VACo County Pulse Podcast – Energy Landscape of Virginia Series with Joe Lerch | Episode 7
Season 4 Energy Landscape of Virginia Series with Joe Lerch Energy Landscape of Virginia Episode 7 | “Data Centers in Virginia” JLARC Report – Interview with Mark Gribbin Listen to the Podcast “Data Centers in Virginia” JLARC Report – Interview with Mark Gribbin. In this episode we sit down with Mark Gribbin, Chief Legislative Analyst […]
VACo County Pulse Podcast – Energy Landscape of Virginia Series with Joe Lerch | Episode 6
Season 4Energy Landscape of Virginia Series with Joe Lerch Energy Landscape of Virginia Episode 6 | Legislative Outlook Update – Proposals to Preempt County Authority on Siting of Solar Facilities Listen to the Podcast Legislative Outlook Update – Proposals to Preempt County Authority on Siting of Solar Facilities. Joe Lerch and VACo Executive Director Dean […]
VACo Opposes New Proposal to Preempt Local Decisions on Siting of Solar Facilities
On November 26 the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation (CEUR) was presented a draft legislative proposal, that if adopted, would signal the state’s intention to override a decision by any county that denies certain applications for a utility-scale solar or battery storage project more than 20 megawatts (MW) in generation/storage capacity (NOTE: On average, a […]
Visit Prince William County and the Prince William County Historic Courthouse
The Old Manassas Courthouse is located at the intersection of Grant Avenue and Lee Avenue in Old Town Manassas. It is the fifth County Courthouse and County seat in Prince William County. The County seat was moved to Manassas in 1894 and this building was used as the County courthouse until 1982. The Old Manassas […]
PFAS Expert Advisory Committee Begins Meeting
On November 8, 2024 the first meeting of the PFAS Expert Advisory Committee took place. Legislation passed during the 2024 Session required the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to transfer data to the Virginia Department of Environment Quality (DEQ) on a quarterly basis all validated monitoring test results that indicate Per and Polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) Maximum […]
“Money Committees” Prepare for 2025 at Annual Retreats
The General Assembly’s “money committees” received generally positive reports about state revenues, tempered with uncertainty about broader economic factors, at their annual pre-session retreats in late November. The House Appropriations and House Finance Committees met in Abingdon on November 19, and the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee held its event in Harrisonburg on November 21-22. […]
Congressman Gerry Connolly Speaks at the Region 8 Meeting
VACo held its last regional meeting for 2024 on September 26th in service of VACo Region 8 county members. VACo staff had the honor of hosting local, state and federal elected officials and staff during this virtual meeting. These regional meetings allow VACo staff to hear directly from county staff and elected officials on the […]
VACo County Pulse Podcast – Energy Landscape of Virginia Series with Joe Lerch | Episode 5
Season 4 Energy Landscape of Virginia Series with Joe Lerch Energy Landscape of Virginia Episode 5 | Reclaiming the Landscape of Southwest Virginia for Energy | Part 1 and Part 2 Part 1. Reclaiming the Landscape of Southwest Virginia for Energy. Listen in to Part 1 of a two-part episode recorded in Washington County, where […]
Visit Powhatan County and the Powhatan County Historic Courthouse
PHOTO SOURCE: Virginia Department of Historic Resources Location: 3880 Old Buckingham Road / Scottsville RoadBuilt: 1848 – 1849Style: Greek RevivalArchitect: Alexander Jackson DavisContractor: K Lewis Johnson Description: The building faces west and is a two story cream colored stucco structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Powhatan. The original […]
VACo Releases Its 2025 Legislative Program
VACo has released its 2025 Legislative Program, which was adopted by membership on November 12 at the Annual Business Meeting. The 2025 Legislative Program was drafted through VACo’s steering committee process. The document has a host of important and timely proposed policy statements, including language pertaining to K-12 education funding, local taxing authority, stormwater regulations, […]
VACo Provides Public Testimony at Federal Hearing on OSHA’s Proposed Emergency Response Standard for Fire Brigades
On Wednesday, November 20, VACo staff provided testimony at a public hearing for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed rule to update regulations regarding emergency response workers, who often face substantial occupational hazards. VACo staff stressed to the OSHA panel and presiding Judge how additional unfunded mandates proposed in the rule could pose yet […]
JLARC Report Outlines Serious Concerns with Virginia Department of Health’s Financial Management, Staffing, Workplace Culture
The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) received a report from its staff on November 7 outlining serious problems with the Virginia Department of Health’s financial management, staffing, and workplace culture. JLARC members had directed this review in fall 2023, directing staff to review the operations and management of the Virginia Department of Health […]
Report on Preemptive and Ongoing Health Care to Local Government Employees Exposed to Toxic Materials Published
A report from a workgroup charged with identifying and analyzing options to help ensure that local government employees who respond to emergencies that expose them to toxic materials have appropriate preemptive and ongoing health care was recently published and recommends state grant funding to support eligible localities. This fund would help localities in supporting their […]
Behavioral Health Commission Receives Briefings on Permanent Supportive Housing, Crisis System; Local Contributions to CSBs Expected to be Area of Focus in 2025
The Behavioral Health Commission’s Executive Committee met on November 4 to plan the Commission’s work for 2025, and the full Commission met on November 12 for a series of briefings from its staff, as well as staff to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, Deputy Health and Human Resources Secretary Leah Mills, and DBHDS […]
Regions 6 & 7 Members Outline Their Legislative Priorities at Meeting
On September 23, VACo held a regional meeting for counties in VACo Regions 6 and 7. This meeting was done virtually, and it was lovely to have such a great turnout and hear the conversations among VACo staff, local leaders, members of the Virginia General Assembly and our federal partners. The meeting began with Virginia […]
Counties eligible for federal funds to implement energy efficiency programs – December 6 Deadline to Apply
The Virginia Department of Energy (Virginia Energy) is offering subgrants to eligible local governments for the marketing, education, and outreach of energy efficiency and conservation programs for residential energy consumers and contractors. The application deadline has been extended to Friday, December 6, 2024. Through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funding, Virginia Energy […]