Wow! Richmond is full of Ideas.
December brings exciting updates from the Richmond People’s Budget, including 1353 ideas and ways to get involved!
It’s December and it is time to celebrate with the Richmond People’s Budget. Boy do we have some news for you!!!
Ideas Galore
Become a budget delegate
RVAPB Story: The Importance of a library computer
Things that are inspiring us
Ideas Galore
We did it. Our first ever idea collection phase of the Richmond People’s Budget is over. Guess what? You crushed it.
Unofficial Idea Submission count = 1353
We are still gathering and imputing idea cards into our system, but that number is HUGE! It may even hit 1600.
Lets compare a few other cities in their first rounds. (Not that we are competitive.)
Boston PB - Collected 1200 ideas
Vallejo PB - Collected 829 ideas
Durham PB - Collected 500 ideas
Once we get everything organized and ready, we will make sure that your vision for the future of Richmond is made public by sharing it on our website, posting it via social media, and by going back into the community to listen more to how these ideas resonate with you. It will be our year end gift to you.
Become a Budget Delegate
Do you have the skills to help make community ideas real? It is not too late to be a budget delegate, but you need to hurry. Help the Richmond People’s Budget prepare for voting next Spring.
More information and to sign up go here . . . https://www.rvapb.org/blog-posts/delegate-application-live
RVAPB Story: The importance of a library computer
When we began the Richmond People’s Budget, we really didn’t know what we would hear from the community. There was a lot of work to do building trust and repairing the relationship between residents and local government.
Early last Spring, we opened a very small online form to start collecting ideas and keep track of what we were hearing from the public. This was us dipping our toe in the water for how we could listen to residents and it would give us an idea of what we might hear once idea collection officially started.
One idea from the Southside started off quietly, but then gained momentum with over 50 people noting this need in just a few days. People told us that Broadrock Library desperately needed to update their computers.
As in the past, we did our homework. We reached out to the library. We sat down with residents. We even tried out the computers ourselves. What did we find? Yes, these computers definitely need a refresh.
Though, at first, we didn’t think this was such a huge issue. “They are just public computers after all.” But, library computers play a big role when it comes to accessing community services. Especially for those that don’t have a computer. As Jennifer Pahlka notes in Recoding America, the humble library computer is an important gateway for many people. They use it to renew licenses, apply for VA benefits, submit legal forms, and pay bills. If those computers don’t work, or aren’t updated with the newest software, it makes doing these basic actions next to impossible.
There is a tendency to think that the library computer is something that people are using to just fill time. But for those without access, they are a vital resource.
We just heard today that the memory on these computers was recently upgraded and they are working much better. All because residents made their voices heard.
Things that are inspiring us
Trust core to Mayor Avula’s plans - Brad Kutner at WVTF just published this great interview with Mayor elect Danny Avula about rebuilding trust between the city and residents. We like what we are hearing as this is key to our work with RVAPB.
Neighborhood Climate Resilience Grant - The Office of Sustainability just announced the winners of their 2025 grants. Congrats to all the winning projects.
Angel Trees in Richmond - Everyone should have something to celebrate at the end of the year. The Salvation Army is once again doing their Angel Tree program which provides gifts and cheer for children throughout the city.
Sub Rosa Support - Did y’all hear that local bakery, Sub Rosa, recently had a fire? Guess who responded in support. The Community. They’ve raise $45K to help get the beloved East Side business back on track. Nice job, Richmond.
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