Committee forwards open-data ordinance requiring publication of contract datasets to full council

The Governmental Operations and Standing Committee voted to forward ordinance 2025-211 to the full Richmond City Council with a recommendation for approval. The ordinance amends City Code section 2-13-5052 to require publication of certain procurement and contract datasets in the city’s open data portal and prohibits charging fees for data already required to be posted.

Councilmember Gibson, who sponsored the ordinance, said the original draft included historical contract data, which administration estimated would add significant cost. To avoid creating an obstacle to passage, Gibson amended the ordinance to remove the requested historical dataset and proceed with a forward-looking publication requirement; she told the committee she appreciated that the administration has begun adding contracted-amount fields to the portal.

Public comment included Quentin Robbins of Richmond for All, who praised the effort to make contract data available and said the organization supports the ordinance because it would make spending on temporary staffing and other procurement measures more transparent. No one registered opposition in the chamber or online.

The committee voted to forward the ordinance to full council with a recommendation for approval. The clerk recorded Ms. Gibson: Yes; Vice Chair Aberbacher: Aye; Chair Jordan: Aye.

Next steps: the ordinance will be considered by the full council at its next regular meeting per the council’s legislative schedule. Committee members asked administration and the clerk’s office to confirm which contracted-amount fields are now public in the portal and to provide an anticipated schedule for adding additional procurement datasets.