The Richmond City Council Charter Review Commission has completed its Recommendations Report

On March 14, 2022, Richmond City Council established a public Richmond City Charter Review Commission, via Richmond City Council Ordinance # 2021-347. 

The purpose of the Commission was to make recommendations regarding potential revisions to the Richmond City Charter, which enumerates the governmental powers granted to the City of Richmond by the Virginia General Assembly. 

The Richmond City Charter Review Commission Recommendations Report has been completed and is available here in PDF format:

2023 Richmond City Council Charter Review Commission Recommendations Report

All Richmond residents are invited and encouraged to read the report and share their thoughts, ideas, and suggestions with the member of Council representing their Richmond Voter District.

From the Report:

August 2, 2023

To the Honorable Members of Richmond City Council and Mayor Stoney:
As per Ordinance 2021-347, as amended, the Richmond City Charter Review Commission is pleased to submit its final report for your consideration. It has been an honor to undertake this work on behalf of the residents of the City of Richmond. We have sought to the best of our abilities to fulfill the ordinance’s request for a comprehensive review of the City Charter, with special attention to the functioning of the current form of government.

Our final recommendations are grouped into four categories:

First, in Chapter Five, we specify recommended changes to the Charter document to remove unneeded or outdated language, add clarity, and to bring the City Charter in greater alignment with the Mayor-Council form of government and with prevailing state law and general practice. We believe that these recommendations should be brought forward by the City for action in the 2024 session of the Virginia General Assembly.

Second, we specify recommended adjustments to the Mayor-Council form of government that are intended to improve its functioning and create a stronger partnership between the Mayor, Chief Administrative Officer, and City Council in Chapter Six. While these recommendations should be discussed and carefully considered by stakeholders, it is the Commission’s recommendation that they also be brought forward as a package for action in the 2024 Virginia General Assembly. Adoption in 2024 would allow for a revised Mayor-Council framework to take effect at the start of the term of office beginning January 1, 2025.

Third, we recommend in Chapter Seven that City Council take steps to continue exploration of a shift in the form of government to a Council-Manager system, to include an elected full-time Mayor who presides over City Council. This report specifies what the Commission believes would be the best version of this model for Richmond: a seven-member Council including six districted representatives and a Mayor elected at-large via a ranked choice voting (instant runoff) process. The Commission recognizes that many challenging legal and organizational issues must be addressed to effect a change in the form of government, and also strongly believes that any such change should be preceded by an advisory referendum so that the voices of all City residents may be heard. For those reasons, while we believe the conversation should continue, it should do so deliberately, with careful attention to detail, and with many additional opportunities for engagement across the community so that residents may be fully informed and have the opportunity to be heard. Chapter Seven of the report lays out the reasoning for considering a shift in the form of government and details recommended next steps.

Fourth, we recommend that the City move forward with adopting staggered terms for members of City Council, beginning in 2028. Chapter Eight briefly lays out the reasoning for staggered terms as well as key questions to be resolved prior to their implementation.

We would like to thank Mayor Stoney, Chief Administrative Officer Lincoln Saunders, and the members of Richmond City Council for their cooperation with and support for the work of the Commission. We thank the Office of the City Attorney for its support of the Commission, in particular Deputy City Attorney Tabrica Rentz and Assistant City Attorney Tori Cotman. We thank Council Chief of Staff LaTesha Holmes and Council Public Information Manager Steven Skinner for their extensive support of the Commission’s work. We especially thank Council Policy Analyst Joyce Davis, who served as the Commission’s principal staff contact and played an indispensable role in shepherding the Commission through each stage of our work.

We also acknowledge and thank Mr. Walter Erwin for providing a detailed legal analysis of the Charter on behalf of the Commission, as well as Professor Andrew Block of the University of Virginia School of Law State and Local Government Policy Clinic and law students Maya Artis and Michael Pruitt for their detailed literature review on municipal forms of government provided to the Commission.

Finally, we thank the many Richmond City residents who engaged the Commission’s work by completing a survey, submitting written comment, or offering public comment at the Commission’s meetings.

This report represents our best effort as a Commission and as a group of community members who care deeply about the City. We thank you for reviewing it carefully, in hopes it leads both to timely action as well as further public discussion concerning how best to realize the practice of representative self-government in the City of Richmond.

Faithfully submitted,

Members of the Richmond City Charter Review Commission
Mr. Antoine Banks, Secretary
Ms. Rachael Deane, Esq., Vice-Chair
Mr. William Echelberger
Mr. Kyle Elliott, Esq.
Mr. John Girardi
Mr. Travis Gunn, Esq.
Mr. Steven Koski, Esq.
Ms. Daisy Weaver
Dr. Thad Williamson, Chair

2023 Richmond City Council Charter Review Commission Recommendations Report

Engagement 

The Richmond City Charter Review Commission has invited, encouraged, and welcomed Richmond residents to share their thoughts, ideas and suggestions regarding potential changes to the Richmond City Charter - and thanks all those who engaged and participated through its website, numerous public meetings, social media, survey, emails, conversations, support, and thoughtfulness throughout the process.

Richmond City Charter Review Commission Survey — The survey has ended.

Thank you everyone for your amazing engagement in this process by taking the Survey!

Survey run:
Fri, May 19, 2023 - Wed, June 21, 2023

Richmond City Charter Review Commission Information Portal

Richmond City Council Ordinance # 2021-347 established a Richmond City Charter Review Commission, comprised of nine community members, to conduct a comprehensive review of and make recommendations for revisions to the Richmond City Charter, which enumerates the governmental powers granted to the City of Richmond by the Virginia General Assembly. 

     Richmond residents are invited and encouraged to participate in this important process and to share their thoughts, suggestion, and questions with the Richmond City Charter Review Commission, which will include sessions in which various draft Charter recommendations will be presented to gather, elicit, and obtain public input, feedback, and comments.

Plans for the Richmond City Charter Review Commission include:

• Holding monthly work meetings – open to the public – Schedule TBA.
• Establishing a public information website.
• Designing a short resident survey.
• Creating a web portal for transmission of written comments and statements.
• Holding multiple public input sessions during the spring in which various draft Charter recommendations will be presented in order to elicit and obtain public input, feedback, and comments – open to the public – Schedule TBA.

     The Commission will submit its final recommendations in a report to Council and the Mayor later this year.