Ready to weigh in on Portsmouth’s budget?

City plans public forums to receive citizen input

PORTSMOUTH — City Council and city staff will host a series of public forums in March to discuss priorities, concerns and questions regarding the annual budget.

The so-called citizen empowerment forums will allow residents to weigh in and discuss various issues with city leaders, which will guide Interim City Manager Mimi Terry and her team as they prepare the 2023-24 budget. The intent also is to educate residents about what the city is doing and what’s planned to address those issues.

Three forums will be held, with different topics discussed at each meeting within a two-hour timeframe. The city has posted short informational videos about key subjects on the website, along with a survey to submit questions to be answered at the forums. City staff request that residents sign up to attend by visiting www.portsmouthva.gov/Empowerment-Forums, but registration is not required to attend or ask questions. This will also gauge what subjects residents are most interested in learning more about.

The first forum will be held in the Churchland High School auditorium from 6-8 p.m. Thursday. Topics for discussion include the proposed budget, grants, economic development, code changes, short-term rentals and communication channels.

Manor High School will host the next forum inside Little Theater from 6-8 p.m. March 16. Planned discussions include downtown development, museums, city parks, infrastructure and public transportation.

The last forum will be in the auditorium of I.C. Norcom High School from 6-8 p.m. March 30. Public safety, crime prevention, 911 system improvements and technology will be the discussion topics.

The forums will be recorded and posted to the city’s Youtube account.

The 2022-23 annual budget, adopted last May, totaled $767.4 million, and included 3-5% general wage increases for city employees and increases to the stormwater and utility fees.

The budget is prepared and discussed in the spring but must be adopted by the end of June.