The Virginia Renewable Energy Alliance Presents: Leveraging the Legal and Regulatory Parameters to Increase Renewables in Virginia
VACo’s Chris McDonald (left) was a speaker at a past VA-REA event. VACo’s Joe Lerch is a confirmed speaker this year. VA-REA is kicking off its 2018 Leadership in Energy Advancement and Development (LEAD) series on Thursday, April 26 with a one-day event that will cover recent legislative and executive branch catalysts for renewable energy […]
1207 to the 95: How Well Do You Know the Gig Economy?
WELCOME TO OUR EDUCATION BLOG! We hope that the resources, research, and information you find here will prove helpful to county officials of all levels as you go about the work of the people. Here at 1207 to the 95, we’ll be sharing information about various studies and reports, summaries of new issues facing counties, […]
General Assembly Adjourns Regular Session Without Adopting Budget; Special Session to Convene April 11
The General Assembly adjourned the 2018 regular session sine die on March 10 without completing work on the 2018-2020 biennium budget and the FY 2018 “caboose” budget, a result that was set in motion on Thursday, March 8, when budget conferees announced that they had reached an impasse over the issue of Medicaid expansion. The […]
Visit Page County and the Luray Singing Tower
The Luray Singing Tower, officially known as the Belle Brown Northcott Memorial, was erected in 1937 in memory of Colonel T.C. Northcott’s wife. At 117 feet in height the Luray Singing Tower contains a carillon of 47 bells. The largest bell weighs 7,640 pounds and is six feet in diameter. The smallest weighs a mere […]
State General Fund Revenue Collections Continue Growth in February
State General Fund revenue collections continued to perform well in February, growing by 10.9 percent. Total revenue collections are up 6.2 percent on a fiscal year-to-date basis, ahead of the projection of 3.4 percent growth. Individual income tax paid through payroll withholding, which generates the lion’s share of General Fund revenues, continues to be an […]
One week until the 2018 Supervisors’ Forum!
Here at VACo we are excited to be gearing up for the upcoming 2018 Supervisor’s Forum, to take place on March 23rd and 24th, at the Richmond Omni Hotel. This biannual event is the perfect introduction to the duties, challenges, and opportunities inherent in the role of County Supervisor. VACo will welcome over 60 County […]
Commission on Local Government Caps 2018 Session
The Commission convened a regular meeting Tuesday, March 13 to provide a legislative update for the 2018 General Assembly Session, updates on the Fiscal Stress Report and Annexation Alternatives Study, act on state and federal local government mandate assessments, and discuss the Governor’s Task Force for Local Government Mandate Review. The Commission reviewed 365 bills, […]
Virginia County Board of Supervisors CHAIRS AND VICE CHAIRS
Virginia County Board of Supervisors’ Chairs and Vice Chairs are elected typically at the beginning of each year. Thank you to all of the county staff for assisting VACo in compiling the 2018 list. Updates or corrections for your county staff and elected officials may be submitted at any time to Carol Cameron at ccameron@vaco.org. […]
It’s almost time for the 2018 Regional Meetings Season
Regional Meetings are held annually to give local elected officials, county administrators and legislators an opportunity to discuss challenges and offer solutions. A 2018 Regional Meetings schedule will be posted soon. These meeting are not to be missed! Here’s a list of VACo Regions. VACo held 7 Regional Meetings covering 9 Regions during our 2017 […]
Financial Facts
GASB has issued proposals related to capitalization of interest costs and implementation of recent pronouncements. They also issued an implementation guide for the new state and local government accounting standard for other post-employment benefits (OPEB). One exposure draft, Accounting for Interest Cost During the Period of Construction, proposes guidance intended to enhance the relevance and […]
Nominations sought for VACo Jefferson Cup
VACo seeks nominations for this year’s Jefferson Cup Award to be presented at the November 11-13 Annual Conference. The deadline for nominations is May 1. Please submit nominations to Dean Lynch at dlynch@vaco.org. Click here for a list of Jefferson Cup recipients. Below is a brief history of the Jefferson Cup as well as criteria […]
General Assembly Adjourns Regular Session Without Adopting Budget; Special Session to Convene April 11
The General Assembly adjourned the 2018 regular session sine die on March 10 without completing work on the 2018-2020 biennium budget and the FY 2018 “caboose” budget, a result that was set in motion on Thursday, March 8, when budget conferees announced that they had reached an impasse over the issue of Medicaid expansion. The […]
Calls Needed to Request Veto of Legislation Mandating Land Use Valuation
HB 1204 (Hugo) would require that certain property be assessed based on use value rather than fair market value in certain localities meeting specified population growth criteria (Arlington County and Loudoun County). As passed by the General Assembly, the bill would require that real property of at least 20 acres that is devoted to open […]
VACo requests Veto of Wireless Bills
Please contact Governor Ralph Northam’s office as soon as possible to ask the Governor to veto HB 1258 and SB 405, and HB 1427 and SB 823. HB 1258 and SB 405 gut local zoning authority to address the siting of wireless towers. Specifically, they allow wireless companies to place cell towers up to 50 […]
Solar tax exemption bill awaits Governor’s signature
SB 902 (Lucas) successfully ended its journey through the General Assembly and now awaits signing by Governor Ralph Northam. The bill limits local tax exemptions for solar equipment and facilities and provides local options for additional tax exemptions. Under current law, solar facilities greater than 20 megawatts (MW) in generation capacity are provided a mandatory […]
Bill to fund Metro does not include new capital funds for other transit systems
On the last day of session, conferees for HB 1539 (Hugo) and SB 856 (Saslaw) agreed on $154 million in dedicated annual dollars for Virginia’s portion to shore up the Metro bus and rail system (under the control of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority – WMATA) that serves the D.C. metropolitan area. The original […]