Historical Easement Signing Scheduled For Friday Who: Governor Timothy M. Kaine Mayor Dwight C. Jones City Council President Kathy Graziano WHAT: Official signing ceremony of the James River Park Conservation Easement WHEN: 10 a.m. - Friday, May 29, 2009 WHERE: Brown’s Island Vehicular Access Bridge Richmond, VA BACKGROUND: Governor Tim Kaine, Mayor Dwight Jones, and City Council President Kathy Graziano will conduct the official signing ceremony of the James River Park Conservation Easement making Richmond the first city in Virginia to place a major urban park system under a conservation easement. A bus tour of the James River Park Easement will be available, immediately following the signing. Contact: Tammy Hawley, (804) 646-3110

Mayor Dwight Jones issued the following statement on the passage of the City’s biennial budget by Richmond City Council: "City Council has done a good job with the changes that have been put forth in the biennial budget. Though this is a scaled back budget, this is a fair budget. We all sought to understand the varying perspectives and priorities and we have: - protected necessary programs, - made wise decisions for future savings, - worked to have the least impact on citizens with regard to any service reductions or revenue impacts, - protected those residents who are most vulnerable, - maintained and improved the City's fiscal health "In this tough economic environment, I am pleased that we moved through this process with little contention. This is a climate where there had to be give and take by all involved. At this time, I can say that it is unlikely that I will make any changes to the work that has been done. What we have now i...

Richmond, VA – Real estate tax bills were mailed on Friday, May 15, 2009, to all property owners and mortgage holders. The bills mailed to property owners were a duplicate communication and didn’t clearly indicate that escrow agents were also being billed directly. The City apologizes for any inconvenience this has caused. Property Owners who have escrow agents paying their real estate taxes should know that those escrow agents have been billed by the City. This duplicate bill was intended to help property owners who may have recently paid off or refinanced their mortgages, as they may need this information to meet their responsibilities or forward to a new escrow agent. Should you have a question regarding your real estate tax bill, please contact the City at 3-1-1 or finance@richmondgov.com . Contact: Michael Wallace (804) 646-2772

Press Conference Scheduled for Monday WHO: Mayor Dwight C. Jones WHAT: Release of Executive Summary on the Proposed Shockoe Center Development WHEN: 2 p.m. - Monday, May 18, 2009 WHERE: City Hall Second Floor Large Conference Room 900 East Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 BACKGROUND: Mayor Dwight Jones hired consultants in March of this year to review Highwoods Properties' proposed development of a mixed-use project in Shockoe Bottom. Among other things, the report cites the proposal as a potentially very attractive economic development opportunity for the City. With the preliminary results of the study, Mayor Jones said he is "more confident in his knowledge of the implications of the proposed project. We now have information that we can share with stakeholders as well as our regional partners as we work to chart our course from here. All of the implications have to be considered and I'm prepared to ...

Who: Congressman Eric Cantor Congressman Bobby Scott Mayor Dwight Jones Virginians for High Speed Rail Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce What: Press Conference on High-Speed Rail When: 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 24, 2009 Where: Main Street Station 1500 East Main Street Richmond, VA 23219 Background: Mayor Dwight C. Jones will join Congressmen Eric Cantor and Bobby Scott, as well as representatives from Virginians for High Speed Rail and the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, to thank President Barack Obama’s administration for the inclusion of Southeast Rail Corridor in its strategic plan, and to call upon Virginia to submit requests and plans through competitive grants to ensure the implementation of this important project. Mayor Jones was part of a group of mayors that met with President Obama last week to discuss the President's vision for high-speed rail in America. The Mayor was pleased...

Richmond, VA - Join the City of Richmond in welcoming We All Scream Ice Cream, Pastries & Deli to the Bellevue business community with a grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, April 24, from 3 to 6 p.m. Located at 4023 MacArthur Avenue, owner Shanan Chambers received assistance through the City of Richmond Department of Economic Development’s Commercial Area Revitalization Effort (CARE) and Enterprise Zone Programs. “I believe the shop is a great addition to the street for all the businesses and this unique neighborhood,” said Chambers. We All Scream Ice Cream, Pastries & Deli is one of the many businesses in the Bellevue community to take advantage of financial incentives offered through the CARE program,” said Carthan Currin, director of the City’s Department of Economic Development. “It is a pleasure to see this business added to the retail mix that thrives in the Bellevue area.” We All Scream Ice Cream, Pastries & Deli invite you to try “Moose Tracks,” its ...

Mayor Dwight C. Jones is the latest of more than 340 mayors nationwide to join the bipartisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The Mayor signed on to the coalition during a recent meeting with New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “Protecting the citizens of Richmond is a responsibility that I take very seriously,” said Mayor Jones. “Preventing criminals from illegally obtaining and using guns is an important step toward building a first class city.” Mayors Against Illegal Guns is dedicated to making America’s cities safer by cracking down on illegal guns. Every year, 30,000 Americans are killed as a result of gun violence, destroying families and harming communities. The coalition initially began after Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a summit in New York City to discuss strategies for stopping the flow of illegal guns into America’s cities. The mayors drafted and signed a statement of principles to guide their efforts. Since then, the co...