Good afternoon, everyone.

The Richmond City Council budget work session will now come to order.

Madam Clerk, if you would provide the chamber emergency evacuation plan announcement.

Upon activation of the emergency and law signal, all persons should immediately exit the building.

Please use the exits to the left, right, or front of the council chamber, or the east and west stairwell outside the rear doors of the chamber.

Oh that's not it.

That's it.

Not quite that one, Madam Clerk.

Mr.

Warren, if you would provide an overview of the protocol for the work session, please.

A large portfolio.

The full 20 minutes we're giving to Mr.

Wiggins to present on operations.

However, when we go around and you have your five minutes to ask questions, you can ask questions to either of them at that time.

Uh to the mayor's chief of staff regarding the mayor's portfolio or Mr.

Wiggins regarding the operations.

The only thing I would ask is if you have several questions, uh, let's say for Mr.

Wiggins, you ask his first, and then uh for their uh Ms.

We justoria, you ask her second just to prevent people them having to jump up and down.

Um we are going to uh I go for a second round today of questions for five minutes uh as stated in SOPs.

I just asked when we get to that second round to try to be as concise and quick as you can uh out of respect for the for the day and the and the work of staff needs to do.

And um once again, please pay attention in the SOPs.

We have listed the predetermined order of questions so you all know where you're at on there.

And um I believe uh that is it.

I need to share with you just to find the reminder that um I've uh informed y'all a few times, but just uh while I got the microphone amendments are due two weeks from yesterday uh regarding this budget.

I will be available after this if you want to discuss that uh in further detail.

So thank you so much.

Thank you, Mr.

Warren.

With that, welcome DCAO Wiggins.

Well, good afternoon, President Noble, Vice President Jordan, and the stained members of the council.

I hear a little reverb.

Can you all hear me clearly?

Well, I appreciate the opportunity to present the proposed FY27 budget for the operations portfolio on behalf of Meravula and CAO Donnell.

I've now been with the city for nearly six months, and during that time I've had the opportunity to engage with many of you.

I look forward to continuing continuing those conversations and to build building relationships with those council members that I have not yet had the chance to connect with.

I'm especially excited to oversee the operations portfolio as it closely reflects my professional experience over the past 23 years in both county and city government.

This work is deeply aligned with my background and delivering core services and managing complex high impact operations.

During my time here, I've had the opportunity to work closely with our department leaders.

I want to acknowledge that they have been incredibly welcoming and helpful as I've transitioned into this role.

Have also been genuinely impressed by their knowledge, professionalism, and commitment to service.

After 23 years in public service, I do not say that lightly.

These are leaders and professionals whose experience and expertise are highly sought after in their field, and we are fortunate to have them serving our city.

I am proud to stand firmly behind the work of these teams.

They deliver critical services to our residents every day, often under challenging conditions, and they do so with professionalism, dedication, and a strong sense of public service.

Given both the limited time that we have today and the breadth of the departments within this portfolio, I will be providing a very high-level overview that focuses on key priorities, major investments, and overall service impacts.

The operations portfolio encompasses many of the city's most essential and visible services.

It provides strategic oversight of public safety, infrastructure, and core service delivery, ensuring that residents receive reliable, efficient services, and that we maintain a high performing city.

I often think of the operation team as the Navy SEALs of the city.

And as the last time you will ever hear me make a Navy Navy analogy, as I am an Air Force man.

So I want you to just think about the portfolio as a whole, and the reason I refer to them as the Navy SEALs is that we rely on them to handle the most critical situations, and oftentimes while we're in our bed sleeping comfortably where we're in front of our television watching our favorite program.

Thank you.

So for FY27, the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities were transitioning to the operations portfolio.

Positioning the city to build on its sustained national performance gains over time, the park system has advanced from number 58 to number 16.

That's very significant.

And this is in a national top 10 100 rankings, reflecting enhanced programming and amenities.

Aligning parks with operations will sustain this upper trajectory by integrating maintenance functions, strengthening capital, project execution, and expanding the city's green space footprint.

This proximity to core operational resources will enhance coordination, reduce duplication, and strategically deploy investments that directly improve scoring metrics within the national ranking framework.

This portfolio includes a wide range of departments, as the chief of staff just mentioned to you earlier today.

And together with these agencies from the backbone of city operations, protecting public safety, maintaining critical infrastructure, and enhancing quality of life across our community.