Fredericksburg City Council Takes Progressive Actions To Enhance Community

Press release from the City of Fredericksburg:

Posted on: July 15, 2020

Fredericksburg City Council takes progressive actions to enhance community

July 15, 2020

Fredericksburg City Council on Tuesday night took several steps to advance its commitment of always being a welcoming and inclusive city.

Council held a number of discussions and took several actions at its Tuesday work session and regular meeting. These included:

• Adopting a resolution urging the Virginia General Assembly, in its special session planned for August, to remove the name Jefferson Davis Highway from U.S. Route 1 statewide and replace it with a name that promotes our shared values of unity, equality and a commitment to a better future for all Americans. If no action is taken by GA, Council will move on renaming.
• Allocating its CARES Act funds to a number of important community initiatives, including moving an additional $500,000 toward small business assistance measures for a third round of grants and for the creation of a Citywide economic development and tourism marketing program.
• Authorizing a contract with the Police Executive Research Forum to conduct a third-party review of local law enforcement’s response to the demonstrations of May 31 through June 2 in the City of Fredericksburg.
• Reacting to a plan to add three members to the Fredericksburg Police Department’s Citizen Advisory Panel (taking it from six to nine members), and formalizing a Charter. This could lead to some younger members and representatives of important community groups being added to the panel.
• Discussing the Racial Equity Plan Phase 1 for community reform through addressing racial inequality and racial discrimination in the City of Fredericksburg. This Plan is an advancement of the roadmap Council unanimously approved on June 23, 2020.

“Our community and its City Council have once again proven that we are committed to being a welcoming and inclusive city – working together to swiftly adopt changes that advance the City of Fredericksburg. Our revolutionary spirit is truly one of our most valuable assets, making us a City that leads by example,” said Fredericksburg Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw.

Fredericksburg City Council will meet again August 11.

This press release was produced by the City of Fredericksburg. The views expressed here are the author’s own.