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Shift in city procurement practice hurt black-owned businesses
After nearly a decade of using its own pricing list to purchase supplies from local companies and save money, Richmond City Hall last year shifted to using the state’s electronic purchasing system, known as eVA, after Mayor Levar M. Stoney took office.
Energy numbers shed light on RPS spending, savings
Richmond expects to spend $8 million to $10 million to ensure three new schools meet the standard of a national energy conservation program, according to the Joint Construction Team that is overseeing the work.
Councilwoman hopes proposed changes to City Charter find support
Under proposed changes to the City Charter or constitution, City Council would gain new authority over housing subsidies and real estate tax relief to residents with low to moderate incomes, in addition to setting its own compensation and modi- fying zoning. Fifth District Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch hopes to gain unanimous support from her eight colleagues at the Monday, Dec. 11, council meeting for the changes she has negotiated with Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration. If passed by the council, the package would be sent to the General Assembly for approval in the upcoming 2024 session. Many of the changes follow recommenda- tions that a council-created Richmond City Charter Review Commission submitted Aug. 2 after a year of study. As the most significant package of charter changes proposed since the 2004 creation of a mayor elected citywide, the amend- ments do not address the current relationship between the council and the mayor ahead of the 2024 elections for the governing body and chief executive. The biggest proposed change could well be the tax and housing initiatives that the charter review commission did not address. The proposed Section 2.09 amendment would allow the city to defer property taxes and tax increases for qualifying low or moderate income property owners, using the definition of such individuals established by the Virginia Housing Development Authority, now known as Virginia Housing. Such a program could allow the taxes to accumulate over time to be paid off from proceeds after the property is sold. In addition, the proposed charter change would authorize the city to create a program that could help such qualifying individu- als buy a home or receive rental subsidies. The city also could use state or federal funds to advance such initiatives. The charter amendment also would declare the creation of programs that could provide funds directly to individuals for housing to be “in the furtherance of a public interest” to get
Petersburg City Council raises taxes, cuts funding to keep city afloat
Smokers will pay an extra 80 cents in tax for each pack of cigarettes they buy inside the city limits of Petersburg beginning Oct. 1 — a move the city officials hope will generate $900,000 a year in much needed revenue.
Preddy D. Ray Sr., longtime affordable housing advocate who sought to keep people in their neighborhoods, dies at 69
In 1971, Preddy Drew Ray Sr. was among a group of nine Richmond college students who packed their bags and went to a Cincinnati conference on af- fordable housing and the role community groups could play.
Dr. Ralph Reavis Sr., pastor, author and former president of Virginia University of Lynchburg, dies at 80
The private Virginia University of Lynchburg was teetering on collapse when Dr. Ralph Reavis Sr. left the pulpit at Riverview Baptist Church in Richmond to respond to a call to save his undergraduate alma mater.
Doubling down
Alfred C. Liggins III and Urban One go all in to win voter approval of the $565M casino project proposed for South Side. The referendum is Nov. 2, with early voting going on now.
Do you want a gambling casino built on a 100-acre commercial property in the South Side?
Lynx Ventures agrees to pay $500,000 for former school
The 5-acre site where the decaying and long vacant Oak Grove Elementary School now stands in South Side is on its way to becoming a complex of apartments and townhouses.
State grant helps keep GRTC rides free
A new $8 million state grant could help GRTC keep fares at no cost to riders for at least another three years.
Grant funds to benefit babies, ex-inmates and low-wealth families
City Hall is planning to provide $115,000 to help low-income families gain baby supplies under ordinances that City Council is scheduled to approve next Monday, Jan. 23.
Youngkin announces affordable housing loans
The state will lend more than $18 million to create 10 affordable, income-restricted housing developments in the Richmond area, Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin has announced.
City Council approves Larus Park water deal
Richmond City Council this week lifted an 18-year-old ban on development in a 106-acre city park in South Side to enable the city Department of Public Utilities to sell more water to Chesterfield County.
Stallings family gets building permit for St. Luke project
It took eight months, but Wanda Stallings and her development team now have a city building permit to begin the renovation of the historic St. Luke Building in Gilpin Court.
Alan G. Reese Sr., accountant, dies at 64
Alan Gerard Reese, a veteran accountant who also was involved in the revival of Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighborhood, has died.
‘When is enough enough?’
Slaying of Va. State Police Special Agent Michael T. Walter grips Mosby Court
At an April community meeting, residents of Mosby Court pleaded with Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham for a crackdown to end the violence in the section of the public housing community located off Accommodation Street in the East End.
Coliseum’s success raises new questions about need to replace it
The 13,500-seat Richmond Coliseum has been the busiest arena in Virginia during the past six years, according to a Chicago-based consulting company that was paid $500,000 by the city to review a proposal to replace the facility.
View online how tax dollars are spent
Want to know how the city is spending your tax dollars? Jump on your computer and go to this website — www.data.richmondgov.com.
Central Va. Cadet Corps starting in February
A new group is recruiting 30 area young men ages 7 to 14 to participate in free, monthly programs promoting achievement.
Work stopped on planned Downtown hotel
For a decade, an eight-story building at 5th and Franklin streets was a city-backed nursery for small businesses.
Green light shines on Diamond District
The huge plan to redevelop 67 acres of publicly owned land around The Diamond baseball stadium has a green light — despite questions about the soundness of its financial structure.
