AGENDA DATE: 7/15/2020
TITLE:
Title
Proposed 2021 Legislative Priorities
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Consider the Proposed 2021 Legislative Priorities
ITEM TYPE: Regular Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Richardson, Kamptner
PRESENTER (S): Greg Kamptner
LEGAL REVIEW: Yes
REVIEWED BY: Jeffrey B. Richardson
BACKGROUND: Each year the Board considers and approves its legislative priorities. The Board then meets with the County’s local delegation from the General Assembly to discuss these priorities and submits them to the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC), the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo), and the Virginia Municipal League (VML). Other initiatives are sometimes added prior to the General Assembly session.
Attachment A is a summary of the bills adopted by the General Assembly in 2020 that may have the greatest interest to the Board, including those that were the Board’s 2020 legislative priorities. Following is a brief summary of those Board priorities and how they fared:
• Allowing In-kind resources for volunteer firefighting and emergency service providers: HB 343/SB 465 adopted. See Attachment A, Section 8(B).
• Regulating carrying specified loaded weapons in public areas: Failed; alternative legislation in SB 35/HB 421 adopted. See Attachment A, Section 4(A).
• Local control of war monuments and memorials: SB 183/HB 1537 adopted. See Attachment A, Section 4(B).
• Equal taxing authority for counties: HB 785/SB 588 adopted to put counties closer on par with cities’ taxing authority. See Attachment A, Section 10(A).
• Increasing the minimum tree canopy to be preserved during development: HB 1624 would have expanded current enabling authority and it was continued to 2021; another bill regarding preserving trees in Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas was adopted. See Attachment A, Section 3(B).
• Biscuit Run funding: A budget amendment would have provided $5,000,000 the first year and $5,000,000 the second year from the State to the County to develop Biscuit Run Park; this amendment was not included in the adopted biennial State budget.
Turning to the Board’s 2021 legislative priorities, this is the first of three anticipated Board discussions to develop its priorities for the 2021 General Assembly session.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Mission: To enhance the well-being and quality of life for all citizens through the provision of the highest level of public service consistent with the prudent use of public funds.
DISCUSSION: In addition to seeking authority to impose impact fees on development to offset its impacts on public facilities, several legislative priorities have been suggested by Supervisors or staff over the past several months:
• Speed monitoring devices: Expand the authority to use speed monitoring devices, which under new law may be used in school crossing zones and highway work zones
• Civil penalties: Expand the authority to use civil penalties instead of criminal punishment for local violations
• Carryover: Expand the authority to allow carryover of appropriated funds for multi-year capital projects, which are currently expressly enabled only for grants
• Notice of public hearings: Authority to publish notices of public hearings on locality websites; current law requires notices to be published in a newspaper of general circulation and bills to allow notices to be published on locality websites have repeatedly failed
• Community services: Require the State to provide financial support for community services
Staff will provide more information about each of these items at the Board’s July 15 meeting.
BUDGET IMPACT: There are no specific, identifiable budget impacts.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Board review the list of legislative priorities that have been suggested, identify those that have preliminary Board support, and recommend any changes and additions.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A: 2020 Legislative Update