On Friday, Jan. 29 Mayor Dwight Jones along with Governor Terry McAuliffe and Maurice Jones, Secretary of Commerce and Trade, welcomed the computer software vendor and manufacturer AvePoint to the City of Richmond, creating 100 new jobs. AvePoint will invest $1.5 million to establish an operation in the city. “Today is a great day for AvePoint and the City of Richmond. AvePoint’s decision to establish its presence in Richmond speaks to the City’s strong business climate and ability to compete and retain new economy companies with international footprints,” said Mayor Jones. AvePoint is the established leader in enabling enterprise collaboration across platforms and devices. AvePoint solutions and services aim to bring together business, IT, as well as compliance and risk officers to serve key business objectives such as big data, cloud integration, compliance, enterprise content management, and mobile data access monitoring. Brian Brown, AvePoint’s Global General Counsel, s...

The Richmond Police Department and Richmond Public Schools are proud to launch the LIFE Program, which is aimed at reducing the frequency and disparity of in-school juvenile arrests.  “Introduction to the criminal justice system comes too soon for many of Virginia’s young people,” said Police Chief Alfred Durham. “We see the LIFE program as a way to intervene and help at-risk youth make positive choices and become emerging leaders in their community.”                                    Based on the evidence-based TAPS Academy program used across the nation, the 9-week LIFE program targets at-risk young people age 13-19, who’ve been involved in potentially criminal incident that could lead to their arrest. Instead, they are offered an alternate learning opportunity focused on constructive life lessons and enhanci...

~ Mayor Jones and RPD Chief Durham also detail two firearm reduction initiatives ~ Mayor Dwight C. Jones was joined by Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham in reporting to the community on crime in the city and public-safety efforts by the Richmond Police Department during 2015. Overall crime was up by one percent in 2015, but tremendous strides were made in several areas, most notable was the large reduction in violent crimes. In the past seven years, the rate of violent crimes in the City of Richmond has dropped 30%, with the largest year-to-year reduction of 12% occurring in 2015. The Department reported 39 homicides in 2015, a reduction of the 43 homicides in 2014. Of the 39 homicides recorded last year, 28 of those cases are now closed. Property crimes increased by two percent from 2014 to 2015, with theft from motor vehicles being the major factor. Mayor Jones and Chief Durham have created a public service announcement to encourage motorist to remove valuables from ve...

On Jan. 14, Mayor Dwight C.  Jones and Chief Alfred Durham cut the ribbon on the brand new, nearly 4,000 square foot, Richmond Police Canine Training and Community Complex . This new, state of the art, facility replaces a 1,000 square foot building that was more than 50 years old. The new Richmond Police Canine Training and Community Complex includes: 2,752 square feet of Administrative space 1,242 square feet of Kennel space Community training room Indoor/outdoor kennels Climate control kennel space Power generator Dog exam room K9 officer monument Fitness room Locker rooms The new complex was designed to be environmentally sensitive by using recycled materials, a energy efficient HVAC system, enhanced stormwater design, and skylights. "I want to take a moment to thank all of the men, women, and canines of the Richmond Police Department for the hard work they perform each and every day. Congratulations on this new facility and may it exceed our expectations of ...

SeeClickFix recently detailed a list of the 2015 Top 50 Fixer Cities in the nation and the City of Richmond ranked third for 2015. The ranking is due to the City fixing 28,841 issues of the 29,775 issues opened in 2015. The most requested service type was Trash/Bulk-ups with 16,123 opened issues, of which the City acknowledged 15,982 and closed 15,618. A detail of the 2015 SeeClickFix reported issues for Richmond, VA is available by clicking here . SeeClickFix is a major component of Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ Mayor’s Participation, Action, and Communications Team ( MPACT ) initiative. MPACT was launched in 2010 to provide a structured mechanism for the proactive, reciprocal exchange of information between residents and City administration. “MPACT encourages community participation, drives City action and fosters communication to develop a shared vision for our city's future,” said Mayor Jones. “I encourage all City residents to get involved by attending MPACT meetings , calling 3-1-...

The Richmond Affordable Housing Trust Fund Application deadline is Jan. 21. For more information, click here . ~ Mayor Jones and City Councilwoman Robertson Announce 2015 awardees ~ Applications for the 2016 Affordable Housing Trust Fund program are due by Jan. 21, 2016.  Activities eligible for AHTF award include housing related support services, pre-development costs, new construction, property acquisition, rehabilitation costs, relocation and conversion of non-residential to residential development. On Dec. 7, Mayor Dwight C. Jones and Ellen Robertson, Richmond City Council 6th District and Chair of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Oversight Board, announced the City’s 2015 AHTF awardees. The 2015 AHTF awards, totaling nearly one million dollars, are expected to generate more than $23.5 million in affordable housing development in the city and nearly 200 new and rehabilitated affordable housing units. In addition, special housing related services will be provided to...

Beginning with the first utility bills in January 2016, natural gas customers of the city of Richmond Department of Public Utilities (DPU) will see a savings on their monthly utility bill.  Mayor Dwight C. Jones has authorized DPU to lower the Purchased Gas Cost (PGC) portion of the natural gas utility bill from $0.425 to $0.325 per Ccf (100 cubic feet). Other components of the natural gas bill – the distribution charge and customer charge – are unchanged.    The PGC rate of the average residential customer who uses 70 Ccf’s of natural gas per month will pay approximately $71.11 compared to a current bill of $78.11.  This equates to a 24 percent reduction in the PGC rate charged by the City and an overall ten (10) percent reduction in the entire natural gas bill.  At the time of this release, DPU’s PGC rate is less than or equal to surrounding natural gas franchises. Mayor Jones stated, “This is more good news for our customers. We are always pleased when ...