Remarks, as prepared
Good afternoon, friends, thank you so much for being here today and, thank you, President Newbille.
Since taking office, I’ve talked a lot about building a thriving Richmond.
Part of my vision for a thriving Richmond is one where children learn in great schools. Where families can afford to stay in their neighborhoods. Where businesses choose to invest. Where opportunity reaches every neighborhood.
These are the pillars that guide my administration and guide the decisions we make every day.
Today, I want to share a plan that advances two important pillars at the same time:
Helping our children thrive by investing in the modern schools, while also easing the tax burden where we reasonably can.
Too many of our students spend their school days in buildings that are worn down and have persistent problems due to decades of deferred maintenance.
Ten school buildings in our city are more than a century old!
A century ago:
- Calvin Coolidge was president of the United States!
- And Americans were still sending 100s of millions of telegrams
Many of the buildings we have today, have served generations of students. But they weren’t built for the needs of today.
An assessment completed by RPS in 2024 documented persistent problems with roofing, HVAC systems, and general wear and tear in school after school.
Just two months ago, a faulty HVAC system caused flooding at the long-outdated former George Wythe High School building.
Ask any RPS teacher or parent or student and they will tell you-- our schools are full of talent and hard work and dedication, but the facilities don't always measure up.
Without a faster path forward, another generation of children will spend most of their educational years in facilities that simply don't meet the standard that we aspire to.
But now-- thanks to the Governor and General Assembly, and the support of so many here today-- we have a rare and unique opportunity to rapidly accelerate our work of building better schools for more students.
A dedicated one percent local sales tax for school construction creates a steady funding source expected to generate roughly $47 million every year—and that number should rise over time.
And that revenue can finance as much as $850 million of school construction by the year 2034.
This helps us break the cycle of asking generation after generation of students to learn in aging, outdated facilities.
Instead, it allows us to give Richmond’s kids the best learning environment they could possibly have.
A consistent revenue stream also frees up General Fund dollars to meet other major infrastructure needs - such as water, public housing redevelopment, investments in safer streets, upgrades to our courthouse, and lots of other areas of deferred maintenance that we are trying to address.
I want to be extremely clear:
if this is approved by voters, it will allow us to build sooner instead of asking another generation of students to wait.
And I firmly believe Richmond’s voters do not want our students to wait.
I want to thank City Council and the School Board for the work they've already done to get us here – Council, for introducing a resolution a few weeks ago expressing your support, thank you, President Newbille, Vice President Jordan, and Councilmember Breton for patroning that resolution
And, School Board, for unanimously endorsing adding this referendum to the ballot this November.
When Council meets on Monday, July 27 th , I strongly encourage them to advance the resolution so Richmond voters can decide on this in November.
While voters consider this long-term investment, we also have work to do to support schools today:
I’ll be submitting a budget amendment to appropriate the $4.78 million of the City’s lodging tax rebate to help close the school budget gap they announced earlier this month.
This is a big move that we are making immediately for the benefit of our students.
Of course, every new dollar should come with accountability.
If we're asking Richmond residents to approve a new tax —even for something as important as schools— we want you to be confident that those dollars will be stewarded well and invested thoughtfully.
That’s why I’m also asking the School Board, with input and participation of my administration, the Council, and the public, to develop a long-term facilities plan that leans on long-range planning and robust public input.
This long-term facilities plan has got to:
- prioritize the right projects,
- Consider multiple funding sources
- And maximize every dollar
Building a thriving Richmond means thinking beyond the challenge immediately in front of us.
Everywhere I go I hear the same things from Richmonders:
They are feeling the strain of higher costs. Families are watching every dollar. Restaurants are turning to social media to stay afloat. Homeowners are struggling with a competitive market and higher assessments.
If we are asking Richmonders to approve a new tax, then we should also look for every opportunity to pair that with a reduced tax somewhere else.
That’s why, if voters approve a referendum in November, I will introduce legislation to reduce the meals tax by one percentage point from 7.5% to 6.5%.
The local restaurant scene is a huge part of what makes Richmond so special, and we are so grateful for them. Since 2018 those restaurants and their customers have been helping build schools.
I am proposing this one percent reduction in the meals tax so that we do not add even more to the burden that our incredible restaurant community has shouldered.
In addition, I will commit to presenting a budget in March that is built on lowering the real estate tax by one cent from its current $1.20 to $1.19.
We have not lowered our real estate tax in Richmond since 2008.
I know this is only a small reduction, but moves us in the right direction to show fiscal discipline, long term planning, and returns money to the tax payer.
I want to take a few extra moments to dig into what the plan actually accomplishes:
- If approved, the local option sales tax would generate approximately $47.5 million a year beginning in FY 2028.
- A total of $850 million would be available for school capital projects between 2028 and 2034, compared to $450 million under the current plan.
- Our current plan includes 4 phases—phases 1 and 2 that are primarily supported by the meals tax, and Phases 3 and 4 (that next $450M) that are entirely dependent on the general fund
- This new plan opens the door to almost twice as much investment, $850M, in the same time frame, WITHOUT HAVING TO RELY ON THE GENERAL FUND.
- The new sales tax would enhance, not replace, the City’s existing commitment to our schools.
- It lowers the real estate tax which is paid solely by Richmonders, and leverages a dedicated funding source that is paid for in significant part by non-residents
This plan reflects the kind of city we are trying to build.
It will make it possible for us to make massive investments in our children, while preserving services to our community.
It asks more people to share in building Richmond’s future.
It builds schools sooner. And it gives us a more sustainable way to pay for them.
It lowers taxes where we can.
It protects our ability to invest in other priority areas that residents care about.
It pairs opportunity with accountability.
That’s how we build a thriving Richmond. And if our residents endorse this plan in November, that's exactly what we'll deliver together.
Thank you.
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