DEQ releases its Notice of Intended Regulatory Action for Consolidation of stormwater management programs
The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has published its Notice of Intended Regulatory Action (NOIRA) stemming from 2016 legislation that attempts to consolidate Virginia Erosion Control and Stormwater Management Programs. Chapters 758 and 68 of the 2016 Acts of Assembly (House Bill 1250 and Senate Bill 673) combine the existing Virginia Stormwater Management Act (VSMA) […]
Items under discussion in Budget Conference
The House and Senate budgets were officially placed in conference on February 13 and conferees will be working to resolve differences between the two proposals in advance of the session’s scheduled adjournment on Saturday, February 23. Both proposals contain elements of interest to local governments; a short list of priority items is provided below. Amendments […]
General Assembly sends local government solar bills to the Governor for signing
After months of debate and testimony, the General Assembly has seen the light. Legislation expanding municipal net metering to local governments successfully ended its journey through the General Assembly late last week and will now head to the Governor to be signed into law. HB 2792 (Tran) and SB 1779 (Ebbin) establish a six-year pilot […]
School security personnel, a tale of two sets of bills
School Security issues continue to make their way through the General Assembly. Currently, two types of school security personnel are used in Virginia Schools – School Resource Officers (SROs) and School Security Officers (SSOs). According to the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety (VCSCS), School Resource Officer is defined in § 9.1-101 of the […]
Boundary mapping bills chart course straight to Governor’s desk
Bills providing an important tool to localities working to make voluntary boundary line adjustments have each now passed both chambers of the General Assembly and await the Governor’s signature. HB 1649 (Fowler) and SB 1594 (Dunnavant) allow all localities to make voluntary boundary line adjustments using Geographic Information System (GIS) surveys. GIS mapping provides users an effective, […]
Mark your calendars, more local flexibility to school start dates potentially coming soon
As in previous years, several school calendar bills were introduced with the intent of giving local school divisions greater autonomy over determining the opening of the school calendar year. These bills subvert the existing so-called “King’s Dominion Law,” which mandates that local school divisions start after Labor Day unless they are eligible to apply for […]
Important water quality funding bill heads to Senate floor
An important water quality bill that will equip localities with an additional tool for wastewater treatment as well as highlight the significant needs for greater funding made it out of committee unscathed and will now be heard on the Senate floor. HB 1822 (Bulova) allows the Director of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to […]
VACo supports pilot program to facilitate development of regional business parks
HB 1840 (Marshall) directs the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) to conduct a pilot program in the APCo and Dominion service territories to allow each electric utility to construct transmission lines and associated substations to serve regional business parks. Qualifying projects must meet the following requirements: The business park must be at least 100 acres […]
Children’s Services Act legislation fails in House Appropriations; JLARC to take up issue later this year
The two bills related to private special education day placements remaining under consideration after “crossover” failed to survive hearings in subcommittees of House Appropriations last week. SB 1104 (Peake), as passed by the Senate, would have allowed the current, capped allocation for special education “wraparound” services to be used for services within the public school […]
Changes to optional process for approving child day care in residential neighborhoods passes
Under current law a locality may by ordinance allow a zoning administrator to use an administrative process to issue zoning permits for a “family day home” accommodating 5 to 12 children under the age of 13. SB 1094 (Favola) and HB 2569 (LaRock) modify this provision in state code (see 15.2-2292) in two ways. First, […]
Limited additional taxing authority to Halifax County for school construction bill continues to advance
HB 1634 (Edmunds) originally authorized all counties and cities to impose an additional local sales and use tax at a rate as determined by the governing body, if initiated by a resolution of the local governing body and approved by the voters at a referendum. Revenue from the tax would be used solely for capital […]
Alcohol reform bills head to Governor’s desk
Pending a final signature from the Governor, Virginia is poised to hop back off the wagon. Two 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 passed the House and Senate and now await action from the Governor. SB […]
Rural stormwater bill dries up in subcommittee
Senator Emmett Hanger’s rural stormwater bill met an untimely demise on February 18 as it failed to advance from the formidable House Appropriations Committee. SB 1328 (Hanger) authorizes the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to designate a portion (up to 20 percent) of Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF) grants to smaller, rural localities that are […]
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 […]