Author: Gage Harter

Sign up for the next Certified Supervisors Class

Register today for the Virginia County Board Certified Supervisors’ Program budgeting course titled “Funding Public Services in the 21st Century: The Role of Budgeting.” The course will provide attendees with an understanding of the legal basis for the county budget. Various forms of county budgeting are explored including line item, program, performance, zero-based and outcomes-based […]

DEQ schedules regional meetings on Chesapeake Bay cleanup

To inform local officials of impending requirements relating to Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is continuing to schedule “outreach” meetings. These meetings are all part of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s “mid point assessment.” The mid point assessment’s chief purpose is the coordination of a multi-state strategy for achieving specific […]

News from our Associate Member – Southern Corrosion

YOUR COUNTY’S WATER TANK – You don’t think about it much; you know it’s there and you drive by it all the time but who takes care of it? What’s inside besides water? How do you know the water in the tank is safe?” VACo Associate Member Southern Corrosion can answer those questions and a […]

Comments from local officials requested on ‘Waters of the US’

Earlier this month the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) held a consultation meeting with the national state and local government associations on their yet-to-be proposed “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule under the requirements of Executive Order (EO) 13132 on Federalism. EO 13132 requires federal agencies to […]

CTB awards two contracts worth $69.6 million

The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) approved two contracts at its monthly meeting totaling $69.6 million for maintenance and construction projects in the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) Salem and Northern Virginia districts. Safety improvements on Route 220 in Botetourt County will widen shoulders, realign intersections, add rumble strips and turning lanes A design-build contract totaling […]

VACo’s 2017 Legislative Summary

The Legislative Summary details the actions of the 2017 General Assembly and provides a budget analysis as well as information on legislation of interest to counties. This edition contains links to bills through the General Assembly’s Legislative Information System. Also included in the document are studies and statistics of importance to counties. The 2017 Legislative […]

Announcing VACo’s 83rd Annual Conference

VACo’s 83rd Annual Conference will be held November 12-14, 2017, at The Omni Homestead in Bath County. The Annual Conference provides county officials with a great opportunity to vote on VACo’s policies related to state legislation and regulation, elect officers, network with colleagues, learn about innovative county programs, find out about issues impacting counties across […]

Visit Arlington County and The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial

On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked a plane and flew it into the Pentagon, our nation’s military headquarters, and killed 184 federal employees, military personnel, civilians and flight crew. The victims – men, women, and children– ranged in age from three to seventy-one, and represented a cross-section of America. The physical damage to the Pentagon […]

Local Fiscal Stress ‘Early Warning System’ Discussed

On April 11, a working group convened by Martha Mavredes, the Auditor of Public Accounts, met to discuss the development of an “early warning system” for localities in fiscal distress.  This meeting was a continuation of discussions held last year and responds to language in the state budget directing the creation of a set of […]

Governor’s Secure Commonwealth Initiative HHR Sub-Panel Meets

The Health and Human Resources Sub-Panel of the Governor’s Secure Commonwealth Initiative met in Henrico County on April 7. Among other briefings, a major topic of discussion was the state’s response to the opioid epidemic. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has convened a task force with a three-part response to the epidemic:  preventing new […]

State General Fund Revenues Up in March

State General Fund revenue collections continued their strong performance for another month, rising 5.7 percent in March.  On a fiscal year-to-date basis, total GF revenue collections grew 4.6 percent, ahead of the 2.9 percent annual growth forecast.  Growth in March was driven primarily by individual income tax withholding, which comprises 63 percent of total GF […]

Introducing an Associate Member: SHI International Corp

SHI International Corp. is a privately-owned global provider of information technology products and services, headquartered in Somerset, N.J. Founded in 1989, SHI has evolved from a $1 million “software-only” regional reseller into a $7.5 billion organization that delivers custom IT solutions to Academic, Corporate, Enterprise and Public Sector customers of all sizes. For over 20 […]

News from our Associate Members: BCWH

Photos by Chris Cunningham VARINA AREA LIBRARY RECEIVES NATIONAL DESIGN AWARD The Varina Area Library in Henrico County, Virginia receives a national design award from the American Institute of Architects and American Library Association. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and American Library Association (ALA) announced the winners of the 2017 Library Building Awards. The […]

Donald Robertson

Isle of Wight County Assistant County Administrator Q1. You wear several hats in addition to your role as Assistant County Administrator, serving also as the Director of Information Resources and Legislative Affairs for Isle of Wight County since 2006.  How has working with the media changed since you’ve served in that role? Don Robertson: Actually, […]