Mayor Dwight Jones Issues Statement on Passage of FY2017 Richmond Government Budget
Mayor Dwight C. Jones issued the following statement today following passage of the FY2017 Richmond Government Budget:
“I again want to thank Richmond City Council for the hard work undertaken through a very difficult budget deliberations process. A great deal of work was done and hard decisions made to identify the additional $9.5 million in capital and operating funds for Richmond Public Schools. These additional funds build on the more than $145 million in operating funds submitted as part of my budget. With this increased funding, that brings the total operating funding for Richmond Public Schools to $151.5 million; again the largest single share of the city’s entire budget. I’m also pleased that additional funding was provided in other much needed areas like public works, police, fire, and finance.
"The fact that budget discussions are always difficult discussions is not new. Budget deliberations have even intensified as the country entered into a major recession over this last decade and State lawmakers were faced with making deep cuts to public education funding. So even as these deliberations have been particularly hard, the important thing is that we continue our work to identify future sustainable funding options to meet the growing needs of Richmond Public Schools. We are also continuing our work to position the City to pursue available revenues to address the growing needs of the city overall."
“I say again, that we all share similar priorities: meeting core commitments, protecting education, preserving fiscal integrity and ensuring a well-managed government. It is my hope that we will continue the dialogue and continue to work together in the interest of the greater good.”
"The fact that budget discussions are always difficult discussions is not new. Budget deliberations have even intensified as the country entered into a major recession over this last decade and State lawmakers were faced with making deep cuts to public education funding. So even as these deliberations have been particularly hard, the important thing is that we continue our work to identify future sustainable funding options to meet the growing needs of Richmond Public Schools. We are also continuing our work to position the City to pursue available revenues to address the growing needs of the city overall."
“I say again, that we all share similar priorities: meeting core commitments, protecting education, preserving fiscal integrity and ensuring a well-managed government. It is my hope that we will continue the dialogue and continue to work together in the interest of the greater good.”