Mayor Dwight C. Jones announced today the retirement of the Director of the Richmond Department of Social Services (RDSS), and the resignation of the RDSS Deputy Director. This announcement follows the release of the first of three on-going reviews of RDSS. The City ‘s Office of the Inspector General reported the results of its investigation of RDSS’ Child Protective Services (CPS) during the City Council Audit Committee meeting at City Hall this afternoon. “I’m grateful to the City Auditor for his review of the City’s Department of Social Services,” said Mayor Jones. “The report is difficult and painful to read. It highlights several failures in an agency charged with protecting our most vulnerable residents. When we initiated the reviews of the Department of Social Services, I said that we would take immediate corrective actions as we became aware of problems. I am taking those next steps today.” Mayor Jones continued, “The findings in the Auditor’s report are very serious. The ...

The following are the prepared remarks for Mayor Dwight C. Jones as he outlined the STEP increases for FY2014 and FY2015 for all Richmond firefighters and police officers. “Thank you all for joining us today as we announce and detail the STEP salary increases for our Richmond Fire Department and Richmond Police Department staff. “Despite the need to close a $31 million budget gap, my administration has been committed to providing pay increases for all City employees for the third time in my term as Richmond's Mayor.  (Two raises and one bonus) “I submitted a budget to the City of Richmond to Council that included a 2% increase for all City employees. I also proposed an amendment to that budget to provide an additional increase for sworn police and fire department employees in recognition of the fact that their step increases had been frozen for five years. But we also wanted to make this effort due to the day-to-day dangers of police and fire jobs, in protecting lives and property...