I love Brown’s Island. In 25 years of living in the city, I have spent a lot of memorable moments here. It's where I bring my kids regularly. My son is a kayak instructor for Passages and spent many summers here on the river by Brown’s Island. It's where I bring friends and out of town family when they're visiting Richmond. Every week, people ask me what I love about Richmond, and I say that the T. Potterfield Bridge is my favorite thing in this city. This place holds a lot of importance and value, and to see what is about to happen here is incredibly encouraging.  

One of the things that I did coming into this job was build our strategy around 7 pillars. One of those pillars is being a city that tells our stories. I often take the opportunity, when we're doing something new or when we're cutting a ribbon, to look back and to talk about the history of a place. Brown's Island is named after its first settler, Elijah Brown, who acquired the land back in 1826. During the Civil War, this island was home to something called the Confederate States Laboratory. This is where women and children worked to produce the ammunition and other military supplies for the Confederate cause. It's a reminder of the fact that this island, like so many other aspects of our city, has a history that's really complicated and sometimes painful to parts of our community. Every chapter of Richmond’s story, even the hard ones, informs who we are now, and who we are becoming together.
We are a city that tells its stories, and we learn from them, and in doing so, we move towards healing. We double down on our commitment to being an inclusive city and to creating meaningful opportunity for every Richmonder, especially those who have been historically marginalized.  

As the years progressed, Brown’s Island continued to evolve.
In 1894, the Richmond Union Passenger Railway built a coal power plant on the island. In 1899, Dominion Virginia Power operated a hydroelectric plant that ran off the Haxall Canal, which led to the construction of the Brown’s Island Dam. Then, in the late 20th century, the Albemarle Paper Company, now Newmarket Corporation, operated a paper mill here.
There's been a lot happening in this space. In 1987, in an act of civic generosity that changed the course of Richmond’s riverfront, Newmarket gifted the land to the city of Richmond. That has led to the Brown’s Island that we know today, a park that is preserved and that has given us the opportunity to share this incredible space and these beautiful views with everyone. 
 

Today we continue in that spirit of civic generosity and public private partnership, where the city and our private community come together. Thank you to all who helped to make today happen.  

Richmond, VA - The City of Richmond is pleased to announce the hiring of Ken Martinez as the new Director of Revenue Administration in the Department of Finance. A seasoned municipal finance professional with over 23 years of experience, Martinez brings deep expertise in revenue management, taxpayer service, and tax administration to the role.

Martinez has spent his career working across the full spectrum of revenue administration, from public-facing taxpayer service to auditing, enforcement, and policy development. Most recently, he served in audit and collection leadership roles with the Treasury Division at the City and County of Denver and other Colorado municipalities, where he developed innovative training programs and procedures that significantly increased productivity and streamlined operations.

Throughout his career, Martinez has demonstrated a talent for both technical excellence and operational efficiency. He led a high-productivity audit unit that collected nearly $150 million over a three-year period and managed processes for collecting property tax revenues of approximately $180 million annually. His approach emphasizes transparency and clear communication, he drafted tax ordinance sections, tax guides, and rules, and managed the external tax guidance revision process to ensure taxpayers could easily understand their obligations.

"Ken Martinez brings the unique experiences and expertise we need in order to continue strengthening revenue administration functions," said Odie Donald II, Chief Administrative Officer. "I'm confident that Richmonders will benefit from his unshakeable demeanor, distinguished track record of effective revenue administration, and genuine commitment to white-glove customer service.

"We're excited to welcome Ken to our team," said Letitia Shelton, Director of Finance. "Revenue Administration touches every business and property owner in our city, and Ken's extensive experience in taxpayer service, collections, and compliance will help us serve our community more effectively. His collaborative approach and deep understanding of municipal finance will be invaluable as we continue improving our operations."

"I'm honored to join the City of Richmond and contribute to its financial health and stability," said Martinez. "Effective revenue administration is fundamental to delivering the services Richmonders deserve, and I look forward to the opportunity of serving the residents along with the rest of the City Finance team"

Martinez holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and an MBA with honors from Western New Mexico University.

Martinez's first day with the City of Richmond will be December 15.

Richmond, VA - On Monday, December 1, the City of Richmond Finance Department issued real estate tax bills to more than 70,000 property owners across the city, marking the first annual real estate billing cycle of the Avula Administration and a significant operational milestone for City Hall.

The 2026 real estate tax bills represent approximately $530.7 million in revenue across 76,592 parcels with a total assessed value of more than $55.9 billion. Bills were delivered via mail, email, and directly to mortgage companies. The first-half payments, which total approximately $256 million, are due January 14, 2026.

"Getting the basics right matters," said Mayor Danny Avula. "Historically, the city hasn't always hit the mark on the fundamentals, and Richmonders feel that. On-time bills may seem simple, but they're core to trust and confidence. When something isn't working, my job is to name it and fix it. When City Hall delivers efficiently and reliably for the people we serve, we build momentum to take on the big things our residents deserve."

"Residents depend on reliable, on-time service delivery. This reliability includes billing," said Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II. "Today's milestone highlights our commitment to get things right the first time, the early strides made by our finance leaders, and the type of steady progress that makes City Hall work better for everyone."

The on-time issuance reflects months of coordination across the Finance Department and represents a meaningful improvement in the Department's operations and a sign of increased reliability.

"This reflects our commitment to supporting residents with timely, dependable service," said Tanikia Jackson, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Finance and Administration. "Our staff worked thoughtfully to strengthen this process, and I'm grateful for their dedication. Delivering bills on time helps ensure our community has what it needs to plan confidently."

Property owners with questions about their bills can contact RVA311 by dialing 311 within city limits, (804) 646-7000 from outside the city, or visiting rva311.com.

Posted November 26, 2025

~ New speed management upgrades support the City’s Vision Zero commitment ~

RICHMOND, VA – The Department of Public Works (DPW) will begin installing speed tables next week on three High Injury Network (HIN) corridors: Main Street, Ellwood Avenue and Cary Street. This project is part of Richmond’s ongoing Vision Zero efforts to reduce crashes and create safer streets for all people. Construction is slated to begin December 1, weather permitting. 

The project will include:

• The installation of multiple speed tables along each corridor
  
  • Cary Street between Arthur Ashe Boulevard and Harrison Street (three speed tables)
  • Ellwood Avenue between Arthur Ashe Boulevard and Thompson Street (two speed tables)
  • Main Street between Harrison Street and Arthur Ashe Boulevard (three speed tables)
• New pavement markings and advance warning signs

This infrastructure improvement project is another significant step in advancing Richmond’s Vision Zero goals, which aim to eliminate traffic-related deaths and serious injuries. This project will improve safe access to shopping, transit, jobs, and housing to boost economic development for people of all ages and abilities.

“With these quick-build tools like speed tables, we're tackling the tough spots head-on,” said Michael B. Sawyer, City Transportation Engineer. “Building streets that serve walking, biking, and transit fairly while cutting down on those heartbreaking car crashes that tear families apart in Richmond.”

Traffic calming measures are a cornerstone of Richmond’s Vision Zero initiative. Speed tables are a proven tool that will help reduce speeds and prevent serious crashes. By physically encouraging drivers to reduce speed, the speed tables can reduce speeds by 18 to 50 percent and reduce collisions by up to 28 percent, significantly improving safety.

To learn more about Vision Zero, visit rva.gov/visionzero to explore resources, safety initiatives, and interactive data dashboards tracking progress toward eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries in Richmond.

We’re Social! For updates on activities and events visit us on (X) @DPW_RichmondVA

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The City of Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW) is one of only 225 currently accredited public works agencies in the United States. DPW’s portfolio comprises a wide array of services to include leaf collection; street, sidewalk and alley maintenance; trash collection; recycling; grass cutting; graffiti removal; parking enforcement; urban forestry; street signs; traffic signals and pavement markings and civil engineering. In addition, DPW issues permits for working in the city’s right-of-way; manages Main Street Station, the RVA Bike Share program. DPW’s operating budget comes from the general fund of the City of Richmond.  For more information about DPW services, click here or call 3-1-1