docketcity.com
Home › Richmond › Meetings

City Council

June 6, 2024 ·3:30 PM Final

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Claiborne Robertson Board Room, 200 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard Richmond, VA 23220

Agenda PDF 📹 Watch video Official record ↗

Agenda — 30 items

  1. 1 City Council and Richmond Delegation Meeting Documents CD.2024.202
  2. 1 Councilmembers Present
  3. 2 The Honorable Kristen Nye, President The Honorable Ann-Frances Lambert, Vice President The Honorable Andreas Addison The Honorable Nicole Jones The Honorable Stephanie Lynch (late arrival) The Honorable Cynthia Newbille
  4. 3 Absent
  5. 4 The Honorable Katherine Jordan The Honorable Ellen Robertson The Honorable Reva Trammell
  6. 5 Others in Attendance
  7. 6 The Honorable Betsy Carr, Virginia House of Delegates Representative, 78th Voter District Asif Bhavnagri, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Honorable Mayor Levar Stoney Kathy Burcher, Advantus Strategies, Council Lobbyist The Honorable Rae Cousins, Virginia House of Delegates Representative, 79th Voter District Suzette Denslow, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs The Honorable Ghazala Hashmi, Virginia Senator, 15th Voter District LaTesha Holmes, Council Chief of Staff The Honorable Michael Jones, Virginia House of Delegates Representative, 77th Voter District Jason Kamras, Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Adam Poser, Deputy Council Chief of Staff Candice Reid, City Clerk The Honorable Stephanie Rizzi, Richmond School Board Chair Lincoln Saunders, Chief Administrative Officer RJ Warren, Deputy City Clerk
  8. 7 page break
  9. 8 At 3:42 p.m., Senator Ghazala Hashmi welcomed attendees, and she shared the meeting's expectations.
  10. 10 President Kristen Nye provided introductory remarks, and she addressed legislative accomplishments of the Richmond Delegation of the Virginia General Assembly.
  11. 11 Councilor Stephanie Lynch arrived at 3:52 p.m. and was seated.
  12. 12 Suzette Denslow, Richmond Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Director, addressed attendees and provided remarks regarding the city's legislative agenda and achievements.
  13. 13 Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Lincoln Saunders stated his appreciation for the accomplishments of the Richmond Delegation, and he addressed the city's upcoming legislative goals.
  14. 14 Kathy Burcher, Advantus Strategies Senior Director, Government Relations, provided attendees with a presentation that reviewed the 2024 General Assembly of Virginia session, and she addressed how the city's lobbyists would advocate for the city's legislative agenda moving forward to the next year's General Assembly session. Ms. Burcher discussed strategy and possible outcomes related to the city's legislative program and shared priorities. Ms. Burcher also discussed the timeline for preparing the city's legislative agenda for the 2025 Virginia General Assembly session.
  15. 15 Senator Hashmi stated it was important that legislative requests be drafted and submitted by October 2024, to allow sufficient time for the Richmond Delegation to prepare necessary action for the 2025 General Assembly Session.
  16. 16 President Kristen Nye stated that Council scheduled its Council Advance work session to occur in July 2024, and she noted that the session would provide Council an opportunity to discuss its legislative agenda. President Nye also stated that Council planned to address how it could address affordable housing issues, racial disparities in neighborhood home values and the related risk of displacement. President Nye further stated that Council would then provide the Richmond Delegation its legislative agenda.
  17. 17 Councilor Stephanie Lynch stated it was important for Council and the Richmond Delegation to identify tools the city can use to address affordable housing. Councilor Lynch also stated that the state's Local Composite Index (LCI) funding method limited necessary funding for Richmond Public Schools, and she noted her request that the Virginia General Assembly addressed the issue.
  18. 18 Councilor Cynthia Newbille stated it was important to include the city's infrastructure as a legislative priority, and she noted the importance of state funding to help finish the replacement of the city's combined sewer overflow (CSO) system.
  19. 19 Senator Hashmi stated she agreed that the state's LCI method of funding local schools was not providing sufficient funding for Richmond Public Schools, and she noted that the state's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) issued a report that supported the concern of insufficient funding.
  20. 20 Vice President Ann-Frances Lambert stated it was important that the city receive enough state behavioral health funding to adequately address mental health issues in the city.
  21. 21 Councilor Andreas Addison addressed his concerns about affordable housing options in the city, and he stated that the city needed to address true affordability for residents. Councilor Addison also stated his concerns about the state's method of funding street infrastructure in the city, because he did not believe the state accounted for enough of the streets located in the city.
  22. 22 Meghan Field, Senior Policy Advisor for the Chief Administrative Officer, provided additional information regarding Councilor Addison's concern about the state's method for funding the city's street maintenance and improvements. Ms. Field stated that the Virginia Municipal League was also trying to have the state address the issue.
  23. 23 Steven Nesmith, Richmond Redevelopment & Housing Authority (RRHA) Chief Executive Officer, stated that he would work with elected officials to address RRHA's relationship with the city and opportunities for future housing development.
  24. 24 Delegate Michael Jones stated that it was important that RRHA and Council show a unified front by agreeing on necessary action the General Assembly should take.
  25. 25 Councilor Nicole Jones stated it was important that Council and the Richmond Delegation work together to ensure funding to provide the city's youth with work force development opportunities.
  26. 26 Jason Kamras, Richmond Public Schools Superintendent, stated his appreciation for the work of Council and the Richmond Delegation, and he provided statistics of student achievements that he believed were the result of funding investments.
  27. 27 Richmond School Board Chair Stephanie Rizzi stated that investing in the city's student population would be a wise financial decision for the city.
  28. 28 President Nye thanked Council and the Richmond Delegation for attending the meeting, and she stated that Council would provide information regarding the upcoming legislative summit between Council and the Richmond Delegation.
  29. 29 Adjournment
  30. 30 There being no further business before the Council, the meeting adjourned at 4:58 p.m. ___________________________________ CITY CLERK