Even if no money is moved, the sessions can produce spats that put on display the tension between the Stoney administration, as it seeks to defend what the mayor has put forward, and the council members, who control the city’s purse strings.

That’s what happened Monday, when two council members seized on the mention of one-time funding that’s included in the mayor’s $16.2 million budget proposal for roads and sidewalks.

Stoney made his case for the tax increases by pointing to the condition of Richmond’s rutted roads and residents’ dissatisfaction with them. He told the council last week that 3 out of 4 residents were unhappy with the condition of city streets and sidewalks.

“Our annual budget for streets and sidewalks for the past decade has been a fraction of what we needed to adequately maintain our aging infrastructure,” he said in remarks to the council.

It would take an estimated $104 million to bring Richmond’s roads up to standard, according to figures presented to the council Monday by the Department of Public Works.

The sum is what’s required to resurface 1,526 of the 2,330 lane miles in the city.