alert top story
RICHMOND
A1 Minute! May 13, 2024; VCU grads walkout; Local frozen vegan pizza; Richmond Ivy starts 1-0 [A1]
The city of Richmond plans to fully fund Richmond Public Schools this fiscal year; however, it will hold off on any Richmond Coliseum demolition efforts in an effort to meet budget shortfalls.
The decisions come after a unanimous City Council vote to approve Mayor Levar Stoney’s proposed $2.9 billion budget — the largest amount to date — which focuses on city employee raises, school funding, road paving and poverty mitigation.
The newly approved budget includes 25 funding changes as well as several new amendments. These changes will largely impact public school funding.
People are also reading…
The School Board approved a $535 million budget, with $247 million of that total suggested to come from the city budget. But Stoney’s proposal only allowed for $237 million.
After numerous RPS employees and students came forward to demand the city fully fund its schools, the council went back to the drawing board to see where reallocations could be made.
The result: a $17.6 million increase in school funding, nearly $8 million more than what the School Board had requested from the city.
Politics
Richmond speed cameras issued 5,242 tickets in first month
- Em Holter
This includes $2 million directly into the schools’ general operating budget with funds pulled from the Economic Development Authority, citizen services and reserve council funds.
Additionally, the council has pulled $2.5 million of the estimated $3.5 million cost to demolish and secure the now-defunct Richmond Coliseum. These funds, coupled with an additional $10 million amendment and a found $5 million in unspent funds, will go toward school-related projects like efforts to reduce gun violence and out-of-school programming.
The late-stage budget amendments saw strong support from Richmonders who came forward to address the council one last time before a decision was made.
“I am pleased with the amendments that have been made to fully fund the RPS,” said Anne Forrester, vice president of the Richmond Education Association. “I want to be clear, though, that this is just the beginning. The conditions in our schools are not new to this year.”
The decision to add school funding to the budget came with a disclaimer, however, as council members reiterated the fact that they do not have any authority over how the schools allocate those funds.
While the city is willing to meet the schools’ needs and demands, it needs to see those funds put to good use, said council member Stephanie Lynch, who represents the 5th District.
The approved budget will see the city’s general fund rise to roughly $1 billion, a 5% increase from the previous year’s budget and the first time the fund has topped the billion-dollar mark.
There are no proposed changes to real estate or personal property tax rates, which will remain at $1.20 per $100 of assessed real estate value and $3.70 per $100 of assessed personal property value. But Richmonders will see an increase of up to 4% in their utility rates. The previous year saw those rates rise by 9%.
City employees will receive a 4% pay increase and be guaranteed a $20 minimum wage; $9.1 million will be allocated for police, firefighter and emergency services raises.
Stoney first presented his eighth and final budget in mid-March. It will go into effect on July 1 and run through June 30, 2025.
“Please know that we hear you because our kids count, our kids are important, and we work diligently to meet the financial demand,” said council member Cynthia Newbille, who represents the 7th District.
Politics
Richmond, Henrico commit millions to regional homeless shelter. Chesterfield says maybe next year.
- Em Holter
History
Time capsules in plain sight: Richmond ghost signs
- Em Holter
From the Archives: 250 photos of Richmond in the 1940s
Belle Isle
Bellwood Drive-In
Bowler School
Cowardin Avenue Christian Recreation Center
Floods
Glenwood Country Club
Grace Street
Maggie Walker
Powerline
Public bath house
Schools
Semmes
Shawondasee
Sixth Street Market
Sixth Street Market
Streetcars on Main Street
Swimming and diving championship
The Mosque
Trolley
Water tower
Stockyards
Richmond fires
Trolley
organ grinder
Mail box
Mooer's Field
1940s floods
Cornshusk rug
farmer
Sixth Street Market
Tredegar
Sixth Street Market
Sixth Street Market
Patsy Garrett
boys club
Hunting
draft
pool hall
Mosque pool
rollerskate
Times-Dispatch
Beavers
Blues Armory
Boulevard
Byrd Field
C&O
Central State Hospital
Central Station Post Office
Churchill
City Stadium
Cowardin Avenue and Hull Street
Curles Neck Dairy
Dixie
Elba
Fishing
Forest Lodge
Fountain
Freedom Train
Friendship Train
1947 Monument Avenue
Grocery
Ice
Kensington Avenue apartments
Main Street
Main Street
Mayo Bridge
Memorial Day parade
Mules
Nickel prank
Oilfield
Old Manchester water works
Shawondasee
Shriners parades
Skyline
Sledding
State toxicologist
Street Sweepers
Sunshine Sue
Tickets
Traffic
Trolley
Tuberculosis ward
University of Richmond
Valentine Museum
Fire
Cary St
Paper
Powhatan Hill Playground
Street scene
race car
Doll hospital
West Avenue
Broad St.
mill
Main Street Station
Churchill
Draft
Air Scouts
Maggie Walker
pinball machines
1945 Allied Victory Day
American Red Cross
American Red Cross
Armistice
Belgian Friendship Building and Bell Tower
Blackout
Bojangles
Braille cookbook
Broad Street Station
Bryan Park
Carter Sisters
Cigarettes
City Stadium
Confederate Soldiers Home
Defense Special No. 1 train
Draft
Elba School
Executive Mansion
Fire
Gasless parade
Grace Arents School
Grace St
Grace Street pollution
Henrico Red Cross Motor Corps
Highland Springs Volunteer Fire Department
Holden Rhodes House
Ice
James River flood
Magnet
mailboxes
Main St
Mayo Bridge
Medical College of Virginia
Melons
Military parade
Miller & Rhoads wagon
mobile canteen
Mobile kitchen
Mooers
Mooers Field
Pamunkey Indians
Parade
Parking ban
Parking Lot Canteen
Quiz Kids
Ration tokens
Rationing
Red Cross
Richmond Quartermaster Depot
Robert E. Lee Camp Confederate Soldiers’ Home
Rosa D. Bowser library
Scrap metal drive
Shoe ration
Sixth Street Market
Street Sweepers
Thomas Jefferson High School Cadet Corps
Tin drive
Toll house
Trolley
Typewriter repair
Virginia Department of Agriculture
War bonds
Water tower
Weiman’s Bakery
Wilcox Lake
WLEE
WLEE
Women in Production Service
Women’s Army Corps
Works Progress Administration
George Wythe
Laundry
fortune teller
Air Raid Wardens
YMCA
Charter Change
Travelers Aid Society
street sweepers
Dupont
1940s floods
Acca Temple
elevator
Restaurants
Restaurants
Red Cross Motor Corps
shoe ration
Air Raid
WWII
WWII
Bikes
sampson
Dorothy Lamour
Rationing
typewriters
Bellwood
Native Americans
Fort Lee
ScrapMetal
WWII
WWII
American Red Cross Production Corps
archery
bricklaying class
Camp Lee
Camp Lee
Clark Gable
Deep Run races
Deep Water Terminal
Em Bowles Locker
First and Merchants National Bank of Richmond
Gasless Sundays
Liquid stockings
Monument Methodist
Mrs. Cupid
nurses
Old-fashioned swimsuit contest
Pearl Harbor front page
Rats
Rockingham National Turkey Festival
Sergeant Jack Blizzard
Seven Pines Baptist Church
Snowstorm
Snowstorm
State Library
WWII
Cavalier Arena
Pamunkey
Brookfield
Patrick Henry
carriages
rollerskate
Railroads
Red Cross
Richmond Terminal
Richmond Colts
1940s floods
Em Holter (804) 649-6178
eholter@timesdispatch.com
0 Comments
'); var s = document.createElement('script'); s.setAttribute('src', 'https://assets.revcontent.com/master/delivery.js'); document.body.appendChild(s); window.removeEventListener('scroll', throttledRevContent); __tnt.log('Load Rev Content'); } } }, 100); window.addEventListener('scroll', throttledRevContent); }
Em Holter
Richmond and Neighbors Reporter
- Author twitter
- Author email
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
