Crews work on fixing a water main water main on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 at South 7th Street in Richmond, Virginia.
Members also received an update on the city’s water treatment plant Monday.
In a 6–2 vote Monday night, Richmond City Council passed a proposal to institute a 5-cent tax per plastic bag on purchases at grocery, drug and convenience stores in the city starting January 1, 2026. 6th District Councilor Ellen Robertson and 8th District Councilor Reva Trammell voted against the proposal, while 9th District Councilor Nicole Jones abstained.
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Ninth district council member Nicole Jones, laughs as Eighth district council member Reva Trammell gives remarks on the proposed 5 cents tax on plastic grocery bag during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
Laura Thomas, director of Richmond’s Office of Sustainability, said the bag tax — designed to reduce chronic litter in the city — would reduce capital maintenance costs and improve the city’s overall environmental quality.
The city will keep 4 cents from each bag, with the retailer keeping the remaining cent through a tax deduction. Thomas said the plastic bag tax is expected to generate nearly $400,000 in its first year.
The bag tax revenue will be used to support environmental cleanups, develop education programs designed to reduce environmental waste, mitigate pollution and litter, and provide reusable bags to recipients of the SNAP and WIC food assistance programs.
Robertson said she couldn’t support a city-wide tax on plastic bags when low-income residents are struggling to access grocery stores in the city.
“Most of the time when we go to the grocery store, because we don't have any grocery stores in our neighborhood, all of our neighborhoods are food deserts,” Robertson said. “So, who's going to pay the tax is the convenience stores.”
No vote on police cameras
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Sixth district council member Ellen Robertson listens along Ninth district council member Nicole Jones as they debate Police cameras during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia. The resolution calls for a study and installation of speed cameras at high-risk intersections, such as the 600 and 700 blocks of South Belvidere Street.
Council did not hold a final vote on expanding the city’s Safe Camera Program in partnership with the Richmond Police Department. The resolution calls for a study and installation of speed cameras at high-risk intersections, such as the 600 and 700 blocks of South Belvidere Street.
Jones acknowledged that Richmond is facing a pedestrian safety issue, but said there was a key component missing from the proposal.
“We want more speed cameras, but with those speed cameras, we need equity,” Jones said. “We need to ensure that as a part of this process, we are doing an equity analysis, instead of just putting up a bunch of speed cameras.”
Jones said she supported the idea of more cameras, but wanted to ensure equity and transparency. She also called for council to work towards an implementation plan that includes a review of the impact of existing traffic cameras in the city.
“I want to make sure that folks are educated,” Jones said. “I don't want folks coming out of their house and a camera is somewhere, and we didn't let them know it.”
Robertson said the required study has already been completed, but has not been made public. She questioned the cost of putting the resolution into place.
Council ultimately opted to continue the proposal to its June 9 meeting for further discussion.
“This is a failure of leadership”
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Andre Tolleris gives remarks during public comment during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
“I, like many others in the city, am tired,” Richmond resident Andre Tolleris said at Monday night’s meeting. “Tired of having to boil water twice in five months. Tired of living in a city where the most basic public health standard — clean, safe drinking water — is not a guarantee.”
The water crisis was a pressing topic Monday, at a meeting rescheduled following last week’s multiday boil water advisory.
Tolleris told veteran councilors the water treatment plant failure happened on their watch, as infrastructure doesn’t fail overnight.
“This is not just an inconvenience. This is a failure of leadership. This isn't about bad luck. It's not about weather events. It's about decades of neglect,” Tolleris said.
During Monday’s informal meeting, Scott Morris, director of the city’s Department of Public Utilities, addressed councilors’ concerns about the city’s water treatment plant, including questions about infrastructure, drinking water quality and reliability.
Overall, Morris said he was “pleased” with how DPU staff communicated and took action during the latest disturbance — action he said preserved the health of the community at large.
“Staff did the right thing, which is taking [filters] offline to make sure that the purity of the water is maintained, and then also reaching out to our regional partners, asking them to reduce demand requests so that they can sustain the system as long as possible,” Morris said.
Since last Tuesday’s incident, Morris said DPU has implemented several corrective actions, including emphasizing preventive maintenance and reviewing potential optimization for filter and backwash systems. DPU staff will also now be required to provide a monthly report on critical infrastructure that is in repair or out of service.
Now that DPU is no longer in “reactive mode,” 1st District Councilor Andrew Breton asked Morris to address the “bigger picture” of the future of DPU and plans for reliability of Richmond’s water infrastructure rather than just addressing problems as they happen.
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First district council member Andrew "Gumby" Breton leaves after a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
“We can't necessarily just snap our fingers and all of a sudden all the procedures are much better than they were last year, right?” Breton said. “But knowing the path and the amount of time it's going to take to get there is really going to help people see and understand how long until they know that the water will always be reliable and that their bills will always be reliable.”
Morris provided council with a copy of DPU’s 10-year master plan, though he did not discuss it in detail during his presentation. The plan’s phases consists of foundation building; modernization of the core system; resilience and optimization; and long-term sustainability.
Morris has proposed replacing the plant’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system — which automatically monitors processes and collects data on operations at the plant — in 2026. The SCADA system is responsible for setting the switchgear to “summer mode,” limiting the risk of a complete power outage like the plant experienced in January — when it plant was operating in “winter mode.”
Morris said correcting problems at DPU is going to be an “uphill battle” and a “bumpy road,” as the department changes how it does business. Despite this, Morris assured the council he is here for “the long haul.”
He downplayed questions about whether Richmond would seek to form a regional water authority with neighboring counties — Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico all get at least some amount of water from the city’s supply — saying those discussions would be the purview of council and the city administration.
“I don't know where those conversations are going to go, but my overall end goal is to make sure that this is both protective of the city of Richmond residents, but also our regional partners as well,” Morris said.
Morris is set to provide a deeper dive on DPU’s master plan during the Organizational Development Committee meeting on July 1.
1 of 24 — Council member Lynch smiles as she listens
Fifth district council member Stephanie Lynch smiles as she listens to public comments during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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2 of 24 — Council member Gibson laughs as she sits on the dais with the rest of the council
Third district council member Kenya Gibson laughs as she listens to public comments along other council members during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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3 of 24 — Council meets in their chambers
The Richmond City Council meets on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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4 of 24 — Tolleris gives remarks
Andre Tolleris gives remarks during public comment during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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5 of 24 — Tolleris gives remarks
Andre Tolleris gives remarks during public comment during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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6 of 24 — Council member Abubaker
Fourth district council member Sarah Abubaker listens during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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7 of 24 — A person reads the agenda
A person reads the agenda during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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8 of 24 — Council members Robertson and Jones chat
Sixth district council member Ellen Robertson listens to Ninth district council member Nicole Jones as they debate Police cameras during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia. The resolution calls for a study and installation of speed cameras at high-risk intersections, such as the 600 and 700 blocks of South Belvidere Street.
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9 of 24 — Council member Trammell listens
Eighth district council member Reva Trammell listens to debate on Police cameras during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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10 of 24 — Council member Jones, reflected on a name plate, listens along Council member Robertson
Sixth district council member Ellen Robertson listens along Ninth district council member Nicole Jones as they debate Police cameras during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia. The resolution calls for a study and installation of speed cameras at high-risk intersections, such as the 600 and 700 blocks of South Belvidere Street.
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11 of 24 — Councilmember Lynch is seen in a reflection
Fifth district council member Stephanie Lynch listens as they debate police cameras during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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12 of 24 — Council member Robertson gives remarks with a finger raised
Sixth district council member Ellen Robertson gives remarks during debate on police cameras during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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13 of 24 — Council member Jones gives remarks
Ninth district council member Nicole Jones gives remarks on police cameras during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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14 of 24 — Council member Robertson listens during debate
Sixth district council member Ellen Robertson looks up as she listens to debate during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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15 of 24 — Council meets in their chambers
The Richmond City Council meets on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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16 of 24 — Council member Trammell asks questions
Eighth district council member Reva Trammell asks questions as they discuss the proposed 5-cent tax per plastic bag during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia. It passed 6-2.
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17 of 24 — Council member Jones laughs
Ninth district council member Nicole Jones, laughs as Eighth district council member Reva Trammell gives remarks on the proposed 5 cents tax on plastic grocery bag during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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18 of 24 — Council member Robertson laughs
Sixth district council member Ellen Robertson smiles as she listens to debate on the proposed 5-cent tax per plastic bag during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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19 of 24 — Council member Breton gives remarks
First district council member Andrew "Gumby" Breton gives remarks before voting on the proposed 5-cent tax per plastic bag during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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20 of 24 — A secutiry officer leans against the wall
A security officer listens to debate about a proposed 5-cent tax per plastic bag during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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21 of 24 — President Newbille looks towards Trammell as they argue
Seventh district council member Cynthia I. Newbille, Council President, has a heated back and forth with Eighth district council member Reva Trammell during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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22 of 24 — Council member Trammell taps her desk as she argues
Eighth district council member Reva Trammell taps her finger on her desk as she argues with Seventh district council member Cynthia I. Newbille, Council President, during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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23 of 24 — Council member Trammell argues
Eighth district council member Reva Trammell argues with Seventh district council member Cynthia I. Newbille, Council President, during a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
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24 of 24 — Council member Breton gets ready to exit
First district council member Andrew "Gumby" Breton leaves after a City Council meeting on Monday, June 2, 2025 at Council Chamber at City Hall in Richmond, Virginia.
