Organizational Development Standing Committee

Council Chamber, 2nd Floor - City Hall

Agenda — 43 items

1. 1 Call to Order
2. 1 Members Present
3. 2 Chamber Emergency Evacuation Announcement
4. 2 The Honorable Cynthia Newbille, Chair The Honorable Katherine Jordan, Vice Chair The Honorable Sarah Abubaker, Member The Honorable Andrew Breton, Member The Honorable Kenya Gibson, Member The Honorable Nicole Jones, Member The Honorable Stephanie Lynch, Member (late arrival) The Honorable Ellen Robertson, Member The Honorable Reva Trammell, Member (late arrival)
5. 3 Approval of Minutes
6. 3 Others in Attendance
7. 4 February 2, 2026 - Organizational Development Standing Committee Meeting Minutes CD.2026.065
8. 4 Tori Cotman, Assistant City Attorney Laura Drewry, City Attorney Kiley Kesecker, Deputy City Clerk Candice Reid, City Clerk RJ Warren, Council Chief of Staff
9. 5 Reports from City Administration, Council Staff, and Other Parties
10. 1. Richmond Public Schools (RPS) Proposed FY 2027 Budget Update
11. 6 Chair Cynthia Newbille called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. and presided.
12. 7 Richmond Public Schools FY 2027 Budget Proposal CD.2026.066
13. 2. Second Quarter Vacancy and Turnover Report
14. 8 Upon the Chair's request, Deputy City Clerk Kiley Kesecker provided information on the appropriate way to evacuate the Council Chamber in the event of an emergency.
15. 9 Second Quarter Vacancy and Turnover Report CD.2026.067
16. 9 Member Reva Trammell arrived at 4:03 p.m. and was seated.
17. 10 Reports of Standing Committees
18. 11 Chair Newbille stated that City Council standing committee updates were provided by submitted documentation prepared by Council staff.
19. 11 There were no corrections or amendments to the minutes of the Monday, February 2, 2026, Organizational Development Standing Committee meeting at 5:00 p.m., and the minutes were approved as presented.
20. 12 Paper(s) for Consideration
21. 12 page break
22. 13 There were no papers for consideration.
23. 14 Discussion Item(s)
24. 15 There were no discussion items.
25. 16 Adjournment
26. 17 A copy of the material provided has been filed.
27. 18 Member Stephanie Lynch arrived at 4:08 p.m. and was seated.
28. 19 Jason Kamras, RPS Superintendent, presented information on the updated FY 2027 RPS budget proposal, highlighting ongoing negotiations, state budget considerations, the impacts of the proposed budget, and the FY 2027 Capital Improvement Projects budget.
29. 20 Member Kenya Gibson stated that she would like to see more transparency and community input in the budget process, and she does not want to use one-time money for operations.
30. 21 Member Sarah Abubaker asked if there were any updates on the search for and hiring of an auditor for RPS.
31. 22 Matthew Percival, Richmond City School Board Vice Chair, stated that they hope to have some movement in that area in the next few weeks.
32. 23 Member Ellen Robertson asked if there had been a reduction in Black student enrollment.
33. 24 Superintendent Kamras stated that there had been a slight decrease due to the changing demographics of the city, but overall enrollment has actually gone up. He also noted some loss of Latino students due to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the area.
34. 27 A copy of the material provided has been filed.
35. 28 Robin Redmond, Senior Deputy Director of Human Resources, presented information on recruitment, vacancies, modernization of systems, and reducing the times to fill positions. She also outlined actions underway through the Chief Administrator's office, including technology, standardization, and targeted strategies.
36. 29 Councilor Stephanie Lynch stated that improving the time to fill vacant positions will go a long way in terms of moving the needle on addressing vacancies, and directional leadership is needed because it is clear that the finance department is not working properly.
37. 30 Member Andrew Breton asked if the city is budgeting as if all vacant positions will be filled or if a more realistic approach is being taken, and could such a projection on how many positions will be filled in the next year.
38. 31 Ms. Redmond stated that the budget department would be better equipped to provide an answer, but that they are working to fill vacancies as quickly as possible.
39. 32 Member Kenya Gibson stated that she will always support collective bargaining and asked what the policy is for hiring contract workers.
40. 33 Ms. Redmond stated that people can apply if they want to apply and noted that one practice is to promote workers brought in from outside agencies to full-time city employees.
41. 34 Member Reva Trammell stated that it is difficult to make budgetary decisions without knowing what the budget is.
42. 35 Vice Chair Katherine Jordan clarified that there are only five active vacancies in the fire department, which Ms. Redmond confirmed.
43. 43 There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:26 p.m.