WHEREAS, for 25 years, the Virginia First Cities Coalition has protected and bolstered the Commonwealth's older, core cities by securing funding for education, transportation, housing, infrastructure, public safety, and other programs that enhance community life; and

WHEREAS, Virginia First Cities was established to provide specialized advocacy programs and build collaborative solutions to address the unique needs of older cities; and

WHEREAS, Virginia First Cities represents the cities of Charlottesville, Danville, Hampton, Harrisonburg, Hopewell, Lexington, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Newport News, Norfolk, Petersburg, Portsmouth, Richmond, Roanoke, Staunton, Williamsburg, and Winchester; its Board of Directors comprises the city manager and an elected city council member or mayor from each of these member cities; and

WHEREAS, Virginia First Cities recognizes that economic and social issues within cities can affect neighboring localities and the revitalization of those cities can provide significant social and financial benefits to the region; the organization works to identify inequities between urban and suburban communities and advocates for appropriate regional and state policies; and

WHEREAS, among many successes, Virginia First Cities championed initiatives to raise funding for early childhood education and programs for at-risk students; secured additional funding for primary road extensions, street maintenance, and public transportation in cities; and oversaw increases in aid to local police departments, helped reform juvenile justice procedures, and worked to restore funding for community day reporting and diversion centers for nonviolent offenders; and

WHEREAS, Virginia First Cities has helped its member cities receive industrial and port facility revitalization funds, historic rehabilitation tax credits, financial assistance for small businesses, and other neighborhood restoration funding; and

WHEREAS, Virginia First Cities emphasizes the importance of community wealth building in its programs to support employment and job growth to help cities attract and retain talented workers and thriving businesses; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Virginia First Cities Coalition hereby be commended on the occasion of its 25th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia First Cities Coalition as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for its legacy of service to the Commonwealth's cities.