Release: Building a Thriving Richmond: Mayor Danny Avula’s plan to build better schools for more kids, ease tax burdens for the long-term
Proposal would accelerate school construction, direct immediate support for RPS budget shortfall, and provide targeted tax relief
Mayor Danny Avula today announced his plan to build better schools for more Richmond kids while easing tax burdens on Richmond residents for the long-term.
His plan supports a proposal that would allow Richmond voters to decide this November whether to approve a 1% local sales tax dedicated to school construction and renovation, generating an estimated $47 million every year to accelerate building schools for Richmond Public Schools.
The proposal, made possible by legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly and signed by the Governor, could support up to $850 million in school capital projects through 2034. Currently, Virginia exempts groceries, essential personal hygiene products, and prescription medicines from the additional local sales tax.
Mayor Avula will also submit a budget amendment appropriating the City's $4.78 million lodging tax rebate to help address Richmond Public Schools' current budget gap and will ask the RPS School Board to develop a long-term facilities plan with public input to guide future investments.
Additionally, Mayor Avula announced that, if the 1% local option sales tax for school construction is passed by voters in November, he will introduce legislation to reduce the meals tax by one percentage point from 7.5% to 6.5%, and 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.
Richmond has not lowered its real estate tax since 2008.
“Richmond has a rare opportunity to build modern schools more quickly than we ever thought possible, without sacrificing investments in other critical city priorities,” said Mayor Danny Avula. “If voters approve this plan, I’ll also pursue a one-percentage point reduction in the meals tax and a one-cent reduction in the real estate tax. I know these are modest reductions, but they move us in the right direction by demonstrating fiscal discipline, planning for the long-term, and returning money to taxpayers while making investments for our children's futures.”
“This proposal is about giving Richmond residents the opportunity to decide whether we should create a dedicated long-term source of funding to build and renovate our school facilities,” said Richmond City Councilmember Cynthia Newbille. “For too many years we face the same challenge of trying to find enough funding to address significant needs in our school buildings. This gives our community – Richmond residents – the chance to weigh in on a different path forward.”
Of the long-term facilities plan, and the opportunity to build better schools for more children, RPS School Board Chair Shavonda Fernandez said, “We are looking forward to that collaboration and open to the many ideas that will come from it.”
“This is a generational, life changing opportunity for the children. We say at Richmond, that our motto is to teach, leave, and serve with love, and I can't think of any better way to show how much we love our children than giving them buildings that are worthy of them,” said RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras.
Said Ebonie Ricks Buckingham, parent of children at RPS schools, “ Every one of us knows what it feels like to walk into our children's schools and see both the magic and the need. Our kids show up with curiosity, creativity, and big dreams, but too many of our buildings are, aging, patched together and simply not built for the kind of learning environment they deserve. We've been stretching the same dollars for years. This upcoming referendum matters to me as a parent; it's about giving our children safe modern schools without placing the entire burden on homeowners and small businesses.”
City Council will consider the 1% local option real estate tax proposal at their July 27th meeting.
