'This calamity could have been avoided': Hopewell mayor, councilor want fiscal distress bills to pass

RICHMOND – The two Hopewell councilors who back legislation allowing Virginia to intervene in the management of a fiscally distressed locality have answered their colleagues’ written opposition with a letter of their own encouraging passage of the bills.

“If [the legislation] had been codified earlier, this calamity could have been avoided, and we could have saved local and state taxpayers millions of dollars!” Mayor Johnny Partin and Ward 1 Councilor Rita Joyner wrote in the letter, which Joyner said was sent to Hopewell’s state legislators and other General Assembly members Tuesday morning. “We urge you to pass this important legislation that will protect the quality of life of all Virginians!”

Partin and Joyner’s letter was dated Jan. 27, four days after the five other council members sent their own letter asking for bills from Sen. Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg, and Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chesterfield County, to be defeated. Vice Mayor Jasmine Gore and councilors Janice Denton, Michael Harris, Dominic Holloway and Brenda Pelham oppose the legislation that would set up an “early warning system” for any locality delinquent on its annual state-mandated ledger reports to be deemed “fiscally distressed” and open a path for the Virginia Commission on Local Government, with agreement from the governor and key legislative committees, to appoint an emergency fiscal manager to come in and oversee reconciliation.

Hopewell is part of Aird's Senate district and Coyner's House district.

Aird’s bill was heard Monday by a Senate panel that delayed action on it for a week. Coyner’s version is expected to be heard Thursday morning by a House subcommittee.

The letter from Partin and Joyner acknowledged they “represent a minority of the Hopewell City Council,” but they still wanted to “voice our vigorous support” for the legislation.

They said the legislation focuses on prevention of a fiscal crisis; however, Hopewell already is in the middle of one.

The city had not submitted any reports to the state auditor of public accounts since 2015, and that triggered Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration to make 27 recommendations for cleaning up Hopewell’s books – which most of council rejected and chose to hire the Robert Bobb Group to assist the city.

Partin and Joyner’s letter recognized that RBG’s work since late last year has borne fruit. The group spearheaded work to get the yearly audits caught up to 2020 and plans to have the remaining audits – including 2023’s -- into the state’s hands by the end of this year.

However, they claimed that help has come with a high price tag.

“The breadth and depth of our financial problems, including serious cash flow issues, forced the Bobb Group to expand the scope of their contract, costing the City’s taxpayers almost $2 million to bring us into compliance,” the letter read. “We are not out of the woods yet, although significant progress has been made.”

The legislation gives Virginia the power to protect the interests of city businesses and residents that are "potential victims of a local fiscal crisis,” the letter stated.

When state Finance Secretary Stephen Cummings appeared before council last May, he urged councilors to do something because, in his words, Hopewell’s financial records were “a five-alarm fire” that had gone on for years. Some councilors pointed fingers at former City Manager March Altman for allowing the issues to fester. Altman resigned in 2022 to take the city manager’s job in Petersburg.

Earlier this month, Altman told Petersburg City Council that the city had missed the filing deadline for submitting its latest fiscal audit. Under questioning from one of the councilors, Altman said the delay was because the cash-reconciliation process “took a lot longer” than he originally anticipated, but he assured councilors that no more deadlines would be missed.

Joyner, who supplied The Progress-Index with a copy of the support letter, said copies had not been immediately shared with the five councilors in opposition. It was shared with Herbert Bragg, Hopewell’s legislative liaison, “as a courtesy since it is a minority opinion,” she said.

“We are also receiving endorsements of the fiscal distress legislation from former local, elected officials, prominent citizens and businessmen,” Joyner wrote in the email, adding she planned to send those endorsements to Aird and Coyner by week’s end.

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: 'Minority' of Hopewell City Council want fiscal distress bills to pass