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 […]
Senate Finance Unanimously Reports Several Helpful Measures
The Senate Finance Committee reported several bills on February 14 that are beneficial to local governments. VACo supports these measures. HB 495 (Hodges) authorizes a local commissioner of the revenue, treasurer, or director of finance to disclose taxpayer information to a non-governmental entity with whom the locality has contracted to provide services related to tax […]
Legislation Allowing Consolidated Meals Tax/Bond Referendum Ballot Question Passes House
HB 1390 (Aird) applies to an instance in which a county seeks to pay for debt-funded projects with revenues derived from a meals tax, and permits the county to put before the voters a consolidated question on the implementation of the meals tax and the issuance of debt to be supported with meals tax revenues, […]
State General Fund Revenues Continue Strength in January; Effect of Federal Tax Reform Unclear
January revenue figures were released on February 13, and Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne made presentations to the House Appropriations Committee and Senate Finance Committee on February 14. Overall General Fund (GF) revenues rose 5.1 percent in January relative to January 2017, and collections have grown 5.8 percent on a fiscal year-to-date basis, ahead of […]
Mandate for Localities to Post All Expenditures on Website Advances
SB 751 (Sturtevant) passed the Senate on February 12 by a vote of 26-13 and now heads to the House for consideration. The bill requires 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. This includes vendor […]
VACo Supports Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF) Budget Amendments
VACo has sent a letter to members of the Senate Finance Committee’s Economic Development and Natural Resources Subcommittee and House Appropriations Committee’s Commerce, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Technology Subcommittee encouraging the authorization of Virginia Public Building Authority (VPBA) bonds for the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF). SLAF was created by the General Assembly in 2013 […]
Bill Allowing Density Bonuses in Exchange for Workforce Housing Passes Senate
SB 290 (McClellan) passed the Senate on February 12 and heads to the House for consideration. The bill expands to all localities the option to adopt an affordable dwelling unit ordinance to “promote a full range of housing choices, and encourage the construction and continued existence of moderately priced and affordable housing by providing for […]
Capitol Contact ALERT – Oppose Bills that Upset Well-Established Real Estate Tax Appeal Processes
HB 786 (Keam) and HB 787 (Keam), as passed by the House, would provide 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. Manifest error is a long-standing judicial standard that has been consistently applied […]
Bills Gutting Local Authority to Address Siting of Wireless Towers Advance
Late last week, the House and Senate passed bills allowing wireless companies to place cell towers up to 50 feet tall within rights-of-way without local control. Additionally, for towers of greater height, the bills hamstring localities’ ability to obtain information and address citizen concerns through the public hearing process. VACo opposes any weakening of local […]
Helpful Bill Regarding Ballot Question for Bond and Meals Tax Referenda Reported from Committee
HB 1390 (Aird) applies to an instance in which a county seeks to pay for debt-funded projects with revenues derived from a meals tax. It permits the county to put before the voters a consolidated question on the implementation of the meals tax and the issuance of debt to be supported with meals tax revenues, […]