City's rights and authority.
Richmond, Va., City Code § 2-1683
in effectSec. 2-1683. - City's rights and authority.
(a) This division shall not be deemed in any way to limit or diminish the authority of the City to manage and direct the operations and activities of the City to the fullest extent authorized and permitted by law. Thus, unless the City elects to bargain regarding the following matters, the City retains exclusive rights:
(1) To determine the type and scope of work to be performed by City employees and the manner in which services are to be provided;
(2) To direct the work of employees;
(3) To hire and classify all employees in accordance with applicable law; to promote, transfer, assign, and schedule all employees, except that the procedures related to such decisions shall be negotiable; and to suspend, demote, discharge, or take other disciplinary action against employees for just cause in accordance with applicable law and regulations, except that procedures to challenge such decisions shall be negotiable to the extent consistent with state law;
(4) To relieve employees from duties by layoff or other reduction-in-force due to lack of work, budget limitations, changed working conditions or requirements or for other reasons in the City's reasonable business judgment and not prohibited by law, except that the implementation procedures to be followed, notice, and alternatives to layoff shall be negotiable;
(5) To contract for, expand, reduce, sell, transfer, convey, or eliminate particular operations or services of general government, as well as any department, office, or part thereof; except that the alternatives to contracting and impact on employees shall be negotiable; and
(6) To establish and change standards of behavior or performance, job qualifications, and job descriptions, except that the impact of any changes on employees and performance evaluation procedures will be negotiable.
(b) The City retains the right to take whatever actions may be necessary to carry out the City's mission during emergencies. If a collective bargaining agreement includes procedures for how the City and its employees will respond to a specific type of emergency situation, then the terms of such agreement shall govern the response to that specific emergency. Otherwise, the City shall meet with the exclusive bargaining representative at the earliest practical time following actions taken in response to an emergency to discuss the effects of such emergency actions on bargaining unit employees as they pertain to matters within the scope of bargaining under this division and to bargain in good faith over any supplemental collective bargaining agreements that are proposed to address the effects of such emergency actions.
(c) In accordance with Code of Virginia, § 40.1-57.2 and other applicable law, nothing in this division, any provision of this division, or the terms of any collective bargaining agreement shall impair or restrict the authority of the City Council to establish its budget and appropriate funds in its discretion. Any collective bargaining agreement reached under this division shall be subject to the appropriation of funds by the City Council.
(d) The City shall not negotiate as to:
(1) Matters controlled or preempted by any Federal or State constitutional provision, law, rule or regulation;
(2) Any provision relating to the composition, duties, or powers of any civilian review board applicable to police officers;
(3) Any previously rendered decision of any civilian review board applicable to police officers or of the Personnel Board; or
(4) Any decision to retain the City's existing retirement plans as set forth in Chapter 22 or to replace any or all of such plans with the retirement plan of the Virginia Retirement System.
(Code 2020, § 2-1301.4; Ord. No. 2022-221, § 1, 7-25-2022)
Source: City of Richmond, Virginia, Code (2026 recodification) and Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/va/richmond/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICICO_CH2AD_ARTVIPE_DIV6COBA_S2-1683CIRIAUFetched: 11/8/2026