Government Relations Officer, Roanoke City Schools. ABSENT: Roanoke City School Board Representatives Mary "Franny" Apel and Deidre Trigg. OFFICERS PRESENT: Valmarie H. Turner, City Manager; Sam Roman, Deputy City Manager; and David Collins, Deputy City Attorney. LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE SECRETARY: Cecelia McCoy, City Clerk, City of Roanoke. II. Opening Remarks: Chairman S. Terry McGuire Mr. McGuire thanked the Board along with Timothy Spencer, City Attorney; Sam Roman, Deputy City Manager; and Valmarie Turner, City Manager for their assistance in developing the Legislative priorities. III. Approval of Minutes: The reading of the minutes be dispensed with and unanimously approved as recorded. IV. Discussion of the Legislative Items: Dr. Alan Siebert presented the Roanoke City Public Schools (RCPS) recommendations and Legislative priorities. RCPS believes the General 1 Assembly should fully fund directives or expectations placed on school divisions: • Local Control - RCPS urges elected officials to empower local School Board to innovate and respond to the unique needs of their communities by preserving and strengthening local authority. • School Safety & Security - Safe schools are essential for learning. RCPS supports policies that promote shared responsibility for maintaining secure environments and funding to modernize facilities. • Commitment to Serving All Students - RCPS urge lawmakers to share in this commitment to improving outcomes for all students, understanding the diverse families that make up our community, and the efforts necessary to improve outcomes for all learners. • Governance and Budget - RCPS recommends that the calculation of salary and other cost assumptions use the division average rather that the linear weighted average and adjust the SOQ formula to remove the cap on non-personnel cost assumptions to account for facility staff costs. • Employee Compensation - RCPS appreciates the General Assembly's efforts to invest in PK-12 employee compensation. Virginia's average teacher salary remains below the national average, and much higher wages in Northern Virginia skew the figures. Teachers in Southwest Virginia earn significantly less, and inflation has outpaced salary increases. • Assessment & Accountability Modernization - The state RFP for assessments is still pending; this flexibility support the modernization and assessments and inform efforts to refine and improve the new School Accountability System, the School Performance and Support Framework (SPSF). (See complete RCPS Legislative Priorities for 2026 General Assembly Recommendation in the Secretary's Office). Chairman McGuire presented the 2026 Legislative priorities of the City of Roanoke Legislative Committee: Housing Priority 2 • Support an amendment to code that would allow Roanoke to join other Virginia localities in adopting an affordable housing program to encourage the construction of moderately priced homes. Positions • Prioritize supporting efforts that address the availability of housing for Virginia's lowest income households. • Support increasing the property value limit for land bank acquisition from $75,000 to $150,000. • Support legislation to allow localities to establish anti-rent gouging ordinances, such as a cap on year-over-year increases. • Support renewal of the Housing Opportunity Tax Credit. • Support legislation to block large investment firms from buying property in Virginia. • Support increased funding to the Virginia Housing Trust Fund. • Support legislation that would shorten the blight remediation timeline to allow localities greater flexibility in revitalizing derelict buildings. Public Safety Priority • Support a legislative amendment to existing code that would provide financial assistance to those seeking to return home after receiving medical treatment at Roanoke Memorial Hospital if they are unable to afford transportation. Positions • Support legislation to establish a mandatory minimum sentence for individuals found guilty of manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, or possession with intent to manufacture, sell, give, or distribute Fentanyl. • Support legislation to hold adults accountable for failing to take reasonable measures to prevent a child from accessing firearms. This would help prevent gun-related issues involving children, reduce youth involvement in violence, and promote safe firearm practices. • Support legislation to create reciprocity between Virginia and other states to recognize the professional certifications of law enforcement officers from other state accredited agencies with similar standards to the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. Enacting legislation would achieve greater mobility for officers, consistency in standards, 3 and enhanced recruitment and retention. This would improve public safety and reduce costs. • Support legislation to expand the allowable use of automated speed enforcement cameras beyond school zones so localities can deploy them citywide where data supports a safety need; and oppose any legislation that would direct photo enforcement revenue away from localities with independent cities being allowed to keep all revenue from photo enforcement. • Support legislation to address predatory emergency response ambulance companies and address gaps that leave vulnerable patients shouldering large medical debts for routine and critical care transport. • Support legislation to provide additional resources from the state for continued training for 911 first responders. • Support the Safer Communities grants that are helping reduce violent crime in Roanoke. • Reclassify E-91 1 operators as first responders to allow them the same benefits as Firefighters and Police. Economic Development Priorities • Support impact and feasibility study of the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport runway improvements and expansion. • Support converting the Virginia Transportation Museum into a state agency. Positions • Support the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission 2026 Legislative Agenda. • Support legislation that updates the statewide regulatory framework to better allow commercial scale composting facilities to operate, looking to North Carolina as an example. • Support legislation to allow localities to require facilities of a certain size to divert organic waste to composting. Budget & Funding Priority • Support restoration of state funding toward expansion of Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. Positions 4 • Support legislation to allow localities to hold a referendum on whether to increase sales tax by 1% for school construction. • Support legislation to increase compensation for local jails housing state responsible inmates. • Support greater access to Stormwater Local Assistance Funds for localities by updating code to ensure that SLAF funds are distributed to all eligible projects across localities in Virginia. Changes to this code would provide predictable and equitable access to funds for localities throughout the Commonwealth, ensure fair resource distribution to address stormwater management needs, and allow localities to prioritize projects that deliver the most community benefit, encompassing a broader range of project types. • Support an increase in funding for the Enterprise Zoning Program administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. With an expansion, an increase in funding' will prevent the dilution of the current funding pool for localities with an existing EZ Program. • Support legislation to modernize the communications sales and use tax structure, which has not been reviewed or updated since its imposition in 2007, to reflect the modern telecommunications landscape. • Oppose the expansion of workers' compensation presumptive illness eligibilities for public employees without additional state funding. Transportation Priority • Support funding and efforts needed to deliver an Amtrak station in downtown Roanoke. Positions • Support funding for Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit study on the feasibility and viability of a West to East Virginia Breeze route that includes a stop in downtown Roanoke. • Support state funding opportunities to accelerate Roanoke's transition to an all-electric bus fleet. • Support funding for continued expansion of Amtrak beyond Christiansburg to Bristol, VA. • Support legislation allowing localities the option to allow or disallow for self-driving autonomous vehicles used for taxi cabs within their jurisdictions. Sustainability 5 • Priority • Support legislation to combat tree canopy loss by granting localities greater authorities to protect existing tree canopy and require developers to replace cleared trees at higher percentages. This would support local governments' efforts to cost-effectively mitigate climate change, manage stormwater, and reduce urban heat island effects. • Support legislation to expand siting opportunities for parking lot solar by granting localities authority to require developers to install solar on large, nonresidential parking areas. Positions • Support legislation to create an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program for single use plastic waste. Production of plastic waste has doubled in the last 20 years and is expected to triple by 2050. This causes environmental and health concerns. The purpose of an EPR bill is to save localities and taxpayers money by reducing landfill and recycling costs, cutting down on litter, and lowering toxic pollution. EPR legislation would require producers of plastics and packaging to bear greater responsibility for the impact of the product's packaging, including the cost of recycling and proper disposal. • Support legislation to protect our water quality from microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS "forever chemicals"). • Support legislation that expands rural EV charging infrastructure. • Support legislation to require stronger sustainability guardrails on energy and water usage by data centers, including impacts to drinking water availability, utility rates, agriculture, parks, historic sites, forests, and infrastructure. • Support legislation to give localities the authority to ban retailers from selling plants listed on the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation's state list of invasive plant species. • Oppose any efforts to weaken or rollback the Virginia Clean Economy Act, rooftop solar, or net metering. • Support returning Virginia to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Civil Liberties Positions • Support repeal of the Marshall-Newman Amendment. 6 o • Support legalization of recreational cannabis sales for adults 21 and over, with the option for localities to vote by ordinance to allow for sales within their jurisdictions. • Oppose legislation that would erode safe and legal access to reproductive healthcare and education. • Support automatic renewal of voting rights for incarcerated individuals who have completed their sentence. Governance • Support amendment of the Roanoke City Charter to change the date of the council and mayoral election from May to November. V. Upcoming Meetings: The next meeting of the Legislative Committee will be held Monday, November 3, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in the City Council Chambers. VI. Other Business: None VII. Adjournment: No further business to come before the Committee, the meeting was adjourned at 4:56 p.m. APPROVAL ATTEST yitto__&ie S. Terry McGuire Cecelia F. McCoy Chairman Secretary 7