OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Richmond City Council Informal Meeting - June 8, 2026

City CouncilMonday, June 8, 2026
BodyRichmond, Virginia
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, June 8, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:10:37
Transcript — Verbatim
4:55

And Madam Clerk, if you'll provide us with the chamber emergency evacuation announcement, followed by the roll call and then the docket review.

4:57

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

5:10

Please use the exits to the left or right front of the council chamber or the north or south stairwells outside the rear doors of the chamber.

5:18

Do not use elevators or escalators.

5:21

After exiting the building, security would direct everyone down 9th Street to the fenced area located between Clay and Lee Streets.

5:29

Able persons should assist visually and hearing impair visitors with exiting the building.

5:34

And Madam President, for the record, all members are in attendance this evening with the exception of Councillor Robertson and Lynch.

5:41

You do have a call.

5:42

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

5:43

Let's proceed with the document review.

5:45

Starting with the consent agenda, item number one, ordinance 2026 076.

5:51

Um governmental operations standing committee recommended approval.

5:56

Item two, ordinance 2026, 087, land use, housing, and transportation standing committee recommended approval.

6:05

Item 3 and 4, ordinance 2026 089 and 091.

6:13

Governmental Operations Standing Committee recommended approval.

6:24

So this item is to be continued to the July 27th council meeting.

6:30

Item 6, ordinance 2026 102.

6:34

This paper was continued previously at the May 26th council meeting, and it's currently being continued to the June 22nd council meeting per acre request.

6:59

Item 8, ordinance 2026 106.121.

7:50

This paper was committed referral weight.

7:59

Items 15 through 17, ordinance 2026 122, 123, and 124, planning commission recommended approval.

8:11

However, I believe I do have a request that all these items be moved to the regular agenda.

8:16

If it is the consensus of council, item 15 through 17 will be moved to the regular agenda.

8:25

Okay.

8:27

Councilwoman Gibson.

8:30

Thank you, Madam President.

8:31

I um I made the request to have those three items moved to the regular agenda.

8:40

Is there a consensus?

8:42

Always about to ask any further comment, question, discussion.

8:46

Councilmember Chairman.

8:52

Why?

8:53

Sure.

8:54

The thinking on these is one this involves the sale and transition of property from the schools.

9:03

Um, and uh when this was first brought to the school, there there was uh much discussion about it.

9:09

Um my personal interest is to ensure we are um cognizant, you know, that the schools are getting compensated for the transfer of property.

9:20

Um, and the other piece to this is this is also another um uh instance of uh of making a transfer at the same time the property's been surplused, which violates this our code um regarding surplusing properties uh prior to sale, so what school is it?

9:46

You said there was a school involved or some land the land, um so as you see uh 2026 uh-122.

9:54

Um this property at 1461 Commerce Road is uh was uh as a school division property, it had been used as a facilities uh facilities for facilities use, yes.

10:11

But it says they're giving up the deed, a quick deed to accept a quick claim deed.

10:17

Because I know that's where the casino was gonna go at one time, and we we stopped that we didn't let that happen, and the land's been vacant for all those years, and I think it's retail and all that.

10:30

That's something that I know that my district definitely needs some retail and mixed use and all of that.

10:36

And how many acres is it?

10:40

Is anybody here that can?

10:45

Okay, let me take the additional comments and then I can come back for any questions.

10:50

Uh, council member Robertson.

10:53

Thank you, Madam President.

10:54

Um these papers uh uh in have been in discussion.

11:01

The issue of the land transfer from rich and public schools to the city, uh, and also the other papers in regards to this, the three papers um part of a development that we have been working on for I don't even know how many years, many many years.

11:22

We've been talking uh with schools as well as with uh the uh city central, and a lot of meetings have been held with the community with the administration, um, in regards to these papers, there is a opportunity for us to significantly look at um schools have agreed to the relocation strategy that has been uh adopted by the school board, and the assessment values have been done by uh the city as it relates to the sale uh agreement that has been reached.

12:08

Uh it's been something that's been in process for quite some time.

12:12

It's an opportunity for us to provide a significant level of development, uh housing development and other uh mixed public use as well, and a guarantee to satisfy rich and public schools uh relocation uh strategy that have been put in place.

12:32

Um if they're I would really prefer that we continue with the papers where they are and would request that we continue to have them on the agenda as presented.

12:46

Thank you.

12:47

Thank you.

12:49

Any other comment question?

12:52

Councilman Breton?

12:53

Um, I would be interested to just hear all the details about the proceedings that have gone into this and understand, you know, when it comes to land transfers, I think it is worth it that we just make sure that they're given their time so the public knows that we're paying enough attention to all the details on these.

13:08

So I'm pretty confident that it will probably be approved after we hear all the details, but I think it's important.

13:14

I would support putting it on the regular agenda just to make sure that gets that level of attention and time.

13:20

Can I get a sense of whether or not there's uh consensus to leave this where or leave these papers where they are, and or to move them to regular agenda?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Miscellaneous█████████████████████████████████████████████45%
Public Safety██████████████████████████26%
Procedural█████████9%
Economic Development██████6%
Affordable Housing██████6%
Water And Wastewater Management██████6%
Land Use and Zoning██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Richmond City Council Informal Meeting - June 8, 2026

The Richmond City Council held an informal meeting on the evening of June 8, 2026, with all members present except Councillors Robertson and Lynch as initially stated in the roll call, though Councillor Robertson later participated in the discussion (a discrepancy noted in the transcript). The meeting covered the consent agenda, movement of several items to the regular agenda, a detailed discussion on emergency medical dispatch protocols, and an extensive update on the 2026 General Assembly session and its impacts on the city.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 1–4 (Ordinances 2026-076, 2026-087, 2026-089, 2026-091): Approved as recommended by the Governmental Operations Standing Committee.
  • Item 5 (Ordinance not numbered): Continued to the July 27 council meeting.
  • Item 6 (Ordinance 2026-102): Continued to the June 22 council meeting per patron request.
  • Item 8 (Ordinance 2026-106.121): Committee referral waived.
  • Items 15–17 (Ordinances 2026-122, 2026-123, 2026-124): Moved from consent to the regular agenda after a request by Councilwoman Gibson and consensus of the council. These items involve the sale and transfer of property from Richmond Public Schools.
  • Item 18 (Resolution 2026-R023): Retained on the consent agenda with committee referral waived.

Discussion Items

  • Movement of Items 15–17 to Regular Agenda: Councilwoman Gibson requested the move, citing concerns over proper compensation for schools and compliance with surplusing code. Councilwoman Robertson opposed the move, arguing the land transfer had been extensively discussed and was important for development. Councilman Breton supported moving to regular agenda for thorough public review. The council reached consensus to move the items.
  • Item 21 (Ordinance 2026-059) – Emergency Medical Dispatch: This ordinance, which would revert 911 medical call-taking from the Department of Emergency Communications (DEC) back to the Richmond Ambulance Authority (RAA), was discussed at length. Chip Decker (CEO of RAA) stated his organization is ready to resume the role. Multiple councilmembers (Jones, Robertson, Trammel, Alba-Backer, Jordan) expressed the need for a clear implementation plan, including timelines, staff training, and backup procedures, before final approval. Councilwoman Alba-Backer emphasized that the decision to revert calls is separate from future co-location discussions. A motion to continue the item pending an implementation plan was made but lacked a second; the item remained on the regular agenda for the formal meeting.
  • 2026 General Assembly Session Update: Devin Cabot of Two Capitals Consulting presented a comprehensive overview of legislation passed and vetoed during the 2026 session. Key topics included:
    • Paid Family Medical Leave: New statewide program effective 2028, with payroll contributions starting April 2028.
    • Cannabis, Skill Games, Collective Bargaining: All three major bills were vetoed by Governor Spanberger after the legislature rejected her amendments.
    • Affordable Housing: Richmond's top priorities—anti-rent gouging, inclusionary zoning, and the longtime owner occupancy program (LOOP)—saw mixed results. Inclusionary zoning was signed into law (effective July 2027). LOOP remains in budget negotiations. Other housing bills passed include codification of the eviction reduction program, vacant building registration, faith-in-housing (by-right construction on nonprofit land, effective Jan 2027), and landlord accountability measures.
    • Speed Cameras: Multiple bills address fine usage, signage, warning periods, and uniform summons.
    • Other Legislation: Vape shop licensing transferred to ABC, PFAS testing requirements for industrial users, and gun violence prevention bills (safe storage, unattended firearms).
    • State Budget: Ongoing negotiations to close a $1 billion gap. Richmond's asks: $50 million/year for combined sewer outflow (aligned in both chambers) and $40 million/year for water treatment plant (Senate only proposed $20 million with a regional work group). Councilwoman Robertson requested a deeper dive on housing bills and their local implementation.

Key Outcomes

  • Items 15–17 were moved to the regular agenda for formal consideration.
  • Item 21 received no final action; it remains on the regular agenda for the formal meeting, with council expectation for an implementation plan.
  • No other votes or decisions were taken during the informal session.
  • Councillor Robertson was added as a co-patron to items 20 and 22.
  • Council agreed to hold a July retreat to discuss the 2027 legislative package and local implementation of newly enacted laws.

Meeting Transcript

And Madam Clerk, if you'll provide us with the chamber emergency evacuation announcement, followed by the roll call and then the docket review. Upon activation of the emergency alarm signal, all persons should immediately exit the building. Please use the exits to the left or right front of the council chamber or the north or south stairwells outside the rear doors of the chamber. Do not use elevators or escalators. After exiting the building, security would direct everyone down 9th Street to the fenced area located between Clay and Lee Streets. Able persons should assist visually and hearing impair visitors with exiting the building. And Madam President, for the record, all members are in attendance this evening with the exception of Councillor Robertson and Lynch. You do have a call. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Let's proceed with the document review. Starting with the consent agenda, item number one, ordinance 2026 076. Um governmental operations standing committee recommended approval. Item two, ordinance 2026, 087, land use, housing, and transportation standing committee recommended approval. Item 3 and 4, ordinance 2026 089 and 091. Governmental Operations Standing Committee recommended approval. So this item is to be continued to the July 27th council meeting. Item 6, ordinance 2026 102. This paper was continued previously at the May 26th council meeting, and it's currently being continued to the June 22nd council meeting per acre request. Item 8, ordinance 2026 106.121. This paper was committed referral weight. Items 15 through 17, ordinance 2026 122, 123, and 124, planning commission recommended approval. However, I believe I do have a request that all these items be moved to the regular agenda. If it is the consensus of council, item 15 through 17 will be moved to the regular agenda. Okay. Councilwoman Gibson. Thank you, Madam President. I um I made the request to have those three items moved to the regular agenda. Is there a consensus? Always about to ask any further comment, question, discussion. Councilmember Chairman. Why? Sure. The thinking on these is one this involves the sale and transition of property from the schools. Um, and uh when this was first brought to the school, there there was uh much discussion about it. Um my personal interest is to ensure we are um cognizant, you know, that the schools are getting compensated for the transfer of property. Um, and the other piece to this is this is also another um uh instance of uh of making a transfer at the same time the property's been surplused, which violates this our code um regarding surplusing properties uh prior to sale, so what school is it? You said there was a school involved or some land the land, um so as you see uh 2026 uh-122. Um this property at 1461 Commerce Road is uh was uh as a school division property, it had been used as a facilities uh facilities for facilities use, yes. But it says they're giving up the deed, a quick deed to accept a quick claim deed. Because I know that's where the casino was gonna go at one time, and we we stopped that we didn't let that happen, and the land's been vacant for all those years, and I think it's retail and all that. That's something that I know that my district definitely needs some retail and mixed use and all of that. And how many acres is it? Is anybody here that can? Okay, let me take the additional comments and then I can come back for any questions. Uh, council member Robertson. Thank you, Madam President. Um these papers uh uh in have been in discussion. The issue of the land transfer from rich and public schools to the city, uh, and also the other papers in regards to this, the three papers um part of a development that we have been working on for I don't even know how many years, many many years. We've been talking uh with schools as well as with uh the uh city central, and a lot of meetings have been held with the community with the administration, um, in regards to these papers, there is a opportunity for us to significantly look at um schools have agreed to the relocation strategy that has been uh adopted by the school board, and the assessment values have been done by uh the city as it relates to the sale uh agreement that has been reached. Uh it's been something that's been in process for quite some time.

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