Finance committee forwards a package of grants, loans and ordinances to full council

The Richmond Finance and Economic Development Standing Committee on an administrative agenda voted to forward multiple funding and policy items to City Council with recommendations to approve, and continued one ordinance for additional review.

The committee moved quickly through routine acceptances of grants and financing agreements, then approved forwarding to council: an anonymized-research partnership payment for the Commonwealth’s Attorney ($25,000); a $160,000 Virginia Department of Forestry grant to create a Tree Maintenance Team for East End and Evergreen Cemeteries; a plastic bag fee ordinance enabled by state law (5¢ per bag, with 4¢ to the city and 1¢ to the retailer); a $100,000 program to equip city sheriff fleet vehicles with in-car cameras (a $75,000 DCJS grant plus a $25,000 local match); a Virginia Resources Authority package for the wastewater treatment plant thickening and dewatering project (a $1.5 million grant and a $28.5 million, 0.5% 25-year loan); two opioid-abatement grants for peer recovery specialists and a comprehensive harm-reduction package (via the Richmond Ambulance Authority and…