~ Audit Scope Includes Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Terms to Protect Business and Taxpayer Records ~ Mayor Levar M. Stoney today announced the city’s auditor and finance department have agreed to terms providing for an audit of the Assessments Unit within the Department of Finance, which will be initiated immediately. This establishes a cooperative effort to ensure the city has the proper process in place to collect outstanding tax revenues due to the city, while ensuring any special access to proprietary information relating to city businesses or taxpayers will be kept confidential. “I commend our Director of Finance, John Wack, and our Auditor, Umesh Dalal, for their work in reaching this agreement,” said Mayor Stoney. “Working together to collect revenues owed to the city will benefit every city department and every city taxpayer.” “I appreciate Mayor Stoney facilitating the performance of an audit with the Finance Department that will ensure accountability and transpar...

Richmond now ranks within the twenty most vibrant arts communities among large cities in the United States. The ranking comes from Southern Methodist University’s National Center for Arts Research and the publication of their third annual Arts Vibrancy Index, which studies and calculates the measure of arts vibrancy for over 900 communities throughout the nation. The index measures the number of arts providers and artists, economic impact, government support and other cultural indicators. More information and the full report can be found here. Mayor Levar M. Stoney, a strong supporter of Richmond’s arts community and advocate for the city’s cultural assets, said he is thrilled to see Richmond once again affirmed as a major creative hub in the United States. “Our arts and cultural assets define Richmond,” said Mayor Stoney, “They enrich not only our lives, but also the city’s pocketbook — all while helping to attract new employers, visitors and interest in Richmond.“

Mayor Levar M. Stoney today announced RVAgreen 2050, a new comprehensive sustainability planning initiative. It is the next step in the evolution of the city’s sustainability agenda, which builds upon the solid foundation formed by the existing RVAgreen sustainability plan adopted by City Council in 2012. Great progress has been made to date, with 10 out of 13 sustainability indicators tracking positively. The city’s renewable energy capacity has increased by over 44,000% since 2008, community-wide energy use has decreased 1.5% and community recycling rates have increased 26%. The City has achieved 20 out of 55 sustainability initiatives and is on track to complete another 14 by the end of 2017. RVAgreen2050 will begin with a summit this summer to start the planning process to develop our Community Energy Plan, the first step in a four-part plan. This comprehensive plan will be broken down into four major areas that will help Richmond create a healthier, more vibrant, economically...

The Virginia Resources Authority announced Thurs., March 30 the State Water Control Board has authorized funding from the Virginia Water Facilities Revolving Fund to the City of Richmond. The funding consists of an interest-free loan in an amount up to approximately $1.3 million. The loan will be used to finance a pilot program to identify the benefits and cost-effectiveness of alternatives to permeable pavement surfaces in city alleyways, and the impact of these alternatives on storm water runoff reduction. “We sincerely appreciate this Virginia Resources Authority loan,” said Mayor Levar M. Stoney. “The pilot program this loan will fund will allow us to better understand what we can do to manage storm water runoff and control water pollution affecting our city.” “This loan will greatly benefit DPU’s ongoing commitment to utilize green infrastructure BMPs (Best Management Practices) within the storm water utility,” s­­aid DPU Director Bob Steidel. “Ratepayers will also see a benefit ...

Watch the “Mayor’s Minute – First 100 Days” here .   Today, April 10, 2017, marks Mayor Stoney’s 100th day in office after being sworn in and pledging to work every day to build One Richmond – a city that works for everyone. The Mayor has hit the ground running, making good on his promise to be engaged in the community and initiate much needed reform focused on the core priorities of improving public education, promoting public safety, creating economic opportunity and fixing City Hall. Mayor Stoney has visited fire stations, police precincts and a third of city schools already, in addition to more than 100 public appearances in his first months in office. He has also joined council members in district walk-throughs or held community meetings in nearly every district. In just the first few months into his administration, the Mayor has won consensus with the School Board and City Council on an Education Compact to address the needs of the whole child, helped attract hundreds of ne...

Mayor Levar M. Stoney, along with Henrico County’s Deputy County Manager for Community Operations, Tim Foster, will spotlight the impact of national service in the Richmond region and thank those who serve during a 9 a.m. recognition ceremony tomorrow, Tuesday, April 4, for the fifth annual Mayor and County Recognition Day for National Service. The event will be held at the Eastern Henrico Recreation Center, located at 1440 N. Laburnum Avenue. More than 4,000 mayors and county officials from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico will hold public events and use both traditional and social media to highlight the value and impact of national service to the nation’s cities. This initiative is being led at the national level by the federal agency for service and volunteerism, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), along with Cities of Service and the National League of Cities. The City of Richmond has participated in the Mayors Day of Recogn...

Fitch Ratings, one of the three nationally recognized credit rating agencies for municipal governments, published their annual review of the City of Richmond following a visit to their New York office last month by Mayor Levar Stoney, City administration leaders and representatives from the City’s financial advisor, Davenport & Company LLC. Fitch reaffirmed the City’s “AA+” credit rating, which is considered highly rated and one notch below “AAA,” the highest possible rating attainable.  According to Fitch, “The 'AA+' Issuer Default Rating reflects the city's strong operating performance and financial resilience, a solid revenue framework and a liability burden at the low end of the moderate range, all supported by a growing economic base.” Fitch assigned their “aa factor assessment” to the City’s Revenue, Expenditure and Long-Term Liability Burden, while assigning their “aaa factor assessment” to the City’s Operating Performance, citing “The combination of revenue and...