Richmond Common Council appropriated nearly $60 million for the city’s 2025 budget Oct. 7, but not before removing more than $800,000 from the appropriation.
Justin Burkhardt, chair of council’s finance committee, made four motions that pulled $831,839.83 from the budget appropriation. The majority — $682,899.83 — came from Richmond Fire Department and emergency medical services line items that pay overtime, and the rest came from fire department equipment line items.
The money remains in the 2025 budget, and council can appropriate it after Jan. 1 for fire department uses or for any other uses.
“I think we can look at some of these line items and challenge ourselves to put these monies to best use,” Burkhardt said. “I want to make sure that every taxpayer dollar is spent appropriately and some of these lines, I felt like there was some room to do better.”
Burkhardt stressed that he supports first responders, including the fire department, but he would like to address the reasons RFD requested more than $1 million for overtime.
“I really want to solve the retention issue in the fire department,” Burkhardt said. “I just want to make sure that the administration, council, we’re working together solving retention issues and spending every dollar appropriately for taxpayers.”
Council passed all four budget amendments, then appropriated the remaining budget with an 8-0 vote. It also passed the 2025 salary ordinance and ordinances establishing compensation for elected officials, Richmond Police Department, RFD and Richmond Sanitary District with 8-0 votes.
Zoning requests
Council conducted its public hearing on the zoning request by Marian Development Group of Louisville, Kentucky, to rezone 1901 Chester Blvd. from light commercial to intense multifamily residential zoning. Marian plans to combine the property with 1907 Chester Blvd. and construct a four-story, 118-unit, assisted-living facility.
During its Sept. 25 meeting, Richmond Advisory Plan Commission recommended 7-0 that council approve the rezone.
Amanda Marquis, executive director of the Leland Legacy, spoke against the development. She shared that the Leland has 15 vacant rooms and that she is concerned the market is oversaturated with six current assisted-living facilities. Marquis said a new facility would exacerbate a nursing shortage and put all of the facilities at risk.
“Is competition good? Absolutely, but putting financial hardship or even causing other businesses to fail is not,” Marquis said.
Council member Jerry Purcell said he wished he knew more about the impact a new facility would have on existing facilities. Council voted 5-3 to approve the zoning, with Purcell, Burkhardt and Lucinda Wright voting against.
A request to rezone Berryfield Park at 1100 North Drive to intense multi-family residential was referred to the plan commission for its Oct. 23 meeting. If that zoning is changed, Chester Heights Apartments plans a 72-unit expansion on the land.
Tax abatements
Richmond Beverage Solutions requested real property and personal property tax abatements related to an expansion of its facility at 1590 N.W. 11th St., the former Smith Dairy.
The company plans to install new equipment to run additional product lines, said Doug Goss, chair of council’s tax abatement committee. Richmond Beverage plans to invest $39.6 million in equipment and $6.2 million in real property, creating 65 jobs with a $23 starting hourly wage.
The tax abatement committee recommended a nine-year receding abatement for real property and a five-year receding abatement on personal property. Council approved both abatements 8-0.
Council confusion
Purcell asked Mayor Ron Oler about an email message council president Gary Turner sent to council members advising them to “refrain from seeking information from the administration on matters that do not pertain directly to the annual budget or deal with pending litigation.”
Oler said he did not make that request. Turner said it resulted from a meeting among Turner, Oler and RPD Chief Kyle Weatherly. Council member Bill Engle pressed for a clarification about the email’s meaning, but Turner delayed further discussion, citing a lengthy meeting agenda.
A version of this article appeared in the October 16 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.