Watch the full budget kickoff event on the City's YouTube page.

Mayor Danny Avula, Richmond City Council President Cynthia Newbille, Councilmember and Budget Task Force member Nicole Jones, and Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II today joined City Council, administration leaders, and community members at the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Richmond Teen and Community Center to officially kick off the City of Richmond’s Fiscal Year 2028 budget season. 

Mayor Avula outlined several emerging priorities that will shape the Administration’s work, including: 

• Continuing to investment the City workforce; 
• Funding legislative priorities such as affordable housing; 
• Addressing overall affordability for Richmond residents; and 
• Investing in the clear outcomes prioritized in the Mayoral Action Plan.

“I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make last year’s budget process more collaborative and transparent with Council, as well as more informed by residents. It was a huge team effort to embrace a new approach, and it paid off with historic investments in affordable housing, education, and our workforce,” said Mayor Danny Avula. “This year we will continue to build on that success. I’m excited to get to work.” 

CAO Donald previewed the Administration’s work to develop the FY28 budget, including collaboration among the City’s senior leadership team and department directors and development of proposals aligned with the Mayoral Action Plan.  

“The budget is the most important thing we do as a city because this plan serves as our tool to turn priorities into action,” said CAO Odie Donald, II . “Over the next several months, in partnership with the community and elected officials, we will do the hard work to align resources with priorities. This partnership allows the Mayor to present a budget that is fiscally sound, aligns resources with priorities, reflects the needs of residents, and can be executed with excellence.” 

Following the unanimous adoption of the FY27 budget in May, the Budget Task Force reconvened over the summer to assess what worked and identify additional opportunities to improve the process for FY28.  

Improvements for FY28 cycle include:  

• Holding a public work session on the budget earlier in the fall to discuss citywide priorities. 
• Developing and sharing long-term revenue forecasts to support better financial decision-making 
• Consolidating Council questions after release of proposed budget for more efficient and digestible information, and 
• Holding budget town halls 

These improvements build on the Task Force’s recommendations from last year, which helped support an effective FY27 budget season and will continue this year. Those include earlier collaboration, a restructured budget timeline, more efficient work sessions organized by the four DCAO portfolios, standardized amendment procedures, expanded public engagement opportunities, and an annual review of the process. 

This year's Budget Task Force membership includes Councilmembers Jones and Sarah Abubaker, Richmond City Council Chief of Staff RJ Warren and Council Deputy Chief of Staff Julie Caldwell, and City of Richmond Administration leaders CAO Odie Donald, DCAO Tanikia Jackson, Budget Directors Meghan Brown and Lauren Kirk, Chief of Staff Lawson Wijesooriya, and Senior Policy Strategist Thad Williamson. 

"With a year of experience with this new process, we are well-positioned to build on what we accomplished last year,” said Richmond City Council President Cynthia Newbille. “I look forward to continuing that work with my Council colleagues and the Administration. This kind of collaboration is what made last year’s process successful, and it will help us make this year’s even stronger.” 

“The Budget Task Force continues to take an honest look at what worked, and what we can do better,” said Richmond City Councilmember and Budget Task Force Member Nicole Jones. “Every year is a chance to strengthen the process, increase collaboration, and make sure we are responsive to the needs and priorities of Richmonders.” 

The FY28 budget kickoff also marks the beginning of another season of public engagement. The City will seek input from residents in the coming months as the Administration develops its proposed budget. The City’s Office of Community launched that work at the Budget Kickoff with an activity inviting participants to share ideas and priorities for the Mayor and Council to consider.  

Additional information about the FY28 budget process will be shared on www.rva.gov as the process moves forward.