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 […]
News from our Associate Members – Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates
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, […]
Local Government Toolkit for Summer Food Service Program Released
As a follow-up to the conference call First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe held in March with local government leaders on the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) (previously discussed in County Connections), No Kid Hungry Virginia has released a toolkit with ideas for how local elected officials can promote the SFSP. The document includes ideas for raising […]
General Assembly holds Reconvened Session
The General Assembly held its reconvened session on Wednesday, April 5, to consider gubernatorial amendments to 71 bills and 39 vetoes, as well as 27 amendments to the state budget. VACo previewed the reconvened session in this week’s County Connections. Legislators sustained all of Governor McAuliffe’s vetoes. The General Assembly rejected amendments, in whole or […]
Governor’s Amendments and Vetoes to be Considered at Reconvened Session
Governor McAuliffe released the last of his amendments for the 2017 General Assembly session on Monday, March 27. Gubernatorial amendments to 71 bills (including House and Senate pairs) will be before the General Assembly for consideration at the reconvened session on Wednesday, April 5 (an additional 12 bills were amended and acted upon by the […]
Elected officials participate in the VACo supervisors’ certification program
The opening class for the Virginia County Certified Supervisors’ Program course was held on Friday, March 17 at the Albemarle County Government Center. Dr. Mike Chandler, Virginia Tech Professor Emeritus, and Dr. Martha Walker, Virginia Cooperative Extension Community Viability Specialist, led the class titled, “Managing While Leading: Understanding Your Powers, Duties and Responsibilities.” Attendees discussed […]