VACo Launches New Website

The Virginia Association of Counties is proud to announce the launch of the new www.vaco.org. VACo used data and analytics to improve navigation and functionality. The pages people often visit are prominent and easily accessible such as an interactive map with county demographics and information. Thank you Whittington Consulting for their outstanding work in the […]

Virginia Board of Education Reviews School Construction Assistance Program Guidelines

On October 20, the Virginia Board of Education (VBOE) met to discuss a number of items, including the first review of guidelines for implementing the School Construction Assistance Program in the 2022-2024 Biennium. This program was created by enacted budget language from the 2022 General Assembly session which dedicates $450 million to provide competitive grants […]

Visit Carroll County and the Carroll County Courthouse

Photo credit: Calder Loth/DHR, 2000 Location: 515 North Main Street / Court Street Built: 1870 – 1875 Style: Greek Revival Architect: Ira Coltrane of Hillsville Contractor: Ira Coltrane, S. Collier Jr., A.H. Mitchell and W.H. Sutherland Description The building faces southwest and is a two story red colored brick and stone structure. The building is […]

Virginia Commission on Youth Adopts Recommendations on Juvenile Detention Centers

The Virginia Commission on Youth held its final meeting of the year on October 19, advancing recommendations from its studies on the effectiveness and efficiency of Virginia’s juvenile detention centers and the transition process for students with disabilities reaching the age of majority. At its September 21 meeting, the Commission circulated a set of draft […]

Children’s Services Act Workgroup on Special Education Adopts Recommendations

A stakeholder workgroup tasked with examining the use of Children’s Services Act (CSA) funding to support special education needs adopted a set of recommendations at its final meeting on October 14. This workgroup was created by legislation that passed in 2021 and was charged with developing a plan for the possible transfer of CSA private […]

Virginia Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan

The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) dedicated up to $5 billion in funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.  Also included was $2.5 Billion for a competitive Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grant program.  The goals of these programs are to advance deployment of electrical vehicle (EV) infrastructure throughout the country while […]

State Revenues Continue Strength in September; National Economic Signals Mixed

Secretary of Finance Stephen Cummings brought positive news to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee in his presentation of the September General Fund revenue report on October 18, telling Committee members that no “alarm bells” are ringing for Virginia yet, but that national economic data are mixed, making forecasting a challenging task. State General Fund […]

VACo Releases Its 2023 Preliminary Legislative Program

VACo has released its 2023 Preliminary Legislative Program, which was drafted through VACo’s steering committee process. The document includes a host of important and timely proposed policy statements including language pertaining to K-12 education funding, local taxing authority, stormwater regulations, land use planning, transportation, broadband, health and human resources and other local budget and legislative […]

Briefing on Opioid Abatement Authority

Tony McDowell, Executive Director of the Opioid Abatement Authority, provided a briefing for VACo members on the Authority’s plans for the distribution of funding being provided to the state from recent settlements of opioid-related litigation. A portion of these funds will be provided to localities, in addition to the direct distributions localities are receiving from […]

Visit Caroline County and the Caroline County Courthouse

Location: 100 Courthouse Lane / Main Street Built: 1830 – 1835 Style: Greek-Roman Revival Architect: William B Phillips Contractor: Malcolm F Crawford Description: The building faces west and is a two story red colored brick laid in Flemish bond and wood structure. The building is surrounded by a Tuscan entablature with a Tuscan pediment at […]