Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Richmond City Council has approved of a new biennial budget for the 2019 and 2020 fiscal year which includes $150 million for construction of Richmond Public Schools and $3.4 million for pay raises for both city police officers and firefighters.
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The budget includes:
-A reduction in the water rate for single family residential customers
-A $733,000 increase for the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority
-Four weeks of paid maternity leave for birth mothers and four weeks of paid parental bonding leave for the birth/adoption of a child (City of Richmond employees) and 2 weeks of leave to care for a sick parent
-A one percent salary increase for non-sworn, non-constitutional officer employees effective January of 2019
-Reinvestment of $12.5 million in Richmond Public Schools
-$3.4 million to further the FY2018 step based, pay raises for both sworn police and firefighters
-New Richmond Police Department positions to serve public housing communities
-$150 million for Richmond Public Schools construction
-More than $1.2 million for after school programs and student support services at Richmond elementary and middle schools
-$1 million to pave an additional 20 lane miles of neighborhood streets
-More than $630,000 to extend hours of operation at six Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facility sites throughout the city
-Free bus passes for every Richmond public high school student
-More than a $250,000 increase in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund
