Joint Commission on Health Care Considering Public Access to Naloxone; October 25 Deadline for Public Comment
Staff to the Joint Commission on Health Care (JCHC) briefed Commission members last week on a study of barriers to public access to naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses, and the benefits and drawbacks of placing naloxone in publicly accessible places, such as co-locating naloxone kits with Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs). JCHC staff worked […]
VDOT FY 2021 Local State of Good Repair (SGR) Primary Extension and Local Bridge Programs Call for Applications and Submittals
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) recently announced that it is soliciting for FY 2021 submittals for both the local State of Good Repair (SGR) Primary Extension Paving and Bridge programs. Please see the correspondence regarding the details for the SGR pavement and bridge programs applications and submittals for FY 2021. Localities should use the Smart Portal for submitting all […]
Children’s Needs Discussed at Mental Health Subcommittee
Members of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Mental Health Services in the Commonwealth in the 21st Century who serve on one of the Joint Subcommittee’s workgroups took up the issue of children’s access to mental health supports at a recent workgroup meeting. Traditionally the Joint Subcommittee has focused on the needs of adults, but members […]
Updates from the Commonwealth Connect Coalition
The Commonwealth Connect Coalition met on September 24 in at the Governor’s Summit on Rural Prosperity to provide the latest updates in the effort to empower Virginia communities to reach functionally universal broadband coverage. The Coalition provided updates on FOIA exemptions for VATI, utility middle-mile pilots programs, updates from King George County Supervisor and VACo […]
VACo 2019 Regional Meeting Season ends in Augusta County
The sun set both literally and figuratively on the 2019 Regional Meeting Season, as folks from VACo’s Region 9 gathered at the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport on September 19. At this, our last Regional Meeting of the year, county officials enjoyed delicious local BBQ, discussed the challenges of their respective communities, and even took a […]
Keynote Speakers confirmed for the 2019 VACo Annual Conference
Annual Conference Registration Form | Online Conference Registration | Check out the Preliminary Agenda
Caution is the Watchword at Money Committee Briefings
The House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees met last week to receive updates on August revenue collections as well as briefings on the progress of Medicaid expansion, efforts to address overcrowding at state mental health hospitals, and concerns about potential threats to lottery revenues, among other issues. Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne suggested that, while […]
GO Virginia Expands Grant Eligibility to Include Middle Mile Broadband Projects
The GO Virginia Board met on Tuesday, September 10, for its first meeting of 2019 to approve $780,000 in competitive economic development grants to support five regional initiatives, re-elect a new chairman, and approve the use of Go Virginia funding for certain investments in Broadband, among other items. The 24-member policy Board provides oversight to […]
Visit Craig County and the Painted Barn Quilts
These lively quilt “signs” have appeared in many rural communities across the country. Now they are in Craig County in an effort to raise money for the library. The Craig County Library is growing and providing all kinds of good services to the community. Please help us support it! Barn quilts are painted quilt squares […]
Virginia Board of Education Debates Penultimate Biennial Revisions to the Standards of Quality Revisions and releases Rebenchmarking Estimates
On September 18-19, the Virginia Board of Education (VBOE) met to continue its discussion of priorities and goals for revisions to the Standards of Quality (SOQs), which set minimum requirements that must be met by all local school divisions for K-12 education in Virginia. This was the penultimate meeting of the Board before it takes […]
A look at… Dinwiddie County Sports Tourism
The Dinwiddie County Sports Complex opened its gates in June 2011 and over the past eight years, has put Dinwiddie County on the Sports Tourism map! The facility, houses a football stadium, full-sized baseball field, soccer stadium, and three NCAA and high school level softball fields. The facility has welcomed more than 300,000 people through […]
Counties Prepare for the 2020 Census: The Importance of Partnerships
Editor’s Note: As counties continue to prepare for a successful 2020 Census, VACo will be highlighting innovative approaches and ideas to promote Census participation. VACo members: have a great idea for Census outreach? Please share with Katie Boyle or Joe Lerch so that VACo can feature your program in an upcoming edition of County Connections! […]
JLARC Reviews State Oversight of Local and Regional Jails
The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) received a briefing from its staff on September 16 on the state’s oversight of local and regional jails. JLARC staff took up this issue in the context of a broader review of the responsibilities of the Office of the State Inspector General (OSIG); that study directive asked […]
VRS Realizes 6.7% Investment Return for FY 2019 – What Comes Next?
The Virginia Retirement System (VRS) recently announced that it had achieved a 6.7% return on its investment portfolio for FY 2019. The net position of the trust fund is now at a new high of $82.3 billion. Even though all major asset classes within the VRS portfolio posted positive returns, VRS had anticipated a rate […]
Legislators Receive Update on Restoration of General Fund Reductions to Community Services Boards
Acting Commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) Mira Signer briefed members of the Joint Subcommittee on Health and Human Resources Oversight last week about the Department’s actions to provide assistance to Community Services Boards (CSBs) with reductions in General Fund (GF) support incorporated in the 2018 Appropriations Act. The biennium […]
Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services Seeks County Comments on Adult Protective Services Mandate
As directed by Executive Order 58 (2007), which outlines the process for periodic review of mandates on local governments, the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) is seeking input from counties regarding the statutory mandate for local departments of social services to provide adult protective services, which is categorized as SHHR.DARS004 in the Catalog […]