[Emailfda] New website and email to promote Citizen involvement in review of Richmond City Charter
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Fri Feb 13 13:00:11 PST 2009
Richmond City Charter Review Commission
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, 13 February 2009
New website and email to promote Citizen involvement in review of Richmond
City Charter
Increases number of vehicles to monitor progress and provide input
(Richmond, Virginia) -- A new Richmond City Charter Review Commission
website and email address have been created to enhance the ability of
Richmond citizens and City government employees to monitor the progress and
provide input during the current review of the Richmond City Charter. The
new website and email addresses are:
website: charter.richmondva.gov
email:
charter.changes at richmondgov.com
Represented by the members of the Richmond City Charter Review
Commission, all Richmond citizens are invited, encouraged and welcome to
attend any and all Commission meetings and to provide suggestions and/or
recommendations.
The new website and email address will help to ensure that the entire
Richmond City Charter review process is open to the public. The new website
includes information, updates and plans of the Richmond City Charter Review
Commission and the email address (also accessible from the website) provides
citizen easy access for sharing suggestions. The Richmond City Charter
Review Commission meets the first Thursday of each month from 9:00-11:00
a.m. in Richmond City Hall; 900 E. Broad Street, Second floor conference
room. Richmond citizens are invited to participate through any or all of the
six following ways:
1. via website (charter.richmondva.gov)
3. via email: (charter.changes at richmondgov.com)
2. via fax, at: 804.646.5468
4. via letter, at:
Richmond City Charter Commission
Richmond City Hall; 900 E. Broad Street,
Suite 305
Richmond, VA 23219
5. in person (at meetings)
6. by phone: 804.646.3771
The first meeting of all Commission members was held November 19,
2008, following the selection on November 10, 2008 of a new member from
outside the group, John G. Douglass, dean of UR Law School, to serve as
chairman. The most recent public meeting was held February 5, 2009. The
public is invited and encouraged to attend any and all meetings of the
Richmond City Charter Review Commision, which are open to the public.
CONTACT For more information, please contact Daisy E. Weaver, Richmond
City
Council Chief of Staff, at 804.646.5921
BACKGROUND __________________________________________________________
The Richmond City Charter Review Commission was established on July 28, 2008
by a Richmond City Council Resolution. The Commission will assist Richmond
citizens with a comprehensive review of the Richmond City Charter in order
to identify and correct potential conflicts and ambiguities in the present
Charter following the City's change from a Council-Manager to a
Council-Mayor form of government in 2004.
Importance of Richmond City Charter
___________________________________________________
Citizens of Richmond govern themselves at the state, local and federal level
through a process known as Representative Democracy. In this form of
government, people choose (elect) fellow citizens to act on their behalf in
governing themselves. This self-governance includes deciding how tax monies
are to be invested; what laws are needed; and, providing oversight on how
government services are managed.
In the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Virginia, the
foundation of government is established in national and state constitutions.
In Richmond, the city "constitution" is the Richmond City Charter. The
Richmond City Charter contains the essential laws that define the structure,
organization and powers of Richmond City government. The Charter is
established by and can only be changed by an official act of the Virginia
General Assembly.
Uniqueness of Richmond's New Form of Government
____________________________________
Richmond has the only Council-Mayor government of its type in Virginia and,
due to the uniqueness and differences of State/local governments across the
country, is the only one like it in the U.S. Some of the differences
include, but are not limited to, how local governments are established;
national, state and local differences between the many powers and
relationships of cities, counties, burrows and villages; and what is
considered Virginia's strict use of the "Dillon Rule", which is essentially
a legal principal that limits the powers granted to local governments to
those expressly granted or implied by the state, or essential to a locality.
The fact that the Dillon Rule principal is not uniformly applied nationally
and/or is used differently by different States adds to the uniqueness of
Richmond's form of government.
Richmond's Change of Government Highlights
__________________________________________
* The Richmond City Charter has undergone a number of changes since
the last comprehensive review in 1947.
* In November 2003, Richmond citizens voted by city referendum to
essentially separate the legislative and administrative powers of Richmond
Government and replace the Council-Manager form of government with a
Council-Mayor form.
* In support of this change, in 2004 the Virginia General Assembly
passed House Bill 76, which changed the Charter of the City of Richmond,
authorizing it to provide for the direct election of a mayor. Thus creating
a Council-Mayor form of government.
* The city now has three distinct government branches: Executive,
Legislative and Judicial - which is similar to the state and federal "check
and balance" government model.
* January 2005 - New Council-Mayor Form of Government began.
Resolutions Creating Richmond City Charter Review Commission
_________________________
. Richmond City Council Resolution # 2008-R114-115, establishing the
Richmond City Charter Review Commission
. Richmond City Council Resolution # 2008-R 136-137, amending the
Richmond City Charter Review Commission in order to establish a deadline for
the selection of a chairman by the Commission
- M O R E -
Richmond City Charter Review Commission Process
_____________________________________
The members of the Richmond City Charter Review Commission will follow a
process and timeline to review the Charter. This will include breaking the
Richmond City Charter into sections or functional areas and establishing
sub-committees to address those specific areas. These sub-committees will
then bring recommendations back to the full Committee for review and
discussion. The entire Charter review process will be open to the public and
all citizens of Richmond are invited and welcome to attend any and all
meetings and to provide written suggestions and/or recommendations.
The work of the Commission is scheduled to take place from October
2008 through completion. A tentative deadline of October 1, 2009 has been
chosen by the Commission for completion of their review. The review process
will include soliciting, collecting and reviewing recommendations from
Richmond Citizens, city government staff and local elected officials, which
will include Council members that have served since the change in government
in 2005.
Once completed, the findings of the Commission will be presented to
Richmond City Council and the Mayor for their consideration.
Once recommendations are considered, and if action is determined, a
Council Resolution enumerating any specific changes will be prepared for
Council approval. Once approved, a request would be made to the Richmond
Delegation to the Virginia General Assembly (VGA) for changes to be made
during the 2010 VGA Legislative Session.
MEMBERS
Tasked with an historic undertaking, the Richmond City Charter Review
Commission consists of nine members, who either live or work in Richmond;
four of which appointed by Richmond City Council, four appointed by (now
former) Mayor L. Douglas Wilder and a member selected by the original eight
members of the Commission from outside the group to serve as chairman.
Members of the 2008-2009 Richmond City Charter Review Commission include:
1. Chairman
John G. Douglass, Esq.
Selected by Richmond City Charter Review Commission Members on
11.10.08
2. Ms. Jeannie Baliles
Appointed by (now former) Mayor L. Douglas Wilder
3. Mr. Orran L. Brown, Esq.
Appointed by Richmond City Council
4. Ms. Jacqueline G. Epps, Esq.
Appointed by (now former) Mayor L. Douglas Wilder
5. Dr. Robert Holsworth
Appointed by (now former) Mayor L. Douglas Wilder
6. The Honorable Benjamin Lambert III
Appointed by (now former) Mayor L. Douglas Wilder
7. Mr. Frederick Marsh, Esq.
Appointed by Richmond City Council
8. Dr. John Moeser
Appointed by Richmond City Council
9. Mr. John Thompson, Esq.
Appointed by Richmond City Council
- E N D -
______________________________________
Steven R. Skinner, APR
Public Information Manager
Office of the Chief of Staff
RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL
900 E. Broad Street, Suite 305
Richmond, Virginia 23219
804.646.6052 (office)
804.335.4054 (mobile)
804.937.1386 (home/mobile)
804.646.5468 (fax)
skinnesr at ci.richmond.va.us
______________________________________
MISSION The mission of Richmond City Council
is to represent citizens in creating and amending
local laws, providing government policy and
oversight, and approving the city budget.
VISION Richmond City Council is committed to
creating a vibrant community that is a great place
to live, work, learn, play, visit and raise a family.
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