Richmond City Council

Monday, August 27, 2012

Richmond City Council Innovation & Excellence in Education Special Fund Official Grant Application provided to the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation to begin submission process: Special Fund includes $1.1 million

RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL

Richmond City Council – Richmond City Hall - 900 E. Broad Street, Suite 200 - Richmond, VA 23219 - www.council.richmondva.gov

COUNCIL PUBLIC INFORMATION NEWS ADVISORY

IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO BE FORWARDED AND SHARED

Monday, 27 August 2012

Richmond City Council Innovation & Excellence in Education Special Fund Official Grant Application provided to the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation to begin submission process: Special Fund includes $1.1 million

Grants for programs to achieve innovation and excellence in Richmond public education

WHAT (Richmond, Virginia U.S.A.) -- Richmond City Council has established and provided a Richmond City Council Innovation & Excellence in Education Special Fund Official Grant Application/s to the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation.

The Application will enable the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation to begin submitting grant requests to Council to fund programs delivering services on behalf of Richmond Public Schools. As per the process established by Richmond City Council, the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation will submit grant application/s to Council, which will be prepared as Council Resolution/s. The Resolution/s will be assigned to a Council Standing Committee to be reviewed and discussed and will then be brought before a Council Formal Meeting for public hearing/discussion and to be voted on.

Established by Richmond City Council on May 14, 2012 to begin in the Richmond Government 2013 Fiscal Year (Which begins July 1 each year), the Richmond City Council Innovation & Excellence in Education Special Fund was established with an initial financial appropriation of $1,142,090. As established, "monies from this special fund shall be expended only as grants to the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation for use for programs to achieve innovation and excellence in public education in Richmond, Virginia.

These programs shall include programs to:

1. Develop staff,

2. Increase parental engagement, and

3. Develop accelerated academic programming, such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs and International Baccalaureate programs."

CONTACT For more event information, please contact Steve Skinner, Council Public Information Manager, Richmond City Council Office of the Council Chief of Staff, at 804.646.6052 (office); 804.937.1386 (mobile)

Contact information for the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation is: Adele Johnson, Executive Director, Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation, 804.780.8623 (tel); 804.310.0305 (mobile); ajohnson11@richmond.k12.va.us (email)

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______________________________________

Steven R. Skinner, APR

Council Public Information Manager

RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL

OFFICE OF THE COUNCIL CHIEF OF STAFF

Richmond City Hall

900 E. Broad Street, Suite 305

Richmond, Virginia 23219

804.646.6052 (office)

804.335.4054 (mobile)

804.937.1386 (home/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.

Postponed New Date: Richmond City Council invites families to attend the 2012 Richmond Northside WE CARE Festival

Richmond City Council invites families to register to attend the 2012 CAPUP Annual Community Day; "Walk Against Poverty" Slave Trail Walk to be held

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Richmond City Council Audit Committee to meet: Rescheduled meeting from July

RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL

Richmond City Council – Richmond City Hall - 900 E. Broad Street, Suite 200 - Richmond, VA 23219 - www.council.richmondva.gov

COUNCIL PUBLIC INFORMATION NEWS ADVISORY

IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO BE FORWARDED AND SHARED

Thursday, 23 August 2012

Richmond City Council Audit Committee to meet: Rescheduled meeting from July

All Richmond Residents invited and encouraged to attend

WHAT (Richmond, Virginia) -- The Richmond City Council Audit Committee meeting, that was scheduled to be held in July, has been rescheduled and will be held Thursday, August 30, 2012 from, 2:00-5:00 p.m. All Richmond residents are invited and encouraged to attend.

Per the Richmond Code of Laws, Section 2-1056, the purpose of the Richmond City Council Audit Committee is "…to assist the city council in the council's discharge of its responsibilities for the financial management of the city…". The Committee does this by reviewing and overseeing audit functions and approving the annual work plan of the Richmond City Council Office of the City Auditor and its Office of the Inspector General. The committee is comprised of seven members appointed by Richmond City Council.

During the past six years, the Richmond Office of the City Auditor has identified numerous opportunities to improve government efficiencies and checks and balances in the city; and, have identified several million dollars in government savings on behalf of Richmond residents.

The agenda for the meeting includes the following:

Audit Committee Bi-monthly Meeting - AGENDA

1. Introductions – Roll Call

2. Approval of Minutes from the June 26, 2012 meeting

3. City Auditor Remarks

• Pentana audit software

• Richmond Fraud, Waste and Abuse application

4. City Auditor Reports/Projects – Audit Staff

o Audit Reports

 Minority Business

 Procurement Services

o Management Responses

 Recreation

 Solid Waste Management

o Management Responses Process

5. Audits in Progress

• DPU - Labor Management

• Retirement Sustainability

• SEA

• RAPIDS

• Department of Justice Services

6. New Business

• RAPIDS Memo

WHEN Thursday, August 30, 2012

2:00-5:00 p.m.

Rescheduled from: Tuesday, July 24, 2012 : 2:00-4:00 p.m.

WHERE Richmond City Hall - 9th Floor Conference Room

900 E. Broad Street - Richmond, Virginia

WHO Mr. Umesh Dalal, City Auditor, Richmond Office of the City Auditor

CONTACT For more information, please contact Umesh Dalal, City Auditor, Richmond City Council Office of the City Auditor, at 804.646.5616 (tel); or umesh.dalal@richmondgov.com (email)

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______________________________________

Steven R. Skinner, APR

Council Public Information Manager

RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL

OFFICE OF THE COUNCIL CHIEF OF STAFF

Richmond City Hall

900 E. Broad Street, Suite 305

Richmond, Virginia 23219

804.646.6052 (office)

804.335.4054 (mobile)

804.937.1386 (home/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.

Richmond residents reminded of September 1st application deadline for the FY 2013 Richmond Adopt-a-Tree Program: Purchase, plant and protect a Community Street Tree

RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL

Richmond City Council – Richmond City Hall - 900 E. Broad Street, Suite 200 - Richmond, VA 23219 - www.council.richmondva.gov

COUNCIL PUBLIC INFORMATION NEWS ADVISORY

IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO BE FORWARDED AND SHARED

Thursday, 23 August 2012

Richmond residents reminded of September 1st application deadline for the FY 2013 Richmond Adopt-a-Tree Program: Purchase, plant and protect a Community Street Tree

Entire community invited and encouraged to adopt a tree

WHAT (Richmond, Virginia U.S.A.) -- Richmond City Council reminds residents of the upcoming September 1st deadline for applying for the FY 2013 Richmond Adopt-a-Tree Program.

Managed by the Richmond Department of Public Works Division of Urban Forestry, the Richmond Adopt-a-Tree Program helps increase the beauty, efficiency and value of Richmond neighborhoods by providing a way for Richmond residents to purchase, plant, protect and care for city/community street trees.

Applications and more information about the Richmond Adopt-a-Tree Program and adopting a tree are available by calling the Richmond Department of Public Works Division of Urban Forestry, at 804.646.5607 or http://www.richmondgov.com/PublicWorks/UrbanForestry.aspx (webpage), applications can also be downloaded from the EnRichmond Foundation website, at http://www.enrichmond.org/ Tree adoptions are $50.

Recognized as an outstanding and successful program that is helping to replenish and sustain community street trees in the city of Richmond, the Richmond Adopt-a-Tree Program is helping to protect one of Richmond's most precious assets and valuable resources.

Representing a replacement value of more than $211 million, Richmond's stock of community street trees save and serve Richmond residents in some of the following ways:

• Community street trees can save millions of dollars in road/street repair and maintenance by providing shade that protects the oil-based sealer from drying out as fast. This can defer the need for slurry seal from every 10 years to every 20-25 years for older streets with extensive tree canopy cover.

• Community street trees reduce noise pollution by 50 percent by acting as a buffer and absorbing urban noise, according to a U.S.A. Department of Energy study.

• Community street trees reduce flooding and stormwater runoff by reducing intercepting and storing volumes of rainwater on leaves, branches and surfaces, thereby mitigating the onset of peak flows.

• Community street trees reduce soil erosion and downstream stream/river/water pollution by diminishing the impact of raindrops on barren surfaces.

• Community street trees increase a city's aesthetic beauty, which has an effect on its economic and tourism desirability and financial health.

• Studies have shown that families who live near trees have significantly better relations with and stronger ties to their neighbors and have the potential to reduce government social service budgets, decrease police calls for domestic violence, and decrease the incidence of child abuse.

Also, generally speaking:

• Trees on properties can increase real estate values by 5-15 percent compared to properties without trees.

• Trees increase air quality and reduce harmful greenhouse gas by mitigating levels of carbon dioxide.

• Trees can save families from 20-25 percent of their annual household energy use when well-positioned trees are used around a conventional house compared to a house in a wide-open/non-treed area, according to the United States Forestry Service.

CONTACT For more applications and more information about the Richmond Adopt-a-Tree Program and adopting a tree, please contact the Richmond Department of Public Works, at 804.646.5607 (tel), or http://www.richmondgov.com/PublicWorks/UrbanForestry.aspx (webpage), applications can also be downloaded from the EnRichmond Foundation website, at http://www.enrichmond.org/

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______________________________________

Steven R. Skinner, APR

Council Public Information Manager

RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL

OFFICE OF THE COUNCIL CHIEF OF STAFF

Richmond City Hall

900 E. Broad Street, Suite 305

Richmond, Virginia 23219

804.646.6052 (office)

804.335.4054 (mobile)

804.937.1386 (home/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.

Richmond City Council adding fifth way for residents to access Council Formal Meeting: Videos being added to Council website

RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL

Richmond City Council – Richmond City Hall - 900 E. Broad Street, Suite 200 - Richmond, VA 23219 - www.council.richmondva.gov

COUNCIL PUBLIC INFORMATION NEWS ADVISORY

IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO BE FORWARDED AND SHARED

Thursday, 23 August 2012

Richmond City Council adding fifth way for residents to access Council Formal Meeting: Videos being added to Council website

Webpage established - Videos of meetings being placed on website to officially being added beginning with the upcoming Richmond City Council Formal Meeting being held September 10, 2012. Public invited and encouraged to view.

WHAT (Richmond, Virginia U.S.A.) -- In order to further increase Richmond residents' public access to their government, Richmond City Council is adding a fifth way to access Council Formal Meetings by adding videos of the Formal Meetings to the Council website. This will enable residents with internet access yet another way to view these meetings.

The Richmond City Council webpage for video access has been established and some past Richmond City Council meetings have been added to test the system. Meetings will be officially begin being added beginning with the upcoming Richmond City Council Formal Meeting being held September 10, 2012.

The many ways Richmond City Council makes these Council Formal Meetings available to the public include the following:

1. Council holds regular Richmond City Council Formal Meetings

Resident are invited and encouraged to attend any and all Richmond City Council Formal Meetings (Held in Richmond City Council Chambers, located on the second floor of Richmond City Hall, 900 E. Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219.)

2. Council provides Live TV Broadcasts of Council Formal Meetings

Council provides live televised broadcast of Formal Meetings on PBS TV Station, WVCW

3. Council provides daily TV replays of Council Formal Meetings

Council provides televised replays Council Formal Meetings twice a day, beginning at Noon and 7:00 p.m. on Richmond Government Channel 17

4. Council provides video copies of Council Formal Meetings

Council provides video copies to residents upon request

5. Council provides videos of Council Formal Meetings via website

Council provides video streaming of videos from its website, at www.council.richmondva.gov - under the heading Meeting Videos.

Richmond City Council typically holds two Formal Meetings a month (with the exception of August and a second meeting in December), which are held in Richmond City Council Chambers, which is located on the second floor of Richmond City Hall, 900 E. Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Richmond City Council invites and encourages all Richmond residents to attend and/or access Council Formal Meetings through any of the five ways that it has established to provide and deliver public access to the Council Formal Meetings.

CONTACT For more event information, please contact Steve Skinner, Council Public Information Manager, at 804.646.6052 (office); 804.937.1386 (mobile); or visit the Richmond City Council website, at www.council.richmondva.gov

- end -

______________________________________

Steven R. Skinner, APR

Council Public Information Manager

RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL

OFFICE OF THE COUNCIL CHIEF OF STAFF

Richmond City Hall

900 E. Broad Street, Suite 305

Richmond, Virginia 23219

804.646.6052 (office)

804.335.4054 (mobile)

804.937.1386 (home/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.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Thursday, August 23, 2012

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