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The mission of Richmond City Council is to represent citizens in creating and amending local laws, provid-ing government policy and oversight and approving the city budget.

Richmond City Council is committed to creating a vibrant community that is a great place to live, work, learn, play, visit, and raise a family.

Richmond City Council established a balanced FY 2017 Richmond General Fund Government Operating Budget (Fiscal Plan) of $717.1 million.

Council kept the Richmond Real Estate Tax Rate its lowest in more than 40 years, at $1.20 per $100 of assessed value. It has been cut $.92 since 1980 (when it was $2.12 per $100).

Council approved $151.5 million for Richmond Public Schools ($5.5 million more than proposed) for which it allotted $4,974,906 for Teacher Pay Decompression; $200,000 to re-open Summer Hill/Ruffin Road Elementary School; and, $347,346 for general use. It also reallocated an additional $4 million in Capital Funds for school building maintenance.

Council restored needed vacancy funding for the Richmond Police Department, Richmond Department of Fire and Emergency Services, Virginia Office of the Richmond City Sheriff, Richmond Department of Finance, and Richmond Department of Social Services.

Council helped fix a $750,000 hole in lost annual revenue by updating the Real Estate Tax collec-tion process to include prorating assessments of new construction so that construction projects would be assessed mid-year rather than at the end of the construction.

Council funded needed flood mitigation efforts in Battery Park, overdue streetscape and side-walk beautification efforts on Jefferson Davis Highway, and $300,000 for the new T. Tyler

Potterfield Memorial Pedestrian Bridge.

Richmond City Hall 900 E. Broad Street, Suite 305 Richmond, Virginia 23219 U.S.A. 804.646.2778 (tel)

www.council.richmondva.gov (website)

Richmond City Council

Richmond City Council

Richmond City Council MISSION Special Note: Richmond Public Schools Richmond Public Schools is a political subdivision of

the Commonwealth of Virginia and is governed by standards set by the Virginia Board of Education/Virginia Department of Education. Richmond Pub-lic Schools is operated at the local level by the Richmond Public Schools Board of Trustees and managed by a Superintendent. The Division is not a “City” department.

Each year, Richmond City Council appropriates partial funding for Richmond Public Schools and approves its annual budget. Richmond Public Schools’ management, operations and oversight are separate from that of the City.

Richmond City Council VISION

Richmond City Council Overview

Richmond City Council is the official governing body of Richmond, Virginia and represents city residents in creating/amending local laws; providing government policy and oversight; levying local taxes; and, estab-lishing an annual Richmond Government Budget.

Richmond has a Council-Mayor form of govern-ment in which the powers of the city are vested in Richmond City Council, as per the Richmond City Charter, and a separately elected Mayor, through a Chief Administrative Officer, oversees the day-to-day administration of city government departments. Every two years, Richmond City Council elects, from among members, a President and Vice President.

Richmond City Council is comprised of nine Councilmembers and the offices/staff that support it, which includes the Council Chief of Staff Office, Office of the City Clerk, Office of the City Assessor of Real Estate, and the Office of the City Auditor. A part-time position, each Councilmember has an individual Liaison to assist them with administrative services. Council also appoints a Richmond City Attorney who leads the Office of the City Attorney and shares interface with the Mayor/Administration.

Council holds an average of 10 official meetings each month to discuss, deliberate, and act on laws and policy on behalf of Richmond residents. Official meetings include Council Formal, Informal, Standing Committee, Budget and Special Meetings.

For the purposes of elections, Richmond is divided into nine geo-demographic Richmond Voter Districts which are used to elect members of Richmond City Council, Richmond Public Schools Board of Trustees (an entity separate from city govt.), and a Mayor, who must receive a majority of votes in five of the nine Voter Districts. Each serve four-year terms.

Official Fiscal Year

Final parts established by

13 May 2016

Richmond, Virginia U.S.A.

Richmond City Council

As Richmond Residents, we pool our resources to operate our local government and decide on what types of services we want.

These services include such things as the management and delivery of paved streets; sidewalks; laws; parks; trash/sewage removal; police/firefighting/rescue; clean water; and, educating our children. All of which, each of us benefits from on a daily basis.

As the official Governing Body of Richmond, Virginia, Richmond City Council represents us in establishing an annual Richmond Govern-ment Budget, which is the cornerstone and ultimate act of its policymaking stewardship. It is the single most important local government document affecting all Richmond residents.

Council’s budget deliberations begin each fall; intensify in the spring; and, conclude in May. They include more than a dozen public meetings, hearings and work sessions and a proposed request submission from the Mayor.

Richmond’s government operates on a two year budget (fiscal plan) that is amended in the second year. In practice, the budget is established annually by Council each May (as Ordinances) for an upcoming Fiscal Year, which runs July 1-June 30. During the year, the budget is additionally amended as requested by the Mayor and approved by Council.

Richmond City Council Budget Ordinances are available from the Richmond City Council Office of the City Clerk; Richmond City Hall, 2nd Floor, 900 E. Broad Street; Richmond, Virginia 23219; 804.646.7955 (tel).

Richmond Real Estate Tax $252,482,128 Personal Property Tax ($16.7 mil. State [28 %]; $42.4 mil. Local) $59,166,624 Other Property & Local Tax $171,985,565 Other State & Federal $112,164,950 Licenses, Permits and Fees $42,794,062 Richmond Dept. of Public Utilities Transfer $37,339,360 Charges for Goods/Services $30,401,452 Fines and Forfeits $6,020,609 Other Sources $4,704,367 Total Richmond General Fund Budget Revenue $717,059,117

Safety and Judiciary $190,580,802 Richmond Public Schools $177,850,679 General Government $79,017,484 Human Services $68,099,702 Debt Payments $66,238,021 Public Works $61,413,070 Non-Departmental/Other $47,051,992 Culture and Recreation $23,025,877 Virginia Department of Health - Richmond Office $3,781,490 Total Richmond General Fund Budget Expenditures $717,059,117

Includes $26,328,770 in Virginia Sales Tax Revenue/Pass-through monies for Richmond Public Schools

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FY 2017 Richmond General Fund - REVENUE SOURCES

One of the ways we help pay for our local government is by Richmond real estate owners contributing funds, based on a percentage of its value.

Real estate revenue is our largest single funding source and represents about 1/3 of our General Fund Budget.

Richmond includes about 75,000 parcels of real estate, valued at about $29.5 billion. Of that, about 28% ($8.5 billion) is currently exempt from contributing, as follows:

$6.7 billion for religious/nonprofit and state/federal/local govern- ment-owned real estate.

$1.8 billion for rehabbing older residential/commercial/multi- family buildings.

As each penny of our Richmond Real Estate Tax Rate represents about $2 million in revenue, exempt real estate costs about $102 million a year/adds about $.51 to our tax rate.

Fiscal Year Amount Totals FY 2017 $1,514,013,021 FY 2016 $1,442,655,837 FY 2015 $1,622,692,233 FY 2014 $1,513,149,601 FY 2013 $1,429,628,466 FY 2012 $1,447,745,909 FY 2011 $1,370,402,375 FY 2010 $1,452,474,815 FY 2009 $1,488,752,425

FY 2017 Richmond General Fund - AREAS INVESTED

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FY 2017 Richmond Govt. Budget

Fiscal Year Real Estate Tax Rate 2008-2017 $1.20 2007 $1.23 2006 $1.29 2005 $1.33 2003-2004 $1.37955 2002 $1.38975 2001 $1.41 1997-2000 $1.43 1994-1996 $1.445 1992-1993 $1.45 1990-1991 $1.46 1987-1989 $1.53 1985-1986 $1.47 1984 $1.50 1982-1983 $1.533 1981 $1.58 1980 $2.12

Richmond Real Estate Tax Rates

Richmond General Fund $ 717,059,117

Richmond Enterprise Funds $355,151,799

Richmond Capital Improvement Plan (RCIP) $230,965,667

Additional Richmond Public Schools Funds $102,533,793

Richmond Special Funds $76,405,574

Richmond Internal Service Funds $26,104,998

Other Richmond Debt Service Funds $4,174,097

Richmond Retirement System $1,617,976 FY 2017 TOTAL RICHMOND GOVT. BUDGET $1,514,013,021