Following the unanimous vote on Monday, June 22, Mayor Danny Avula expressed his thanks to City Council and labor partners for their collaboration in approving updates to the City’s collective bargaining ordinance, reaffirming the City's commitment to a fair, transparent, and effective bargaining process for City employees.  

“Building a thriving City Hall that meets community needs and delivers results starts with investing in the people who keep Richmond running every day,” said Mayor Danny Avula. “I’m grateful to our labor partners, City Council, and all those who helped shape and advance these amendments. Collective bargaining has strengthened our workforce and helped us better serve residents. Tonight’s vote reinforces Richmond’s commitment to supporting City employees and building a stronger City for everyone." 

“I’m proud of the updates we passed tonight to strengthen Richmond’s collective bargaining ordinance. These amendments are the result of teamwork – City Council together with our partners in Labor and the Administration all had a hand in tonight’s legislation. Richmond is committed to continuing to lead in public sector collective bargaining and this legislation is proof of our continued work together to strengthen our workforce and ensure best in class city services,” said Councilmember Stephanie Lynch, 5th Voter District.  

“The updates passed tonight to Richmond’s CBO build on our work over the past few years and reaffirm and clarify how the voices of our members will be part of the conversation for the next round of collective bargaining in Richmond,” said Keith Andes, President of the Richmond Professional Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 995.  

"SEIU is grateful for the diligent work behind the amendments adopted tonight. The ordinance adopted reflects what we all understood from the beginning: collective bargaining works best when workers have consistent rights and processes," said Lanoral Thomas, SEIU Local 512. 

“Today’s vote is a unique opportunity to demonstrate what good government looks like,” said Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II. “Continuous quality improvement starts with investing in our workforce and living out our commitment to put people first, always. Everyone who works for the City deserves fair pay for a hard day's work.”  

The FY25 Payment Register is available on the City’s Open Data Portal 

Richmond, VA - Mayor Danny Avula today released the City’s Fiscal Year 2025 Payment Register, providing the public with access to information about City expenditures.  

The Payment Register for Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025) contains 231,933 rows of payment data. All rows were reviewed to ensure private or sensitive personal data would not be unintentionally disclosed. 

151,972 rows of payment data, or 66% of all payment data, required manual review. These data were divided and distributed to City departments and organizational units for review. At the conclusion of that manual review process, 2,799 rows were partially redacted. 

79,961 (34%) rows contained private or sensitive payment data which could be redacted automatically, including social services payments, tax payments, and juror payments.  

Redactions are performed as required by law or as permitted under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.  

Earlier this year, Mayor Danny Avula introduced ORD. 2026-081 to establish an updated approach for publishing the payment register. The proposed ordinance would require the City to publish payment data, while excluding information that is protected from disclosure by law or may be withheld under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Under the proposed ordinance, the published payment register would include:  

• the City department making the payment,  
• the vendor or individual receiving the payment,  
• the total amount paid, and  
• the applicable cost center.  

The legislation will be considered by City Council’s Finance and Economic Development Committee Meeting on July 15.  

The FY25 Payment Register can be found in the City’s Open Data Portal. To download, click on the Export button upper right-hand corner. 

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In celebration of National Immigrant Heritage Month, the City of Richmond's Office of Immigrant and Refugee Engagement, in partnership with Henrico County's Multicultural Engagement Division and ReEstablish Richmond, proudly invite residents from across the region to attend the Multicultural Festival 2026.

This free event will take place on Saturday, June 27, 2026, from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Richmond Raceway Expo Hall 1 (600 E. Laburnum Ave, Richmond, VA 23222), located in Henrico County. 

Led by the City of Richmond and made possible through strong regional partnerships, the Multicultural Festival reflects a shared commitment to creating welcoming communities where all residents feel valued, connected, and empowered to participate fully in civic life. Immigrants and refugees play an important role in shaping the Richmond region. They contribute to our local economy, enrich our cultural life, strengthen neighborhoods, open businesses, and help make our communities more vibrant and connected.

According to the US Census American Community Survey, foreign-born residents currently make up roughly 14% of Henrico County's population and nearly 9% of Richmond’s population, driving the region’s cultural evolution, population growth, and economic vitality.

While anchoring our celebration of National Immigrant Heritage Month, the Multicultural Festival reflects a broader regional vision. The event honors the full spectrum of cultural heritage defining Greater Richmond—bridging the traditions of indigenous populations and longtime residents with those of our newest neighbors. In this spirit of interconnectedness, the festival also recognizes World Refugee Day (June 20), celebrating the profound courage, resilience, and contributions of refugees who have rebuilt their lives and strengthened our region. 

"The face of Richmond has changed over the last twenty years, and we have seen immigrants become a much bigger part of our story,” said Mayor Danny Avula. “We want to ensure they feel welcomed, because it is important not only for their lives, but for the identity of our city. It has been remarkable to witness this growth and the emergence of so many new immigrant voices. It is because of their presence, resilience, and the opportunities so many of our immigrant neighbors pursue that we are a much more vibrant city."

“The Multicultural Festival presents a wonderful opportunity for us to come together, neighbor to neighbor, to celebrate the cultural richness of our region,” Henrico Board of Supervisors Chair Roscoe D. Cooper III said. “We know that our youth, families and communities are stronger, healthier and happier when everyone feels welcomed, connected and encouraged to fully engage in civic life. Whether you’re a longtime resident of our region or a newcomer, the festival offers the perfect backdrop to enhance our appreciation of each other’s experiences while also recognizing our shared humanity.”

ReEstablish Richmond plays a significant role in mobilizing volunteers for the event this year:

“What makes this festival so special is that while the Richmond region has a ton of cultural events, rarely can you come to one spot and experience the true breadth of diversity that is our multicultural community,” says Will Cumbia, Outreach and Volunteer Manager of ReEstablish Richmond.  “Where else can you nibble on empanadas while chatting with folks at the Sudanese display with a Chinese choir serenading you from the stage? This festival is for everyone--a unique display of mutual hospitality. We want longtime Richmonders to show up, connect, and celebrate their newcomer neighbors, inviting one another into a deeper experience of being here at home.”

The Multicultural Festival serves as the grand finale for National Immigrant Month, bringing people together for a day packed with community spirit, connection, and culture. Attendees can look forward to a dynamic lineup of activities, including authentic food, vibrant music, live performances and dances, arts, crafts, local vendors and community resources.  

The event is made possible through the generous support of corporate and community sponsors, including Dominion Energy, Sheetz, Virginia Housing, Virginia Humanities, Super Radiator Coils, Dyer Immigration Law Group, and Ultra Radio Richmond. 

For more information about the Multicultural Festival, including vendors and itinerary visit: Multicultural Festival 2026 — ReEstablish Richmond 

About the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Engagement 

The City of Richmond's Office of Immigrant and Refugee Engagement works to build a more welcoming, inclusive, and connected city by strengthening relationships between immigrant and refugee communities and local government. Through language access, community engagement, education, resource navigation, and strategic partnerships, OIRE helps ensure all residents can access services, participate in civic life, and thrive in Richmond.

About the Henrico Multicultural Engagement Division

As part of the Henrico County Outreach and Engagement Agency, the Multicultural Engagement Division works to build trusted relationships, create opportunities for engagement, and foster belonging among Henrico's diverse cultural, immigrant, refugee, LGBTQIA+, and all ability communities. This work supports the agency's broader mission of enriching the lives of those who live, work, and play in Henrico through community engagement, education, resources, and equitable access to opportunities.

About ReEstablish Richmond                                                         

ReEstablish Richmond helps refugees and immigrants integrate into the Greater Richmond area by offering essential tools like English classes, driver’s education, and navigation of local services. Functioning as a regional resource hub, the organization drives regional collaboration by partnering with local service providers, volunteers, and stakeholders—such as the International Rescue Committee and Sacred Heart Center—to build a unified network of support across Henrico, Chesterfield and the City of Richmond.

Richmond, VA — The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is providing customers with an update regarding billing and payment processing issues that have occurred following the launch of its new customer service systems on May 26, 2026.

The new systems, implemented after a multi-year planning, development and implementation effort, successfully achieved several major milestones, including the accurate conversion of customer account data and the successful deployment of core system functionality. Since launch, however, DPU has identified issues involving third-party billing and payment processing vendors that have affected some customer accounts.

As soon as these issues were identified, DPU began working closely with its vendors to investigate and resolve them as quickly as possible. While many issues have already been addressed, DPU continues to work diligently to ensure all remaining concerns are resolved and customers receive accurate account information.

To help customers better understand the issues and find answers to common questions, DPU has published a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) resource that provides detailed information about payment posting delays, late fees, account balances and other related topics.

Customers can view the Payment Processing FAQs here.

DPU appreciates the patience and understanding of its customers as these issues are addressed and remains committed to delivering reliable, responsive customer service.

About The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities
The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities provides natural gas, water, wastewater, stormwater and streetlight services to more than 500,000 customers in the Richmond metropolitan area. DPU is committed to safety, reliability and innovation in delivering essential utility services that support the city’s residents, businesses and environment.

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Richmond, VA — The City of Richmond is launching “People’s Day: We’re Here to Help,” in partnership with the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer. The new series is designed to provide residents with direct, in person access to City leadership, customer service teams, and resource support across multiple departments.

Each People’s Day will focus on a key community priority. Future sessions will include senior needs, youth services and tax payments.

The first People’s Day focuses primarily on utility services and will offer residents one on one assistance, the opportunity to speak directly with the city’s executive leadership including the CAO, DCAOs, DPU leadership and other senior leaders, while providing space to raise other customer service concerns across the City, including payment support service.

People’s Day: We’re Here to Help 
Tuesday, June 23 
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. 
City Hall

Wednesday, June 24 
5 p.m. – 7 p.m. 
Southside Community Services Center

Residents are welcome to bring any concern or service question, not just utility related issues. Registration is encouraged to help with staffing preparation but is not required. Residents can register here.

Why People’s Day Is Launching Now 
The City of Richmond is currently implementing several major technology upgrades across departments to improve service long term. While these improvements are important, nothing replaces in person customer service. People’s Day exists to ensure residents always have a direct line to help when they need it.

These improvements include DPU’s recent transition to an upgraded customer information system, designed to improve accuracy, reliability and access for residents.

During the DPU system transition, some customers experienced delays in payment posting. The issue was quickly identified and the City has taken several steps to support customers during the update, including:

• Temporarily suspending utility disconnections 
• Pausing flow restrictor installations 
• Automatically removing related late fees 
• Ensuring confirmed payments are applied without requiring customers to resubmit

“At DPU, our priority is our customers,” said Scott Morris, Senior Director of the Department of Public Utilities. “As we identify technical glitches with our new systems, our teams work around the clock to fix them. We appreciate residents’ patience, and we remain committed to transparency, responsiveness and doing right by our community.”

“City Hall and all City service sites are, and always will be, the people’s house. People’s Day reflects the City’s commitment to the Mayor’s directive to create a thriving city hall that is accessible and resident centered,” said Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II. “This is the first of many opportunities for us to meet people where they are and provide the responsive service our community deserves. It’s also good operational practice: hearing directly from residents helps us strengthen our systems, improve coordination and continuously deliver better results.”

Looking Ahead  
The City will continue to host People’s Day events throughout the year, each tailored to a different community need. Details on future dates and focus areas will be shared in advance of each event. 

Residents with questions about their utility account may contact DPU Customer Service at 804 646 4646, [email protected] or visit rva.gov/public-utilities.

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