Richmond City Council Budget Work Session for Finance and Administration Portfolio - March 23, 2026
Richmond City Council Budget Work Session for Finance and Administration Portfolio - March 23, 2026
On March 23, 2026, the Richmond City Council held a budget work session focused on the proposed FY2027 budget for the Finance and Administration portfolio, which includes Finance, Procurement, Human Resources, Information Technology, 311, Minority Business Development (MBD), and Risk Management. The session also covered constitutional officers: the Richmond Sheriff's Office, Commonwealth Attorney, City Treasurer, General Registrar, and Circuit Court Clerk. Council members asked questions in a single five-minute round, with the timer paused for responses.
Meeting Protocol
Council Chief of Staff RJ Warren explained the session protocol: each council member had five minutes to ask questions, with the timer stopping during responses. DCAO Jackson led the presentation and could call up department directors as needed.
Budget Presentation by DCAO Jackson
DCAO Jackson presented the FY2027 budget for the Finance and Administration portfolio, highlighting several accomplishments:
- Procurement completed its first reverse auction, generating $1.7 million in savings over three years.
- A transparency dashboard was launched, expanding access to contracting opportunities.
- The Finance Department issued 70,000 real estate bills on time.
- 57 business training classes were delivered and 173 new vendors registered.
- 311 and IT advanced AI capabilities and cybersecurity.
- Prevailing wage requirements were implemented.
Proposed budget changes by department:
- Budget Office: Modest decrease of $75,000 in personnel and $32,000 in operations due to efficiencies and vacancies budgeted at minimum salary.
- 311: $198,000 increase in personnel to maintain service levels and support self-service options like a chatbot.
- Finance: Right-sizing to stabilize core functions. 59 current vacancies. Actively recruiting for leadership and staff. Professional services contracted for fiscal health assessment and year-end closeout.
- Human Resources: $111,000 increase in personnel and $309,000 increase in operations, primarily for a compensation study ($500,000 one-time investment) and benefit adjustments. New HR director onboarded in January. Vacancy rate at 13% (lowest since FY23), turnover declined to 9%.
- Procurement: $461,000 increase in personnel, including two new positions, to strengthen oversight and address PCART audit findings.
- Minority Business Development: Flat FTE (6), modest operating decrease driven by cost containment. Focus on implementing the disparity study, embedding equity in project planning, and improving coordination with procurement.
- Information Technology: $3.3 million increase in operating costs, operating as an internal service fund. Investments address aging equipment, core infrastructure upgrades, and disaster recovery.
- Risk Management: $90,000 increase in personnel and $79,000 in operations for actuarial projections and rising claims.
DCAO Jackson emphasized that the budget reflects actions already taken to stabilize operations and improve processes, and that the portfolio is focused on continued stabilization, clearer reporting, and workforce investment.
Council Discussion and Questions
Councilmember Tramell asked about 311 integration with code enforcement and tracking of calls by district. DCAO Jackson confirmed separate departments but new integration underway. Reports and a dashboard are available; training for council members can be provided.
Councilmember Robertson raised several issues:
- Vacancies in Finance (59) and whether low salaries cause recruitment challenges. DCAO Jackson said the compensation study will provide insight and that positions are being reclassified as needed.
- Clarification on non-general funds (internal service funds for IT, risk management, healthcare).
- Implementation of disparity study: new software and training; a detailed framework can be provided.
- Request for status of debt service payments on bonds for state benefits transfer.
- Credit card fee waiver policy: process exists, information will be provided.
- Reporting integration: a contractor has been hired to evaluate reporting needs across departments; no formal plan yet but an outline will be shared.
- Incumbents rolling forward from budget to purchasing: information to be provided later.
Councilmember Breton asked:
- About 311 integration costs: personnel and IT costs for integration.
- Finance software investments: CIP includes funds for RVA pay enhancements.
- Temporary staffing: requests breakdown of temporary staffing per department; no direct correlation with vacancies.
- Finance cuts: Director Shelton clarified only one customer service specialist cut, not three, as part of restructuring.
- Risk management: operations increase due to claims payouts and administration.
- Delinquent tax collection: new revenue director onboarded, plans will be brought forward in summer.
- Commonwealth Attorney's Office: seven new staff positions for a Family Justice Center. Commonwealth Attorney Collette McEachin highlighted 19 reported incidents of strangulation/aggravated domestic assault in 2026, an 11% increase from last year. She urged council support.
Councilmember Abubaker questioned:
- Largest cost increases in procurement: construction-related capital expenditures from DPU and DPW. Director Almore noted reverse auctions are helping.
- Top 10 vendors spending percentage: will be provided later.
- MWBE measurable outcomes: training, vendor registration, revenue growth, profit, and bid wins are tracked.
- 311 integration priority: DCAO Jackson said it was aligned with code enforcement software implementation, not chosen over other departments.
- Confirmed that a memo on unspent GAP grant funds will be provided on March 31.
Councilmember Gibson questioned:
- Temporary worker spending: Finance budget shows $1.3M actual in FY24, $255K in FY26, zero in FY27. DCAO Jackson said goal is to fill vacancies rather than rely on temporary workers. CAO O'Donnell noted temporary services are still used for GAP grant backlog and year-end closeout planning.
- Request for salary breakdown of filled and unfilled positions.
- Payment registry compliance: City not in compliance with monthly publication since 2019. CAO O'Donnell said it is part of technology infrastructure roadmap; cost still under evaluation; meeting with OpenGov scheduled.
- Severance payouts in pay plan ordinance: CAO O'Donnell defended as best practice to attract talent, citing ICMA standards. Councilmember Gibson expressed concerns and requested comparable reports.
Councilmember Jones asked:
- Reason for moving MBD to finance portfolio: better alignment with procurement, especially construction spending.
- MBD role in small business development: still considered a one-stop shop, providing technical assistance and partnerships. Director Foster emphasized business development will remain primary.
- MBD staffing: no increase needed; comfortable with current levels.
Vice President Jordan commented:
- Praised accomplishments and hiring of revenue director. Plans to increase revenue through enforcement and filling vacancies.
- Requested clarification on third-party support for forecast capacity: consultants for reconciliation.
- Joint contracting for Richmond Public Schools: Procurement Director Almore discussed consortium for common goods and emergency services.
- Addressed low early voting turnout (2.6% vs Henrico 4.9%). Registrar David Levine explained unfunded special elections and insufficient state reimbursement; resources are stretched. Councilmember Jordan expressed willingness to support outreach funding.
Key Outcomes
- Council members requested additional information on various topics, including a breakdown of vacancies by salary, debt service schedules, temporary staffing reports, disparity study implementation framework, and payment registry compliance plans. The administration committed to providing these.
- The Commonwealth Attorney's request for seven new positions for the Family Justice Center was presented; no vote was taken, but council members expressed support.
- The Registrar highlighted budget pressures from unfunded special elections; council indicated willingness to consider additional resources.
- No formal votes were taken during this work session; it was focused on information gathering and discussion.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone. The Richmond City Council budget work session will now come to order. And I will ask our council chief of staff after the chamber evacuation plan announcement to come forward and provide our protocol for the meeting. Madam Clerk, if you would provide a chamber emergency evacuation plan announcement. Upon activation of the emergency alum signal, all persons should immediately exit the building. Please use the SIS to the left or right front of the council chamber or the east or west stairware outside the rear doors of the chamber. Do not use elevators or escalators. After exiting the building, security will direct everyone down 9th Street to the assembly area located inside the former public safety building parking lot. Able persons should should assist visually in hearing the pair of visitors with exiting the building. Madam President, all members of council are present with the exception of Councillor Robertson and Lynch. You do have a core. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Mr. Warren, if you would provide the overview in terms of the protocol for the meeting. Yes, ma'am, please. Council RJ Warren, Council Chief of Staff. Um, try to be concise here. Um, you have a busy schedule today. You have this work session at one o'clock, uh, followed by uh an informal meeting at four o'clock, where you will have Docker review, an act for presentation from the CAO, and a closed session, followed by a formal meeting at six o'clock tonight, which will consist of the first initial budget public hearing. Uh, due to today's full schedule and to make sure you all have a break in between this meeting and the four o'clock meeting, um, we're only going to do one round of five-minute questions today. Um, and just as a reminder, your timer is only running when you are asking the question or providing comments to lead up to your question. So if you effectively use your time, you can ask uh several questions within that five minutes. The timer gets paused when city administration or an individual provides you a response. Um city administration has asked me to share that the DCAO for this portfolio finance administration will be the one present at the podium, and that they will lead uh the facilitation of all questions. So if you have questions about specific departments, please provide that to the DCAO to provide a response, and they will call up directors as necessary to provide uh expert testimony. Uh before you today will be the finance and administration portfolio. The presentation that's about to go up on the screen is for finance and administration. Um, but also on your docker today is the constitutional officers, which consists of the Richmond Sheriff's Office, uh the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney, uh, Office of the City Treasurer, the General Registrar, and the Office of the Circuit Clerk Court. And uh, even though they won't be presenting, they are in the chamber to uh answer any questions you may have. So if you have a question for those uh those constitutional officers leadership during your five minutes, feel free to ask those. And I believe that was the um information I need to share with you today. Thank you, Mr. Warren. With that, we will get underway. DCAO. OD Donald, I thought would be our first up. Is that no? It's gonna be me, DCO Jackson. Just want to make sure. Yes. Thank you. No problem. DCO Jackson in charge of the finance and administration portfolio. Good afternoon, esteemed members of council. On behalf of Mayor Vula and CAO Donnell, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to present the finance and administration portfolio for the FY2020 uh 27 proposed budget. We what I want to share with you today reflects not just numbers, but the people systems and decisions that keep the city running every day. We recognize that there are challenges and we are actively looking for them, finding them, and most importantly, we are fixing them. What you will see today reflects actions already taken, already taken to address those challenges and strengthen how our portfolio operates. Thank you. Today I'll walk you through our alignment with the mayor's seven pillars, highlight a few key accomplishments from this past year, provide a review of the proposed budget, and close out with what you can expect moving forward.
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