Council Focuses on Cooperation Across City Departments
Plus: aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy leaves for trials; Riverside Hospital recognized for transparency; gamified learning at Mariners Museum
Newport News City Council held a work session on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, to present the city’s 2026-2030 strategic plan. Developed through a comprehensive 20-week planning process involving approximately 20 department heads and more than 17 departments, the plan consolidates individual departmental priorities into a unified citywide vision. The presentation covered the project’s foundational goals, the consolidation of departmental strategies, the extensive feedback and revision process, the implementation framework, and the governance structures required to track progress through key performance indicators over the next four to five years.
The planning initiative established clear foundational goals for successful strategy development. The project aimed to create department-owned strategies reflecting city staff work across all levels of the organization. Beyond departmental ownership, planners sought to develop a focused set of key performance indicators derived directly from those strategies, establish clear accountability structures, and create proper documentation for ongoing measurement and tracking. These goals ensured that the resulting strategic plan would be grounded in operational reality and actionable across all city departments. Watch the full discussion beginning at 9:57.
Individual department plans were consolidated into broader citywide strategies through collaborative workshops. Four goal-area workshops brought approximately 20 department heads together to align individual departmental priorities with citywide objectives. The consolidation process produced a strategic framework consisting of four overarching goals, 17 distinct objectives, 69 strategies, and 27 key performance indicators. The KPIs are distributed across the four goal areas, with the first goal containing seven KPIs, the second containing 11 KPIs, the third containing three KPIs, and the fourth containing six KPIs. Listen to the full discussion beginning at 14:29.
The strategic plan underwent extensive review across multiple rounds of departmental feedback. Over eight rounds of feedback, 17 or more departments provided approximately 109 individual pieces of input that shaped the final plan. This iterative revision process refined the framework from initial concept through the final 27 KPIs distributed across 17 objectives. The significant volume of feedback reflects the breadth of stakeholder input incorporated into the strategic planning process. View the full discussion beginning at 17:32.
Implementation requires integrating strategic priorities directly into city budget and capital decisions. The city must establish regular reporting schedules for leadership and provide an annual view for city council and the public. Shared ownership of the plan’s execution is assigned across the City Manager’s Office, Budget and Evaluation, and the Office of Innovation. Testing major capital investments against the strategic framework ensures that funding decisions align with the city’s four-year priorities. Watch the full discussion beginning at 20:15.
In other news:
Government
Carrier John F. Kennedy Departs Newport News for Sea Trials According to USNI News, written by Sam LaGrone, the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) left Newport News Shipbuilding on Wednesday to begin acceptance sea trials, testing key systems after years of delays. HII confirmed the milestone in a statement praising shipbuilders and Navy teammates. The Navy recently told Congress that seven of the eleven advanced weapons elevators are now complete, enough to access all magazines. The carrier, delayed partly by arresting gear and elevator testing, is still scheduled for delivery in March.
Education
Mariners’ Museum and Park Enhances Environmental Education Through Gamified Learning The Mariners’ Museum and Park has enhanced its Lake Stewards program to better engage local high school students in environmental education, as reported by educators Amy Nicholson and Haleigh Bird. The program brings environmental science students from Newport News City, York County, and Hampton City Public Schools to the park for hands-on watershed experiences, including eelgrass planting, water quality testing, and a land fishing game. Educators recently updated the fishing station to improve participation among students of all skill levels and strengthen connections between classroom content and real-world environmental impacts. The program helps students understand how human actions shape local ecosystems while providing memorable outdoor learning experiences that connect to their community’s watershed.
Community & Services
Four Riverside Hospitals Recognized for Leapfrog Full Transparency Badge According to Riverside Health’s news center, Riverside Regional Medical Center (Full Transparency Badge), Riverside Walter Reed Hospital (Full Transparency Badge), Riverside Doctors’ Hospital Williamsburg (Full Transparency Badge), and Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital (Full Transparency Badge) earned Leapfrog’s inaugural Full Transparency Badge for voluntarily reporting quality and patient safety data. Riverside Smithfield Hospital was not eligible this year due to timing requirements. Terry Sievers, Vice President of Quality, said the survey helps the system track performance, while Dr. Michael Oshiki emphasized the organization’s commitment to transparency and accountability in patient care.
Business
Newport News Shipbuilding Highlights Talent Acquisition Representative LaShand Coleman in Employee Spotlight Series Newport News Shipbuilding features LaShand Coleman, a talent acquisition representative with eight years at the company, in its We Are Shipbuilders series, as reported by NNS To Go. Coleman shares her journey from being a Habitat for Humanity homeowner sponsored by the shipbuilding company to becoming an advocate for workforce development and The Apprentice School in the community. Her father worked as a shipbuilder for nearly 40 years, and she notes her passion for helping individuals change their socioeconomic status through quality education and employment opportunities. The series invites other shipbuilders interested in being highlighted to participate by contacting the communications team.
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