At 6pm on Monday, January 9th, the Richmond City Council held their recurring bi-weekly meeting to vote on a series of ordinances and one important resolution. The full live stream and meeting minutes can be found here. Keep reading for the meeting summary and important highlights.
Important Ordinances and Resolutions
During the January 9th meeting, numerous ordinances were proposed and adopted. A few key ordinances directly quoted and published in the meeting minutes are below:
| ORD. 2022-325 | “To designate [that portion of P Street located between its intersection with] the 1100 Block of North 28th Street [and its intersection with North 29th Street] in honor of Dr. Paul Nichols as “Paul Nichols Way.” (As Amended).” Patrons: City Council Status: Ordinance Adopted |
| ORD. 2022-352 | “To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer to accept funds in the amount of $150,000.00 from the United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, to amend the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Special Fund Budget by creating a new special fund for the City Sheriff called the Dementia and Developmental Disabilities Grant Special Fund, and to appropriate the increase to the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Special Fund Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the City Sheriff’s Dementia and Developmental Disabilities Grant Special Fund by $150,000.00, for the purpose of funding services to individuals who have dementia, autism, or other cognitive conditions.” Patrons: Mayor Stoney and Ms. Lambert Status: Ordinance Adopted |
| ORD. 2022-353 | “To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for an on behalf of the City of Richmond, to accept funds in the amount of $4,541,400.00 from the United States Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and to amend Ord. No. 2022-056, adopted May 9, 2022, which adopted the Special Fund Budget for the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 and made appropriations thereto, by (i) creating a new special fund for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services in the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Special Fund Budget entitled “SAFER FEMA Grant” and (ii) appropriating the increase to the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Special Fund Budget by increasing estimated revenues and the amount appropriated to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services’ new SAFER FEMA Grant special fund by $4,541,400.00 for the purpose of funding the hiring of additional sworn personnel and the purchase of associated equipment, goods, and services for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services.” Patrons: Mayor Stoney and Ms. Lambert Status: Ordinance Adopted |
| ORD. 2022-372 | “To authorize the special use of the property known as 2235 Perry Street for the purpose of a day nursery for up to ten children, upon certain terms and conditions. (5th District).” Patrons: Mayor Stoney Status: Adopted |
| RES. 2023-R002 | To appoint LaTesha S. Holmes to serve as Council Chief of Staff. Patrons: President James Status: Adopted |
The above ordinances and one resolution are just some of the many adopted in the meeting. New funding for the fire department and emergency services, a grant for the dementia and disability fund, etc. are just some of the key highlights. Along with these adopted ordinances, the city council also voted on additional zoning changes to various properties. Many of these changes permitted properties to be used as housing in some fashion, usually in the form of attached or detached dwellings for families. With homelessness a and rising living living costs in Richmond area, many constituents see the housing crisis as a top priority for the city.
Further Ordinances and Resolutions
For the January 23rd meeting, the Richmond City Council will vote on further zoning changes, ordinances, and funding requests. Among these include accepting funds from the Virginia Department of Transportation to to allocate nearly $160,000 for the purpose of funding a program intending to make school routes safer for Richmond students. There are also multiple ordinances to accept monies from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to fund new museum and art projects in the city. The city will authorize the Chief Administrative Officer on behalf of Richmond to accept these funds for the necessary purposes.
In addition to these proposals, a grant contract will be put forward to fund a community health literacy program, and new zoning changes will be voted on as well. However, the biggest ordinance to be voted on next will be ORD. 2023-010, which will ask the City of Richmond to accept $5.84 million from the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development to create a fund “for the purpose of reducing regional homelessness.” As Richmond and many other cities have dealt with housing shortages and rising costs, homelessness has become a byproduct of these conditions. This fund is one of the measures the city will use to alleviate this problem in the community.
At the February 13th meeting, the city will also look to adopt the RES. 2023-R005, which is the “City of Richmond RVAgreen 2050: Climate Equity Action Plan 2030.” According to RVA.gov, the RVAGreen 2050 will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 45% by 2030, and have no emissions by 2050. It also aims to help the city adapt to the flooding and extreme weather events that are predicted to occur as a result of climate change. Through adopting this resolution, RVAGreen 2050 will become the official sustainability plan for Richmond.
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