RADFORD, Va. – Leaders in Radford City have cut around $1 million from the 2024-2025 budget to bring the city out of an operating deficit.
“We were looking at bringing in more money than we’ve actually been able to bring in, so we are right-sizing our budget to make sure it’s sustainable,” said Mayor David Horton.
Horton said this issue arose five years ago during the COVID pandemic, and the city never recovered financially.
“Radford’s revenues have grown 2 to 3 percent every year, but with inflation we have looked at anywhere from 9 to 30 percent growth in our costs,” Horton said.
He noted city leaders have started to cut certain expenses in the government to help bridge the gap and get out of the negative.
“We understand this isn’t something that you want to have a massive tax burden. It’s also not something you want to cut so deeply that you damage the services that your community depends on,” Horton said.
At a local business, owner Andrew Hund of Hund’s Bicycle and Outdoor said he is hopeful for the future of Radford.
“I believe in Radford, I have optimism,” Hund said. “We’re lucky that a place like this exists. I fell in love with it back in 1998 when I came to visit when thinking about going to college here, and you almost had to pry me away from the place.”
Horton mentioned they are looking at the 2025-2026 budget and have already identified $3 million to cut.
He stated the cuts will affect all departments in the city.
While these are not easy decisions to make, leaders said this is what they must do to make the city sustainable.
