Mayor Jones Issues Statement on Budget Passage
Mayor Dwight C. Jones issued the following statement after the City Council passed his Fiscal Year 2011 $637 million general fund budget plan with few amendments. City Council passed the city's general fund budget with an eight to one vote and the capital budget unanimously:
"I am pleased to see that City Council has embraced our outcomes-based budgeting plan with an overwhelming vote. We presented a responsible budget that is sound and addresses the fiscal challenges we are facing. We offered costs containment strategies, cash flow enhancements and strengthened revenue collection strategies that will benefit the city for years to come. I appreciate the Council's recognition of the hard work that was done on this budget and I see the overwhelming vote as reflective of the trust that has developed as a result of communication, cooperation and collaboration between the branches of government.
"Savings we are going to be able to realize right away, just to give a few examples includes:
"I am pleased to see that City Council has embraced our outcomes-based budgeting plan with an overwhelming vote. We presented a responsible budget that is sound and addresses the fiscal challenges we are facing. We offered costs containment strategies, cash flow enhancements and strengthened revenue collection strategies that will benefit the city for years to come. I appreciate the Council's recognition of the hard work that was done on this budget and I see the overwhelming vote as reflective of the trust that has developed as a result of communication, cooperation and collaboration between the branches of government.
"Savings we are going to be able to realize right away, just to give a few examples includes:
- $3 million saved as a result of collaborating with schools on our health plan for employees
- Richmond Public Schools saves over $1 million in their budget because of that collaboration
- $2.5 million in deb service savings and another $.5 million saved in expenditure savings as a result of our restructuring the Broad Street CDA
- $2 million in savings by going to a twice a year tax collection schedule - and that is a $2 million savings every year
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