Richmond City Council Formal Session - April 27, 2026
Richmond City Council Formal Session - April 27, 2026
On April 27, 2026, the Richmond City Council held its formal session. The meeting included public comments, a consent agenda with public hearings, budget amendments, and council reports. Notable topics included objections to Flock cameras, a debate over bike lane parking citations, and an emotional plea from Councilmember Trammell regarding cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for retirees.
Consent Calendar
- Ordinance 2026-060, 2026-073, 2026-075, and items 6–15 (ordinances 2026-077 through 2026-088) and items 20–23 (resolutions 2026-R013, R015, R016, R017) were approved unanimously, with Councilmember Gibson initially indicating she would abstain on the bike lane item (part of the consent agenda) but ultimately voting in favor after requesting data on safety impacts.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jesus Carpio (8th district constituent) requested council assistance with the judicial system, alleging procedural injustices and denial of FOIA requests. Councilmember Trammell offered to connect him with police leadership.
- Aurora Britt spoke in opposition to Flock cameras, citing an incident in Los Angeles where ICE agents allegedly used the cameras to track protesters.
- Michael White opposed Flock cameras, highlighting terms of service that grant Flock a perpetual license to use customer data and a recent incident where Flock employees accessed cameras at a children's gym in Atlanta.
- Daniel Tobias (6th district resident) opposed Flock cameras, citing national surveillance concerns, the Trump administration's NSPM-7, and the disproportionate impact on minority communities.
- Emma Hartman (3rd district resident) spoke in opposition to a consent agenda item clarifying bicycle lane definitions for parking citations. She showed photos of her car parked partially over a bike lane buffer and expressed safety concerns about exiting vehicles due to high traffic speeds. She argued that the real problem is speeding, not parking.
- Unnamed speaker (opposing Resolution 2026-R016) spoke against the $11 million bond for 400 East Grace Street, citing a history of poor management, lack of community outreach, and high cost ($500,000 per door for 65 units).
- Casey Miller (7th district renter) spoke in favor of Ordinance 2026-082, supporting transparency.
- Sherelle Hampton (RRHA) spoke in favor of the East Grace Street project, stating that a developer was competitively selected, a virtual meeting was held for businesses, and a public hearing was advertised. The project will provide senior housing.
- Vincent Vinuti (owner of Dream House) and Armando Lugo spoke in favor of Ordinance 2026-060, supporting the Shockoe Shine initiative to revitalize Shockoe Bottom by allowing arts and nightlife extensions.
Discussion Items
- Bike Lane Parking Citation Policy: Councilmember Gibson requested data on whether narrowing lanes reduces speed and the number of accidents from parked cars vs. cyclists. Vice President Jordan defended the policy, stating it aligns with federal/state guidance and aims to slow traffic via road diets. She noted that parked cars next to travel lanes already exist and that the change provides clarity for enforcement.
- Budget Amendments and Retiree COLA: Councilmember Trammell gave an impassioned speech criticizing the mayor for not including $6 million for retiree COLAs in the budget. She recounted calls from upset retirees, some crying, and stated that council (all but one member) supported the COLA. She vowed to continue the fight. Councilmember Lynch thanked Trammell and said they will introduce a resolution to establish a workgroup and timeline for a COLA formula to avoid annual budget fights.
- Shockoe Bottom Task Force: President Newbill reported that the task force met on April 24 with representatives from police, fire, Commonwealth Attorney, and other entities to improve public safety and quality of life in the area.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously (8-0, with Gibson voting aye after initial hesitation).
- Amendment and Continuation of Items: Multiple ordinances and resolutions were amended and continued to future dates (May 11, May 26, June 8 council meetings). These included budget-related ordinances (2026-063, 065, 066, 071) which were amended and continued to May 11. All votes were unanimous.
- Expedited Consideration: Resolution 2026-R018 (opioid settlement participation) was expedited and adopted unanimously.
- Minutes Approval: Minutes from April 13, 2026 were approved.
- New Legislation Introduced: A list of 18 items (numbers 8–25) was introduced and will be available on the city website on April 28.
- Next Steps: The budget public hearing is scheduled for May 11, 2026 at 6 p.m. Councilmembers committed to working on a COLA resolution and workgroup to ensure future payments for retirees.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everyone. Good evening and welcome to the Richmond City Council's formal council session. At this time, Madam Clerk, if you would uh certainly provide uh guidance in terms of Spanish interpretation. Spanish interpretation is available in the council chamber. Please see a representative at the rear of the room to receive the appropriate equipment. Thank you, Council, for the invitation, and thank you for your leadership in our city. Gracious and loving God, we gather in your presence with gratitude for the gift of community and the responsibility of leadership. Not only what is popular, but what is right. Clerk, if you would provide the emergency evacuation plan. Please use the exits to the left or right front of the council chamber or the east or west stairwell outside the rear doors of the chamber. Do not use elevators or escalators. After exiting the building, security will direct everyone down ninth street to the assembly area located inside the former public safety building parking lot. Able persons should assist visually and hearing impaired visitors with exiting the building. Thank you. If you would now also provide the public speaker guidelines. Individuals speaking during public hearings in the public comment period are generally allowed three minutes to speak. Persons appearing before council are not allowed to campaign for public office, promote private business ventures, use language of a personal nature which insults or demeans any person, including comments directed at public officials or staff members that are not related to their official duties, or address or question staff members directly. All questions are to be directed to the President of Council. Failure to adhere to the guidelines may result in speakers forfeiting any remaining time and further disciplinary action as necessary, which could include barring from attendance at future meetings of city council for a period of six months. And Madam President, for the record, all members of Council are in attendance this evening except Councillors Robertson and Lynch. You do have a quorum. If there are individuals standing in the rear of the chamber, they are asked to be seated where seats are available. Also, applause is not permitted during tonight's meeting. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Just as we prepare for public comment period, I will just um inform you that the budget uh opportunity for the public hearing and comment on the budget will be May 11th. So feel free to join us at that time for that public hearing. And um Madam Clerk, I'd like to just before we get underway with the um public speaker public comment period. We have some special guests in the audience that Councilman Breton is going to uh introduce us to, and then we'll get underway with the public comment period. I just wanted to welcome on behalf of the city uh Cub Scout Pack 436, who's here with us today, a group of very bright civic-minded young people that I've had the opportunity to meet with earlier today. Um discussing democracy, the city, city services, um, and budget questions with them. And so I know that the you know the future is in their hands, and I can attest that the future is in very good hands. So thank you, PAC 436 for being here. Yeah, give a round of applause. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you, Councilman Breton, and welcome uh to our troop. Uh look forward to your joining us uh sometime in the near future. Is that correct, Mr. Breton? Of course. Okay. Thank you all. Welcome. With that, Madam Clerk, let's proceed uh to call the uh public comment speakers. The first speaker is Jesus Carpio. Welcome, Mr. Caprio. Members del Consejo de Richmond. The honorable members of the Richmond City Council, it is an honor for me to uh to be here uh speaking with you. Thank you for uh the leadership that you provide for the city.
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