York County supervisors spent substantial time on Oct. 7 reviewing a draft of the county’s proposed 2026 legislative priorities, discussing whether to seek authority for an admissions tax, the creation of a primary and secondary road fund, and how costs for Chesapeake Bay Act compliance should be apportioned between the Commonwealth and localities.

Deputy County Administrator Bridal Fuller and county staff presented a redline draft that superimposed proposed changes on last year’s priorities and solicited supervisor direction on items to keep, remove or reposition. Fuller said staff compiled the draft from last year’s packet and stakeholder input and is seeking board guidance before finalizing the document for legislators.

Admissions tax: Supervisors debated removing a request that the General Assembly authorize counties to impose an admissions tax on businesses that sell tickets. Some supervisors said they did not view the tax as a top priority; others supported leaving legislative permission in place so the county would “have the option” later. The board did not remove the item.

Road funding: There was broad support for including a request to create a primary and secondary road fund so Hampton Roads jurisdictions would have a place to pool or receive appropriated funds for regional projects. Supervisors discussed keeping language that would allow municipalities and metropolitan planning organizations to collaborate on prioritization; they agreed to leave the request in the packet while clarifying language about dedicated funding sources.

Chesapeake Bay Act and sea-level rise: Supervisors discussed adding a priority to seek additional state funds tied to the Chesapeake Bay Act and to emphasize seawater rise and shoreline resiliency. One supervisor described county estimates from earlier studies that suggested very large theoretical county costs to meet certain Clean Water/Chesapeake Bay targets — figures cited during discussion included an estimate “about $100,000,000” in earlier modeling and larger numbers for broader remediation — and urged the General Assembly to share funding responsibility for mandates it imposes. Several supervisors acknowledged the issue’s complexity and said the item should remain to push for more state support.

Fire, public safety and education: The board discussed continuing a $5 million competitive grant program for fire departments and supporting an increase in the insurance-fee allocation that funds state fire programs; both items drew support from supervisors and the county fire chief. Other items under consideration include seat-belt/enforcement legislation and not prioritizing camera expansion that some officials said raised privacy concerns.

Land use and short-term rentals: Supervisors reviewed language seeking clarification from the General Assembly that existing local special-use requirements for short-term rentals and accessory structures not be preempted by recent statewide changes. The board asked staff to strengthen text that “emphasizes the importance of leaving land-use decisions to localities.”

Process and prioritization: Several supervisors criticized the annual priorities exercise as time-consuming and noted that the county historically achieved few legislative wins; staff and some supervisors argued the packet should present a unified multijurisdictional approach for Hampton Roads. The board did not adopt a ranked 1-to-N priority list at the meeting; direction to staff focused on clarifying wording and leaving several items in place to preserve options.

No formal vote was taken to finalize or transmit the packet at the Oct. 7 meeting. Fuller said staff will revise the draft to reflect the board’s direction and return a finalized version for use in legislator meetings and outreach.