City offices located in City Hall, 730 East Broad Street and Main Street Station will be closed to the public on Tuesday, January 19 and Wednesday, January 20. Though these buildings will be closed to the public, city services, including online services, will continue to be available for residents.     The City of Richmond will also be closed on Monday, January 18 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.   ##

In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, city government offices, including City Hall, will be closed on Monday, January 18, 2021.   This closing includes all branches of the Richmond Public Library and Recreation & Community Facilities offices and community centers.   Refuse collection will be delayed by one day as the city’s Solid Waste Management Division will be closed Monday, January 18, 2021. The East Richmond Road Convenience Center and Hopkins Road Transfer Stations are also closed on Monday, January 18, 2021. Each facility will resume normal operations on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.   Richmond Animal Care and Control will remain open by appointment only until further notice.   For more information on city services and schedules, please visit   www.RichmondGov.com .   ##

The city is proposing changes to its zoning ordinance that will provide more clear and consistent pathways to establishing emergency, transitional and permanent supportive housing uses in Richmond.  These changes are recommended by the Richmond 300 Master Plan, the Strategic Plan to End Homelessness, the Regional Affordable Housing Framework and the proposed Equitable Affordable Housing Plan.   The City Planning Commission will discuss the ordinance at their public meeting on Monday, February 1 at 1:30 p.m.   The city invites residents to join staff for an hourlong discussion on the proposed amendments. There are four public information sessions, which will all be held virtually through Microsoft Teams.   Tuesday, January 19 at 12 p.m. Join on your computer or mobile app: Click here to join the meeting Or call in (audio only): +1 804-316-9457,,644492469#   United States, Richmond Phone Conference ID: 644 492 469#   Friday, January 22 at 12 p.m. Join on your computer or mobile app: Clic

The City of Richmond has selected its first poet laureate, Douglas Powell, known in the community by his stage name, Roscoe Burnems. Burnems is a poet, published author, spoken-word artist, comedian and teacher.     Burnems has donated his time to the St. Joseph’s Villa Alternative Education Program, University of Richmond’s Partners in the Arts and ART 180, in addition to regularly leading poetry workshops at multiple middle and high schools in the City of Richmond.  He is a National Poetry Slam Champion, a former TEDx speaker and the founder of the Writer’s Den Art Collective.   “It is the diversity of the city and the adversities that we are able to overcome as a community that cultivate our resilience as people,” said Burnems. “This is the soil for change and progression to sprout and expand into a tree that blooms the fruit of our tenacity. We decide if that fruit is sweetened with peace or embittered with division.”   Evidence of an interest in and capacity for community engageme

Mayor Stoney, Richmond City Council, the City Attorney’s office and the Finance Department have proposed a tax amnesty program on penalties and interest applied to certain Admission, Lodging and Meals (ALM) and Real Estate taxes.   The Richmond City Council heard a presentation on the proposed ordinance to establish the program at their January 11 informal meeting. Passage of the ordinance on January 25, 2021 would allow many Richmonders to catch up on their taxes after a challenging year.   The program is designed to offer support to any taxpayers who have accumulated penalties and interest on delinquent taxes.   “We’ve designed this program to help residents and business owners who are still feeling the effects of COVID-19’s economic ramifications,” said Mayor Stoney of the proposed ordinance. “I’m grateful to City Council for their partnership and hopeful we can get this across the finish line and put this compassion into practice.”   Councilmember Trammel, Council Vice President El

The City of Richmond will be facilitating the distribution of 200 outdoor heat lamps to small businesses thanks to Evergreen Enterprises’ generous donation. Throughout the pandemic, business owners have had to be flexible and innovative with their business plans in order to remain open and operate within the COVID-19 guidelines. Many businesses have relied on the ability to conduct business outdoors to ensure that they are observing proper social distancing regulations. This winter has introduced the challenge of operating outdoors while the temperatures are low and uncomfortable for patrons.   Evergreen Enterprises, a leading flag, home, and garden manufacturer and distributor located in the city, has witnessed the toll that the pandemic has taken on small businesses, and wanted to be a part of the solution. “The pandemic has slowed the vibrant, diverse growth our community has enjoyed in recent years, and we’re happy to partner with the city to support small businesses during this ch