Chief Administrative Officer
In an April 15 letter from Marshall to Superintendent Yvonne W. Brandon and School Board Chairman Jeff M. Bourne, of the 3rd District, also obtained Monday, Marshall shared details of the offer and said a planned move of school functions away from the Boulevard “was well underway.”
“Please advise me of the timeline for the property being declared surplus,” he wrote.
The thought that the process was underway did not sit well with several School Board members.
However, Marshall never sought the necessary City Council approval, drawing fire from a Richmond good-government group and council members who questioned the merits of placing the police’s public information duties under a political office. Link
The council resembles a legislature whose tasks include the offering of advice and the conferring of consent. It cannot represent the citizens of Richmond when it is presented with faits accomplis. The administration is not necessarily asking the council to do the wrong thing – to give its imprimatur to mistaken policies – yet the council has a right tto expect to join the discussion at earlier stages. A lack of transparency does not build confidence. Situations such as this make regionalism a harder sell. Link
Council members say the mayor’s office appears to be violating city law, by moving spokespeople from their departments to the press secretary’s office. Some say this could hinder the public’s ability to get details from Richmond government. Link
I am disgusted and outraged in learning about the total destruction of all the trees at the planned Washington Redskins Football training site in our city. Richmond residents deserve much better than this complete and utter failure to protect one of our city’s most valuable resources, our urban forest.
This incident is shocking and calls into question the entire management of this project and I want to get to the bottom of it.
I demand a full report on how this was allowed to happen and the specific steps that will be taken immediately to resolve and remedy this loss. This is to include a full one for one replacement, meeting the same measurement caliper of those trees taken down.”
After three years of a "soft approach" to stormwater utility collections created a $6.8 million gap between what Richmond billed and what it collected from property owners, city officials outlined a plan Thursday to begin charging late fees and placing liens for customers who fail to pay.
The Department of Public Utilities has denied a Freedom of Information Act request by the Richmond Times-Dispatch that sought a list of delinquent property owners, particularly the commercial, industrial and other nonresidential property owners who owe the city nearly $2 million from last year alone.
The city of Richmond has turned down a request for a public grievance hearing from one of two police officers who were fired after allegedly making inappropriate comments during a May visit by President Barack Obama.
City of Richmond, Virginia
Personnel Rules for The Classified Service
September 24, 2007
SECTION VIII — PERSONNEL BOARD
8.6 Conduct of Hearings – The Board may orally inform the parties of its decision at the conclusion of the hearing. However, such decision must be rendered in writing to the Director of Human Resources no later than ten (10) calendar days from the conclusion of the hearing. The Secretary to the Board shall mail a copy of the Board’s decision to all parties involved within ten (10) calendar days of receipt of such decision. All decisions shall be final and binding and shall be consistent with provisions of law and written policies.
The conduct of Board grievance hearings shall be as follows:(3)
The Chairperson shall determine the propriety of attendance at the hearing of persons not having a direct interest in the hearing; provided, that the hearing shall be private at the request of either the grievant or City. Both the employee and the City shall have the right to require the sequestration of witnesses. The Director of Human Resources or his or her designee and the Secretary to the Board shall be privileged to attend all portions of any board meeting or hearing.
A $5.8 million plan to move Richmond city and public school facilities off North Boulevard so the 60-acre site can be redeveloped hit a snag at Monday’s Planning Commission meeting, when a lawyer for a developer said his client has a contract on property the city wants to buy.
Lombardy Street Partners intended to seek a special-use permit to build the apartments and that planning officials were aware of the forthcoming application.
Fliers distributed by Richmond police this week advertising changes in parking regulations along a stretch of West Broad Street were the result of “crossed wires” between the department and City Hall, a city councilman said.
Police flyers heat squabble over Fan “No Parking” signs
Mixed message from police and city on No Parking signs