Bill to Authorize Tree Planting/Replacement Ordinances in Chesapeake Bay Watershed Reports Out
HB 494 (Hodges) reported out of the Senate Local Government Committee unanimously (13-0) on February 20 and will now be heard on the Senate floor later this week. HB 494 previously passed the House on January 25. The bill authorizes any locality within the Chesapeake Bay watershed to adopt an ordinance providing for the planting […]
Capitol Contact ALERT – Call Now to Oppose Mandating Use Value Taxation for Certain Properties
HB 1204 (Hugo) is a problematic bill that would require 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). The bill would require that real property of at least five acres that is devoted to open space be […]
House Appropriations, Senate Finance Report Budgets
The House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees reported their respective budgets on Sunday, February 18, and as signaled by passage of two key pieces of legislation last week, the chambers take vastly different approaches to the issue of Medicaid expansion, with the result that the two budgets have very different levels of resources available to […]
VACo Opposes Bill Limiting Regulation of Fire Hazard Posed by Mulch
A simple requirement adopted by the City of Harrisonburg to keep “combustible landscape cover material” (i.e. mulch) at least 18 inches from a structure, has prompted a legislative proposal to prevent any locality from adopting common-sense rules to prevent a building from going up in flames due to mulch being too close to a structure. […]
Electric Vehicle Charging Bills Continue to Power through House and Senate
SB 908 (McClellan) and HB 922 (Bulova) were introduced to clarify and expand local authority to locate and operate a retail fee-based electric vehicle charging station on locality owned or leased property. Both bills continue to rapidly advance through the House and Senate. These bills seek to modify 2011 legislation that enabled any “person” to […]
Grievance Bill that would Upend Local Procedures Dies in Subcommittee
HB 1471 (Hugo) has been introduced in some form in six of the last seven General Assembly Sessions. VACo opposed this bill that sought to make several changes to local grievance procedures that apply to all localities and local government employees throughout the Commonwealth. Currently, many localities use a hearing officer or existing approved grievance […]
Governor Northam speaks at VACo County Government Day
VACo President and King and Queen Supervisor Sherrin Alsop encouraged the crowd of more than 200 County officials to make February 8 their day. “I know you’re excited to start your legislative experience,” Alsop said. “Please be sure to talk about the important legislative issues we’ve discussed. Today is our day – County Government Day.” […]
Have You Registered for VACo’s Supervisors’ Forum?
March 23-24, 2018 Registration Form Preliminary Agenda Register Online Book Online Omni Richmond Hotel On March 23-24, VACo will offer its biennial County Supervisors’ Forum, and there is still time for you to register! This two-day event in Richmond affords Supervisors and other county officials with the chance to examine issues you and your counties […]
Visit Carroll County and Puckett Cabin
At Milepost 189.1 in Carroll County, you will find Puckett Cabin. This cabin is the former home of Orlean Hawks Puckett, whose story of strength and goodwill has survived generations. Born in North Carolina, Orlean Hawks Puckett received little formal education before she married John Puckett at about age 16. They settled close to his […]
VACo Associate Member SPOTLIGHT – Enterprise Fleet Management
This month’s spotlight is on Enterprise Fleet Management, a VACo Associate Member since June 2017. Enterprise Fleet Management Explains Benefits of Partnering with a Fleet Management Company at Brown Edwards Annual Government Conference Aging vehicles, reduced budgets and fewer personnel resources are starting to take a toll on government agencies throughout the Common Wealth of […]
Financial Facts
GASB issued an Invitation to Comment to seek feedback to assist its efforts to develop a revenue and expense recognition model for state and local government accounting. The objectives for the model are: To create a more robust framework to address a wide range of transactions. To improve the comparability of how transactions are accounted […]
Opposition to Wireless Bills Mounting as They Cross Over between House and Senate
Two proposals by the wireless industry have made the halfway point and now get further consideration in each chamber. Below is a brief summary of where each stands and continued action needed to contact legislators in opposition. Oppose gutting of local authority to address siting of wireless towers The first measure, HB 1258 (Kilgore) and […]
Problematic Bills Changing Real Estate Assessment Appeals Process Continued to 2019
HB 786 (Keam) and HB 787 (Keam), which would have provided that a taxpayer appealing an assessment of real property would not be required to prove that the assessment is a result of manifest error or disregard of controlling evidence, were continued to 2019 in the Senate Finance Committee on February 14. VACo opposed these […]
Medicaid Discussions Continue as “Budget Sunday” Approaches
As the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee prepare to report their respective budgets on Sunday, February 18, the issue of Medicaid expansion continues to be a major focus of discussion. The introduced budget proposes to expand Medicaid eligibility to childless adults who are younger than 65 and earn up to 133 percent […]
School Bus Advertising Bill Stopped
HB 809 (O’Quinn), which would permit local school boards to display advertising material on the school buses, has ended its ride through the 2018 General Assembly Session. The bill permits local school boards to display commercial advertising material on the sides of school buses between the rear wheels and the rear of the bus, provided […]
School Calendar Bill Carried Over to 2019
HB 372 (Robinson), Delegate Roxann Robinson’s school calendar bill, has been carried over to 2019. The bill was one of two school calendar bills that reached crossover this year; the other bill, HB 1020 (Adams, L.), was incorporated into Delegate Robinson’s bill in the Senate Education and Health Committee. For more information on all the […]