More Favorable Bus Stop Bill Passes General Assembly
HB 285 (McQuinn), as introduced, provided for the exemption of plans and specifications for bus shelters that do not exceed 256 square feet that are to be constructed for transit agencies receiving state money and that will be constructed on state-owned property from the Department of General Services’ review process required by the Uniform Statewide […]
Visit Louisa County and the Louisa County Historic Courthouse
Location: 100 West Main Street / Elm StreetBuilt: 1905 – 1906Style: Classical RevivalArchitect: D Whiley AndersonContractor: Samuel Ragland Description: The building faces northeast and is a two story red colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square. The north front has a large portico with […]
State General Fund Revenues in Line with Forecast in February
On Friday, March 15, Governor Youngkin released state General Fund revenue figures for the month of February, reporting that revenue collections continue to align with FY 2024 forecasts. Total General Fund revenues increased by 17.3 percent in February relative to February 2023, and have increased by 6.3 percent on a fiscal year-to-date basis; year-to-date collections […]
State Executive Council for Children’s Services Announces Intent to Develop Policy; VACo Seeks County Feedback on Proposal
At its March 14 meeting, the State Executive Council for Children’s Services (SEC) approved seeking public comment on a Notice of Intent to Develop/Revise Policy for SEC Policy 4.5.2, Time Frames Regarding CSA Pool Fund Reimbursement. This action is the first step in the policy revision process; after the initial public comment period, the SEC […]
Money Committee Chairs Announce State Budget Compromise Reached; VACo to Review and to Provide Updates Soon
Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee Chair Louise Lucas and House Appropriations Committee Chair Luke Torian announced today that the conference committee negotiating differences between the House and Senate budgets has reached a compromise agreement. The text of this agreement will be released later today in advance of an expected floor vote on March 9, the […]
Resources for Jails a Continued Area of Legislative Interest
HB 912 (Shin), which initially proposed to limit or eliminate certain fees charged within jails, cap prices for items sold in jail commissaries, and require jails to provide telephone calls to a limited number of recipients at no cost, was substantially revised this session and has now passed both chambers. Similar bills were considered in […]
Real Property Tax Exemption Constitutional Amendments Moving Forward toward Expected November Referendum
Constitutional amendments must pass in identical form once prior to a General Assembly election and once afterwards prior to being placed before the voters for approval via referendum. A pair of amendments, HJ 45 (Tran) and SJ 3 (McPike), passed in 2023 and have advanced in both chambers this session. These amendments expand the current […]
Fiscal Distress Legislation Heading to the Governor’s Desk, Scope Limited
SB 645 (Aird), which addresses situations of local fiscal distress, has undergone significant modifications on its journey through the legislative process, and major provisions were substantially narrowed in scope in its most recent iteration. The bill builds on existing budget language that creates a process for state review of local fiscal distress and enables the […]
Enter the 2024 VACo Achievement Awards
Deadline is July 1, 2024 Dear VACo Members – It’s time for the 2024 Achievement Awards Program. Any county department is eligible to compete so ENTER NOW! 2024 Achievement Awards Submission Form All entries are required to be submitted in electronic form. No paper copy submissions are necessary. The electronic submissions should be a PDF or […]
Visit Loudoun County and the Loudoun County Historic Courthouse
Location: 18 East Market Street / Church StreetBuilt: 1894 – 1895Style: Greek RevivalArchitect: William C WestContractor: Norris Brothers Description: The building faces west and is a two story red colored brick structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Leesburg. The west front of the rectangular shaped building has a large […]
Bill Impacting Local Authority to Regulate Short-Term Rentals Amended to Address VACo Concerns; Another Bill Opposed by VACo Awaiting Governor’s Approval
As introduced, HB 1461 (Mundon King) would have prohibited a locality from barring an operator, as defined in existing law, who is a lessee or sublessee of property from offering such property as a short-term rental provided the property owner has granted permission for its use as a short-term rental. At the request of VACo […]
Problematic Water Withdrawal Permitting Bill Goes Down the Drain
SB 673 (Stuart), as amended, would direct the Department of Environmental Quality and the State Water Control Board to prioritize the preservation of water for human consumption and food production in all permitting and regulatory processes related to groundwater and surface water resources. VACo sought member input on how SB 673 would impact member counties […]
Concerning Revenue Sharing Program Budget Amendment Not Included in General Assembly Budgets
Item 438 #1h (McQuinn) and Item 438 #2s (Marsden) are budget amendments that seek to rewrite the current Revenue Sharing Program prioritization process that would adversely affect county governments. VACo sought member feedback on how the proposed budget amendments may affect your locality and the impacts this could have on county-wide infrastructure. VACo is happy to report that […]
Health and Human Services Roundup
Behavioral Health Several bills under consideration this session resulted from a 2023 JLARC study of the state psychiatric hospital system, several recommendations of which were also endorsed by the Behavioral Health Commission: HB 314 (Hope)/SB 179 (Favola), as introduced, would have required state hospitals (rather than CSBs) to conduct discharge planning for individuals who are […]
PFAS Testing Bill Amended in VACo’s Favor Sent to the Governor
HB 1085 (Rasoul) and SB 243 (McPike), as introduced, would have required municipal wastewater and drinking water plants to monitor PFAS (also known as “forever chemicals”) levels in effluent, influent, and biosolids at least quarterly and report all such data on an applicable discharge monitoring report required by federal regulations. VACo initially opposed the bills […]
Unpaved Road Flexibility Bills Unanimously Approved by General Assembly
SB 644 (Perry) and HB 74 (Reid) would clarify that the improvement of nonsurface treated secondary highways includes modifications other than paving. These improvements, include but aren’t limited to, drainage upgrades, enhanced design of the highway profile, or any positive changes to increase safety, reduce maintenance cost or enhance the historic qualities of the road in question. The […]