Newport News public meetings in 2025
18 substantive meetings from 2025, with official agendas or minutes and plain-English summaries.
Retirement Board
The Board of Trustees approved the minutes of the November 19, 2025 joint meeting by unanimous vote. The Board also thanked Sharell James and Andrew Pribush as their tenures ended. No other business was taken and the next meeting was scheduled for January 29, 2026.
- Approved minutes of Nov 19, 2025 meeting (unanimous)
Retirement Board
The Board and Investment Committee approved their previous meeting minutes unanimously. The Board unanimously authorized staff to work with Meketa to rebalance the Pension, OPEB, and LODA funds by shifting assets to fixed income and cash. Employees elected Christopher Perry and Alison Funaiock to the Retirement Board with 49% and 89% of the votes, respectively. Upcoming meetings were scheduled and the December 2025 Investment Committee meeting was cancelled.
- Approved October 30, 2025 Board minutes (unanimous)
- Approved October 22, 2025 Investment Committee minutes (unanimous)
- Authorized staff to work with Meketa to rebalance Pension, OPEB, and LODA funds (unanimous)
- Elected Christopher Perry to the Retirement Board (53% turnout, 49% of votes)
- Elected Alison Funaiock to the Retirement Board (37% turnout, 89% of votes)
- Cancelled December 2025 Investment Committee meeting
- Scheduled Investment Committee meeting for Jan 21, 2026
- Scheduled Retirement Board meeting for Dec 18, 2025
Retirement Board
The Board approved the minutes from the August 28, 2025 meeting. It held a closed session to discuss a functionally incapacitated child's annuity and unanimously approved that session. The Board then voted 7-0 to deny the request for continuation of NNERF dependent benefits. Election timelines for new General Employee and Public Safety representatives were also announced.
- Approved August 28, 2025 meeting minutes (motion by Mr. Brooks, seconded by Mr. Lassen)
- Unanimously approved holding a closed meeting to consider a dependent annuity case
- Denied continuation of NNERF dependent benefits (7-0 vote)
Retirement Board
The board approved the minutes from the June 26, 2025 meeting. The board unanimously approved the adoption of the updated Pension, OPEB, and LODA Investment Policy Statements as presented by the Investment Committee. The September Investment Committee meeting was cancelled, and the next meeting is scheduled for October 22, 2025. The Benefits and Welfare Committee directed staff to obtain a cost quote and timeline from Cheiron for an updated DROP study, with results expected by the November meeting.
- Approved June 26, 2025 meeting minutes (motion by Brooks, seconded by Lassen)
- Adopted updated Pension, OPEB & LODA Investment Policy Statements – unanimous approval
- Cancelled September Investment Committee meeting
- Scheduled next Investment Committee meeting for October 22, 2025
- Directed staff to obtain quote and timeframe from Cheiron for updated DROP study
Collective Bargaining Task Force
The Collective Bargaining Task Force will meet to review a draft recommendation memo and a draft partial ordinance. These documents follow previous discussions regarding the scope of bargaining and the composition of employee bargaining units.
- Review of Draft Recommendation Memo
- Review of Draft Partial Ordinance
The Task Force approved the minutes of the June 18, 2025 meeting by a 7-0 vote. It then unanimously approved a draft recommendation memo to City Council outlining five employee bargaining units and the scope of collective bargaining. The draft partial ordinance defining collective bargaining terms was also adopted unanimously. An amendment adding a request for Task Force involvement in drafting the final ordinance was approved unanimously.
- Approved June 18, 2025 meeting minutes (7-0)
- Approved draft recommendation memo to City Council (7-0)
- Approved draft partial ordinance as presented (7-0)
- Amended recommendation memo to request Task Force involvement in final ordinance (7-0)
🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Retirement Board
The board approved the minutes from the May 29, 2025 meeting. It decided no changes are needed to the fund's current asset allocation policy. The July 2025 board meeting was cancelled and the next regular meeting was set for August 28, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.
- Approved minutes of May 29, 2025 meeting
- Decided to maintain current asset allocation policy (no changes)
- Cancelled July 2025 Board meeting
- Scheduled next regular meeting for August 28, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.
Collective Bargaining Task Force
The Collective Bargaining Task Force is meeting to discuss the scope of bargaining for city employees. The agenda includes proposed definitions for bargaining units and a comparison of bargaining subjects against other Virginia cities.
- Discussion of bargaining scope
- Proposed bargaining units for Fire and EMS, Police, Labor and Trades, Administrative and Clerical, and Professional and Technical employees
- Comparison of bargaining terms for wages, hours, and working conditions with Arlington, Richmond, and Alexandria
- Proposed language regarding layoffs, reduction-in-force, and grievance procedures
- Review of Weingarten Rights for employee representation during formal discussions
The Collective Bargaining Task Force approved draft language covering wages, hours, layoffs, personnel policies, Weingarten rights, benefits, and legal constraints for future collective agreements. All items were adopted with votes ranging from 7‑0 to 9‑0, with a single dissent on the Weingarten rights language. The meeting scheduled for July 2, 2025 was cancelled and the next session set for July 16, 2025.
- Approved minutes of May 21, 2025 meeting (7-0)
- Approved bargaining language for wages, terms, hours, and working conditions (7-0)
- Approved bargaining language for layoffs/RIFs (9-0)
- Approved bargaining language for personnel policies, grievance and disciplinary procedures (9-0)
- Approved bargaining language for Weingarten rights (8-1)
- Approved bargaining language for leave, employee contributions, insurance, and local retirement benefits (9-0)
- Approved bargaining language for state and federal law (9-0)
- Cancelled July 2, 2025 meeting; scheduled next meeting for July 16, 2025
🗳️ How they voted (7 roll-call votes)
Retirement Board
The board approved the minutes of the April 16, 2025 meeting as amended after a motion by Tom Brooks and a second by William Donaldson. No other substantive actions were taken; committees reported no meetings and COLA information was presented without a vote.
- Approved minutes of April 16, 2025 meeting (motion by Brooks, seconded by Donaldson)
Collective Bargaining Task Force
The Task Force will meet to continue discussions on the scope of collective bargaining. The meeting follows previous decisions to define bargaining units and exclude certain retirement plans from negotiations.
- Discussion of bargaining scope
- Review of minutes from May 7, 2025
- Cancellation of the June 4th meeting
The Task Force unanimously approved allowing Mr. Christopher Puckett to join meetings virtually. The minutes from the May 7, 2025 meeting were approved by a 7‑0 vote. The July 2, 2025 meeting was cancelled by a 6‑0‑1 vote (one abstention). The next regular meeting is scheduled for June 18, 2025.
- Approved virtual participation for Mr. Christopher Puckett (unanimous)
- Approved minutes of May 7, 2025 meeting (7-0)
- Cancelled July 2, 2025 meeting (6-0-1)
🗳️ How they voted (3 roll-call votes)
Collective Bargaining Task Force
The Collective Bargaining Task Force will meet to discuss the scope of bargaining and approve previous meeting minutes. The body is working to define bargaining units and the specific terms and conditions of employment that may be negotiated.
- Discussion on Bargaining Scope
- Approval of April 23, 2025 meeting minutes
- Review of proposed bargaining units: Fire and EMS, Police, Labor and Trades, Administrative and Clerical, and Professional and Technical
The Task Force unanimously approved the minutes from the April 23, 2025 meeting. It approved an amendment to the Police bargaining unit description to exclude supervisory personnel at the rank of Assistant Chief or above. It also unanimously approved a motion to exclude the Virginia Retirement System and the Newport News Employees’ Retirement Fund from the subjects of collective bargaining, while allowing ancillary retirement options. The next meeting is scheduled for May 21, 2025.
- Approved minutes of April 23, 2025 meeting (6-0)
- Amended Police bargaining unit description to exclude supervisory personnel at Assistant Chief rank or above (8-0)
- Excluded VRS and NNERF from subjects of bargaining in the collective bargaining ordinance (8-0)
🗳️ How they voted (3 roll-call votes)
Collective Bargaining Task Force
The Collective Bargaining Task Force will continue discussions on defining bargaining units and the scope of negotiable items for city employees. They will review draft language on unit classifications and a comparative table of ordinances from Alexandria, Richmond, and Arlington. The meeting also includes approval of prior minutes and setting the next meeting date.
- Approval of minutes from the April 9, 2025 meeting
- Discussion of proposed bargaining units: Fire/EMS, Police, Labor & Trades, Administrative & Clerical, Professional & Technical
- Debate on excluding supervisors and managers from bargaining units
- Review of collective bargaining scope topics such as wages, benefits, hours, and grievance procedures
- Staff comparison of ordinances from Alexandria, Richmond, and Arlington regarding bargaining scope
The Collective Bargaining Task Force unanimously approved the minutes from the April 9, 2025 meeting (7-0). The discussion on the scope of collective bargaining was tabled for further review. Staff reported that HR Director Allison Dichoso will be leaving the city, with Mitchell and Loucks continuing HR representation.
- Approved April 9, 2025 meeting minutes (7-0)
- Tabled collective bargaining scope discussion
🗳️ How they voted (1 roll-call vote)
Retirement Board
The Retirement Board voted unanimously to adopt the demographic changes presented by Cheiron. The Board also agreed to maintain the assumed rates of return for the pension and OPEB plans at 7.0%. No other actions were taken.
- Adopt demographic changes and maintain 7.0% assumed return rate (unanimous)
Collective Bargaining Task Force
The Collective Bargaining Task Force will continue its discussion on bargaining units for city employees. At the previous meeting, the task force adopted five units: Fire/EMS, Police, Administrative & Clerical, Labor & Trades, and Professional & Technical, and requested staff to draft language based on other Virginia localities. The task force is expected to review that draft and further define which positions fall into each unit.
- Approval of minutes from March 26, 2025 meeting (included votes on 5-unit vs. 4-unit proposals)
- Continued discussion on bargaining unit definitions and job classifications
- Review of draft language for unit classifications based on Alexandria, Arlington, and Charlottesville ordinances
- Consideration of exclusions (constitutional officers, management, supervisors, confidential employees, temporary workers)
- Next meeting scheduled for April 23, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.
The Task Force unanimously approved Mr. Puckett’s virtual participation. The minutes from the March 26, 2025 meeting were also unanimously approved. A motion to table further discussion on which employees belong in bargaining units was passed unanimously.
- Approved virtual participation for Mr. Puckett (7-0)
- Approved minutes of March 26, 2025 meeting (7-0)
- Tabled further discussion on bargaining unit employee inclusion (8-0)
🗳️ How they voted (3 roll-call votes)
Collective Bargaining Task Force
The Collective Bargaining Task Force is meeting to continue discussions on defining bargaining units for city employees. The agenda includes approval of previous meeting minutes and old business related to bargaining unit structure. No new business items are listed. The next meeting is scheduled for April 9, 2025.
- Discussion of bargaining units to define employee groups for collective bargaining
- Approval of minutes from March 12, 2025 meeting
- Next meeting set for April 9, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in the James Room
The March 26 meeting approved the March 12 minutes unanimously. After two failed votes on four and five units, the Task Force adopted a recommendation of five collective bargaining units with a 6-2 vote. Staff and the City Attorney were asked to draft classification language for the new units, and further discussion was tabled until the next meeting.
- Approved March 12, 2025 minutes (8-0)
- Failed motion to adopt five bargaining units (4-4)
- Failed motion to adopt four bargaining units (4-4)
- Failed motion to table bargaining‑unit discussion (3-5)
- Adopted five bargaining units (6-2)
- Requested City Attorney and staff draft unit‑classification language
- Tabled further bargaining‑unit discussions until next meeting
🗳️ How they voted — 4 divided votes
Collective Bargaining Task Force
The Collective Bargaining Task Force will meet to discuss the definition of bargaining units and collective bargaining ordinances in Virginia. The body is also reviewing an electronic meeting policy and an employee engagement framework.
- Discussion on Collective Bargaining Ordinances in Virginia
- Discussion on Bargaining Units
- Review of Electronic Meeting Policy
- Review of Employee Engagement Framework
- Review of Task Force Website
The Collective Bargaining Task Force unanimously approved two electronic meeting policies, one for all-virtual meetings and one for individual member participation. Members also discussed bargaining unit structure, reviewed a City Manager letter on employee engagement, and tabled further bargaining unit discussions until the next meeting. The meeting was procedural with no substantive policy decisions beyond the electronic meeting policies.
- Adopted All-Virtual Meetings electronic meeting policy (8-0)
- Adopted Individual Member electronic meeting policy (8-0)
- Approved minutes of February 26, 2025 meeting (8-0)
- Held moment of silence for Valerie Price (8-0)
- Tabled bargaining units discussion until next meeting
🗳️ How they voted (4 roll-call votes)
Retirement Board
The Newport News Employees' Retirement Fund Board approved retaining Cheiron to perform an updated COLA analysis before the April 15, 2025 meeting, where DROP program study results will also be presented. The board also unanimously approved the January 30, 2025 meeting minutes. Investment reports showed the Pension Fund gained about 2.1% net in January, with estimated assets of $1.18 billion across funds.
- Approved minutes of January 30, 2025 meeting (unanimous)
- Approved retaining Cheiron for updated COLA analysis (motion by Pribush, seconded by Young)
Collective Bargaining Task Force
The Collective Bargaining Task Force will hold its initial meeting to adopt operating procedures, elect a chair and vice chair, and receive an overview of collective bargaining from PFM. The group will also discuss topics and schedule for future meetings.
- Election of chair and vice chair
- Adoption of Resolution No. 13751-24 and governance rules (FOIA, COIA, Robert's Rules)
- Collective bargaining overview presented by PFM
- Discussion of next meeting topics and schedule
The Collective Bargaining Task Force held its first meeting, elected Adrian Manning as Chair and Denise Reynolds as Vice Chair, and decided to meet biweekly at 6:00 p.m. Members disclosed affiliations with employee groups, and staff will bring a draft electronic meeting policy to the next meeting. No substantive policy decisions were made.
- Elected Adrian Manning as Chair (5-3)
- Elected Denise Reynolds as Vice Chair (8-0)
- Approved biweekly meetings starting at 6:00 p.m. (8-0)
- Requested draft electronic meeting policy for next meeting
🗳️ How they voted (2 roll-call votes)
Retirement Board
The Newport News Retirement Board unanimously elected James Young as Chair and Tom Brooks as Vice Chair for 2025, and approved the December 19, 2024 minutes. The Board also unanimously adopted the Board Bylaws as presented. No other substantive decisions were made; other items were informational or discussed.
- Elected James Young as Chair for 2025 (unanimous)
- Elected Tom Brooks as Vice Chair for 2025 (unanimous)
- Approved minutes of December 19, 2024 meeting (unanimous)
- Adopted Board Bylaws as presented (unanimous)