Mayor Dwight C. Jones today announced the appointment of Selena Cuffee-Glenn as the City’s Chief Administrative Officer. When naming Cuffee-Glenn, Mayor Jones acknowledged her ties to the Richmond community and her wealth of experience, most recently as the City of Suffolk’s City Manager. “I’m excited to bring Selena back to Richmond because she possesses the professional management and administrative skills we need right now,” said Jones. “Like most cities and most governments, we have too many needs and not enough money to meet them all. I’m not interested in raising taxes, or cutting back on the services our residents expect and deserve, so this means we have to be wise with our resources and we have to operate more efficiently and effectively. We have to make Richmond an easier place to do business with; a place that gets things done. I believe Selena can help strengthen and improve upon our operations.” In the past, Cuffee-Glenn worked in planning and c...

Mayor Dwight C. Jones issued the following comment today regarding the ongoing consideration of the proposed Biennial Fiscal Plan for FY2016 and FY2017, as well as the five-year Capital Improvement Plan through 2020: “As this discussion moves forward, I want to reiterate what I have proposed in my budget plan with respect to schools: “Key specifics include:  $13.1 million in School Maintenance funding (representing a 162% increase, and part of a $22.8 million five-year package). Proposing the implementation of a performance contracting program, giving RPS the capability to increase their total resources by as much as another $20 million. $136.9 million in local funding to Richmond Public Schools to meet existing operating budget revenue needs. $425,000 to launch a network of “Future Centers” to prepare for the launch of a Richmond Promise Scholarship program to benefit graduates of Richmond Public Schools. $18.3 million in capital funding for a new Dove elementary school to ...

Mayor Dwight C. Jones and Sports Backers Executive Director Jon Lugbill were joined by City Council member Parker Agelasto and Richmond City Health District Deputy Director Dr. Danny Avula today in announcing a new course for the third annual RVA Streets Alive! festival on Saturday, June 20. RVA Streets Alive! will take place in Byrd Park and encompass the areas between Fountain Lake and Swan Lake. The event will close Boat Lake Drive, Swan Lake Drive, Lake Road, and Amelia Street between Shields Lake and Swan Lake from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to allow residents and visitors to use these streets to be active through running, walking, biking, and many other physical activities. Vendors will be on site offering health and fitness information and interactive demonstrations. “I am pleased that through the City’s Healthy Richmond Campaign, we continue to partner in presenting RVA Streets Alive! to encourage healthy and active lifestyles,” said Mayor Dwight C. Jones. “This year’s even...

Beginning with the first utility bills in April 2015, natural gas customers of the city of Richmond Department of Public Utilities (DPU) will see a savings on their monthly utility bill.  DPU is lowering the Purchased Gas Cost (PGC) portion of the natural gas utility bill from $0.575 to $0.425 per Ccf (100 cubic feet). By law, the city passes along the cost of the natural gas it purchases and delivers to its customers, dollar for dollar without any markup.   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 $78.64 compared to a current bill of $86.74.  This equates to a 26 percent reduction in the PGC rate charged by (DPU), and an overall 12 percent reduction in the entire natural gas bill.  Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones stated, “We welcome the opportunity to pass along these savin...

Mayor Dwight C. Jones Prepared Remarks for Transmittal of FY2016 & FY2017 Biennial Fiscal Plan and CIP March 13, 2015 Click here to view the Proposed Biennial Fiscal Plan for FY2016-FY2017 . Click here to view the Capital Improvement Program for Fiscal Years 2016 - 2020. (Remarks as prepared for delivery) President Mosby, Vice President Hilbert, Members of the City Council and School Board, City employees, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Our city has changed so much since I presented the budget to you one year ago. Since that time, we’ve opened a new Huguenot High School, Richmond’s first new high school in 40 years. Construction has begun at the country's coolest craft brewery, coming to Richmond and bringing people and jobs to Fulton.  Today, we're finally building Bus Rapid Transit, and not just dreaming and hoping for an expanded public transportation system. Over the past year, we’ve also seen significant leadership changes within the city governme...

Take it. Share it. Step Out. Americans are urged to take the Diabetes Risk Test on American Diabetes Association Alert Day® and to share it with everyone they care about to find out if they are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Tuesday, March 24, 2015, is the annual American Diabetes Association Alert Day, a “wake-up call” asking the American public to take the Diabetes Risk Test to find out if they are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. During its 75th Anniversary, the Association is even more committed this year to making sure the public is aware of their risk for type 2 diabetes. The campaign will run through April 21. On Alert Day, Americans will be urged to take the risk test at diabetes.org/takeitshareit and start living a healthy and active lifestyle. One way to do this is by joining or starting a team for one of the Association’s nationwide Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes® events, which is scheduled for Richmond on Saturday, October 17 at the Bon Secours Wa...

High-poverty schools in Richmond will partake in a demonstration project to reduce childhood hunger and improve food security among low-income families. Along with Mayor Jones, Governor Terry McAuliffe and First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe announced Monday at Woodville Elementary their plan to help fight hunger among school-age children. U.S Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack was also in attendance after announcing last week the $8.8 million federal grant that will fund the anti-hunger effort in Virginia. Students in the selected schools will be offered breakfast, lunch, and after-school dinner, as well as packs of non-perishable food to take home on weekends and breaks for the 2015-2016 school year. “This project is about breaking down the barriers that separate hungry children and families from the good food they need,” said First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe. For more information, visit https://governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/newsarticle?articleId=7953