Direct Tax Rebates, Opossum Naming, and the Cost of Buying a Home in Richmond
Cheers RVA!
Today will be partly cloudy with a high of 65, a mild breeze, with a low of 50 in the evening. Expect a warmer week ahead with highs in the mid-60’s and lows around 40.
the juice:
House and Senate committees continue to debate Governor Youngkin’s two-year state budget, focusing on direct tax relief that would send $1 billion to Virginia taxpayers regardless of how much they earn.
The proposal would send $200 rebates to individuals and $400 rebates to joint-filers.
The Governor had proposed car tax relief back in December but that effort has effectively been shut down in committees in both chambers.
Learn more about the current debate from extensive reporting by the Mercury and RTD.
the pulp:
According to the Richmonder, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares sent a memo to VCU and UVA last Thursday that prompted both University Hospitals to suspend gender-affirming care, writing:
Hospitals and institutions that continue to mutilate children place themselves at significant legal risk and face substantial financial exposure.
The Wildlife Center of Virginia is hosting a naming contest for one of its new ambassadors, an opossum that will act as a teacher according to the director of outreach of the center, via WRIC. Voting does cost $1 but all of the proceeds go to the care of opossums at the center. Connor Gillepsie of the center says:
They’re our teachers at the wildlife center. So we will take them out to programs at schools, at libraries, at different places in the community where people can see him up close to learn more about opossums and learn about his story too and why it’s not a good idea to keep wild animals as pets.
VCU Men’s Basketball squashed UR 91-49 on Saturday in the Capitol City Classic. It was the largest margin of victory for either school in the 94 meetings between the two teams.
Ever heard of a Free Little Art Gallery, aka a FLAG? RICToday has a neat story on the small boxes similar to free little libraries, but offer free little artwork instead.
the dive:
The staff at RVAMag dives into the reality that purchasing a home in Richmond now is essentially twice as expensive as it was just four years ago and the steps Mayor Avula has proposed to address the issue.
According to the article:
In 2020, a Richmonder needed to make $62,005 a year to afford a median-priced home at $292,000 (with a 3.11% interest rate).
By 2024, that number had jumped to $122,866 to afford the $410,000 median home price (with a 6.87% interest rate).
Mayor Avula has proposed a number of actions to address the issue, including: expanding the supply of all housing; tax incentives and low-cost loans to build more affordable housing; preventing evictions; supporting public housing; helping low-income earners become homeowners; and preventing displacement in gentrifying areas.
The article concludes with asking: will Avula follow through on his promises? And what can residents do to be proactive?
Read the full article here.
the vibe:
Have an eccentric day RVA!
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