Lobbying disclosure rule takes effect next month in Chesapeake
CHESAPEAKE — Planning and land use applications in Chesapeake will begin to include lobbying disclosures in May.
City Council member Robert
Ike first made the disclosure request in January and council approved the new process in March.
Ike proposed the city begin requiring the disclosure of all companies, firms and individuals hired to lobby City Council and the Planning Commission on land use matters such as rezoning requests, special use permits and planned unit developments.
Ike previously said his biggest concern is private companies that “reach out individually and talk to council members and lobby and try to convince them to vote for or against a project.”
City staff expected the change would be in effect for last week’s commission meeting. But Planning Director Jimmy McNamara told The Virginian-Pilot that staff are finalizing the official language, adding it to the application portals and alerting current applicants of the new requirement. Once implemented, it’ll appear as a form included in the application package, which is accessible to the public and often included in meeting agendas.
“Our hope is by next month to have all disclosures updated so that anything presented to Planning Commission or City Council from that point forward has that updated disclosure,” he said.
The proposal came up for a vote during a March council meeting. Though Ike pushed to implement the change by amending city zoning ordinances, council ultimately voted 6-3 to pass a substitute motion that administers the change administratively. Councilor members Don Carey and Ella Ward joined Ike with “no” votes.
An ordinance amendment route includes public hearing opportunities and staff analyses, which can take about three months before a council vote. But Ike said the benefit of making the change this way is that a majority of council members in the future wouldn’t be able to revoke the change without a notice to the public.
“I just find it difficult to understand why council would do something just under the radar that could be simply changed when it promotes transparency, the lifeblood of government,” Ike said.
Council member Amanda Newins said in March she wasn’t opposed to the action, but that it was unnecessary to wait months for an ordinance amendment process when it could be done administratively within weeks. She likened Ike’s attempt to a “dog and pony show” and said the use of taxpayer money to change the ordinance didn’t amount to good governance.
Several residents spoke in support of Ike’s proposal at a March 26 council meeting, praising it as a positive step for broadening transparency and trust in government.
City Attorney Catherine Lindley told council members false certification of planning applications comes with a civil penalty of $150 for the first offense and $250 for subsequent violations, which would include false information related to lobbying disclosures.