~$50 per Day Following Violation Warning~ City residents will need to pay strict attention to the times they put out their Supercan, as well as the time they remove it from the City right-of-way.  Beginning March 11, in accordance with a City Ordinance, residents and property owners will be subject to monetary fines for leaving their Supercans out too long.  City Code Section 86-44 stipulates Supercans and recycling bins should not be placed out earlier than 4 p.m. on the day before collection and must be removed from the right-of-way by 7 a.m. the day after collection.  The City right-of-way includes sidewalks, alleys and median strips between sidewalks and roadways.   “The right-of-way is part of a natural corridor contributing to the aesthetic quality and value of our neighborhoods. Removal of our refuse and recycling receptacles after service returns this area to its natural state, providing pedestrian, cycling and vehicular passage in our communities,”...

~State Review cannot find hard copies of records that should accompany automated files~ At the request of the City of Richmond, on January 28, 2013, the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) began on-site reviews of hard copies of case files and staff interviews related to 200 cases in foster care and adoption, child protective services, and family services as part of an in-depth review of policies and procedures. A review of automated records had previously been underway following a number of allegations the City received concerning the management of the department.  Interim Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Human Services, Stephen Harms, reported today that VDSS advised him on Thursday evening that 37 of 100 requested Child Protective Services (CPS) hard copies of case files could not be found. As of Tuesday, February 5, only 1 of those case files has been located. “While some information on these cases is available in the automated files and the files...

Mayor Dwight C. Jones today announced that Christie C. Peters has been named the new director of Richmond’s Animal Care and Control (RAC&C). Peters will begin city service effective February 25, 2013. As director of RAC&C, her duties include fiscal oversight and general management of the agency, creation of work programs, policies, goals and standards; and promotion of broad based community support of RAC&C. “We are pleased to have such experienced and knowledgeable leadership coming to the helm of this critical department for the city.  Richmond is concerned with the well being and care of all of our residents, including the four legged and fur covered among us,” said Mayor C. Dwight Jones. Peters previously served as executive director of the Portsmouth Humane Society since 2009. Prior to that she worked at the Heritage Humane Society where she oversaw operational programs, financial and human resource management, community and public relations, marketing an...