VACo held its fifth Regional Meeting of the year on June 16 in King George County. Counties across VACo Region 7, as well as elected state and federal officials from around the region, were invited to participate in the discussion.
VACo was pleased to be joined by Delegate Paul Milde and staff from the offices of Senator Tim Kaine, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam and State Senator Jeremy McPike. Delegate Milde began the discussion with legislators highlighting his legislative priorities for the upcoming session. The Delegate discussed his focus on construction and economic development priorities, as well as his view that localities should retain land use decisions for things like solar installations and data centers. He also indicated his interest in the state providing more support to localities in offsetting the costs of mandatory property tax exemptions for disabled veterans.
During county talk, the section of the meeting where county leaders outline the top legislative issues affecting their county, a robust discussion was held with many counties sharing common issues. County leaders in the region expressed their desire for local land use authority to remain local, especially as it pertains to utility scale solar developments and data centers. Counties also discussed the importance of local access to water withdrawal permits and urged the review of the procedures and timelines associated with obtaining surface water withdrawal permits. The need for more education funding and support for the proposed 1% local option sales and use tax for school capital were common themes, as well as advocacy for more state support for fire and EMS services. Counties also discussed the need for further water and sewer infrastructure support and how the state could be a better partner in mitigating the growing impacts of the veterans tax exemption and ensuring the sustainability of the program.
VACo is grateful to the members, legislators and staff, and business partners who participated in the meeting, and extends its appreciation to King George County and to staff at The Estate at White Hall Vineyard for hosting us!
VACo Contact: James Hutzler