City’s annual financial report shows $35 million surplus

By Jeremy Lazarus

City Hall has completed its annual financial report, although it comes three months behind schedule and the first to come in late since 2016.

Lincoln Saunders, the city’s chief administrative officer, told City Council at the Feb. 6 presentation that the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report proved more difficult as the Finance Department was operating with only 58 percent of its positions filled.

The completed ACFR showed the city finished the 2021-22 fiscal year on June 30 with about $35 million in “surplus” or unexpended funds, or close to a previous estimate from Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration.

The council has already approved Mayor Stoney’s plan to return $18 million to tax-paying property owners. According to the ACFR, most of the unspent dollars have been spoken for.

However, $9.2 million is earmarked for the two pots that constitute the “rainy day” fund or savings.

The report stated the city completed the 2021-22 fiscal year with a combined $133.1 million in the two elements of the rainy day fund, the unassigned fund and the revenue and budget stabilization fund.

That represents a 7 percent increase from the previous 2020-21 fiscal year when the city reported $124.4 million combined in the two funds.

The total in both funds represents 17.1 percent of the $776.4 million in actual expenditures and transfers, according to the report, or slightly higher than the 16.67 percent a council

Elegba

The Elegba Folklore Society’s 3rd Saturday Documentaries will screen “James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket” on Feb. 18 at 5 p.m. at Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E. Broad St.

The film features a telling, poignant collection of archival footage that explores Mr. Baldwin’s intellect and his undeterred passion in exposing America’s ongoing racial inequities. The film will be followed by a discussion. Admission is free.

Elegba Folklore Society will present the 2023 Black Book Expo ⦿ A Conscious Literary Festival as a hybrid event throughout the month of February. The public is invited to choose informing sneak previews personified in “Author Chats” with celebrity writers streaming on Elegba Folklore Society’s Facebook page on selected Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

The public is invited to the Elegba Folklore Society’s Broad Street location on Saturday, Feb. 25, and Sunday, Feb. 26, 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. The in-person aspect of the festival enables the public to browse and buy books, experience live entertainment and meet independent authors.

The 2023 Black Book Expo ⦿ A Conscious Literary Festival will showcase literature about black history, social justice, science, health, African Diasporic culture, African spirituality, personal development, novels and children’s books. Independent authors will make presentations and sign their books. Live streaming will occur from the in-person event as well via the Society’s Facebook page. Books will also be available on the Society’s https://elegba-folklore-society-inc.square.site/.

Free Press staff report CrossOver Healthcare Ministry is now offering a saliva-based COVID-19 test at its locations in Richmond and Henrico County to low-income, uninsured and underserved residents.

The nonprofit is the first in Virginia to offer the tests, which involve a mix of saliva and a special solution, inserted into a testing machine to provide results in 28 minutes.

“The advantage to using this method is that we don’t have to store a specimen or send it to an outside lab that would take three to five days to process the sample,” said Kaitlyn Patterson, a CrossOver nurse manager. “Patients don’t have to wait for results that may no longer be useful by the time they are received.

“We’re thrilled to have this as an option because it’s less invasive for patients, and we can get reliable PCR results that are more accurate than rapid test results in less than thirty minutes.”

CrossOver’s clinics are located at 108 Cowardin Ave. in Richmond and 8600 Quioccasin Road in Henrico County. More information can be found at www.crossoverministry.org.

Clarification

Quinn Evans, an architectural firm based in Washington, D.C., is undertaking the work on Fox Elementary School. In the Feb. 9 edition, the Free Press, in an article concerning the redevelopment of Fox, incorrectly stated RRMM Architects of Chesapeake was the design firm. The Free Press relied on information in a Jan. 23 letter that Richmond Public Schools sent to Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration. The letter detailed the projected costs for the Fox rebuilding and cited RRMM as providing the information.

RPS officials also questioned the story’s report concerning the $10.1 million the insurer, VAcorp of Roanoke, has offered to settle the claim. “VAcorp has never offered less money or determined any negligence on behalf of RPS,” RPS spokeswoman Lorena Arias stated. However, in February 2022, the School Board was told that the school was insured for $13 million, and the figure was reconfirmed in September 2022 by VAcorp administrator Chris Carey. The current $10.1 million figure was first disclosed by RPS on Jan. 23.

At the corner of Hammond and Brook Road in Richmond’s Edgehill neighborhood, Gary Flowers, left, pulls the signage cover strings Monday, as his sister, Jan Flowers, stands with him. Along with other family, friends and neighbors, the son and daughter of Stafford Alvin Flowers and Ella Lee Fountain Flowers unveil the honorary street sign, Flowers Way, that honors their father and mother.

Cityscape

Slices of life and scenes in Richmond

Stafford Alvin Flowers, who died in 2011, was a brick mason and owner of a contracting business. He also was a co-founder of the Metropolitan Business League, and a regional director for the National Business League, which evolved from the Negro Business League founded by Booker T. Washington in 1900. Ella Lee Fountain Flowers, a former Virginia Union University and Richmond Public Schools educator, died May 15, 2022. Mrs. Flowers was an 80-year member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and a lifelong member of the NAACP, serving as the secretary for the Richmond Chapter.

The street dedication was initiated by 3rd District North Side City Council woman Ann-Frances Lambert, who wants the history of Black Northside Richmond locked in for all to know. She reminded people that a large percentage of Black Americans, when researching their genealogy, realize they have a connection to Richmond.

VCU’s Wilder School announces annual awards program

Seven individuals and organizations will be recognized for their work during Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs’ 16th Excellence in Virginia Government Awards. Recipients will be honored at a luncheon Tuesday, April 11, at the Richmond Marriott Hotel, 500 E. Broad St.

The awards and honorees include:

• Community Enhancement Award – Drive-To-Work will be honored for its advocacy in assisting low-income and/or previously incarcerated people to restore their driving privileges, and ensure transportation for their employment. Founded in 2007, Drive-To-Work was the first organization in Virginia to advocate for helping people get their driver’s licenses restored through legal and educational services.

• Unsung Heroes Award – Rebecca Gwynn will be recognized for her work to preserve wildlife and conservation lands in Virginia for more than 35 years. As assistant deputy director of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Ms. Gwyn has championed the state’s first wildlife action plan, leading the development of the Watchable Wildlife Program and statewide Bird and Wildlife Trail, and leading the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel

Seabird Conservation Initiative.

• Hill-Robinson Expansion of Freedom Award – John V. Moeser will be honored posthumously for his work as a longtime educator and scholar on race, government and politics, and was a founding member of the Urban and Regional Studies and Planning program at the Wilder School.

• Innovation in Government Award

– Henrico County Public Library’s Fairfield Area Library will be recognized for its “Work and Play Stations.” The stations are a unique feature of the library, developed by HCPL staff and the library’s design team to allow parents or caregivers to use computers while children are safe and playing.

Public-Private Partnership Award

– The Virginia Department of Veterans Services Military Medics and Corpsmen Program will be honored for its partnership with hospitals and medical facilities to employ military veterans with health care experience and train - ing. MMAC’s work helps veterans with medical experience and credentials that struggle to find work after leaving the military.

Lifetime Achievement Award –Charles S. Robb will be recognized for his work statewide and the country as a former United States senator and the 64th governor of Virginia. Mr. Robb’s gubernatorial tenure saw the state increase its education spending and the Port of Hampton Roads become the fastest-growing port in America.

Grace E. Harris Leadership Award – Angela Patton, CEO of Girls For A Change, will be recognized for her work in preparing and empowering Black girls to design, lead, fund and implement social change projects that tackle issues they face in their own neighborhoods. Additional information about the honorees, luncheon registration and scholarship support information can be found at bit.ly/vcuevga.

Proposed GreenCity arena aims to be ‘greenest in America’

By Debora Timms

GreenCity Partners and ASM Global announced on Monday an agreement to develop and operate a proposed 17,000-seat GreenCity Arena in Henrico County.

The new venue will be a central feature of the $2.3 billion development that County Manager John Vithoulkas says will “deliver world class entertainment and other quality of life benefits to our community.”

In addition to the arena, the mixed-use development will combine residential and commercial uses with parks, trails and open spaces. GreenCity’s design will reflect environmental sustainability, civic engagement and inclusion, said Frank J. Thornton, chairman of Henrico County’s

Board of Supervisors.

“This is my 28th year serving this great community,” Mr. Thornton said. “In that time, we’ve seen a lot of exciting development proposals, but none quite like GreenCity.

“As owner of the BEST Products property, Henrico has been eager to see this development come to fruition.”

He spoke of new partner ASM Global’s exemplary track record and international reach. The venue management company and producer of live event experiences has over 350 venues spanning five continents. The GreenCity Arena, located along Interstate 95 between East Parham Road and Interstate 295, will be designed for touring concerts, family shows, sports and tournaments.

GreenCity Partners principal Michael Hallmark said the planned net-zero energy project also will include additional features and practices designed to make it state of the art and “the greenest arena in America.”

Design for the arena will be finalized in the fall. Construction is expected to begin in early 2024 with completion in 2026. It will be largely paid for by bonds issued through the newly created GreenCity Community Development Authority.

Mr. Thornton said this latest step by the board of supervisors demonstrates Henrico’s commitment to GreenCity’s realization.

“The momentum is real and it’s growing,” he said. “We are in it to win.”

Marland Buckner named executive director of Shockoe interpretive center project

Marland E. Buckner will lead the “interpretive center project,” funded by the $11 million investment from the Mellon Foundation, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced this week.

The $11 million grant from the Mellon Foundation, announced last December, is part of its Monuments Project. The grant will fund the creation of an “interpretive center” in 12,300 square feet of space in the lower Trainshed of Main Street Station. The interpretive center will be used to orient visitors to Shockoe Bottom, provide informative and immersive educational and artistic content about Richmond’s role in the domestic trade of enslaved people. Within the facility will be a high-tech immersive experience that may contain audio, video, augmented reality, exhibitions, public programs and techguided tours will be created.

The interpretive center will be in the heart of Shockoe, the oldest part of the City of Richmond. Shockoe was the center of the Powhatan Confederacy prior to the arrival of the British in 1607 and by the mid-1840, it was one of the largest centers of domestic trade in enslaved Africans.

Mr. Buckner currently serves on the boards of the Valentine Museum,

Bridging Virginia, and the Reinvestment Fund, one of the nation’s largest Community Development Financial Institutions. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada.

A Richmond resident, he serves as co-founder and principal of MB² Solutions LLC, a global strategic consulting firm founded in 2008.

Mr. Buckner was named the interim executive director of Richmond’s Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia in Richmond after the death of Adele C. Johnson in April 2021. The Free Press reported that Mr. Buckner stepped down from that role in June 2022.

Most of City’s HR employees’ jobs no longer guaranteed

Continued

41 full-time and one part-time employee, down 11 people from the previous fiscal year.

Employees said most the recent directory listed 33 people, indicating there were eight vacancies. Ahead of the layoffs, nine people employed as analysts were allowed to transfer to vacant positions in other departments, the Free Press was told by the Human Resources employees.

Of the remaining employees, the Free Press was told that three are managers, two are temporary workers and one is a retiree who has filled in part-time.

Of the 18 full-time employees left, one has already resigned, leaving 17 full-time employees facing layoffs, the Free Press was told.

According to the city’s employee manual, workers subject to what is known as a reduction in force are usually allowed to move to a lower position in another department, essentially a demotion.

“We have been told we cannot do that,” one employee said. “Either we get rehired in one of the new positions or we get terminated. That’s the choice.

“Maybe we’ll all get rehired. Even so there will be fewer people left to do the work,” the employee said, as result of the transfers that have already taken place.

Human Resources reports to Sabrina Joy-Hogg, deputy chief administrative officer for finance and administration.

The department that is involved in every aspect of employee services, from hiring and retention to designing and administering classification, compensation and performance evaluations, overseeing employee data, handling employee grievances and

City’s annual financial report shows $35M surplus

policy requires.

One reason for the growth in the rainy day fund is that Richmond saw a huge increase in real estate tax collections during the 2021-22 fiscal year, the report noted.

The original budget for that year estimated $414.8 million would be collected from the tax on real estate. An amended budget that council later approved estimated the collections would hit $426.3 million, an $11.5 million increase.

According to the ACFR, actual city collections of the tax reached a record $456.6 million, a $30 million increase over the amended budget and nearly $42 million more than the original budget.

Free COVID-19 vaccines

providing training and development.

Human Resources also is anticipated to play a key role in providing labor relations services given the city’s decision to allow employees to unionize and bargain collectively.

“I don’t know how everything we’re involved with will get done,” one of the employees said. “The city is fortunate. Instead of running for the exits, for the most part, everyone has stayed on and kept focused on the work. But it becomes so stressful when the reward for loyalty is uncertainty and worry. This is not what we signed up for.”

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, a professional human resources membership association head- quartered in Alexandria, having employees reapply for their jobs is a commonly used strategy in restructuring scenarios such as mergers, acquisitions and downsizing.