City Clerk
900 E. Broad St., Suite 200
Richmond, VA
23219 USA
Fax: (804)646-7736
Hours
Monday-Friday
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
INFORMATIONAL MEETING GUIDE
The City Council is the City of Richmond's local legislative body and is composed of one Council representative elected from each of nine districts. Council members are elected to serve a four year term of office. The Council elects one of its own to serve as the president and presiding officer for a two year term. The guide below provides information on: Council members, Council standing committees, the time and place of Formal and Informal meetings, participation in public meetings, a link to the Council's Rules of Procedure, a glossary to understand terms and language used by the Council, and a guide to navigate Legistar.
To learn more about the Richmond City Council, click here.
Use the link below to search for your Richmond City Council voter district.
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All Richmond City Council meetings are open to in-person participation.
The public will have the option to provide their comments by teleconference/videoconference via Microsoft Teams. Interested citizens who wish to take advantage of this option, must do so prior to 10:00 a.m., on the meeting date, by following the instructions under the "Participation in Richmond City Council Meetings" drop down section below.
| Occurrence & Time | Month |
|---|---|
|
Informal meetings: 4:00 p.m. Formal Meetings: 6:00 p.m. 2nd and 4th Mondays during the months of: |
January February March April May June September |
|
Informal meetings: 4:00 p.m. Formal Meetings: 6:00 p.m. 2nd Monday during the months of: |
October November December |
|
Informal meetings: 4:00 p.m. Formal Meetings: 6:00 p.m. 4th Monday during the month of: |
July |
| Informal and Formal meetings are not held during the month of: | August |
| Find updated information regarding rescheduled and cancelled meetings on Legistar. | https://richmondva.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx |
Items listed on the Consent Agenda are considered routine and non-controversial. The consent agenda provides a method for the expeditious handling of items that do not require discussion and will be approved unanimously by a single roll-call vote of Council. The public may speak to any item on the Consent Agenda when the public comment period is announced by the president. Any person speaking to one or more items on the Consent Agenda will be allotted a total of three minutes.
The regular agenda consists of those items on the agenda that the council will hold a public hearing on and then discuss, consider and vote on individually. Citizens may sign up to participate in the public hearing for particular legislation by contacting the Office of the City Clerk.
All Richmond City Council meetings are open to in-person participation.
The public will have the option to provide their comments by teleconference/videoconference via Microsoft Teams. Interested individuals who wish to take advantage of this option, must do so prior to 10:00 a.m., on the meeting date, by calling the Office of the City Clerk at (804) 646-7955 and selecting option 3. All Richmond City Council meetings are live-streamed and archived on Legistar.
The Public Comment is an opportunity for the public to address Council concerning the services, policies, and affairs of the city and to discuss issues not on the agenda for the business meeting. However, you must schedule your appearance with the Office of the City Clerk no later than 10:00 a.m. on the date of the meeting. Each speaker is generally allotted three minutes to make their comments.
An individual may appear before Council during the Public Comment no more than four times per year and no more than once within a three-month period.
All Richmond City Council meetings are open to in-person participation.
The public will have the option to provide their comments by teleconference/videoconference via Microsoft Teams. Interested citizens who wish to take advantage of this option, must do so prior to 10:00 a.m., on the meeting date, by calling the Office of the City Clerk at (804) 646-7955 and selecting option 3. All Richmond City Council meetings are live-streamed and archived on Legistar.
A public hearing is the general public's opportunity to comment in favor of or against or even to voice questions concerning an item on the agenda. Any person may speak on an ordinance or resolution within the time constraints imposed by the Council's Rules of Procedure which may be found below. Public hearings are required for ordinances and resolutions. The public hearing for an ordinance must be held at least seven days after the ordinance's introduction. Members of the public may provide comments addressing any ordinance or resolution in writing in lieu of speaking at a public hearing by emailing comments to CityClerksOffice@rva.gov. All written comments will be included as an attachment to referenced legislation on Legistar.
All Richmond City Council meetings are open to in-person participation.
The public will have the option to provide their comments by teleconference/videoconference via Microsoft Teams. Interested citizens who wish to take advantage of this option, must follow the instructions below must do so prior to 10:00 a.m., on the meeting date, by following the instructions below.
How to Participate Virtually
- Call the City Clerk’s office at (804) 646-7955 and select option 3. If staff is not available to take your call, please leave a voicemail with your request to speak, your name, and your contact number, and the City Clerk’s staff will return your call.
- Public speakers must make contact with the City Clerk’s office no later than 10:00 a.m. on the date of the meeting.
- Participation guidelines and instructions will be provided to individuals before the meeting.
- Remember to arrive at the time designated within the participation guidelines to check in with the Clerk.
- Public speakers are generally given 3 minutes to provide comments.
- The Clerk will alert public speakers when their time has expired.
Questions Contact the Office of the City Clerk.
| Term | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| Adopt | Council's acceptance of or agreement to a proposed ordinance, resolution, amendment or motion. | |
| Agenda | Either a list of ordinances, resolutions or similar items that the Council will consider in a meeting or more generally to the order of business at a meeting. | |
| Amendment | A change to the language of an ordinance or resolution that has been introduced but not acted on by the Council. An amendment to an ordinance or resolution that either has been introduced but not acted on is made by a member through a "motion to amend." An ordinance, if so amended, must be continued to a future Council meeting. A resolution, if so amended, may be acted upon in the same meeting in which it is amended. | |
| Consent Agenda | A method for the expeditious handling of several items at one time that do not require in-depth discussion by the Council. Items on the consent agenda are generally routine and non-controversial and are normally adopted as a group by a single unanimous roll call vote of the Council. Any member may cause an item to be removed from the consent agenda to the regular agenda for more individualized consideration. The public may address any item on the consent agenda during the single public hearing held on the consent agenda. | |
| Continue | By a motion adopted by a majority of the members, the Council may "continue," or postpone, any ordinance or resolution on the agenda to a future meeting. | |
| Docket | The docket is that part of the agenda comprised of the list of ordinances, resolutions or similar items that the Council will consider in a meeting. | |
| Expedited Consideration | The introduction and action on a resolution during the same meeting. Normally, resolutions are introduced at one meeting and acted on at the next meeting. In order for a resolution introduced at a meeting to be acted on at that same meeting under expedited consideration, the Council must adopt a motion to expedite the resolution by no less than six votes. Expedited consideration applies only to resolutions; ordinances may not be acted on in the same meeting at which they are introduced. | |
| Motion | A formal proposal by a member, in a meeting, that the Council take certain action. | |
| Ordinance | An ordinance has the effect of local law in the city of Richmond. The Charter of the city of Richmond requires that certain actions be only by ordinance. Ordinances of general and permanent application are codified in the Code of the city of Richmond. | |
| Paper | The word "paper" is a generic term used to refer to both ordinances and resolutions. | |
| Public Hearing | The general public's opportunity to comment in favor of or against or even to voice questions concerning an item on the agenda. Any person may speak on an ordinance or resolution within the time constraints imposed by the Council's Rules of Procedure. Public hearings are required for ordinances and resolutions. The public hearing for an ordinance must be held at least seven days after the ordinance's introduction. | |
| Regular Agenda | Items on the agenda that the Council will hold a public hearing on and then discuss, consider and vote on individually. | |
| Reject | The words "reject" or "rejection" indicate the Council's disapproval of an ordinance, resolution, amendment or motion after its public hearing and consideration by the council. A proposed ordinance is rejected if there are not five votes in favor of its adoption. | |
| Resolution | A resolution is an action by the Council that generally does not have the effect of law. A resolution generally expresses the Council's will, intent or policy on a particular matter. | |
| Strike | The words "strike" or "stricken" refer to the Council's action on an ordinance or resolution that removes that ordinance or resolution from the meeting's agenda and from further consideration by the Council at that meeting. However, an ordinance or resolution that is stricken may be reintroduced and considered by the Council at a future meeting. | |
| Awards and Presentations Period | The Awards and Presentation Period usually immediately precedes the Citizen Comment Period during the public recognition portion of a regular Council meeting. The Council's Rules of Procedure limit the total time allotted for the presentation of awards, proclamations and other recognitions to fifteen minutes. Only council members and members of the city administration may present awards, proclamations and other recognitions during this period. Applause is only permitted during this portion of the Council meeting. | |
| Public Comment Period | The Public Comment Period is usually the last part of the public recognition portion of a regular Council meeting. It serves as a forum for citizens to address the Council on any topic that is not on the council's agenda for that meeting. The Council's Rules of Procedure limit the total length of the Public Comment Period to 30 minutes and the amount of time that each speaker may speak to a maximum of three minutes. | |
| Withdrawal |
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Click here to view the City of Richmond's Legislative Portal Insite Citizen Guide for Granicus.
Legistar Tutorial for Council Meetings on Computers
Learn how to access Richmond City Council meetings and related documents through Legistar on the City's website using a laptop or desktop computer.
Legistar Tutorial for Council Meetings on Mobile Devices
Learn how to access Richmond City Council meetings and related documents through Legistar on the City's website using a mobile device or tablet.
Last Updated: 10/24/2024
