Historical Easement Signing Scheduled For Friday Who: Governor Timothy M. Kaine Mayor Dwight C. Jones City Council President Kathy Graziano WHAT: Official signing ceremony of the James River Park Conservation Easement WHEN: 10 a.m. - Friday, May 29, 2009 WHERE: Brown’s Island Vehicular Access Bridge Richmond, VA BACKGROUND: Governor Tim Kaine, Mayor Dwight Jones, and City Council President Kathy Graziano will conduct the official signing ceremony of the James River Park Conservation Easement making Richmond the first city in Virginia to place a major urban park system under a conservation easement. A bus tour of the James River Park Easement will be available, immediately following the signing. Contact: Tammy Hawley, (804) 646-3110

Mayor Dwight Jones issued the following statement on the passage of the City’s biennial budget by Richmond City Council: "City Council has done a good job with the changes that have been put forth in the biennial budget. Though this is a scaled back budget, this is a fair budget. We all sought to understand the varying perspectives and priorities and we have: - protected necessary programs, - made wise decisions for future savings, - worked to have the least impact on citizens with regard to any service reductions or revenue impacts, - protected those residents who are most vulnerable, - maintained and improved the City's fiscal health "In this tough economic environment, I am pleased that we moved through this process with little contention. This is a climate where there had to be give and take by all involved. At this time, I can say that it is unlikely that I will make any changes to the work that has been done. What we have now i...