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.

###