Richmond commission adopts 2025 ad valorem tax, approves zoning changes and several administrative orders

The Richmond City Board of Commissioners on a special call meeting adopted Ordinance 25-22, the city's 2025 ad valorem tax on second reading and approved a package of zoning and administrative orders.

City Attorney read the ordinance and the City Manager told the board that the city had taken the compensating rate; personal property was set at 13.7 per $100 of assessed value (down from 15.3 in 2024) and real property at 11.1' per $100 (down from 12.1). Motor-vehicle assessment for collection by the Madison County Court Clerk was set at 28.7' per $100. The City Manager summarized assessed-value growth of roughly $396 million, noting that "So we are lowering property taxes." The commission voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance on second reading.

The board also approved Ordinance 25-23, a zoning map amendment that changes 0.289 acres at the corner of Heath Street and Estell Avenue (165 South Estell) from B-1 (neighborhood business) to I-1 (light industry). Planning and Zoning recommended the change after a public hearing on Aug. 20, 2025, and the commission adopted the Planning & Zoning findings as its own.

Separately, the commission approved Ordinance 25-24, a set of amendments to the city's zoning and development ordinance that add "social assembly" as a conditional use in multiple zones and list "shooting range" as a conditional use in several non-core business and industrial zones. Commissioners asked staff to monitor approvals carefully, citing concerns about parking and neighborhood impacts for wedding venues and other social events; staff clarified these uses will require conditional-use review and must meet state building-code and parking standards.

The board acted on several administrative orders: it accepted the resignation of a recycling department employee (Order 25-140), hired a new laborer for the recycle division at $15.75 per hour (Order 25-141), awarded a four-year lease for 64 gasoline golf carts for Gibson Bay Golf Course to Lads (Order 25-142), and approved an updated interlocal agreement to operate a unified Madison County emergency 9-1-1 communications center (Order 25-143). On the 9-1-1 agreement the City Manager struck a drafting line that had said cost-sharing would be based on population and confirmed cost allocation will be based on shares of total calls in the previous calendar year.

One of the night's larger items, Order 25-144, approved Change Order #1 for Phase 1A of the Richmond Regional Sports Complex for regrading and drainage work. The change order was described as necessary to improve sight lines, reduce steep slopes, install subsurface drainage under a berm and create pedestrian and maintenance access; the cost was stated as $396,396 and staff said the funding will come from the project's bonding contingency. Commissioners unanimously approved the change order.

All roll-call votes recorded Commissioners Newby, Brewer, Cole, Goebel and Mayor Blythe as voting "Yes" on the items indicated. The meeting moved on to the public-comment period after completion of these votes.