Visit Highland County and the Sounding Knob Fire Tower
PHOTO CREDIT: Highland County VA Facebook It’s easy to elevate your travel experience in Highland, but now you can get even higher. Over 100 steps up the Sounding Knob Fire Tower will give you a lasting memory – and maybe even some wobbly legs! How many mountain ranges can you see? The tower was constructed […]
Commonwealth Transportation Board Release Draft SMART SCALE Scores
At its January Meeting, the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) released scores for the fourth round of transportation projects to be evaluated under the SMART SCALE prioritization process. More than 400 applications were submitted by localities, metropolitan planning organizations, and other regional entities across the state, and 397 have been scored based on several key factors: […]
Using CARES Act Funding, TSI Assists Small Businesses in Prince William County
The month of December 2020 was a very busy time for TSI. A Small Business Technical Assistance Program (SBTA) contract was awarded to TSI by Prince William County, VA. Through this contract, TSI partnered with George Mason University Small Business Development Center to provide critical, business-enhancing support to area small businesses. TSI’s role in this […]
FY 2020 Marcia Mashaw Outstanding Assistant Award Nominations – deadline January 24!
Nominations are open for the FY 2020 Marcia Mashaw Outstanding Assistant Award. The award process was postponed last spring; but an award to cover FY 2020 will be presented during Virginia Local Government Management Association’s (VLGMA) winter conference to be held February 10-12, 2021. VLGMA will proceed with the regularly-scheduled FY 2021 award process in […]
NACo Cybersecurity Collaborative
Budget Amendments Introduced to Support County Priorities
VACo worked with legislators to introduce a package of budget amendments that address key issues of importance to local governments. House members were required to submit their amendments earlier than usual this year due to the compressed short session; the deadline for House amendments was January 8, and the House Appropriations Committee heard budget amendment […]
Legislation providing repayment flexibility for economic development access projects advances
On January 21, the House Transportation Committee’s Transportation Systems Subcommittee heard testimony on HB 2253 (Wampler). This bill imposes a 48-month moratorium on the repayment of funds allocated to a locality for a bonded project pursuant to the Economic Development Access (EDA) program, provided that the conditions of the Commonwealth Transportation Board’s economic development access […]
G3: Get Skilled, Get a Job, and Give Back legislation advances
Legislation, introduced by House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn and Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw that establishes a program to provide financial support to cover tuition, fees, and books for eligible students at the Commonwealth’s two-year public institutions, is making its way through the House and Senate. HB 2204 /SB 1405 create the G3 Program, which makes […]
Helpful public notice bill finds success in subcommittee
Delegate Margaret Ransone’s helpful legislation that streamlines public notice procedures for localities has found early success, favorably reporting out of the House Counties, Cities and Towns Committee’s Land Use Subcommittee early today (January 21). HB 2114 (Ransone) provides that in an instance in which a locality has submitted a timely notice of public hearing to […]
Compromise wetland and stream mitigation bank credits bill passes committee
A compromise bill dealing with wetland and stream mitigation bank credits reported out of committee on January 20 and will now head to the House floor. HB 1983 (Bulova) was born out of a series of virtual workgroup meetings that featured developers, environmental organizations, and local governments. The bill proposes that when a water protection […]
Food banks, farmers, and food access bill sent to Appropriations
Legislation that seeks to improve food access/distribution infrastructure while assisting Virginia farmers and local and regional food banks cleared its first hurdles in the House, reported out of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee by a 21-1 vote and was rereferred to the House Appropriations Committee. HB 2203 (Madame Speaker) establishes the Virginia […]
New erosion and sediment control practices for solar projects proposed in the Senate
New erosion and sediment control practices for solar projects have found early success in the Senate, reporting out of the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee, 15-0. SB 1258 (Marsden) makes changes to § 62.1-44.15:55.1. of the Code of Virginia, which deals with localities and solar projects. Specifically, SB 1258 requires that the State Water […]
State parks funding bill reports to full House
Delegate Bobby Orrock’s legislation that seeks to address funding issues for Virginia’s state parks has reported favorably from Committee and will now head to the House floor for consideration. HB 1804 (Orrock) requires the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to develop recommendations for one or more dedicated, stable sources of funding for the […]
Legislation permitting gun-free zones on school board property moves on with exceptions
Delegate Suhas Subramanyam’s legislation permitting the establishment of gun-free zones on school board property has passed out of subcommittee with amendments. HB 1909 (Subramanyam) would allow any school board to deem any property that it owns or leases outside of school zones as a gun-free zone and may prohibit any individual from knowingly possessing any […]
Increased fine for littering introduced
A bill that substantially increases fines for dumping or littering was introduced in the House, where it was sent to the House Courts of Justice Committee for review. HB 1801 (Edmunds) doubles the current fines for dumping or disposing of litter, trash, refuse or other specified items on public property or on private property without […]
New elements for local and interjurisdictional emergency operations plans passes the House
A bill codifying certain elements of local and interjurisdictional emergency operations plans has been approved by the House of Delegates and will now head to the Senate. HB 2085 (Askew) adds a requirement to § 44-146.19(E) of the Code of Virginia, stipulating that a local or interjurisdictional emergency operations plan shall “contain provisions to ensure that […]