Council holds second reading of ordinance amending Richmond City Code; members raise website and document-access concerns

On Aug. 4 the Richmond City Council took public comment and held the second-reading public hearing for Ordinance No. 12-20-25, a general ordinance amending Section 32.99 of the Richmond City Code. No members of the public spoke at the hearing, and the council agreed to hold the item for a future meeting pending further information.

Council member Bill Engel said his remaining concern was not the ordinance text but the accuracy and usability of the city website, which he said still lists outdated members of boards and commissions. Engel said he had discussed the issue with the assistant city attorney and believed the ordinance itself was ready, but he urged improvement in the website’s listings before directing residents there.

Council members asked that Lindsey Darnell, the mayor’s assistant who they identified as the staff person responsible for posting agendas and minutes, appear at the next meeting to report on the website update schedule. Council members also discussed the Laserfiche document system; one council member noted that many departments have upload access and warned that broad access without training could cause naming- and storage-convention problems. The council said training or a document-accountability protocol may be needed before expanding upload responsibilities.

Procedural outcome: the council opened the public hearing for Ordinance No. 12-20-25 but heard no public speakers and decided to hold the item on second reading for further follow-up from the mayor’s office on website/document posting practices.

Why it matters: council members said accuracy of posted agendas, minutes and membership lists matters for transparency and for residents seeking information online. The council requested a staff update to avoid sending residents to incomplete or outdated web pages.