This article has been updated since it first appeared in print.
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It’s been a rough couple of months for Richmond’s financial services staff.
On April 21, Director of Revenue Administration Jamie Atkinson resigned after 8,300 property tax rebate checks out of 60,000 issued were addressed to the wrong payee in March, and additional errors were found over the following month. The city’s quick fix also caused some checks to bounce, while some erroneous checks were cashed. The city says new checks will be mailed after the first batch expires June 16 and could start arriving at the end of the month.
In mid-May, the confusion continued. Real estate tax bills intended for mortgage lenders were instead addressed to several thousand residents. City officials pointed to errors in importing data to its MUNIS billing and payroll system, and they are working with a MUNIS vendor and implementing new operating procedures to prevent this problem from happening again.
Back on April 30, Mayor Danny Avula cut the city’s purchasing card program by 79% (from 320 to 67) and limited purchases to “those where public health, safety and critical services would be disrupted if not allowed or where no other payment methods exist.”
It’s been a rocky start for P-cards since their implementation under Mayor Levar Stoney. In November 2024, Director of Elections and General Registrar Keith Balmer resigned after city attorneys found enough evidence of misconduct, which included P-card abuse. The allegations don’t directly factor into Avula’s decision-making, says Ross Catrow, director of the Office of Strategic Communications, but many of the reported purchases wouldn’t be allowed under the reset.
While the Department of Procurement Services is already making changes, the city has hired NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement for more recommendations.
