[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6589841,"mediaKeyId","5464332-763acd77c0fc3824ef0a39c6971c7903","parentId",5464332,"title","Richmond human resources reports lower turnover, expands training and tuition assistance","audioSeconds",1653,"startMs",137000,"endMs",1790000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5464332-763acd77c0fc3824ef0a39c6971c7903&start=137&end=1790","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5464332-763acd77c0fc3824ef0a39c6971c7903/thumbnail_137000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6589841/Richmond-City-Independent-City/Virginia/Richmond-human-resources-reports-lower-turnover-expands-training-and-tuition-assistance","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6589841-6df67b9566d6ec0199214104e3f6bd98/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155286&Signature=AdsDtS9tA862VHV4x2q2UhnG8RqSpkHbyd5aBIBM0Rs~rNo0qgByQI9ukVfP74SchNFRVqSxAF0ywaLu-y4I6cmNY8hmaQUVHTfYqBHAqT8KnNYT6DRtWyZTHlUJMtMN4byzfGp546pbNT1~MMNrR8eL8fgsPdC7lUiCgVMbiAtBgk49l0BlXquT2wT3lWIRAyDTfT9H9QsEwCOxuvQ2gfHi6z5Vc-eMQja4bh09--mres1lEjZ1ZrsUTFrCmw33qJRx8NbTVnBSxYO8xARkyyADU3pyyPCHRM~kdyMvc5mw4E51apUDuw7YQNOQSKXhgNcLt6m6bKPd0~FJyug2rw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Richmond City","date","2025-07-24T00:00:00Z","article","Tyrone Alexander, director of the Department of Human Resources, told the Governmental Operations Standing Committee on July 16 that the city's multi-year effort to become an \"employer of choice\" has begun yielding measurable results.

Alexander said the HR review begun under the prior administration produced recommendations across six pillars: culture and employee engagement, recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, professional development, and performance accountability. Since that 2023 review the city has implemented a $20 minimum hourly wage, restored participation in the Richmond Retirement System, launched an employee wellness clinic, expanded tuition-assistance partnerships with Reynolds Community College and revamped leadership and onboarding training, he said.

The nut graf: Alexander presented data showing reduced turnover and higher program participation that he said indicate progress against the city's stated human-resources goals, while flagging areas—especially frontline staff trust and departmental culture—that require further work and follow-up.

Alexander provided several program and performance details: since January 2024, after the city moved into the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), 537 former city employees returned to city employment; 129 city employees used tuition-assistance or Reynolds Community College programs as of June 30, including 109 in the tuition-assistance program specifically. Of those 109, 66 were in public-safety roles (54 in fire, 12 in police), Alexander said. He also reported 20 employees completed Reynolds professional-development classes, 10 employees completed commercial-driver-license training and seven completed HVAC training offered by the city.

On workforce metrics, Alexander said the city's projected turnover rate for the fiscal year was 10.3 percent, the non-termination separation rate about 8.1 percent, and the aggregated vacancy rate through the third quarter about 15.3 percent (he said the final calculation might be roughly 14.9 percent after final data reconciliation).

Alexander described recent and planned training and engagement work: creation of an employee-engagement unit inside HR, 16 bargaining-unit training sessions in June and July (including the Teamsters contract), a revamped new-leader orientation, a four-month leader cohort pilot (monthly engagements, blended learning), summer compliance \"policy boot camps\" and a mayor's fellows 10-week internship program. He also said the department is beta-testing a NEOGOV electronic performance-management module with a handful of offices (HR, PDR, Parks and Recreation, Mayor's Office, Council Chief of Staff) ahead of a broader launch.

Council members asked about comparators and drivers of retention. Alexander said national public-sector turnover ranges roughly 10–15 percent and that Richmond's rate has dropped from 15.7 percent in 2020–22 to 12.2 percent in FY23, 11 percent in FY24 and 10.3 percent in the current year. He told council members the city received about 810 survey responses to a recent engagement survey conducted April 14–29 and that staff plan follow-up focus groups and additional analysis to understand differences in trust and culture across job categories.

Committee members pressed for a vacancy report on HR metrics; Alexander said staff expect to finalize the quarterly vacancy report within about one to two weeks and that it would be scheduled for one of the committee's upcoming meetings so council receives its required quarterly update.

Ending: Alexander said internal audit has been collaborating with HR to close legacy audit items; he reported the number of inherited open audit items has dropped and staff are working with internal audit to clear the remaining entries. The committee asked staff to route the HR vacancy and quarterly metrics to the September or October meeting as part of the committee's revised schedule.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Richmond City - Governmental Operations Standing Committee Meeting - July 23, 2025 - Jul 24, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Tyrone Alexander, director of the Department of Human Resources, told the Governmental Operations Standing Committee on July 16 that the city's multi-year effort to become an \"employer of choice\" has begun yielding measurable results.","taxTitle","Richmond City (Independent City), Virginia","taxId",5755,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6589828,"Committee advances two measures: council-staff appointment ordinance and Canoe Run CSO design-build resolution",688,4222000,4910000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5464332-763acd77c0fc3824ef0a39c6971c7903&start=4222&end=4910","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5464332-763acd77c0fc3824ef0a39c6971c7903/thumbnail_4222000.jpg","/articles/6589828/Richmond-City-Independent-City/Virginia/Committee-advances-two-measures-council-staff-appointment-ordinance-and-Canoe-Run-CSO-design-build-resolution","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6589828-8e1ec52e5f8832973af37eedb74f050f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155286&Signature=jNNW4gqmtxfd6Wek0qwiW-6gGygtprfPOknyPmZwjPU2q-~rmLZzhRW2RNUtiv0G5TshGX-VXgzLrNx~YEYDj~9KC77xXlVELtNFLBTxE2YCsadirRsZ~aeva29kiouIzsjD4K2OC1Q7j3PUmXDb61kWHctABUMnOzPaTks7eYI3MNLO9qK3KvKc6suHpqC7EA1SIQNA~hRof-V9Ym4xYbezNMyUVYOrEK6idwBmr0QnWufqAGvWHKxL3lmX4FYuMG8yN-EUID5G~hW00Ak-TnwsqxQ5UdvaHEd0iRf9nk0u8VDpyeMLcyB3q9ROYJfVFxFCg0UbgOI0tn3189yvKA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Governmental Operations Standing Committee advanced two measures to the full council on July 16 and approved several board appointment recommendations.

Ordinance 2025-136: The committee voted to advance an ordinance that would amend city code to move appointment authority for certain council office positions (council liaison, council policy analyst, council budget analyst and council public relations specialist) to the council chief of staff. Committee discussion framed the change as aligning the Council Chief of Staff's office with other appointing offices and removing appointments that do not require public confirmation. Public comment was opened and closed with no speakers. A motion to advance the ordinance passed in committee (recorded votes: Vice Chair: Aye; Chair Jordan: Aye). The motion passed.

Resolution 2025-R01 (Canoe Run Park CSO storage tank): Deputy Director of Public Utilities Robert Stone briefed the committee on the need to accelerate construction procurement for a combined-sewer-overflow (CSO) storage tank at Canoe Run Park. Stone said the Commonwealth of Virginia has appropriated $100 million in grant funding for Richmond's CSO program and funding must be obligated by mid-2026, so the administration proposed the design-build delivery method to accelerate schedule and reduce exposure to inflation. Procurement staff noted design-build remains a competitive selection process with price as a significant scoring factor. Public comment was opened and closed with no speakers. A motion to forward the resolution to Council with a recommendation to approve passed in committee (recorded votes: Vice Chair: Aye; Chair Jordan: Aye).

Board vacancies and appointments: Committee staff presented a set of vacancies and applications (audit committee, Clean City Commission, Sustainability and Resilience Commission). The committee voted to approve the slate of applicants presented for those vacancies; the committee recorded votes were: Vice Chair: Aye; Chair Jordan: Aye. The clerk will process the appointments and the mayor's office continues work to fill additional vacancies for commissions that are mayoral appointments.

Ending: The committee adjourned after a staff-report discussion of meeting scheduling and a request that the HR vacancy/quarterly report be added to the September or October agenda.

","The Governmental Operations Standing Committee forwarded two measures to the full council on July 16: Ordinance 2025-136 (amending council appointment procedures) and Resolution 2025-R01 (authorize design-build procurement for Canoe Run Park CSO storage tank).",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6589830,"Office of Sustainability pitches circular-economy innovation center, releases Cool Kit heat-mitigation guide",827,2833000,3660000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5464332-763acd77c0fc3824ef0a39c6971c7903&start=2833&end=3660","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5464332-763acd77c0fc3824ef0a39c6971c7903/thumbnail_2833000.jpg","/articles/6589830/Richmond-City-Independent-City/Virginia/Office-of-Sustainability-pitches-circular-economy-innovation-center-releases-Cool-Kit-heat-mitigation-guide","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6589830-37ed53e27e9f8646120d7b5d295638a9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155286&Signature=Vl0PSJr0TuLC74H5WVhsIyt25YiwgV6T1Wz3dYcpYCAY-Y9-lST0upYNGLWSLq~JeCuqhNRIi7NhsW6IwS7IN1wrx2ynDHVDpQc6D1uU-5K1gmgf6nOmNtdtaDjfEOgO52W03KEp79QkvuD5JYZE4Bul0oUwSXRROx4jKUGZnx1Pg7GEIpRcQhZbq-sWouo0WWS-3UmRflfq7S-OIuaEdewAlzfpEo9yf2YYdotS1gM0BG1i5shV-aknQpwVUE5Su5fTsKYocbXZu70RpyS2qkB7MvalZiSa7sKW5LiKcqhv4YmIutd8l0wc9uKHaoP~mSpdKZfnsGLBeAny4I7FqQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tara Wharton, sustainability manager in the Office of Sustainability, told the Governmental Operations Standing Committee on July 16 that Richmond has the institutional and industrial assets to host a circular-economy innovation center that would turn waste streams into revenue and workforce opportunities.

Wharton described the model used in Charlotte's Innovation Barn—a city-owned building leased to a nonprofit for a nominal fee, supplemented by corporate sponsors, grants, tenant rent and earned revenue—and noted on-site amenities that Charlotte uses to incubate circular businesses: plastics processing, a glass crusher, an urban lumber mill, business incubation labs, workforce-development retail and cafe space, tours and educational programming. She said the city is conducting a materials-flow analysis focused initially on construction and demolition debris, food waste from large institutions, textiles and plastics and is engaging potential corporate and nonprofit partners.

The nut graf: Wharton argued Richmond could leverage local universities, manufacturing history, VCU research programs and an emerging maker and sustainability ecosystem to pilot a circular-economy hub that could divert hundreds of tons of waste from landfill while creating jobs and revenue streams.

Wharton identified local advantages: VCU research and student engagement, a growing tech and innovation sector, an existing textile and manufacturing base, local artisans doing urban wood reuse, Granova (a local firm working on washing and reusing plastics) and repair-pop-up activity such as Repair Cafe RVA. She said staff have begun seeking anchor partners and potential city-owned properties and noted real-estate constraints given limited industrial land.

At committee request Wharton agreed to provide additional detail on potential funding mixes, tax-impact questions and specific candidate sites for adaptive reuse. Committee members asked about revenue models, property-tax considerations for for-profit tenants, and how the city would balance preservation of industrial land with site selection.

Following Wharton, Daniel Klein, sustainability coordinator, presented the Richmond Cool Kit, an urban-heat mitigation guide the office released to help city staff, developers and residents reduce extreme-heat impacts. Klein described 25 strategies categorized as urban greening (street trees, green infrastructure), blue infrastructure (splash pads, fountains), shade (built shade structures) and smart surfaces (lighter pavements, white roofing) and depaving (replacing excess impervious surface with green space).

Klein said the Cool Kit is intended both as a design checklist for city capital and maintenance projects and as a public resource for businesses and homeowners. He linked the guide to the city's Sustainable Design Standards and said the guide supports four goals: cool neighborhoods, cool active-transport corridors, cool community spaces and increase climate resilience. Committee members noted the projected increase in extreme-heat days and urged integrating these approaches into project planning and community outreach.

Ending: Office of Sustainability staff said they will continue the materials-flow analysis and report back on partner development and site feasibility; they also plan workshops for city staff to apply Cool Kit strategies to pipeline projects.

","The Office of Sustainability proposed a Charlotte-style circular economy \"innovation barn\" for Richmond, targeting construction debris, food waste, textiles and plastics, and released a Cool Kit guide aimed at urban-heat mitigation for city projects and private property.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6589835,"Council staff inventory shows 81 mandated reports; 10 department reports lack recent submissions",895,1905000,2800000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5464332-763acd77c0fc3824ef0a39c6971c7903&start=1905&end=2800","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5464332-763acd77c0fc3824ef0a39c6971c7903/thumbnail_1905000.jpg","/articles/6589835/Richmond-City-Independent-City/Virginia/Council-staff-inventory-shows-81-mandated-reports-10-department-reports-lack-recent-submissions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6589835-3dfcc35da7872229b8b576c2259cf32b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155286&Signature=oSjiyh-J3HnRZKzeZLucnE-tCQ4SmUclJ3jNUZlE498KGEZMNoBbD1KR7hsPfFIKZMsJkXsmd31Sce6FVtDif7Y4OE6GLHxPvdG0f9rMDtFJ7woNkAkiH07Tq2a-6Fa9s4fAd9gF92nJ3E-AbXiynagrdqfGDKVbj1QHcFwEanH6fls--SPcuqJvZSpYQ3RX1LY7jeZIPvg6N2YRlrLJ5akXeGbVwl06~tFYgUX8aetivzpk18A7x7MGQa~bdYQ20KvDhnWIUtHO~AQXzrg4UrcOaj-HJMC3Z4qXedPO9nZqWwmzVeLD7PLxnmBWoK-tO4IhgSmcyaUUWJX9M03KrQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Maria Garnett, council policy analyst, presented the second phase of a \"Report of Reports\" project to the Governmental Operations Standing Committee on July 16. The review catalogs reports required of boards, commissions and city departments and assesses effort, completeness and potential utility.

Garnett told the committee the project identified roughly 81 mandated reports citywide; about 27 of those are department reports. Of the 27 department reports, staff classified 17 (63 percent) as having recent submissions and found no recent submission record for 10 (37 percent). Garnett told members that \"no recent submission record\" does not necessarily mean failure to report; some reports may not be applicable in a given year or may be recorded in ways that are hard to track.

The nut graf: staff and administration urged the committee to consider centralizing publication and improving tracking so council can match the level of effort required to the actual usefulness of each report, and recommended the finance committee (and other standing committees) review reports relevant to their jurisdictions to determine which requirements should be continued, modified or eliminated.

Garnett described the methodology: survey of the Clerk's Office and Deputy CAO portfolios, review of submission pathways and a high-level assessment of the level of effort (minimal, moderate, substantial) required for each report. She said city departments generally submitted reports to Council but that records were uneven; most unsubmitted or undocumented reports fell under the finance and administration portfolios. Garnett proposed round 3 of the project (utility analysis for selected finance reports) by November.

Administration policy adviser Adam Hull told the committee the administration has been a willing partner, that some unsubmitted reports had been self-identified by the administration, and that some reporting requirements date back 20-plus years and may no longer match current organization structures or council needs. Hull said the administration prefers a forward-looking dialog with council committees about which ordinance-based reporting requirements should be resumed or revised before staff are asked to reinstate them because resuming certain reports would require substantial staff effort.

Committee members asked about best practices and public access. Garnett said centralizing report publication (similar to how the Clerk's Office catalogs boards and commissions reports) would improve transparency and public access; she said round 2 did not include a deep best-practices dive but staff can follow up in round 3. Committee members also urged that the full council have opportunities to review reports of broad interest even if the report falls under a committee's jurisdiction.

Ending: Staff said they plan to deliver round 3 (a deeper utility analysis for selected finance reports) by November and recommended committee-led review of reporting requirements to balance staff effort with council utility.

","Council policy staff and administration presented \"Report of Reports\" round 2 to the Governmental Operations Committee, identifying about 81 mandated reports citywide, noting 27 department reports (17 submitted recently, 10 with no recent record) and suggesting committee-led review to align effort with council needs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Richmond human resources reports lower turnover, expands training and tuition assistance

Committee advances two measures: council-staff appointment ordinance and Canoe Run CSO design-build resolution

Office of Sustainability pitches circular-economy innovation center, releases Cool Kit heat-mitigation guide

Council staff inventory shows 81 mandated reports; 10 department reports lack recent submissions