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To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Regional Cooperative Partnership Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Counties of Henrico and Chesterfield, for the purpose of supporting a recovery academy initiative funded by the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority.
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THE CITY OF RICHMOND HEREBY ORDAINS:
§ 1. That the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, be and is hereby authorized to execute a Regional Cooperative Partnership Agreement between the City of Richmond and the Counties of Henrico and Chesterfield for the purpose of supporting a recovery academy initiative funded by the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority. The Regional Cooperative Partnership Agreement shall be approved as to form by the City Attorney and shall be substantially in the form of the document attached to this ordinance.
§ 2. This ordinance shall be in force and effect upon adoption.
City of Richmond
Intracity Correspondence
O&R Transmittal
DATE: August 1, 2025
TO: The Honorable Members of City Council
THROUGH:The Honorable Dr. Danny Avula, Mayor
THROUGH:Odie Donald II, Chief Administrative Officer
THROUGH:Tanikia Jackson, DCAO for Finance and Administration
THROUGH:Letitia Shelton, Director of Finance
THROUGH:Meghan Brown, Director of Budget and Strategic Planning
THROUGH:Amy Popovich, DCAO for Human Services
FROM: J.D. Ratliff, Policy Advisor
RE: To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Regional Cooperative Partnership Agreement between the City of Richmond, Henrico County, and Chesterfield County for the purpose of supporting the Recovery Academy initiative funded by the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority.
ORD. OR RES. No.______________________________________________________
PURPOSE: To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Regional Cooperative Partnership Agreement between the City of Richmond, Henrico County, and Chesterfield County for the purpose of supporting the Recovery Academy initiative funded by the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority. As part of the award conditions, the localities must have a written operational agreement by which the implementing organization agrees to comply with applicable grants terms, conditions, and assurances. There will be one additional ordinance that will accompany this ordinance to authorize the Chief Administrative Officer accept from the VOAA $8,519.98 in individual funds that will serve as a locality match to Chesterfield County.
BACKGROUND: Virginia’s Opioid Abatement Authority is an independent body, the purpose of which is to abate and remediate the opioid epidemic in the Commonwealth through financial support from the Fund, in the form of grants, donations, or other assistance, for efforts to treat, prevent, and reduce opioid use disorder and the misuse of opioids in the Commonwealth. The Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (VOAA) has an annual application cycle that includes a competitive grant opportunity for proposals involving collaborations between two or more localities. During this cycle, Chesterfield County, in partnership with the City of Richmond and Henrico County, submitted a cooperative project proposal. On June 18, 2025, the City of Richmond was notified by the VOAA that the cooperative project proposed by Chesterfield County was approved with a locality match of $8,519.98 from Richmond’s individual distribution (at no fiscal impact to the City of Richmond). Chesterfield County will serve as the lead applicant and fiscal agent.
As part of the award conditions, the localities must have a written operational agreement by which the implementing organization agrees to comply with applicable grants terms, conditions, and assurances. There will be one additional ordinance that will accompany this ordinance to authorize the Chief Administrative Officer accept from the VOAA $8,519.98 in individual funds that will serve as a locality match to Chesterfield County.
This ordinance authorizes the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Regional Cooperative Partnership Agreement between the City of Richmond, Henrico County, and Chesterfield County for the purpose of supporting the Recovery Academy initiative to combat the opioid crisis.
Chesterfield Recovery Academy (CRA) opened in Fall 2022 as Virginia’s first recovery high school in response to the adolescent substance use and opioid overdose epidemic. CRA is a year-round program serving high school students from central Virginia who are recovering from substance use disorder. All high school students in the Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) Region One are eligible for enrollment. This catchment area encompasses 15 school divisions,
including the Counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex, as well as the Cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Petersburg, and Richmond. The Chesterfield Recovery Academy Outreach and Transportation project will build on what has been learned during CRA’s three years of operation to increase adolescent access to substance use treatment and interrupt the cycle of opioid and multi-substance use disorder in high school-aged students. It focuses on community outreach throughout the 15 jurisdictions served, including students, caregivers, schools, mental health professionals, community agencies, law enforcement, and recovery partners. This project aims to provide community opioid abatement education to localities, increase CRA enrollment and regional representation, and development. Since 2022, Chesterfield Recovery Academy has supported over 60 students in early recovery from opioid and multi-substance use disorder. Several of the students spoke at the White House for the 2023 National Recovery Month Celebration and celebrated 6 months of sobriety on the national stage. CRA students with years of prescription opioid misuse have maintained recovery and abstinence from opioids for the first time in their high school careers. With six graduating seniors in 2025, this model has transformed opportunities for students struggling with substance use and battling academic consequences.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Opioid abatement and remediation strategies utilized by the City of Richmond have and continue to be informed by significant stakeholder engagement and developed with direct input and support from external agencies and subject matter experts. This project is the result of regional collaboration between the counties of Chesterfield and Henrico, and the City of Richmond.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL: RES. 2022-R013 declaring opioid drug overdose deaths as a public health crisis in the City of Richmond; Richmond Opioid Task Force; Chesterfield County; Henrico County
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no direct fiscal impact to the City. The funds used for this project are from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority. The City will receive $8,519.98 from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority, which will be appropriated and passed through to Chesterfield County, serving as the fiscal agent, to fulfill the City’s required match. The City’s match is fully funded by the grant proceeds received from the Authority, consistent with the approach used by all participating localities.
DESIRED EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon adoption
REQUESTED INTRODUCTION DATE: December 8, 2025
CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING DATE: January 12, 2026
REQUESTED AGENDA: Consent agenda
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development
AFFECTED AGENCIES: Budget and Strategic Planning, Finance, Neighborhood and Community Services
RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING ORD. OR RES.: Res. No. 2018-R094; Ord. No. 2021-234; Res. No. 2021-R078; Res. No. 2022-R013; Res. No. 2023-R010; Ord. No. 2025-057; This Ordinance is a companion paper to Admin-2025-1083. This Ordinance should be introduced and adopted before Admin-2025-1083.
ATTACHMENTS: Regional Cooperative Partnership Agreement
STAFF: Anna Jones, Opioid Response Strategist, 804-987-9160, Anna.Jones@rva.gov <mailto:Anna.Jones@rva.gov>
Jason Alley, Policy Advisor, 804-401-5863, Jason.Alley@rva.gov <mailto:Jason.Alley@rva.gov>