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To establish a transparent process for identifying the City of Richmond’s legislative agenda for the Virginia General Assembly 2027 Regular Session and all subsequent sessions of the Virginia General Assembly and to repeal Res. No. 2022-R070, adopted Nov. 14, 2022.
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BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND:
That the Council hereby establishes a transparent process for identifying the City of Richmond’s legislative agenda for the Virginia General Assembly 2027 Regular Session and all subsequent sessions of the Virginia General Assembly, as set forth in the document entitled “Richmond City Council’s Process for Developing the Virginia General Assembly 2027 Session Legislative Agenda,” a copy of which is attached to this resolution.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That Resolution No. 2022-R070, adopted November 14, 2022, be and is hereby repealed.
DATE: August 21, 2026
TO: The Honorable Members of City Council
THROUGH: RJ Warren, Council Chief of Staff
THROUGH: Will Perkins, Senior Legislative Services Manager
FROM: The Honorable Kenya Gibson, Councilmember 3rd District
RE: To repeal Res. No. 2022-R070, adopted November 14, 2022, and to establish a transparent process for identifying the City of Richmond’s legislative agenda for the Virginia General Assembly 2027 Regular Session and all subsequent sessions of the Virginia General Assembly.
CNL-2025-0063
PURPOSE: Patron wishes to repeal Res. 2022-R070 which established a five-proposal limit on the City’s legislative proposals for the Virginia General Assembly and establish a new, more transparent process. The prior process valued focused prioritization over transparency - often resulting in each year’s legislative agenda being introduced and adopted at the same Council meeting.
The legislative agenda states the City of Richmond’s policy and budget priorities to our local delegation and statewide leadership. This document establishes our goals for the upcoming General Assembly session - something all the more important given our reliance on the state for both funding and legislative authorization for many local policies via the Dillon Rule.
The new process is outlined in the attached document entitled, “Richmond City Council’s Process for Developing the Virginia General Assembly 2027 Session Legislative Agenda.”
BACKGROUND: In 2025, the City Council adopted its legislative agenda for the 2026 General Assembly session via an expedited resolution (Resolution No. 2025-R051) introduced and adopted on the same night. There was no opportunity for formal public engagement or input into the specific legislative priorities put forward in the adopted resolution. Similarly, resolutions adopting the City’s legislative agenda in 2022 and 2023 were introduced and adopted at the same meeting: Res. 2022-R075, introduced and adopted on December 12, 2022; Res. 2023-R058, introduced and adopted on December 11, 2023. The 2024 resolution (Res. 2024-R038) was introduced in November and adopted at the subsequent Council meeting in December.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: City of Richmond residents deserve an open and transparent process for how their local elected officials identify and prioritize legislative proposals for the City’s elected delegation to the state General Assembly. This new process establishes a requirement that priorities be gathered and reviewed publicly prior to their inclusion in the City’s formal legislative agenda before each year’s Virginia General Assembly session.
FISCAL IMPACT: Council staff estimate funds are sufficient in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget to fulfill the requests of this resolution.
DESIRED EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon Adoption
REQUESTED INTRODUCTION DATE: September 14, 2026
CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING DATE: October 13, 2026
REQUESTED AGENDA: Consent
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL COMMITTEE: Organizational Development
AFFECTED AGENCIES: Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING ORD. OR RES.: Res. 2022-R070
ATTACHMENTS: “Richmond City Council’s Process for Developing the Virginia General Assembly 2027 Session Legislative Agenda”
STAFF: Will Perkins, Senior Legislative Services Manager, (804-382-7811)