CITY OF RICHMOND
Richmond named 28th best place to live in US
Richmond was named the 28th best place to live in the country according to a report from US News & World Report. The publication “analyzed the 100 most populous cities” based on “value, be a desirable place to live … job market and a high quality of life.”
City administrators propose capital budget; school officials underwhelmed
Richmond administrators offered a preview of their proposed capital budget Thursday, which includes $5 million for school buildings — far short of the $49.6 million that the school system’s leaders requested. But the plan, presented to the city’s Planning Commission, came with a caveat: Stay tuned for Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ presentation of the full budget plan today, when Jones will discuss his proposal for a referendum on a tax increase to fund schools, according to his press secretary, Tammy D. Hawley. Jones also will discuss how “he wants to advance a multiyear investment plan for schools,” Hawley said.
EDU FAQ #002: What is all this about teacher salaries?
Teacher salary compression is a real thing, and its effects on the state of education in Richmond are many and vast. In case the term confuses, “salary compression” refers to new hires being brought in at similar (or higher) salaries than existing hires. Usually, the cause is that internal raises are increasing at a slower rate than the outside world’s pay is increasing. The debate about whether teacher pay affects student achievement is long-standing, and there is plenty of research to support arguments for and against. Some of the most educationally successful countries in the world (Finland, I’m looking at you) also have some of the most modestly paid teachers.
CHESTERFIELD
Ettrick faces its future – with VSU and a plan from Chesterfield
Ettrick’s biggest problem may be that few people are aware it even exists. For decades, the community of just 6,700 people on the southern tip of Chesterfield County has gone unnoticed despite being the home of Virginia State University and across the Appomattox River from Petersburg. “Sometimes people are not 100 percent sure where Ettrick really is,” said the Rev. Delano Douglas, associate pastor at Ettrick United Methodist Church, campus minister at VSU and a local activist.
Chesterfield School Board continues to grapple with school start times
The new Chesterfield County School Board has revived the discussion over changing school start times, but the high cost and a complex rewrite of the transportation manual for the daily bus runs for 45,000 students could stall any efforts in that direction. School officials recently presented the School Board with two solutions; both come with price tags that would significantly strain the division’s budget. The first option would delay the bell for high school students by 25 minutes and 15 minutes for elementary students. It would come at a one-time cost of $2.8 million for 21 additional buses and an annual expense of $1 million for the extra drivers, fuel and maintenance.
Chesterfield leaders tout health of budget
The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors next week will take a first crack at the proposed $809.9 million budget for fiscal year 2017-18. The proposal maintains the current tax rate, strengthens public safety staffing and infrastructure, restores library hours and reduces class sizes in the county’s public schools. “The budget continues to take measured steps to advance some of the board’s key initiatives and it’s been done so at last year’s forecasted expense level,” said Allan Carmody, the county’s director of budget and management, told reporters at a budget briefing Thursday. The proposed budget is a 3 percent increase from the current $785.6 million budget.
POWHATAN
Board gets first look at county budget
The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors got its first look at the proposed fiscal year 2017 budget for the county last week, and county administrator Pat Weiler warned them from the beginning it wouldn’t meet all of their criteria. During the board’s meeting on Monday, Feb. 22, Weiler presented the supervisors with the first draft they had seen of a total proposed FY 2017 County Operating Budget that is almost $56.8 million. At the start of her presentation, Weiler made it clear how difficult it was to try to meet the board’s requests for increased spending balanced with a reduction in income.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
House’s substitute Airbnb bill passed
The Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association is hailing the Senate’s passage of a House of Delegates substitute to Senate Bill 416, the measure to regulate Airbnb. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel, R-Fauquier, is dubbed the Limited Residential Lodging Act. It allows people to rent out their primary residences or parts of them temporarily, through a hosting platform. “We are happy that the House Committee on Appropriations heard the concerns of the lodging industry and Virginia’s local governments,” said Eric Terry, president of VRLTA.
Bill on replacing Richmond Coliseum heads to McAuliffe
House-passed legislation by Del. G. Manoli Loupassi, D-Richmond, authorizing the Richmond Metropolitan Transportation Authority to build and operate a new coliseum cleared the Virginia Senate on Thursday, 35-4, and now heads to Gov. Terry McAuliffe. In introducing HB 1237, Loupassi said the RMTA — which includes representation from the city of Richmond and Henrico and Chesterfield counties — could be a partner with the private sector on a replacement for the 45-year-old Richmond Coliseum.
Governor pushes back on budget for economic development funds and authority
Gov. Terry McAuliffe wants General Assembly budget leaders to find more money for economic development initiatives to fuel research into new technologies and allow him to use his executive authority to seal major business deals. In a letter Wednesday to budget negotiators for the House of Delegates and Senate, McAuliffe said his “primary area of concern, which I hope we can address together, is the restoration of the economic development proposals contained in my introduced budget.”
REGIONAL/STATE
Virginia is 5th best state for retirement
Virginia is the fifth-best state for retirement, according to a report released Tuesday by Bankrate.com, an online publisher and aggregator of personal finance data. The state’s strengths are its relatively low cost of living and low crime rate, according to the report. Drawbacks are relatively high taxes and a relatively low score for overall well-being. Wyoming was determined to be the best state for retirement, New York the worst.
ELECTIONS
Joe Morrissey has been considering a mayoral run for months. And while the former state delegate says he still hasn’t made up his mind, he’s clearly leaning in that direction. Morrissey on Thursday night attended the Greater Woodstock Area Civic Association’s meeting in South Richmond to solicit signatures for his potential mayoral bid, said Tom Larkin, the neighborhood association’s president.
McEachin files to run for Congress in redrawn 4th District
State Sen. A. Donald McEachin, D-Henrico, has filed his statement of candidacy to run for Congress in the 4th District, which is set to include Richmond and Petersburg. “The Federal Elections Commission requires certain documentation be filed within 15 days of circulating petitions to run for Congress, which we did last Friday,” said McEachin, a state senator since 2008. “Right now, my focus is representing the people of the 9th Senate District and working on the issues that are before the General Assembly.”
Why November’s election could upend Richmond City Council
November’s elections could reconfigure the landscape of city government, with the potential that a majority of City Council seats will change hands. Five of the nine members could be new, counting the ones who have pondered runs for mayor and those not seeking re-election. President Michelle Mosby has announced her intention to run for mayor, and councilmen Jon Baliles and Chris Hilbert have hinted at the prospect.
Henrico Sheriff Wade to run for Congress in redrawn 4th District
Instead of challenging Rep. Dave Brat, R-7th, for his seat, Henrico Sheriff Mike Wade has decided to run for Congress in the adjacent 4th District. The newly configured 4th is now set to include Richmond and Petersburg. “I’m going to run in the 4th instead of the 7th,” Wade, 60, said in an interview Wednesday. “Opportunities like this don’t come up all time,” the Republican said. “Congress is something I’ve always wanted to do.
First candidate announces for coming City Council election; expect more to follow
With Super Tuesday out of the way, expect candidates to begin announcing their intentions for Richmond’s City Council and mayoral elections. Fan District businessman Charlie Diradour on Wednesday became the first hopeful to announce his candidacy for City Council, filing paperwork formalizing his run. He announced on Twitter that he had submitted the necessary signatures to get on the ballot for the council’s 2nd District, which encompasses most of the Fan District. He’s running to replace outgoing Councilman Charles R. Samuels, who beat back a challenge from Diradour four years ago.