VACo County Pulse Podcast | 2019 General Assembly Edition | Part 4
Welcome to the County Pulse. Host Chris McDonald talks with VACo General Counsel Phyllis Errico and VACo Lobbyist Jeremy Bennett about a variety of issues, including agritourism, school modernization, school safety, FOIA, COIA and much more. Listen to the Podcast. VACo Contact: Chris McDonald, Esq.
Capitol Contact ALERT – Contact Budget Conferees on Machinery and Tools Tax Language
Proposed language in the Senate budget is problematic and could put machinery and tools tax revenue in jeopardy. Item 255 #1s directs the Secretary of Finance to convene a workgroup of stakeholders to develop a proposal to eliminate machinery and tools taxes on new equipment for its first five years, and reimburse localities for up […]
Bill to Rewrite Local Ordinance Regulating Airbnb Fails
SB 1701 (Ebbin) would have mandated that Fairfax County triple the number of nights per year (from 60 to 180) that residential dwellings be allowed “by right” to provide short-term rentals typically facilitated through online platforms such as Airbnb, FlipKey, and HomeAway. After passing the Senate, SB 1701 was defeated in House Counties, Cities and […]
Home instruction JROTC bill defeated
VACo opposed SB 1275 (Black), which requires any local school board that offers a Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) program to make it available to any student residing in the local school division receiving home instruction. The bill is problematic in that it prohibits the local school board from requiring any such student to […]
Understanding the impact of Virginia Tax Reform (HB 2529, SB 1372) in response to the Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017
On Monday, February 11, the Virginia General Assembly enacted state tax reform in response to impacts from the Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA). The new state tax law returns (or intends to return) individual income tax revenue resulting from enactment of the TCJA back to taxpayers. With a couple of relatively […]
Constitutional amendments on redistricting, car tax exemption likely headed to conference
HJ 676 (Filler-Corn), as passed by the House, provides for a local option to exempt from personal property taxes one motor vehicle belonging to a veteran with a 100 percent service-connected, permanent and total disability. As introduced, the resolution would have required this exemption. VACo objected to expanding mandatory property tax relief to another type […]
Troublesome FOIA bill amended in subcommittee
SB 1554 (Surovell) was heard in a House General Laws subcommittee this week and was substantially amended for the better. This bill as introduced provides that if a court finds that any officer, employee, or member of a public body failed to provide public records to a requester in accordance with the provisions of FOIA […]
Online check registry bill bounces
VACo opposed SB 1262 (Sturtevant), a proposal that would require every locality with a population greater than 25,000, and every school division with greater than 5,000 students, to post on its website a register of all transactions. The measure failed to pass in the House Counties, Cities and Towns Committee’s Subcommittee #2 on February 12 […]
Bills mandating Freedom of Information Act training for local elected officials receives helpful amendments in subcommittee
SB 1431 (Obenshain) as introduced mandates FOIA training for local elected officials by December 31, 2019, and thereafter biennially. The training would be given by the FOIA Council Staff and records of the training must be maintained by the clerk for five years. Currently, local government records officers are the only local government folks required […]
Rural stormwater bill heads to House Appropriations
Senator Emmett Hanger’s rural stormwater bill reported out of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee on February 13 and was rereferred to the House Appropriations Committee. SB 1328 (Hanger) authorizes the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to provide Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF) grants to smaller, rural localities that are not regulated under […]
Sale of surplus property for economic development could help counties break new ground
A proposal to give local governments a first right of refusal on state surplus property for sale, so long as the land in question is for a “bona fide economic development activity,” is making its way through the legislature. SB 1681 (Mason) and HB 2182 (Austin) direct the Department of General Services (DGS) to notify […]
Boundary adjustment bills just steps away from the finish line
Two bills seeking to add another tool to localities looking to make voluntary boundary line adjustments have nearly reached the end of their journey through the General Assembly. VACo supports HB 1649 (Fowler) and SB 1594 (Dunnavant), which would allow all localities to make voluntary boundary line adjustments using Geographic Information System (GIS) surveys. This […]
Mechanics Lien Notice of sale bill moves ahead in House
SB 1336 (Edwards) specifies that the notice of sale for property to be sold pursuant to a mechanics’ lien shall be posted in any of the following places: (i) a public place in the county or city where the property is located; (ii) a website operated by the Commonwealth, the county or city where the […]
Oppose Home Instruction JROTC Bill
SB 1275 (Black) requires any local school board that offers a Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) program to make it available to any student residing in the local school division receiving home instruction. The bill is problematic because it prohibits the local school board from requiring any such student to enroll part- or full-time […]
VACo County Pulse Podcast | 2019 General Assembly Edition | Part 3
Welcome to the VACo County Pulse. VACo Lobbyists Joe Lerch and Chris McDonald talk about a variety of issues, including alcohol reform, I-81 improvements, industrial hemp, casinos, proffers, and more. Listen to the Podcast. VACo Contact: Dean Lynch
ABC reform bills inch closer to law
Bills authorizing the sale of mixed beverages by licensed restaurants and the sale of alcoholic beverages in any county, town, or supervisor’s election district have continue to move ever closer to law, as each has now cleared the latest hurdle in their journey through the 2019 General Assembly session. If passed and signed into law, […]