Done deal: New $3B City budget signed and sealed

Continued from A1 income-restricted housing for lower-income residents — despite the hefty interest cost that will accompany that action.

As approved, the total budget package runs about $3 billion, including debt service, grants, internal funds, public education, capital improvements, utilities and general fund spending.

Most of the council’s attention was on the record $951 million general fund, the city’s revenue from taxes, grants, fees and other income from which departments are funded and city programs paid for.

That general fund total works out to $4,135 for each of the city’s 230,000 men, women and children, a 13.5 percent increase over the current budget in which the general fund provided $3,643 per resident — or about $492 less.

Amendments from the council involved increased funding for those they employ plus improvements to their City Hall office spaces. Council members also provided $150,000 to support the substance abuse program in South Side, and $30,000 to support a Farmer’s Market operation in Shockoe Bottom.

Seventh District Councilwoman Cynthia I. Newbille dropped her request for $3.5 million to provide a 5 percent bonus to retired city workers after the administration pledged to provide the funding from unexpended dollars that would become available after the current fiscal 2022-23 fiscal year ends June 30.

Overall, the governing body barely touched the budget plan that Mayor Stoney presented in March, which was built on maintaining current tax rates, while increasing the cost of utility service, including water, sewerage, streetlights, gas and stormwater control, a collective 9 percent.

During the budget review meetings, two members, 3rd District Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert and 6th District Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson, sought to increase the number of recreation staff in their districts.

On the homeless front, the council approved only $1.75 mil-

Free Press wins 18 awards

Continued from A1

Anniversary.

April Coleman – Small Space Ads-Dennis Brailey retirement.

Regina H. Boone – Personality or Portrait PhotoCentenarian C’est si bon.

Julianne Tripp – Picture Story or Essay-John Marshall Basketball State Champs.

Sandra Sellars – Sports Feature Photo-“Beat the Heat.”

Second Place

April Coleman – Small Space Ads-Telesheia Talbert memoriam.

Sandra Sellars – General News Photo-Reproductive Rights Rally.

Sandra Sellars – Pictorial Photo-Nature’s sculpture in West End.

Regina H. Boone, Sandra Sellars – Picture Story or EssayInauguration of Virginia’s 74th

Governor. Jeremy M. Lazarus – Feature Series or Continuing Story.

Jeremy M. Lazarus – Feature Writing Portfolio. Jeremy M. Lazarus – Government Writing. Third Place

April Coleman – Education

Churches and Organizations-

Church advertisements.

April Coleman – Entertain- ment-Jazz Inside Out.

April Coleman – Small Space Ads-Union Baptist 46th

Pastor Anniversary.

April Coleman, Sandra Sellars, Aldore D. Collier –Combination Picture and Story: Intertwined history. Sandra Sellars – Breaking News Photo-William Fox School Fire.

Regina H. Boone – Sports

Feature Photo-Jermoine Royster.

Free COVID-19 vaccines

Continued from A1

Want a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot?

The Richmond and Henrico health districts are offering free vaccines for COVID-19 and more at the following locations: lion for services, far short of the more than $4 million spent in the current fiscal year that will end June 30.

Thursday, May 11, 2 to 4 p.m. - Cary Street, 400 E. Cary St., Bivalent Moderna boosters for age 6 years and older, Bivalent Pfizer boosters for age 5 years and older, Novavax primary shots for age 12 and older, JYNNEOS shots and Moderna/Pfizer baby bivalent boosters. Walk-ups welcome but appointments encouraged.

Tuesday, May 16, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. - Pending Health Brigade Event, Lucks Field: 1403 N. 20th St., adult COVID boosters; JYNNEOS shots and Hepatitis A vaccines. Walk-ups welcome but appointments encouraged.

Wednesday, May 17, 2 to 4 p.m. - Henrico West, 8600 Dixon Powers Dr., Bivalent Moderna boosters for age 6 years and older, Bivalent Pfizer boosters for age 5 years and older, Novavax primary shots for age 12 and older, JYNNEOS shots and Moderna/Pfizer baby bivalent boosters. Walk-ups welcome but appointments encouraged. People can schedule an appointment online at vase.vdh. virginia.gov, vaccinate.virginia.gov or vax.rchd.com, or by calling (804) 205-3501 or (877) VAX-IN-VA (1-877-829-4682). VaccineFinder.org and vaccines.gov also allow people to find nearby pharmacies and clinics that offer the COVID-19 vaccine and booster.

Those who are getting a booster shot should bring their vaccine card to confirm the date and type of vaccine received.

RHHD also offers at-home vaccinations by calling (804) 205-3501 to schedule appointments.

New COVID-19 boosters, updated to better protect against the latest variants of the virus, are now available. The new Pfizer booster is approved for those aged 12 and up, while the new Moderna booster is for those aged 18 and older.

As with previous COVID-19 boosters, the new doses can only be received after an initial two vaccine shots, and those who qualify are instructed to wait at least two months after their second COVID-19 vaccine.

The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts are now offering bivalent Pfizer and Moderna boosters to children between the ages of 5 and 11 in clinics in the near future. Children in this age range will be eligible after at least two months since their last vaccine dose. Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico County are at low levels of community COVID-19. No localities in Virginia are ranked at high community COVID levels, and none were ranked at medium as of last week.

A total of 114 new cases of COVID-19 were reported statewide Wednesday for the 24-hour period, contributing to an overall state total of 2,306,005 cases in Virginia since the pandemic’s outbreak. As of Wednesday, there have been 459,832 hospitalizations and 23,749 deaths reported statewide.

State data available at the time also shows that AfricanAmericans comprised 21.8 percent of cases statewide and 21.3 percent of deaths for which ethnic and racial data is available, while Latinos made up 9.8 percent of cases and 3.7 percent of deaths.

As of Tuesday, Richmond reported a total of 60,505 cases, 1,321 hospitalizations and 548 deaths; Henrico County, 93,638 cases, 1,793 hospitalizations and 1,091 deaths; Chesterfield County, 100,894 cases, 1,789 hospitalizations and 875 deaths; and Hanover County, 29,339 cases, 953 hospitalizations and 349 deaths.

Compiled by George Copeland Jr.

Hours before the council meeting, advocates for homeless persons were joined by 5th District Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch to decry the city’s closing of winter shelters on April 15, leaving people in dire straits on the street.

Ms. Lynch spoke poignantly of seeing families camped out on a median, with one featuring a sign pleading for diapers and milk for children. “We have failed them,” she said in supporting demands for the city to reopen shelters that closed April 15 and to pay for supportive case work and to re-house those who have no place to live.

Surprisingly, though, Ms. Lynch never introduced a budget amendment to increase city spending on such services and never advocated for any budget changes that would allow for increased spending in that area. According to city documents, City Hall spent more than $800,000 just in February to house more than 160 people a night in three winter shelters that were set up after private nonprofit shelters were full.