Richmond City Council Budget Work Session - April 15, 2026

The Richmond City Council held a budget work session on April 15, 2026, to review proposed text amendments and Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) amendments for the FY27 budget. Council members discussed funding priorities, received clarifications from city administration, and deferred final decisions to a subsequent meeting on April 20.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Members of the public, including parents of students with disabilities, urged council to support funding for the Richmond Virtual Academy and other school programs. Council members noted the emotional pleas but no formal public testimony was transcribed.

Discussion Items

• Text Amendments:

  • Strike Severance Language: A proposal to remove new language from the pay plan that would allow up to one year of severance for senior executives. Council members questioned whether this would conflict with existing contracts; administration noted it would not affect previous agreements but would require further legal review.
  • Housing Trust Fund Language: An amendment to fix language ensuring the Affordable Housing Trust Fund receives agreed-upon funding. City administration expressed support, with clarification on bonding mechanism (pay-as-you-go model).
  • RPS Audit: A text and general fund amendment to allocate $175,000 for an independent third-party audit of Richmond Public Schools’ budget, contracted through the city auditor’s office. Councilmember Gibson argued the audit is needed due to inconsistencies in RPS budget submissions (e.g., a “typo” of 10 FTEs and unclear collective bargaining costs).
  • Richmond Virtual Academy: Initial cost estimate of $1.6 million from council staff was revised to $3.2 million based on RPS information. Councilmembers expressed frustration over conflicting numbers and demanded written documentation. It was clarified that if RPS is not fully funded, the virtual academy could be cut, but RPS controls allocation of funds.
  • Transportation and Security for After-School Programs: Initially requested at $700,000, the city and RPS refined the estimate to $428,000 for two security guards at all middle schools and associated transportation. Councilmembers requested detailed breakdowns by school and radius.

• CIP Amendments:

  • Forest Hill Avenue Traffic Study: Originally $500,000, but Director of Public Works Bobby Vincent stated the study cost would be approximately $100,000 and work is already underway with VDOT.
  • Citywide School Safety Study Recommendations: Councilmember Breton proposed $500,000 for implementing safety projects identified in a study of eight high-injury-network schools. DPW indicated some work is already covered by existing budgets and grants.
  • Gas New Business Funding: Councilmember Jordan proposed eliminating $500,000 for new gas business, citing sufficient existing funds and city goals to transition from fossil fuels. Public Utilities Director Scott Morris confirmed no impact on rates or operations.
  • Transparent Street Safety Spending: Councilmember Breton requested a detailed breakdown of the $21 million in complete streets funding (paving, sidewalks, speed tables, etc.). DPW agreed to provide periodic presentations and a public dashboard.
  • TJ High School Football Field Lights: Councilmember Breton proposed $250,000 in FY28 to leverage matching grants for lighting. Councilmember Gibson called for a citywide inventory of school athletic facilities lacking lighting.
  • People’s Budget Alignment: Discussion on integrating participatory budgeting into the city’s process. CAO Odie Donald confirmed that the participatory budgeting group was moved under his authority and that alignment will be ongoing; previous distribution was criticized by Councilmember Trammell for inequity.
  • Commonwealth Attorney’s Budget: Commonwealth Attorney expressed concern over a reported $241,000 cut. Administration clarified it was a technical adjustment in personnel funding, not a reduction in positions or operations, and that a meeting with finance is scheduled.
  • Assessor’s Customer Service Representative: Council staff proposed transferring a vacant position from the council chief of staff’s office to the assessor’s office to handle walk-in inquiries. Assessor Richie McKeachin noted the position was lost during COVID and is needed to free appraisers from front-desk duties.

• Other Updates:

  • City Auditor Riyadh Lee provided an update on ongoing audits: revenue refund compliance, procurement-to-payment, and fire department payroll processes. He highlighted the revenue refund audit as a priority.
  • Councilmember Trammell announced availability of tax relief application forms for elderly and disabled residents, thanking the CAO for expediting distribution.

Key Outcomes

• All formal decisions on amendments were deferred to Monday, April 20, 2026, to allow further analysis and documentation from city administration.
• Deadline to request co-patronage of amendments extended to Thursday, April 16 at 5 p.m.
• Council staff were directed to obtain written documentation from RPS on the cost breakdown for the Virtual Academy and the transportation/security program.
• The assessor’s customer service representative transfer received apparent consensus and is expected to be approved on Monday.
• Council will explore available funding sources, including the GAAP grant program, to support amendments.
• No votes were taken during this work session.