But she said that as of the end of the first three months of the fiscal year, the city is projecting a surplus. She could not provide the exact amount but said it was enough to cover the bonuses.

The projected surplus represents a significant change in fortunes for the city, which administrators have portrayed as cash-strapped and fiscally constrained.

“I’m excited that people will be able to have some additional spending money at the holidays, but it’s curious how they’ve found money all of a sudden,” said incoming 2nd District Councilwoman Kim Gray, who served on the Richmond School Board at the time the budget was passed.

“When we were going through our schools budget battle and trying to get teachers’ salaries decompressed, there seemed to be a lot of concerns about city services being compromised. I’m excited to learn there’s this additional money, and I’d like to know moving forward what we plan to do with it,” she said.