Payments In-Lieu of Taxes Class Action Lawsuit
In June 2017, Kane County, Utah, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims seeking to recover underpayments to the county as well as underpayments of all other Payments In-Lieu of Taxes (PILT) recipients nationwide for 2015-2017. In December, the court ruled in Kane County’s favor for FY2015 and FY2016 underpayments and issued […]
U.S. House Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Impact of Wayfair Decision
On July 24, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing to examine possible effects of the recent Supreme Court decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., et al. and discuss what actions, if any, Congress should take in response to the ruling. The Court’s 5-4 ruling overturning the 1992 Quill Corp. v. North Dakota decision […]
Virginia’s Adopt-a-Highway program is celebrating 30 Years in 2018!
Virginia’s Adopt-a-Highway program is celebrating 30 Years in 2018! A partnership established between the Virginia Department of Transportation and Keep Virginia Beautiful, the program encourages new participants to join the thousands of groups that have helped keep Virginia’s roadways litter-free since it was first established in 1988. The Adopt-a-Highway program provides a FREE opportunity for […]
Commissioner of Elections Webinar on Mis-Assigned Voters
Commissioner of Elections Chris Piper presented information on the issue of potentially mis-assigned voters in a July 30 webinar hosted by VACo. Commissioner Piper discussed efforts at the Department of Elections to identify voters who may have been mis-assigned, as well as the potential complications that may result from situations where a house straddles a […]
VACo Region 3 meeting focuses on school safety, transportation and access to the internet
Close to 30 county officials met at the Hanover County Emergency Communications Office on the afternoon August 8. Laura Fornash, Sr. VP, State Government Relations with McGuireWoods Consulting and Former Virginia Secretary of Education, provided a one-page list of resources for counties addressing school safety. She also described the work of the Chesterfield County School […]
VACo visits Pittsylvania County for the Region 10 Meeting
VACo held its fifth 2018 Regional Meeting on July 24 in the center of VACo’s Region 10 – beautiful Pittsylvania County. On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, more than 30 county supervisors and administrators from counties across the region gathered at the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex to discuss challenges and opportunities while learning from one another. […]
2018 Presidential Initiative: Spotlight on Physical Activity – Healthy Virginia Counties in Action
In my last column, we looked at the benefits of physical activity and how Virginia stacks up relative to other states. Virginians exercise at rates slightly above the national average, but as a state, we have plenty of room for improvement. Fortunately, as with the issues of food insecurity and obesity, Virginia’s counties have stepped […]
VACo’s 1207 to the 95 Blog – The Opioid Crisis Part 4: Addiction’s Impact on Community Resources
Today we work through our final segment on the opioid crisis in America. This last installment in our series will explore addiction’s impact on community resources, and will share a few updates on opioid-related litigation. The weighty price of addiction is heartbreaking to observe and costly to address. That these consequences are especially high for […]
Discussion Commences on School Safety Recommendations
As the House Select Committee on School Safety continues to discuss recommendations for the 2019 Virginia General Assembly Session, legislators are making it clear in advance what they think the recommendations need to address. In a letter to Speaker Cox and the rest of the Committee, Delegates VanValkenburg, Mullin, and Bourne emphasized the need to […]
Danny P. Mann
Scott County District 5 Supervisor Q1. You were first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2011. What made you decide to run for elected office? What advice would you give to others who are thinking about entering public service? Danny Mann: Yes, I was elected in 2011 and started my service to the county […]
Visit Madison County and the Whiteoak Canyon
One of Shenandoah National Park’s most popular destinations is Whiteoak Canyon and its six waterfalls, with heights from 35 to 86 feet. There are swimming holes at the bottom of each waterfall, but do not expect much privacy because they are quite popular. Visitors hiking Whiteoak Canyon from the boundary must also have a valid […]
Governor Announces Revenue Surplus for FY 2018
Governor Northam announced last week that the state appears to have closed FY 2018 with a significant General Fund (GF) revenue surplus, based on preliminary figures. According to the Governor’s statement, the surplus is estimated at $551.9 million, representing 6.3 percent growth relative to the previous year, and is largely attributable to growth in individual […]
Review of Education Mandates Underway
As part of its periodic reassessment of mandates on local government, the Department of Education is currently soliciting comments on three mandates: school staffing ratios for certain instructional and support staff, Standards of Accreditation requirements, and reporting on broadband connectivity in schools. Comments are due to Rebecca Askew, Senior Policy Analyst at the Department of […]
County Officials’ Summit shaping into form
VACo Education and Steering Committee Meetings Thursday, August 16 VACo Board of Directors Meeting Friday, August 17 Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center | 2371 Carl D. Silver Parkway | Fredericksburg, VA 22401 | Agenda VACo’s County Officials’ Summit is now less than one month away! We hope you’re making plans to join us at this […]
2018 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (FOIA) “RECORDS” TRAINING
November 7 | November 14 The Commonwealth of Virginia’s Freedom of Information Advisory Council will conduct its 2018 FOIA “Records” training in Richmond starting July 25. The training sessions will be held at the Pocahontas Building located at 900 East Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219, near the Virginia State Capitol. Citizens, media representatives, public officials, […]
Financial Facts
The new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the Act) has a lesser known provision that provides for new community development incentives designed to increase long-term investments in low income communities. Sections 1400Z-1 and 1400Z-2 of the IRS Code tries to spur economic development and job creation in distressed communities by providing incentives to investors. The […]