This Week In Rome
The are the main stories happening in Rome government for the week starting July 12, 2026.
Hotels, Apartments, and a Lot
Development Continues Across the City
Development continues on Griffiss as the Zoning Board of Appeals voted to approve height variances for the WoodSpring Suites and Home2 Suites. Foundations are nearly finished on two new studio apartment buildings at Air City Lofts, and Woodhaven is expected to break ground later this year.
Additionally, a long-vacant Rome Manufacturing site is mid-cleanup under a grant-funded remediation. Once the contaminated soil is out, the 13-acre parcel is set for a fair-market sale, opening it back up for new commercial use.
What it means for your money: Some of this development may grow Rome's tax base, but some of this growth comes with significant tax breaks attached. Whether these projects add up to real revenue for Rome, or mostly to opportunity for developers, is the story worth tracking as construction continues.
Spending on Summer
Fun in the Sun Leads to More Enforcement Needs
Over the holiday weekend, residents complained about harassment, late-night noise, and dangerous fireworks while the city's pools saw a run of disruptive incidents of their own. In response, the city is investigating the harassment and banning disruptive visitors from all city pools, parks, and events for at least a year.
The city added its seasonal Parks and Recreation positions, ensuring the staff is in place for summer programming. They also added another concert to the summer series on Griffo Green.
What it means for your money: Police costs are a significant portion of Rome’s budget, and increased enforcement needs could lead to overtime spending. The other summer spending is smaller, fully budgeted, and nearly all temporary.
RFA Principal Resigns After One Year
Turnover Concerns Continue at the School
Rome Free Academy Principal Andrew Barton has resigned and accepted a position in Virginia. Barton began at RFA on July 1, 2025. His final day is Monday, August 3, 2026 after just over one year in the job.
The departure caps a year of turnover across the district. At the April 21 board meeting, a district parent told the board that publicly posted meeting minutes from September through March showed at least 47 employees had resigned, including another principal, nine teachers, and 20 teaching assistants.
What it means for your money: The principal's job is a budgeted position, and the district funds it whether it is filled by a permanent hire or an interim. Interim pay, search costs, and new-hire salaries all appear on board agendas. Watch the July 16 reorganizational meeting and the agendas that follow.
The running stories we are following at
City of Rome
The five things to know about city government right now.
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The yogurt plant rising on the Griffiss triangle is the largest project in Rome's recent history, and most of the near-term work is infrastructure. A new roundabout at Route 825 and Perimeter Road, a sound wall along the Bell Road neighborhood, and a major upgrade to the city's wastewater plant to carry the load. The city expects roughly 1,000 jobs 180–200 tanker trucks a day moving through the city at full build-out.
What to watch: Truck routes and road wear over the next 3-5 years. The cost and timeline of the sewer upgrades. Water withdrawal from Fish Creek. And how many jobs actually go to people in Rome.
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Pedestrian safety has become one of the most urgent issues in the City. A resident was killed crossing in February, with more pedestrian crashes the same month, after a winter of complaints about unshoveled sidewalks, towering snowbanks, and missing streetlights. The city has responded with a state grant application for pedestrian infrastructure on Black River Boulevard and Chestnut Street, safety designs on other corridors, an expanded sidewalk rebate, and a new ordinance regulating e-bikes.
What to watch: Whether the grant-funded crossing and sidewalk projects get built. Snow-removal performance next winter. And enforcement of e-bike rules.
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Rome has an unusually full development pipeline. There are new apartments at Air City Lofts, the large Woodhaven housing project, a 55-and-over community off Potter Road, two new hotels near Geiger and Hill Roads, an office building on Hangar Road, and a second $10M downtown revitalization grant aimed at the Bellamy Harbor area. The recurring question in public comment is affordability. New homes are priced well above what the local median income supports, even as downtown loses anchors like Grand Union.
What to watch: Which projects break ground versus stall. Whether any of the new housing is priced for local incomes. And what the downtown grant actually funds.
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The city has stepped up code and nuisance enforcement. Many properties have been investigated with a sharp jump in nuisance hearings, problem houses boarded up, occupancy permits revoked, and busts of pop-up shops selling untaxed tobacco. This is alongside a new community court and homeless-services work. Residents have also pushed from the other direction, raising allegations about unsafe rental conditions and questions about how the city sells its tax-foreclosed properties.
What to watch: Whether enforcement reaches problem landlords as aggressively as it reaches squatters and shops. Transparency in how foreclosed properties are sold. And progress on access to crisis stabilization for Rome residents.
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A lot of the city's physical backlog is coming due at once. The city has bonded $1M just to inventory roughly 10,000 water lines for lead, with replacements not starting until around 2028, and homeowners are responsible for the private side of the line. Meanwhile the downtown train station rehab has stalled with ARPA money already committed, the wastewater plant needs major upgrades, and tornado-damaged roofs were still going out to bid this year.
What to watch: The lead-line inventory results and what replacement will cost homeowners. Debt related to necessary upgrades of sewer and water infrastructure. How this debt is structured as it relates to the annual budget.
Rome’s Schools
The five things to know about the Rome City School District right now.
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For the first time in recent memory, district voters rejected the school budget. The original $165.5M plan failed on May 19 by 24 votes. The board trimmed $173,000 (mostly a proposed administrative position) and lowered the tax-levy increase from 2.89% to 2.5%. A revised $165.4M budget passed on the June 16 revote by 39 votes, with turnout roughly doubling. It's a real break from the district's stated approach of raising the levy to the state cap every year.
What to watch: Next year's levy decision and whether the to-the-cap approach returns. The push from some residents for a senior school-tax exemption. And turnout at future votes.
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Staff turnover has become a recurring theme at board meetings. Parents describe a pattern of departures across teaching, support, and administrative roles, and a contested principal situation that led to a long-term substitute appointment. The board has repeatedly defended its leadership amid heated public criticism.
What to watch: Whether the pace of resignations and retirements continues. How quickly key vacancies are filled permanently. And any outside review of district operations.
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The district brought on a director of school safety and built a behavioral threat-assessment system. There are building-level teams at all nine schools feeding a county-level team, supported by a monthly committee that includes police, state police, the sheriff, fire, and social workers. The budget that just passed funds added security staff, entrance screening, badge and window-security systems, and AEDs.
What to watch: Whether the new security positions and screening actually roll out now that the budget passed. If safety improves with the new measures. And the district's goal of leading a county-wide approach.
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With enrollment declining, the district is reorganizing its buildings rather than expanding. This is visible in a renovation to move fifth and sixth grade to Bell Road, freeing up elementary space. Roughly $1.1–1.2M in state building aid was tied to passing this year's budget, and the district is steadily building a capital reserve for future work.
What to watch: The construction timeline for the sixth-grade move. Which buildings get consolidated or repurposed. And whether enrollment trends force further changes.
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The district launched this council in January as part of its strategic plan, giving families a standing channel to learn about programs, give feedback, and help plan events like parent summits. It's paired with a broader push to connect schools to local employers through career pathways and a business "after hours" event.
What to watch: Whether the council grows beyond its first members. The move to elect parent co-chairs. And whether parent feedback visibly shapes district decisions.