RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Mayor Danny Avula is proposing changes to how Richmond shares its payment records after the city went years without publishing them. What he calls a win for transparency, a city councilwoman is calling a breach in public trust. Since 2015, under its city code, Richmond has been required to release a payment registry -- or a granular list of city spending -- on a monthly basis to promote transparency. However, until recently, the city hadn't released such a registry in several years. In late March, following pressure from Richmond city councilwoman Kenya Gibson, Avula broke that streak and published the city's payment registry for all of fiscal year 2025. While Avula framed this as a step towards accountability, Gibson claimed he still hadn't fulfilled his end of the bargain, as the registry Avula released did not include payee information -- meaning Richmonders couldn't see where the money was flowing. PREVIOUS: Avula says new ordinance will improve transparency in city spending, city councilwoman still has doubts The Avula administration came back with a proposed ordinance that will amend city code in a way that "modernizes payment reporting to publish key payment information, protect privacy and build a Thriving City Hall," according to an April 11 press release. "My ordinance gives the public the information they have a right to have about how taxpayer dollars are spent while creating a system that can actually work the way it was intended," Avula said in the release. If this ordinance is approved, each entry in the city's payment registry would list the vendor being paid, the payment amount and the associated city department. However, per the ordinance's text, several pieces of data that the city previously released in its registries would no longer be included, such as: The date of the payment The type of disbursement The invoice description The associated check, wire or electronic funds transfer number The fund and account codes The payment document used Additionally, the ordinance would "remove categories of payments restricted by privacy laws such as certain social services benefits and tax refund payments," the city said. As listed in the ordinance, the following types of payments would be excluded from the city's payment registries: Payments to city employees, unless those payments are reimbursements Payments to individual people who are receiving refunds or assistance payments Tax refunds or tax-related payments Payments related to legal settlements or claims Payments protected under state or federal privacy laws Payments that would disclose personally identifiable information protected by law “This is about delivering better, more usable information to the public,” Avula said in the release. “It means stronger transparency, smarter operations and helping residents clearly understand how public dollars are being spent.”  Gibson provided a statement to 8News on this ordinance. In that statement, she was critical of these proposed changes and called for an investigation into whether or not they were legal. Her full statement is as follows: "City administration is asking Council to weaken the payment registry ordinance, claiming it is too difficult to comply with as written and that less information should be shared about how public dollars are spent. Richmonders already don’t trust city government. If we expect them to accept that transparency is 'too difficult,' we need to show clear proof. Instead, we’re seeing contradictions. The administration recently published a registry that included check dates and account codes — data they now propose omitting. Mayor Avula also said payee names were too difficult to produce, yet this proposal includes them. These inconsistencies undermine trust — the very thing this ordinance is meant to strengthen. Our office is preparing a resolution to determine whether redaction requirements are a legitimate barrier to complying with current law. My hope is that a council majority will support this investigation so we can earn the trust of the residents we’re elected to serve." This ordinance is in the early stages. It still has to be reviewed and voted upon by the Richmond City Council. ...read more read less