The Richmond City Council held its formal meeting on Monday, July 27, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting included a proclamation recognizing August as Richmond Black Business Month, public comment on several topics, and action on a consent agenda, amended agenda items, and a major resolution to place a 1% sales tax referendum for school construction on the November ballot. The meeting adjourned after announcements and reports.
Good evening, everyone. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the formal meeting of the Richmond City Council. Good evening. Madam Clerk, if you would uh invite our Spanish interpreter to provide announcement, please. Spanish interpretation is available in the Council Chamber. Please see a representative at the rear of the room to receive the appropriate equipment. Spanish interpretation is also available through Microsoft Teams for virtual attendees in need of this service. This evening, the invocation will be provided by Pastor Peter Dumont of Eternity Church, after which I'll invite you to join me in the Pledge of Allegiance, Pastor Dumont. PST Peter Dumont. Thank you for the invitation to offer the invocation this evening. Will you join me in prayer? Dear Lord, thank you that you promise to give wisdom to everyone who asks you for it. I ask that you would give wisdom to each council member present tonight, each staff member, each citizen. Thank you, Father, that you teach us what it means to love our neighbor. Teach us how to love our neighbor tonight. Give us wisdom to use wise stewardship of the resources that you've given to our city. Its places, its beauty, its people. Thank you, Pastor Damon. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Madam Clerk, we would proceed with the emergency evacuation plan and public speaker guidelines at this time. 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 will direct everyone down 9th Street to the fenced area located between Clay and Lee Streets. Able persons should assist visually and hearing impaired visitors with exiting the building. Individuals speaking during public hearings and 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 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. Madam President, for the record, all members of council are in attendance this evening. Also, if there are individuals standing in the rear that are not authorized personnel or law enforcement, or asked to be seated where seats are available at this time. Also, applause is only permitted during the awards and presentations portion of tonight's meeting only. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Clerk. At this time, we'll proceed with the award and proc slash proclamation for this evening. Tonight's recognition being presented by the Honorable President Cynthia Newville, Councillor Nicole Jones, and Mayor Danny Avullah is to recognize the month of August as Richmond Black Business Month to celebrate the Black owned businesses that have long been a cornerstone of our city. Originally established in 2004 by historian John William Templeton and engineer Frederick E. Jordan Sr., Black Business Month serves to recognize the unique challenges faced by minority business owners and also highlights the city's commitment to fostering an inclusive economy by expanding opportunities while honoring the resilience of the Black community. Hello, everyone. And I am going to punt to my colleague, Ms. Jones, to kick us off. Thank you, Dr. Newbell, President New Bill. Tonight we are here to honor uh Richmond Black Business Month, which is normally celebrated in the month of August. Am I going to be able to get some points out of here? You'll get some points out. Okay, good. All right. But tonight we just really want to honor the businesses that really make our city a place to live, a place to be, boost our economy.