Chairman Haulman convened the May 19, 2016 HRPDC Executive Committee Meeting. The following actions were taken and items discussed:

Public Comments:

Ms. Donna Sayegh of Portsmouth expressed her concern about the HRPDC contract for legal services, the solid waste plan amendment, high speed rail and duplication of effort in the HRPDC and HRTPO.

Virginia Beach resident, Mr. Frank Papcin urged local elected leaders to use their influence to lessen the burden of tolls for those unable to afford them in the region.

Mr. Ellis James from the City of Norfolk called attention to the agenda item on Coastal Resiliency and urged the Commission to request multi-jurisdictional JLUS studies, as well as to pay close attention to solid waste issues in the region.  Mr. James was critical of area press being critical of the amount of Norfolk School Board travel and training budget for their board members.

Chairman’s Comments:

Chairman Haulman informed the Commission that he had decided not to seek re-election, so his chairmanship will conclude at the end of June.  He announced his appointments to the nominating committee, consisting of one member from each jurisdiction, with him serving as Chair.  The nominating committee will present their slate at the June meeting.

Executive Director’s Report – Mr. Crum highlighted a number of activities, including the reconstituted Planning Director’s Committee, review of proposals for legal and IT services, audit, budget and follow up activities from the retreat.

The following items were approved under the Consent Agenda:

• Meeting Minutes – April 21, 2016 Retreat
• Transcribed Public Comment – April 21, 2016 Retreat
• Treasurer’s Report of March 2016
• Legal Contract
• Solid Waste Plan Amendment

Workshop Items:

HRPDC Legislative Strategy – Robert Crum, HRPDC/HRTPO Executive Director, and Julia Hillegass, HRPDC Public Information and Community Affairs Administrator provided a debrief on the 2016 General Assembly session, noting areas of success related to the Regional Legislative Agendas adopted by the HRPDC and HRTPO.  It was noted that there is an opportunity to have meetings with the Hampton Roads Caucus this summer to begin identifying issues of interest for the 2017 General Assembly session.  Commissioners stressed that education should remain a priority to avoid any backsliding.  Other areas of interest included coastal resiliency, innovation corridor, and regional collaboration on public safety.  Staff will meet with the legislative liaisons in June to develop strategy.

Coastal Resiliency – Ben McFarlane, HRPDC Senior Regional Planner briefed the Commission on discussions with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a concept for multijurisdictional resiliency feasibility studies, working with the Office of Economic Adjustment and the U.S. Navy on proposals for two Joint Land Use Studies, and coordinating with the U.S. Geological Survey and others on plans for monitoring land subsidence. The HRPDC Coastal Resiliency Committee has recommended the Commission request Congressional authorization for multi-jurisdictional feasibility studies in coastal Virginia.  The Commission authorized the Chair to submit a letter to the Hampton Roads Congressional Delegation requesting authorization for multi-jurisdictional feasibility studies in coastal Virginia.

FY 17 Budget – Nancy Collins, HRPDC Chief Financial Officer reported that the joint HRPDC/HRTPO Personnel & Budget Committee (P&B) met on Thursday, March 17, 2016 to discuss the FY 2017 HRPDC/HRTPO Draft Budget. The FY 2017 Draft Budget is conservative in nature, and represents a total revenue and expenditure decrease of 8.6% from FY 2016. This decrease is due to grant reductions in UASI, MMRS, Planning & Environmental, and Transportation funding. All of the decrease is in pass-through.  Member contributions will remain at the reduced $0.80 per capita rate approved in FY 2013.  The proposed budget includes the following:

• A proposed 2% performance-based salary adjustment for staff
• A 7% increase in healthcare premiums for the upcoming fiscal year and a .9% increase in VRS
• VRS Life Insurance decreased by .75% and Standard Contracts decreased by 17.6%.
• Special Contracts increased by 125%, to account for an anticipated move to Cloud computing
• A 3.8% decrease in General Operations helped offset the reduced revenue

Staff recommends continuing to fund our reserves in order to continue to offset future increases in costs as funding continues to decrease.  The Commission approved the budget as presented.

Chairman Haulman briefly reviewed the upcoming schedule, correspondence of interest and additional attachments.  There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.