Richmond mayoral candidates continued their pitch to voters ahead of Election Day during a forum focused on some of the community’s biggest concerns, as part of a Citizen’s Debate at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture Tuesday evening.

Andreas Addison, Michelle Mosby, Danny Avula, Harrison Roday and Maurice Neblett were present to answer questions submitted by Richmond residents.

Questions covered a wide range of topics: fixing the finance department, improving government transparency and efficiency, enhancing pedestrian safety, managing relations with the Richmond Police Department chief and defining Virginia Commonwealth University’s role in the city.

Though the discussion was promoted as a debate, the hour-long event was more of a forum with little in the way of direct confrontation or criticism. Candidates frequently agreed on a number of responses to questions, from a community process for reimagining Monument Avenue to the need to improve city operations and creating a local transportation department.

The most timely question of the evening was focused on Richmond’s real estate tax rate and if candidates would pledge to reduce it. The debate occurred as Richmond City Council opted to delay discussion of an ordinance that would reduce the real estate tax rate from $1.20 to $1.16 until their Oct. 28 meeting.

Mosby declined to make a definitive commitment, citing limited insight into the city budget and competing financial priorities. These included collective bargaining, the Virginia Retirement System, the Diamond District project and the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

“To say I’m going to pledge tonight to do that without being there to look at all the ins and the outs of the budget would be premature,” Mosby said. “I recognize that the people of Richmond need relief, and I want to be able to provide that relief, but I want to do it in such a way that we can still provide excellence in services.”

Addison noted his previous work to bring a new tax structure to the city, including advocacy on the state level to allow Richmond to implement real estate tax reform. This change and a related City Council study and plan are key, he said, for a change in how real estate is taxed, moving the burden of the budget away from homeowners and enabling Richmond’s growth.

“I’m tired of taxing homeowners,” Addison said, “Let’s focus on our vision of our future together.”

Avula and Roday both advocated for targeted tax relief but differed on implementation. While Avula stopped short of making a pledge, he offered specific solutions for what he called the city’s “biggest crisis” in affordable housing.

“I think we absolutely need to look at property tax reduction,” Avula said. “We also need to make sure that tax relief is done in an equitable way and that we are prioritizing people who struggle the most with the most tax relief.”

Avula also promised collaboration with City Council to balance Richmond’s budget, as he assumed they would change the real estate tax before the new mayor took office.

Roday, meanwhile, described the need for “targeted relief ... that is meaningful” to aid the majority of Richmond renters and homeowners seeking relief from rising rent and real estate assessments, respectively.

“A citywide tax cut would disproportionately benefit homeowners with home values over a million dollars and jeopardize core services,” Roday said. “Let’s focus on the people who need the help.”

Neblett was the only one to pledge to reduce the tax, proposing a drop to $1.08.

He pointed toward potential new real estate revenue in creating micro communities and using prefabricated housing as a way to supplement the financial changes.

“We need to create a new stream of revenue, not just relying on the backs of the citizens and the real estate tax,” Neblett said.

The candidates will meet again Thursday at Armstrong High School for the first Henry L. Marsh Mayoral Forum, an entirely student-run debate and next Wednesday for a Mayorathon from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.