Author: Gage Harter

House and Senate Pass Budgets

The House and Senate passed their respective budget proposals yesterday. Each budget proposal will now be reviewed by the other chamber in advance of the two proposals being placed into a committee of conference by February 12 to develop a compromise budget. The two budgets are aligned on several major items, including tax relief proposals […]

Visit Rappahannock County and the Rappahannock County Historic Courthouse

Location: 250 Gay Street / Porter StreetBuilt: 1834 – 1835Style: Greek RevivalArchitect: Malcolm F CrawfordContractor: Malcolm F Crawford and James Leake Powers Description: The building faces west and is a two-story red colored brick structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in Washington. The west front has four white colored vertical […]

NACo Public Promise Procurement

Anthony Chapman National Program DirectorNACo Public Promise Procurement Direct: 804.399.1821Email: achapman@naco.orgWebsite: www.publicpromiseprocurement.org     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_hV-sdGNvI NACo Public Promise Procurement  NACo’s Public Promise Procurement platform is a cooperative purchasing initiative designed to help county governments save time and money. Built by the National Association of Counties (NACo), Public Promise Procurement provides counties with access to competitively sourced […]

Status of JLARC K-12 Funding Legislation Post Crossover

Following the 2023 Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) study on how to improve the Standards of Quality (SOQ) in the Commonwealth and the 2024 recommendations of the Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education, several legislators have introduced legislation and budget amendments meant to help localities with K-12 funding.  VACo supports the JLARC […]

Public Meeting Agenda Legislation Advances

VACo opposed SB 876 (Ebbin), as introduced, because it did not provide for the addition of, and action on, agenda issues that were emerging or required swift attention. The bill expands current notice information required of Public Bodies providing that the notice shall include a proposed agenda listing all items expected to be considered by […]

FOIA Fees Legislation Advances

SB 1029 (Roem) is a revised version of past bills introduced by the patron and opposed by VACo to provide free or reduced requester fees for FOIA requests to public bodies. The introduced version is based on a workgroup of stakeholders that held several meetings over the past year under the umbrella of the Freedom […]

Money Committees Release Budget Proposals

The House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees met on Sunday to report their respective budget proposals.  Further details on both budgets will be available later today, and VACo will be providing more analysis later this week.  Overall, the two budgets are in accord on several major items, including tax relief proposals and the […]

ACTION ITEM: Oppose Bill to Mandate Statewide Standards for Solar Facilities

HB 2438 (Mundon King) requires that, unless otherwise permitted “by right,” a locality shall require a “special exception” (aka special use permit) for any a solar or energy storage project. The legislation then includes the following criteria to be adopted in local zoning ordinances: Setback distances between (1) 150 and 300 feet from houses on […]

Water Reporting Bills Amended in VACo’s Favor

HB 2407 (Scott, P.A.) and SB 1408 (Reeves), as introduced, would require waterworks to report any operational anomaly, regardless of severity, that could affect water quality, public health, or service continuity to the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Drinking Water (the Office) within 24 hours of discovery. This would include instances of pump failures, […]

Bill that Would Repeal Local Authority Related to Towing is in Better Posture

SB 1332 (Marsden) and HB 2214 (McQuinn) as introduced, would repeal the authority for localities to establish trespass towing fees, with exceptions, and require the State Corporation Commission to establish such fees statewide and adjust such fees annually. VACo opposed SB 1332 and HB 2214 as introduced because these bills stripped localities of little authority […]

Two Short-Term Rental Bills Advance and Two Fail to Move Forward

HB 2383 (Mundon King) and SB 1402 (Surovell), which reflect a compromise between Airbnb and Commissioners of the Revenue, have passed their respective originating chambers.  Airbnb has agreed to comply with current law requiring monthly reporting of property addresses and gross receipts for all accommodations facilitated by in each locality.  This information will allow transient […]

Inter-Basin Water Transfer Bill Defeated

SB 923 (Stuart), as substituted and amended, would prohibit the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) from issuing a Virginia Water Protection Permit for a surface water withdrawal if more than 6 million gallons of water per day would be returned to a different river basin. SB 923 imposes strict limitations on the ability of water utilities […]

Finance Roundup

As the 2025 session approaches the crossover deadline for bills to emerge from their chambers of origin, several finance-related bills of interest have advanced, as outlined below: Property tax exemptions:  HB 1896 (Willett) relates to certain property that is tax-exempt by classification (such as property owned by the Commonwealth or by religious institutions, or nonprofit […]

Additional Bills of Interest

The following are bills that VACo has been monitoring, as they will affect local government operations fiscally or operationally. Eminent Domain Bills Eminent domain; condemnation proceedings. SB 1158 (Obenshain) adds additional responsibilities to parties who condemn property, primarily relating to procedures in condemnation and the transfer of a defeasible title by certificate. The bill sets forth […]