A spokesperson for Mayor Levar Stoney’s administration says that if his RVA Stay tax relief plan is passed, Richmond’s finance department would administer the program.
For the past 11 months, the department’s been beset by staffing issues and billing accuracy problems.
Councilors on Tuesday will select one of three plans — including Stoney’s — that are being floated:
- maintain the real estate tax rate at $1.20 per $100 of assessed value, among the highest in the region
- reduce taxes by 4 cents to $1.16 per $100 of assessed value
- or a combination of keeping the $1.20 tax rate and providing relief through Stoney’s RVA Stay program
Richmond’s finance department also has recently been dogged by purchasing card violations and irregularities in personal property tax assessments.
The Richmond-Times Dispatch reported that during a September meeting, Finance director Sheila White said replacing her and Chief Administrative Officer Lincoln Saunders would disrupt the department. But Mayor-elect Danny Avula said in a press briefing this week that he plans to begin exploring the process of hiring a new CAO.
During his campaign, the mayor-elect said the city’s real estate tax needs to be reduced, but doesn’t consider it to be a day-one initiative.
Andrew “Gumby” Breton, who won the 1st District City Council race, told VPM News he preferred a tax relief or rebate program for residents. He won't have a vote, since new councilors won't be installed until January.
“I think probably the best solution is to give … them that tax relief, because the rebate is the same amount as the proposed tax reduction,” Breton said. “But it gives the new council — and the new mayor and the new CAO — the ability to have more options for deciding how we want to meet our goal.”
Overall, Breton said the city needs to improve its services and investigate other tax plans — like the land value tax Councilor Andreas Addison ran his mayoral campaign on. Addison won about 12% of the vote.
If the real estate rate is dropped to $1.16, Stoney’s RVA Stay program likely could not be implemented.
“The short answer is — no,” the city’s community engagement manager Shavonne Johnson said about whether the plan would function with a lower tax rate.
8th District Councilor Reva Trammell, who introduced the tax cut proposal, previously told VPM News she thinks the programs could still be implemented, even if the rate is reduced.
Regardless, Trammell said she has enough votes to pass her plan. (She won her re-election race with roughly 67% of the vote.)
City council will vote on the proposals during its Nov. 12 meeting. Richmond residents will have the opportunity to comment on the proposals during the meeting.
