VACo prepares for Recovened Session

VACo continues to monitor the legislative process of the 2016 General Assembly session. Governor Terry McAuliffe has vetoed 22 bills – 17 HB and 5 SB. The General Assembly will reconvene on April 20 to consider the governor’s amendments and vetoes of legislation. Overriding a veto requires a two-thirds majority vote in the House and […]

Financial Facts

On March 29, GASB issued recognition and measurement guidance for governments that benefit from irrevocable split-interest agreements.  A typical irrevocable split-interest agreement provides benefits to at least two beneficiaries-a government and another beneficiary designated by the donor.  The donor transfers the related assets either to the government or to a separate third party.

In the case of a disaster, how prepared will your county be?

On March 15-16, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) hosted a one-and-a-half day workshop that focused on critical infrastructure and to also provide information about the Homeland Security grant allocation process. About 60 people attended. Most were emergency management personnel from localities across Virginia. VACo President Judy S. Lyttle also attended along with Larry […]

VACo sends Budget Letter to Governor

VACo President Judy Lyttle recently wrote to Governor Terry McAuliffe to comment on the biennium budget passed by the 2016 General Assembly. The March 21 letter expressed general support for the budget and commended the Governor for working cooperatively with the General Assembly to develop a spending plan that substantially boosts investments in the areas […]

VACo reports on General Assembly budget and bills of interest

General Assembly Conference Budget Reports The House and Senate agreed on a biennial budget on March 11. The following items of interest to localities are included in the General Assembly’s conference budget. This document tracks HB 30. READ MORE   General Assembly Session Update on Bills of Interests The following is a report on bills […]

Members of the next class of the Virginia Certified County Supervisors’ Program meet in Albemarle County

Pictured from Left to Right – Beau Blevins (VACo), Keith Guzy (Page County), Steve Wilkerson (Bedford County), Rick Randolph (Albemarle), Meg Bohmke (Stafford County), Claudia Lundy (Mecklenburg County), Larry Nordvig (Powhatan County), William Martin (Greene County), Joel Acree (Isle of Wight County), William McCarty (Isle of Wight County), Keith Blowe (Sussex County), Rex Hill (Carroll County), […]

New Opportunity to reduce county out-of-pocket costs

The Virginia Local Government Finance Corporation (VLGFC) is giving grants of $5,000 to each participant in the VML/VACo Fixed Rate Loan Program. VLGFC is the nonprofit corporation that oversees VML/VACo Finance, the financial services arm of the Virginia Association of Counties and the Virginia Municipal League. Due to the continued success of financing programs, the […]

Governor signs Pay-for-Performance Workforce Law

In a special ceremony on March 10 attended by VACo representatives, Governor Terry McAuliffe signed legislation, HB 66 (Byron) and SB 576 (Ruff), which establishes a workforce training program intended to increase opportunities for workers to learn new skills and earn specific industry certifications and occupational licenses that will match the needs of the market […]

Tech Talk

Email Retention How old is your oldest email? Do I need to keep it? What is its content and subject matter? How long should you keep your email? What is the required retention time of your emails? Just a few questions to get you started on the way to developing an email retention policy.

Visit Botetourt County and the Buchanan Swinging Bridge

The Buchanan Swinging Bridge is 366 feet long, 57.5 feet tall, the only one of its type to cross the James River. Owned by VDOT, the Swinging Bridge is a Historic Landmark. Portions of the large stone piers were constructed in 1851 for the Buchanan Turnpike Company’s Toll Bridge. Toll for every person was five […]

General Assembly Session Update on Bills of Interest

The following is a report on bills that received final action by the General Assembly shortly before adjournment sine die on March 11. VACo staff soon will develop a more comprehensive report on actions by the 2016 General Assembly affecting local governments. Be on the lookout for VACo’s Annual Legislative Summary. Please do not hesitate to […]

General Assembly Conference Budget Report

The House and Senate agreed on a biennial budget on March 11. The following items of interest to localities are included in the General Assembly’s conference budget. This document tracks HB 30, which does the following: Legislative The Conference Report provides $24,000 each year from the general fund pursuant to House Joint Resolution 112 of […]