Governor Ralph Northam to Speak at VACo County Government Day
February 8, 2018 | Omni Richmond Hotel | Agenda This is our day to advocate for counties at the 2018 General Assembly Session. Join us for VACo County Government Day on Thursday, February 8! Registration opens at 11 a.m. and the event kicks off with lunch at noon. Governor Ralph Northam will speak on issues […]
2018 GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONVENES ON JANUARY 10
Look for Capitol Contact on Tuesdays and Thursdays The 2018 General Assembly session will span from January 10 to March 10, and legislators will deliberate on many issues critical to local government, including taxes, the state budget, education funding, economic development, public safety, and other policy matters. VACo will continually provide updates during the session […]
2018 VML/VACo Finance Forum Held January 3
The 2018 Finance Forum, an event co-sponsored by VACo and VML, was held on January 3 and featured presentations from state and local experts on a variety of topics of importance to local budgets in advance of the January 10 start of the 2018 General Assembly session. Among the key topics of discussion at the […]
Visit Roanoke County and Bent Mountain Falls
The Bottom Creek Gorge Preserve, located south of Roanoke in the highlands of the Blue Ridge Plateau, features a spectacular gorge and arguably the tallest waterfall in Virginia. Before joining Goose Creek at the downstream end to form the South Fork Roanoke River, Bottom Creek flows through a narrow ~3-mile gorge that varies between 200 […]
Governor-Elect Ralph Northam Cabinet Appointments
Chief of Staff | Clark Mercer Deputy Chief of Staff | Suzette Denslow Counsel to the Governor | Rita Davis Secretary of Administration | Keyanna Conner Secretary of Commerce and Trade | OPEN Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry | Bettina Ring Secretary of the Commonwealth | Kelly Thomasson Secretary of Education | Atif Qarni Secretary […]
Key Dates for 2018 General Assembly Session
The Joint Rules Committee met on December 18 to adopt the procedural resolution that sets the schedule for the 2018 General Assembly session. Although the procedural resolution will be considered by the full House and Senate in January, typically it is agreed upon without amendments. Key dates in the procedural resolution are as follows: January […]
Governor McAuliffe introduces revised FY 2018 and new 2018-20 biennium budget proposal
The FY 2018 “Caboose” Bill The FY 2018 “Caboose” bill contains $294 million in increased 2016-18 biennium General Fund (GF) revenues from last year’s adopted budget. The increased resources are due mostly to the higher base resulting from the $137 million FY 2017 surplus. Growth in FY 2018 general fund revenues at 3.4 percent was […]
Visit Pulaski County and the County’s First Courthouse
Newbern, VA, served as the county seat from 1839-1893 when the courthouse was removed to Pulaski. The Old County Jail still stands to the rear of the Courthouse. Here’s a little history of the Newbern Jail, according to a Radford News Journal story published on May 31, 2017 (https://radfordnewsjournal.com/opinion/newbern-jail-named-one-virginias-endangered-historic-places/). The Newbern jail is Pulaski County’s […]
VIVIAN SEAY GILES
Cumberland County Administrator and County Attorney Q1. What drew you to working in local government? What advice would you give to others who are interested in pursuing a career in public administration? Vivian Giles: To be perfectly honest, I entered local government more for personal reasons than for professional reasons at the time, but […]
JLARC Reviews Virginia’s Early Childhood Programs
The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) received a briefing on December 12 on the state’s early childhood development programs, an area in which the state spent approximately $144 million in FY 2016 (in general and lottery funds), supplemented by $125 million in federal funds and $61 million in local dollars. JLARC staff evaluated […]
The Berkley Group’s ETA Program saves the day in the Town of Amherst
Pete Huber is a busy man. It took several calls to catch up with Huber to talk about his experience as Town of Amherst Interim Manager. The initial call caught Huber helping a pair of Council Members with the new Outlook email system. On the return call, Huber explained he was meeting with staff to […]
Joint Subcommittee to Study Mental Health Services in the 21st Century Adopts Final Recommendations for 2017
The Joint Subcommittee to Study Mental Health Services in the 21st Century met on December 19 to adopt recommendations for the upcoming General Assembly session. Although transportation of individuals experiencing mental health crises was the subject of most of the media coverage of the meeting, the Joint Subcommittee discussed a variety of issues. Below is […]
Financial Facts
The IRS issued proposed regulations (REG-105004-16) permitting employers to use truncated social security or other taxpayer id numbers on the copy of Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, furnished to the employee. The use would be voluntary, and would show the last four digits with the preceding replaced by asterisks or Xs. The proposed rules […]
VML APPOINTS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Virginia Municipal League (VML) is pleased to announce the appointment of Michelle Gowdy as Executive Director. Gowdy has been serving as Acting Executive Director and General Counsel. “The Executive Committee voted unanimously to name Michelle our next Executive Director,” said Dr. Patricia Woodbury, VML President and Newport News Councilwoman. “Michelle has been a successful local government […]
VACo Welcomes Angela Inglett
The Virginia Association of Counties is pleased to announce the hiring of Angela Inglett as Director of Program Development. Inglett will join the VACo Team on January 3. She previously served as Legislative Assistant in U.S. Congressman Bob Goodlatte’s Office (VA-06). “We anticipate Angela filling a vital dual role with the Association,” VACo Executive Director […]
VACo Welcomes Khaki LaRiviere
The Virginia Association of Counties is pleased to announce that Kathleen L. “Khaki” LaRiviere will join the team on January 3 as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. LaRiviere comes to VACo after serving as Policy Advisor to Governor Terry McAuliffe. “Khaki brings state experience in policy development, which will further bolster our Legislative Team’s effectiveness,” VACo […]