Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney is pleased to announce Calvin D. Farr Jr. as the new director of the City of Richmond’s Department of Public Utilities (DPU).  Mr. Farr was selected for the position after an extensive national search. Farr is a successful professional engineer and senior level project manager. He previously served as the Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Watershed Management for the City of Atlanta, GA. He holds an Executive Masters of Public Management from the University of Maryland, College Park, a Masters of Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Old Dominion University. He will begin his work with Richmond’s Department of Public Utilities in late May, 2018.   Mr. Farr has 21 years of utility industry and government experience. He brings a wealth of understanding of capital improvements, maintenance practices, asset management and environmental compliance in the utility industry. ...

The City of Richmond has been selected as the host city for the international Menuhin Competition 2020, often billed as, “The Olympics of the Violin,” it is the world’s leading international competition for young violinists.  A delegation led by Mayor Levar M. Stoney, University of Richmond (UR) First Lady Dr. Betty Crutcher, Richmond Symphony Executive Director David J.L. Fisk, Interim Music Department Chair for Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Dr. James Wiznerowicz and VP/GM for TV for Commonwealth Public Broadcasting (WCVE) John Felton joined competition organizers in Geneva, Switzerland over the weekend for the announcement of Richmond’s winning bid from the stage of Victoria Hall during the closing gala concert of the Menuhin Competition Geneva 2018 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. “We are thrilled to be hosting the International Menuhin Competition and honored to join the company of such distinguished international destinations like Geneva in we...

Beginning with May 2018 utility bills, Richmond Gas Works customers will see a savings on their monthly natural gas bill.  The cost for purchased natural gas (PGC) will decrease from its current $0.525 per 100 cubic feet (1 Ccf) to $0.400, an estimated savings of $8.75 monthly to the average natural gas customer.  At the date of this release other components of the natural gas bill – the distribution charge at $.552 and customer charge at $12.98 – are unchanged.     
 The PGC rate of the average residential customer who uses 70 Ccf’s of natural gas per month will pay approximately $79.62 compared to a current bill of $88.37.  This equates to a 23.8 percent reduction in the PGC rate charged by Richmond Gas works and an overall ten (10) percent reduction in the entire natural gas bill.  Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney attributes the decrease to impending warmer weather in our area and the downward pressure on natural gas prices.    ...

Today Mayor Levar M. Stoney delivered his biennial budget proposal for FY 2019/2020 to City Council.   The proposed $715.2 million budget for the coming year is fully balanced, and all expenses are in line with current revenue projections. “This is a fiscally responsible and lean budget ,   but this plan still manages to continue to invest, and even improve and expand upon our support for targeted priorities in core services, public safety, poverty mitigation and education , ”   said Mayor Stoney. The following are some of the highlights from the proposed budget: Reinvestment of $12.5 million of Richmond Public Schools balances to meet local funding requests for 2019 $3.3 million in funding to continue the salary decompression and step pay increases instituted last year for both police and firefighters An additional $1 million toward the paving program to pave an additional 20 lane miles for the improvement of neighborhood streets A reduction in the water rate ...

Mayor Levar M. Stoney today announced the appointment of three highly-qualified professionals to fill three additional executive positions presently held by interim appointees. Acting Directors of Human Resources, Korita Brown Jones, and Information Technology, Charles G. Todd, have been promoted to positions of director, while Albemarle County’s recent Director of Finance, Betty J. Burrell, has been hired to serve as Richmond’s new Director of Procurement Services. “Once again, we are most fortunate to have the best-of-the-best accepting these critically important leadership positions,” said Mayor Stoney. “While bringing renewed accountability to City Hall is an ongoing process and an especially concerted effort, our success is predicated upon the quality and dedication of our employees and people we have leading our departments. “Korita, Charles and Betty all bring a wealth of experience, ideas and vigor to our administration, and I welcome them in these positions and look forward t...

On November 9, 2017, Mayor Stoney formally announced the issuance of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the North of Broad/Downtown Neighborhood Redevelopment Project. Issuing the RFP was the first step in initiating an open competitive process for a transformative opportunity to spur redevelopment of a significant portion of real estate located in the neighborhood north of Broad Street in downtown Richmond. Upon announcing the RFP, Mayor Stoney noted that “The goals of this RFP are bold, but provide an opportunity to achieve a number of strategic objectives for the city. To expand economic development and affordable housing opportunities, to generate revenue while achieving poverty mitigations through jobs and training, to provide historic preservation and community revitalization, to promote and support tourism, and to ensure sustainable development and investments in infrastructure.” The RFP required respondents address a variety of components, including: Replacement ...

“Tonight, the City of Richmond sent a strong message to its students that it is no longer willing to kick the can down the road when it comes to providing them with modern, safe and healthy environments in which to learn. This is just the first big step in what will be many more steps to improve our schools for our children, and for the generations of Richmond Public School students to come. After decades of telling them to wait, tonight we put them first. We are moving full-steam ahead with our plan to generate $150 million in new school construction and renovation of facilities that have been neglected for far too long. This was not an easy decision, and it does not solve all of our schools’ challenges, but it was important that we get started now. I’d like to thank the members of City Council tonight for understanding the urgency and importance of our needs and having the courage to take action. And I would like to thank the Richmond School Board and Superintendent Jason Kamr...