On Monday, the Richmond City Council entered a budget work session to review Mayor Levar Stoney‘s $715.2 million spending plan for the next fiscal year. As they proposed their initial amendments, council members forwarded $927,554 worth of budget increases, but also $1.52 million in cuts, mostly from Richmond’s Main Street Station.
The largest cut to Stoney’s budget was the elimination of the $1.19 million in operating funds for the Main Street Station event venue in Shockoe Bottom. In regards to its fiscal benefit to the city, Fifth District Councilman Parker Agelasto said, “Where’s the revenue?”
“We’ve got no idea whether it’s operating fully on a subsidy or not,” he said.
The proposed cut did not sit well with Jeannie Welliver, project manager for Richmond’s Department of Economic and community Development, who has also overseen Main Street Station’s $91.5 million renovation.
She claimed Agelasto’s proposed cut would essentially “mothball” the event venue. Additonally, she explained that the lack of funding could possibly mean failing to meet federal guidelines which were agreed upon by city officials when the grant was accepted to renovate 117-year-old train station.
According to city officials, the goal of Main Street Station is to become a self-supporting entity, utilizing its behemoth 100,000-square-foot space for large events.
In recent months, the City Council has questioned the funds the event space has brought in, however, the department has not yet released the figures, claiming they will share revenue figures at a later date.
Nevertheless, Welliver said, “We have a federal mandate to operate and maintain the Main Street Station.”
Although the council did not further discuss the budget cuts during their initial session, there will reportedly be a $156,000 reduction in funding for Main Street Station and two subsequent cuts for the 17th Street Farmers’ Market, $125,000 and $50,000, respectively.
In furthering the wish list of cuts and increases to the budget, the council will vote on a final plan in the latter half of April to the beginning of May.
The council began compiling that wish list during their first session, advancing by consensus six proposed amendments totaling $927,554. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, segmented by department, the funding increases involves:
“$550,000 for the Department of Planning and Development Review for additional operating funds for code enforcement and the Community Assisted Public Safety program aimed at keeping neighborhoods clean and safe…
$200,000 to the Department of Economic and Community Development to increase funding for the Commercial Area Revitalization Effort program and provide small grants to local farmers markets…
$177,554 to the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities to create 10 seasonal positions to keep watch of city parks and restore funding for the Hickory Hill Community Center that was cut in the mayor’s budget proposal.”
All increases and cuts to Mayor Stoney’s budget will be filed by April 19.
