Dec 1, 2025 - News
Audit: Richmond still has 130 unfixed problems in City Hall
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Most of Richmond's highest-risk problems remain unresolved — and overdue for fixing, according to a new report from the city auditor.
Why it matters: Mayor Avula campaigned on cleaning up City Hall's messes. But the backlog's scale shows how slow that work might be to finish.
The big picture: Richmond has closed 31 audit recommendations, but 130 others remain open, per the report.
- Nearly half of the unfinished business belongs to the Finance, Public Utilities and Procurement departments.
- City spokesperson Mira Signer said in a statement that most open items "already have correction actions in progress."
Three things City Hall fixed:
- Initiated the process to recover $1.2 million in charges the auditor said were mismanaged under the city's streetlight maintenance contract.
- Increased oversight and training at the Richmond Retirement System after auditors found half a million dollars in payments to dead retirees over the past decade.
- Created processes to better track and manage the inventory Public Utilities relies on for water and wastewater maintenance.
Three things they didn't:
- Figure out how much it paid deceased retirees, investigate potential fraud, and establish a reliable system that flags deaths before benefits go out.
- Create a spending policy that clearly defines what public-fund purchases aren't allowed.
- Refund the incorrect interest charges added to 2022 personal property tax bills, which affected over 66,000 people.
What they're saying: "We're going to keep pushing until every item is closed," Avula said in a written statement. "I know we can do it!"