Next week at the October 4, 2023 City Council meeting, there will be a public hearing on a resolution for the City to adopt a 2024 Legislative Agenda. According to the resolution, adoption of the legislative agenda is “necessary as we prepare to meet with our state legislators prior to the start of the General Assembly Session, to discuss matters of importance to the City of Suffolk.” (The General Assembly convenes on January 10, 2024).
If you’re like me and are new to attending council meetings and engaging in the civic process, you may find this interesting. These slides are the draft agenda that was presented at the September 20, 2023 City Council meeting by Suffolk’s Legislative Liaisons from Access Point Public Affairs. The topics are: Public Safety, Community Development/Planning, Human Services, Transportation, Environmental/Utilities, Education and Workforce Development, and Finance/Regulation.
There was nothing included pertaining to Agriculture, but Council Member Butler Barlow made three recommendations. Her first two recommendations are supported by Suffolk’s Agricultural Advisory Committee and pertain to agriculture preservation programs and Purchase of Development Rights as well as limiting use of Prime Farmlands for utility-scale solar. The third recommendation comes from Virginia Farm Bureau and is in support of Virginia’s Forest Sustainability Fund for Local Governments.
Looking at the upcoming City Council meeting packet, it appears that the first and third of Council Member Butler Barlow’s requests are included in the “Utilities/Environmental” section. Hopefully, in the future, agriculture will not be an afterthought! Whether you agree or disagree with this agenda, it is apparent that there is a lot going on and many things to consider when prioritizing the city’s “legislative requests, policy positions, and funding requests.”