Roanoke County Names Fire & Rescue Chief
Roanoke County Administrator Dan O’Donnell recently announced the appointment of Travis Griffith as Fire & Rescue Chief. Griffith will assume his new position March 8. “We held a nationwide recruitment process and had many qualified applicants from several states,” said O’Donnell. “It reflects highly on the quality of our employees that the best choice was […]
Commonwealth Connect Coalition Updates and Beginning of VATI FY 2022 Process
The next meeting of the Commonwealth Connect Coalition is scheduled for March 23. Topics of discussion will include a presentation from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond on the economic impacts of broadband expansion, a recap of broadband related legislation and budget items from the 2021 General Assembly session, and an overview of the Federal […]
NACo Cybersecurity Collaborative
2021 Virginia County Board Chairs and Vice Chairs
County Chair Vice Chair Accomack Ron Wolff William Tarr Albemarle Ned Gallaway Donna Price Alleghany George Garten James Griffith Amelia H. Joseph Easter, IV Shaun Weyant Amherst Jennifer Moore David Pugh, Jr. Appomattox Samuel Carter William Hogan Arlington Matt de Ferranti Katie Cristol Augusta Gerald Garber G.L. Wells Bath Edward Hicklin Roy Burns Bedford Thomas […]
Legislature passes complex changes to laws regarding the siting and taxing of solar and energy storage projects
In 2020, the General Assembly passed legislation providing counties new tools and taxing options in addressing the growing demand to site utility-scale solar projects. In 2021, the legislature adopted additional changes to incorporate large-scale battery storage within this new landscape, while at the same time expanding local authority to address impacts related to land use […]
Open-container area bills pass the General Assembly
After a tedious journey through the General Assembly, legislation authorizing local governments to create outdoor refreshment areas – in other words, open-container areas – in their localities has passed the House and Senate and will now be sent to Governor Ralph Northam for action. After the House and Senate struggled to find consensus on the […]
School construction and maintenance financing legislation put off for another year
The General Assembly adjourned Sine Die without final consideration of two remaining school construction financing bills. As previously reported, several pieces of legislation seeking to address K-12 school construction and maintenance needs were making their way through the General Assembly. SB 1106 (Stanley) would create the Public School Assistance Fund and Program to be administered […]
Bill requiring localities consider environmental justice in comprehensive plans fails
Legislation to require inclusion of an environmental justice strategy in reviews and updates to comprehensive land use plans failed to pass on the final day of the legislative session. HB 2074 (Simonds) as adopted by the House would require that “… each locality shall, during each review of its comprehensive plan, consider…” Identifying each environmental […]
Landmark Chesapeake Bay cleanup investment ready for Governor’s approval
Landmark Chesapeake Bay legislation that will save localities money, provide greater certainty to wastewater treatment plants, and provide a clear roadmap for achieving the goals and obligations of the Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP III) have now passed the General Assembly and await action by Governor Ralph Northam. HB 2129 (Lopez) and SB 1354 […]
SWaM bill stalls on Senate floor
HB 5002 (Ward) would have established the Small Business Procurement Enhancement Program with a statewide goal of 42 percent of certified small business utilization in all discretionary spending by state agencies and covered institutions in procurement orders, prime contracts, and subcontracts, as well as a target goal of 50 percent subcontracting to certified small businesses […]
General Assembly Adopts Budget Compromise
Legislators approved a set of revisions to the biennium budget on Saturday evening, agreeing to the budget compromise by a vote of 29-10 in the Senate and 67-32 in the House. A key element of budget negotiations was the tax treatment of business expenses that were funded with federal Paycheck Protection Program loans that were […]
General Assembly votes to legalize marijuana
After months of debate and over a year of preliminary study and analysis, the General Assembly has voted to legalize marijuana in the Commonwealth. HB 2312 (Herring) and SB 1406 (Ebbin) passed the House of Delegates and Senate late on Saturday, February 27, paving the way for the legalization and subsequent commercialization of marijuana throughout […]
Conference report agreed to on COVID-19 workers’ compensation presumption legislation
The House and Senate adopted recommendations from two committees of conference on legislation that would establish COVID-19 as a presumptive illness. As previously reported, SB 1375 (Saslaw) and HB 2207 (Jones) would establish a presumption that COVID-19 causing the death or disability of firefighters, EMS personnel, law-enforcement officers, and correctional officers and regional jail officers […]
Bill to incentivize procurement of electric school buses runs out of fuel
In the waning moments of the 2021 special legislative session, attempts to authorize Dominion Energy to implement an ambitious capital project to replace existing K-12 diesel buses with electrically powered vehicles failed. This is the second year in a row such legislation was defeated by the House of Delegates. Building on the 2019 launch of […]
Regulation regarding state intervention in local departments of social services open for public comment
The State Board of Social Services is considering a proposed regulation that would authorize the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services to intervene in situations where a local department is failing to provide public assistance or social services. Current Code allows the Board to authorize the Commissioner to step in and provide for […]
Opioid Abatement Authority bills pass House and Senate
HB 2322 (Herring) and SB 1469 (Barker) have passed both houses and are expected to be signed into law by the Governor. This legislation creates a new body called the Opioid Abatement Authority as a means of receiving, approving and disbursing funds that are forthcoming as a result of potential opioid litigation settlements involving Virginia […]