VACo’s Chairperson’s Institute brings county leaders together for 1.5 days of education
The 2022 graduates of the VACo Chairpersons’ Institute. Not pictured – Clyde DeLoach, Patrick County; Debbie Donehey, Rappahannock County; and Margaret Franklin, Prince William County Thirty chairs and vice chairs from across the Commonwealth engaged with experts and peers for a day-and-a-half of learning on February 4-5 in Richmond. The county leaders participated in VACo’s […]
News from our Associate Members
Draper Aden Associates Releases Annual Water and Wastewater Rate Report
By Adrianna Dimperio and Rebecca Naurath, Draper Aden Associates* Understanding water and wastewater rate trends is crucial for public utilities and municipalities, including counties, across Virginia. The Commonwealth boasts more than 250 public providers of water and wastewater services that are active in every size and type of community. This variety can make it difficult […]
Oppose Statewide Expanded Disclosure Requirements in Land Use Proceedings Bill that would Prevent Local Elected Officials from Voting in Certain Situations
HB 626 (Roem) creates new and more stringent land use disclosure requirements for local government officials. These requirements apply to the governing body, the planning commission, and the board of zoning appeals in any proceeding before each such body involving an application for a special exception or variance or involving an application for amendment of […]
VACo Opposes Bill Limiting Authority of Counties to Regulate Short-Term Rentals
HB 1362 (Wiley) would make operation of short rentals, which is defined as the “… provision of a room or space that is suitable or intended for occupancy for dwelling, sleeping, or lodging purposes, for a period of fewer than 30 consecutive days, in exchange for a charge for the occupancy,” a by-right use unless […]
Legislation on Assessment Increases Amended Significantly in Committee
HB 1010 (Durant), as introduced, would have imposed new restrictions on the local budget process by requiring a referendum if growth in real estate assessments would generate more than 101 percent of the previous year’s collections and the locality did not reduce the tax rate accordingly. VACo opposed the original version of the bill. As […]
An Overview of Charter School Legislation
Legislation that would erode local school board authority in regard to the creation of public charter schools is meeting different outcomes in the House of Delegates and the Senate. Charter schools are meant to provide options for parents and students while allowing communities and educators to create innovative instructional programs that can be replicated elsewhere […]
Legislation Expanding County Government Authority to Reduce Speed Limits Pulled Over
HB 633 (Carr) would have expanded the current authority of any locality to reduce the speed limit to less than 25 miles per hour, but not less than 15 miles per hour, on highways within its boundaries that are located in a business district or residence district, provided that such reduced speed limit is indicated […]
Capitol Contact ALERT! Bill placing restrictions on local budget process to be heard tomorrow in House Finance – please call legislators to oppose
HB 1010 (Durant) would impose new restrictions on the local budget process by requiring a referendum if growth in real estate assessments would generate more than 101 percent of the previous year’s collections and the locality did not reduce the tax rate accordingly. VACo is opposed to this legislation, which is on the docket for […]
Advocacy Needed for County Budget Priorities
Budget proposals are being considered by the House Appropriations Committee and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee; both are scheduled to report their respective budgets on Sunday, February 20. Now is the time to advocate for county priorities! Please thank the patrons of these amendments and encourage your legislators to support these proposals, particularly if your […]
Overtime Wage Legislation Fixing Comp Time Advances
Legislation enacted by the 2021 General Assembly created the Virginia Overtime Wage Act, which was intended to allow workers to pursue overtime claims against their employers in state court, as opposed to having to go through the time and expense of seeking restitution in federal court. However, post-session, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry […]
VITA Bill Amended to Address VACo Concerns
SB 764 (Barker) and HB 1290 (Hayes) as originally drafted would require every public body, including local governments, to report to the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Commonwealth all known incidents that threaten the security of the Commonwealth’s data or communications or result in exposure of data protected by federal or state laws and […]
Bill defining “certified recovery residence” overrides local zoning ordinances passes in house committee; senate version does not
HB 277 (Coyner) amends the standards for credentialing of a “certified recovery residence” to require disclosure to “each prospective resident whether the recovery residence is a certified recovery residence” adhering to the credentialing standards of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences or that of Oxford House, Inc. The proposal also provides that such residences shall […]
Mandatory School Resource Officer Bill Advances
HB 873 (Greenhalgh) as originally drafted would require every local school board to enter into a collaborative agreement with their corresponding local law-enforcement agency to employ at least one school resource officer in each public elementary and secondary school in the local school division. This bill is identical to SB 415 (DeSteph). Though not opposed […]
Capitol Contact ALERT! Grocery Tax Legislation to be Considered in Senate Finance and Appropriations Again This Week – Contact Legislators TODAY!
The Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee again considered a partial repeal of the sales tax on groceries this morning. The proposed bill failed to report, and members agreed to reconsider the bill at a meeting later this week – which could be as soon as tomorrow morning. The proposal that was considered this morning is […]
Recordation Tax Restoration Bills Falter in Senate Finance and Appropriations
On February 1, VACo spoke in support of SB 363 (Stuart) and SB 512 (Suetterlein), which would have reestablished the distribution of $20 million of state recordation tax revenue to counties and cities to be used for transportation or public education purposes. Legislation (HB 1726/SB 1038 and HB 1414/SB 890) enacted by the 2020 General […]