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To abolish the Citizen Advisory Commission on Alternatives to Incarceration; to repeal ch. 2, art. V, div. 4 (§§2-844-2-846) of the City Code, concerning the creation, composition, terms of office, duties, and functions of the Commission; and to terminate the terms of the Commission’s members.
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WHEREAS, by Ordinance No. 2012-16-196, adopted November 26, 2012, the City Council established the Citizen Advisory Commission on Alternatives to Incarceration for the purpose of providing advice and neighborhood communication to the City regarding sentencing alternatives and the impact such sentencing alternatives may have on communities and neighborhoods in the city; and
WHEREAS, the Citizen Advisory Commission on Alternatives to Incarceration has completed its functions; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that the Citizen Advisory Commission on Alternatives to Incarceration is no longer needed and that it is in the best interests of the City of Richmond that the Citizen Advisory Commission on Alternatives to Incarceration be abolished;
NOW, THEREFORE,
THE CITY OF RICHMOND HEREBY ORDAINS:
§ 1. That Chapter 2, Article V, Division 4 of the Code of the City of Richmond (2015), consisting of sections numbered 2-844 through 2-846, be and are hereby repealed as follows:
[DIVISON 4
CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMISSION ON ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION
Sec. 2-844. Created.
There is hereby created an advisory commission of the City of Richmond with indefinite duration to be known as the Citizen Advisory Commission on Alternatives to Incarceration.
2-845. Composition; terms of office.
(a) Composition. The Commission shall be composed of 15 members whom the Council shall appoint. Of the 15 members, the Council shall nominate eight members and the Mayor shall nominate seven members. The members of the Commission, at least eight of whom shall be residents of the City, shall be representatives from any combination of the following categories, provided that no member shall be an employee of any correctional facility:
(1) Resident of a community within the City where correctional resident-based services, establishments providing alternatives to incarceration or correctional facilities are located.
(2) At-large resident of the City.
(3) Richmond public schools.
(4) Workforce development agency.
(5) Small minority business development organization.
(6) Technical educational institution.
(7) Higher educational institution.
(8) Law enforcement.
(9) State or local Department of Social Services.
(10) Administrator of a community-based corrections program.
(11) Faith-based community organization.
(12) Business community.
(13) Council member representing the district in which the Justice Center is located.
In addition to the 15 members appointed from the categories listed in this section, the Chief Administrative Officer, or the designee thereof, shall be a non-voting member of the Commission.
(b) Terms of office. The members of the Commission shall serve for terms of two years from the date of appointment. Upon the expiration of a member's term of office, that member shall continue to hold office until the successor thereof is appointed and qualified. Any vacancy shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term in the same manner as provided in this subsection. All other aspects of the Commission and its membership not addressed in this division shall be governed by Article V, Division 1 of this chapter.
Sec. 2-846. Duties and functions.
(a) The Commission shall provide advice and recommendations to the City Council and the Mayor, from the perspective of the residents of the City, concerning the factors affecting the reduction in population at the Justice Center and the external impact of the presence of the Justice Center, community-based service facilities and other establishments providing alternatives to incarceration on communities within the City and provide a report of the Commission's advice and recommendations upon the request of either the City Council or the Mayor. In particular, the Commission shall work with residents of communities within the City, the City administration, administrators of the Justice Center and organizations providing community-based services or alternatives to incarceration to address how correctional facilities, community-based service facilities and other establishments providing alternatives to incarceration within communities affect property values, real estate taxes, police and fire services and public safety. The Commission shall also monitor and assess performance indicators that measure the long-term benefits of alternatives to incarceration to the community and determine the effectiveness of correctional facilities, alternatives to incarceration and community-based service centers and programs. For purposes of Section 2-761, the Commission is classified as “advisory.” The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer shall provide the necessary support for the Commission. The Commission shall meet no fewer than four times annually and shall keep minutes in accordance with the requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The Commission may adopt rules of procedure or bylaws not inconsistent with this division or other applicable law to govern the conduct of its meetings and affairs. The Commission may elect from its membership a Chairman and other officers it deems necessary in accordance with its rules of procedure or bylaws.
(b) The Commission shall make recommendations to the City Council and the Mayor concerning the following:
(1) Solutions to any problems within communities of the City related to property values, real estate taxes, police and fire services and public safety resulting from the presence of the Justice Center and community-based service facilities and other establishments providing alternatives to incarceration.
(2) The ways to establish inclusive, affordable housing that enhances the City”s real property values, supports the public safety of the City and offers quality housing for all residents, including formerly incarcerated and vulnerable populations.
(3) Strategies to make the Justice Center an economic engine for the immediate and surrounding community and the City as a whole.
(4) Strategies to generate public support for alternatives to incarceration.
(5) The impact of the policies and practices of the City's criminal justice system on the incarceration rate at the Justice Center.
(6) Ways to communicate the mission and goals of the City's correctional services system to the public.
(7) Mechanisms to identify community service projects that are designed to reduce incarceration at the Justice Center and ensure the public safety of communities within the City.
(8) Community-based services and programs that are designed to improve public safety for the general public and reduce crime in communities of the City and reduce incarceration at the Justice Center.
(9) Ways to ensure effective communication and dissemination of information among the Commission, the City Council, the Mayor and the general public.
(10) The development of resources that are designed to benefit residents of the Justice Center and persons reentering the community after incarceration.
(11) The development of private business enterprises to provide employment to residents of the Justice Center and persons reentering the community after incarceration.
(12) Policies of the City's criminal justice system that affect the community.
(13) Interagency planning to avoid a disparity of community-based services facilities and alternative sentencing programs between communities.
(14) The funding necessary to implement and maintain the appropriate level of alternative incarceration services designed to meet the City's objective not to expand the Justice Center beyond 1,032 beds.
(15) The feasibility of creating a reserve fund to purchase and resell homes, which have not sold at fair market value due to the proximity of such homes to the Justice Center, in communities where resident-based services are provided and the communities surrounding the Justice Center.
(16) Methods to ensure that space within the Justice Center is reserved for persons incarcerated locally and that procedures are implemented to minimize the number of persons held for transport to other jurisdictions, including those held for the Commonwealth of Virginia.]
§ 2. That (i) the Citizen Advisory Commission on Alternatives to Incarceration is hereby abolished, and (ii) the terms of the members of the Citizen Advisory Commission on Alternatives to Incarceration be and are hereby terminated.
§ 3. This ordinance shall be in force and effect upon adoption.