Visit Floyd County and the Appalachian Trail Hut at Rocky Knob Recreation Area
Rocky Knob is one of the first developed areas on the Blue Ridge Parkway and is noted for its rustic and rural landscape, plus great camping and hiking. It is an outdoor lovers’ paradise with easy access to the Parkway’s Mabry Mill and the Chateau Morrisette Winery. A campground has over 100 sites for tents […]
Counties encouraged to use NACo app testing access to broadband
The National Association of Counties in partnership with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) has developed a mobile app designed to show locations with low or no connectivity to help ensure adequate federal funding for areas lacking access to the internet. TestIT is an iOS/Android mobile app that […]
Northam Sticks to Environmental Priorities; Vetoes Bills Limiting Virginia’s Ability to Combat Pollution
Sticking to his environmental priorities, Governor Ralph Northam has vetoed two bills that sought to limit the Commonwealth’s ability to combat air pollution generated from vehicles and power plants. First, Governor Northam vetoed HB 2269 (Poindexter), which prohibits the Governor or any state agency from adopting any regulation establishing or bringing about the participation by […]
Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board (GO Virginia) Meeting, Grant Announcements, and Site Development Presentation
The GO Virginia Board met on March 12 to approve $6.7 million in competitive economic development grants to support seven regional initiatives. The Board is a public 24-member policy board that provides oversight to the nine regional councils and provides state incentives to match with local, federal, and private funds to encourage regional economic cooperation […]
Virginia Retirement Service (VRS) News Bulletin
In the latest monthly publication from VRS, the independent state agency provided an overview of its 2018 Annual Financial Reports, IRS increases to the amount participants may contribute to Commonwealth’s 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, a detailed guide to retiring in 2019, legislative updates from the General Assembly, and notice of an upcoming system maintenance outage […]
State General Fund Revenues Up in February, Trail Annual Forecast; Unemployment Remains Low
Governor Ralph Northam announced last week that state General Fund revenues experienced a significant increase in February, but remain below the annual forecast on a fiscal year-to-date basis; the Administration expects stronger growth later in the fiscal year. The spike in revenues in February, representing growth of 26.6 percent, is largely attributed to slower-than-normal issuance […]
The U.S. Census Bureau Hosts Census Day 2019
WHAT The U.S. Census Bureau will host a live operational press briefing to mark the one year out milestone from the 2020 Census. On April 1, 2019, Census Bureau Director Dr. Steven Dillingham and Census Bureau leadership will brief the public on the status of operations and provide updates on the success of the integrated […]
2019 Virginia Agritourism Conference
It’s not too late to register . . . 2019 Virginia Agritourism Conference Wednesday, April 3, and Thursday, April 4, 2019 Hotel Roanoke – Roanoke, Virginia Visit https://ext.vt.edu/agriculture/agritourism.html and select the 2019 Conference . . . review the program, register, and make your hotel reservation. The fifth annual Virginia Agritourism Conference provides agritourism entrepreneurs […]
2019 VACo Achievement Awards
Dear VACo Members – It’s time for the 2019 Achievement Awards Program. Any county department is eligible to compete so ENTER NOW! All entries are required to be submitted in electronic form. No paper copy submissions are necessary. The electronic copy should be a PDF or WORD file. Email entries to Gage Harter at gharter@vaco.org. […]
School Safety and FERPA
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) recently published the final report of the Federal Commission on School Safety, which was formed in response to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Chapter 17 of the report details the relationship between efforts to ensure safe schools and the enforcement of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act […]
Visit Amherst County and Panther Falls
Panther Falls is an extremely popular local swimming hole and waterfall on the Pedlar River east of the Blue Ridge Parkway. On summer days, the falls are packed with people jumping from the top of the two rock shelves that frame the 10-foot falls. The very short hike to the falls (only .4 miles) offers […]
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NACo rolling out mobile app to test broadband speeds
Allan Angel, Telecommunications and Technology Committee Vice Chair and Kent County (DE) Commissioner, relates his experience with poor cellphone service in his county. Photo by Denny Henry | NACo. By Mary Ann Barton | NACo County News Editor & Senior Writer At their meeting Saturday, members of NACo’s Telecommunications and Technology Policy Steering Committee expressed […]
THE 2020 CENSUS MATTERS TO VIRGINIA’S CHILDREN AND LOCALITIES
As Virginia counties prepare for the 2020 Census, VACo has joined forces with Voices for Virginia’s Children to share information with our members to help ensure a successful count of all county residents. An introductory message from Voices for Virginia’s Children about the importance of the Census and VACo’s partnership with Voices is below. Look […]
Order your copy of the Virginia County Supervisors’ Manual | 2019 Edition
Key Provisions of Budget Conference Report
The General Assembly approved a conference report containing revisions to the 2018-2020 biennium budget on Sunday, February 24. Below is a summary of the key provisions of the budget conference report in areas of importance to county governments. In addition, a detailed summary of provisions regarding Constitutional officers that was prepared by the Executive Secretary […]