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: FILE PHOTO: Richmond City Hall (Crixell Matthews/VPM) Despite the pandemic and resulting economic recession, Richmond City Council passed a $774 million budget for FY2022 that includes pay raises for employees. The budget first presented by Mayor Levar Stoney in March was lean. While it maintained funding for the city’s essential services and departments, it was $18 million lighter than last year. Budget officials said that was due to declining meals, admissions and lodging tax revenues. “The ongoing pandemic has decimated the finances of cities and states alike, and the City of Richmond is no exception,” Stoney said at the time. “To be sure, this is a Pandemic-era Budget, and city tax revenue projections are still significantly short of what we projected at this time last year.” ....
Richmond Mayor Proposes 2022 Budget With Little New Spending FILE: Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney speaking to City Council during last year s budgeting process. (Photo: Roberto Roldan/VPM News) Mayor Levar Stoney presented a lean $770 million budget proposal to Richmond City Council Friday afternoon. The budget was about $18 million lighter compared to last year, excluding one-time grant funding. City officials say the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns drove down revenue from consumer-driven taxes like admissions, meals and lodging. Instead of funding new programs and priorities, the city’s budget staff were asked to find ways to maintain funding for core government services. ....