Richmond
City Council – Richmond City Hall - 900 E. Broad Street, Suite 305 - Richmond,
Virginia 23219 U.S.A. - www.council.richmondva.gov
COUNCIL PUBLIC
INFORMATION NEWS RELEASE
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE TO BE READ, POSTED, FORWARDED AND SHARED
Tuesday,
16 May 2017
Richmond City Council establishes a balanced, responsible and
transparent FY 2018 Richmond Government Budget
Includes $5.5 million for Police
and Fire pay adjustments, a new horse stable and puts more police into
Richmond public housing communities; Invests
nearly $170 million in Richmond Public Schools
(Richmond, Virginia
U.S.A.) – Richmond City Council has established
a balanced, responsible and transparent Fiscal Year 2018 Richmond Government
Budget, which runs July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018.
Richmond City Council’s annual Richmond
Government Budget represents the delivery of its fundamental fiscal
responsibility as the Governing Body of Richmond and serves as the foundation
and ultimate act of its policymaking and stewardship over our local
government on behalf of all Richmond residents.
Council
is confident that the Mayor will manage the budget efficiently and looks
forward to working collaboratively with him to ensure service delivery
expectations are met in a timely manner.
Council
is also confident that, while there are many competing interests for limited
resources, the appropriate budgetary decisions were made based on the needs
expressed by Richmond residents.
The Richmond City Council FY 2018 Richmond Government Budget includes
the following highlights:
·
The Richmond City Council FY 2018 Richmond Government Budget, which includes the General Fund, Capital
Improvement Plan (CIP), Special Funds, Enterprise Funds, Internal Service
Funds, Federal and State funds and funds provided to Richmond Public Schools, is
approximately $1.4 billion, which represents a Richmond General Fund Budget of
$690,736,515.
·
Richmond City Council keeping the Richmond Real Estate Tax at its
lowest in decades, at $1.20 per $100 of assessed value. Council has worked hard
to ensure this rate has remained unchanged for the last 10 years.
·
Invests $141,383,740 million for direct Police and Fire Service delivery
operations, which includes $5 million for Police Officer and Firefighter pay adjustments
and $100,000 to put more police officers in Richmond public housing
communities. In addition to the $141.4 million Richmond General Fund
investment, Richmond Capital Improvement Plan funding was also provided for
fire station improvements and $450,000 to build a new Richmond Mounted Police
Horse Stable.
·
Invests $169,869,640 in Richmond Public
Schools (RPS), which includes $158,975,683 from the Richmond General Fund; $9,393,957
from the Richmond Capital Improvement Plan; and, reappropriation of $1,500,000 in
projected year-end surplus. The funding includes $5,165,326 for school
maintenance and repairs; $4,228,631 to pay off the current loan for school bus
leases; and, $2,300,000 for new school technology. It also includes funding for
year two for teacher salary decompression and a unified 2.5 percent adjustment
for RPS staff.
·
Includes funding to hire employees and purchase eight new knuckle
boom trucks to increase City bulk trash collection from alleys and curbs.
·
Includes continued investment in the Richmond Department of Finance for
staff to help increase collection of delinquent tax revenue.
·
Includes more funding for the Commonwealth of Virginia, Richmond
Office of the Sheriff for its Project Lifesavers Program to aid in tracking children
with autism and elderly persons with Alzheimer's or dementia.
·
Includes funding for our Richmond Public Libraries to extend their
hours and operation on behalf of our families and people looking for jobs.
·
In keeping with
its primary mandate, authority, and the expectation of Richmond residents,
Richmond City Council also increased the financial transparency, integrity and
accountability of the Richmond Government Budget.
Richmond City Council thanks Richmond City Council Staff,
including its Chief of Staff, Ms. Lou Ali, City Attorney Allen Jackson, City
Clerk Jean Capel and their staffs, for their outstanding dedication,
commitment, expertise and hard work throughout this demanding and complex months-long
budgetary process. Additionally, Richmond City Council sincerely appreciates
the cooperation received from Mayor Levar Stoney, various department heads and
Administration personnel for their efforts during the budget review process.
Council established the final
parts of the Richmond Government Budget during the scheduled Richmond City
Council Special Meeting that began at 6:00 p.m. on May 15,
2017, which was preceded
by months of planning, review and discussion; hours of work; and, numerous
public meetings.
CONTACT For more information, please contact: Steve Skinner, Council Public Information Manager,
at 804.646.6052 (office); 804.937.1386 (mobile); or steven.skinner@richmondgov.com (email)
Richmond residents are also invited and encouraged to contact
the Richmond City Council Member representing their Richmond Voter District.
Background -
Richmond Government Budget ____________________________________
As Richmond Residents,
we pool our resources in order to own and operate our local government and
decide what public services we want to
invest in; the priority (investment levels) for these services; and, how we pay
for them. Examples of our services include the management, oversight and
delivery of such things as clean/safe water; streets/parks; laws; law
enforcement/firefighting/rescue; trash/sewage removal; public transportation;
and, our children’s education. Together, we own, operate, use and benefit from
these services on a daily basis.
Funding for our services and enforcement
of laws comes from state, local and federal sources, including fees and
taxes.
In order to set the investment levels we
want for these services, Richmond City Council establishes an official annual
Richmond Government Budget in May of each year for the upcoming Fiscal Year.
The Richmond Government Budget
is based on a Fiscal Year that runs July 1 to June 30 annually and the City
operates on a two-year fiscal plan (Budget) that includes the
Richmond General Fund, Richmond Capital Improvement Plan, Richmond Special
Funds, Richmond Enterprise Funds, Richmond Internal Service Funds, and the City
Government contribution to Richmond Public Schools; as well as additional state, federal, and other funds
provided to Richmond Public Schools.
The Richmond Government Budget
is typically amended annually. Thus, every year a proposed (draft) Richmond
Government Budget (Fiscal Plan) is submitted to Richmond City Council by the
Mayor, who is responsible for administering local government services. Council
then reviews, analyzes, amends and establishes an official Richmond Government
Budget based on the priorities of Richmond Residents.
Richmond City Council budget deliberations
begin each August and intensify the following year. They include more than two
dozen public meetings, hearings and work sessions from August through May.
The Richmond Government Budget takes the
form of Ordinances that are approved by Richmond City Council each May for an
upcoming Fiscal Year.
Richmond operates what can best
be described as a Council-Mayor form of government, with Richmond City Council
serving as the governing body and a separately elected at-large mayor providing
oversight of day-to-day administration of services. Richmond has the only
government like it in the Commonwealth, and -compounded with Virginia cities
and counties operating as separate entities, the state's strict adherence to
the "Dillon Rule", and other major and minor differences in other
locality, state, and federal laws - the only one like it in the nation.
Richmond City Council _________________________________________________________
MISSION
The
mission of Richmond City Council is to represent citizens in creating and
amending local laws, providing government policy and oversight, and approving
the city budget.
VISION
Richmond
City Council is committed to creating a vibrant community that is a great place
to live, work, learn, play, visit and raise a family.
- E N D -
Steven R. Skinner
Council Public Information Manager
RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL
OFFICE OF THE COUNCIL CHIEF OF STAFF
Richmond City Council Executive
Offices
Richmond City Hall
900 E. Broad Street, Suite 305
Richmond, Virginia 23219 U.S.A.
804.646.6052 (tel)
804.937.1386 (home/mobile)
804.335.4054 (mobile)
804.646.5468 (fax)
steven.skinner@richmondgov.com (email)
www.council.richmondva.gov(website)
______________________________________________________________
MISSION The mission of Richmond City Council is to
represent citizens in creating and amending local laws,
providing government
policy and oversight, and
approving the city budget.
VISION Richmond City Council is committed to
creating a vibrant community that is a great place
to live, work, learn, play, visit and raise a family.