VACo County Pulse Podcast

Latest Episodes:

2019 General Assembly Edition 4 Feb 19, 2019

Show notes

Host Chris McDonald talks with VACo General Counsel Phyllis Errico and VACo Lobbyist Jeremy Bennett about a variety of issues, including agritourism, school modernization, school safety, FOIA, COIA, and much more.

2019 General Assembly Edition 3 Feb 12, 2019

Show notes

VACo Lobbyists Joe Lerch and Chris McDonald talk about a variety of issues, including alcohol reform, I-81 improvements, industrial hemp, casinos, proffers and much more.

2019 General Assembly Edition 2 Feb 08, 2019

Show notes

VACo Lobbyists Katie Boyle and Jeremy Bennett join Joe Lerch to talk about the state budget and give updates on the 2019 General Assembly Session.
This special legislative episode of the VACo County Pulse is sponsored by The Berkley Group – a full-service local government consulting firm employing public sector experts. Located throughout Virginia, The Berkley Group provides personal attention and superior service to local governments across the Commonwealth – and beyond! Visit them at www.bgllc.net.

2019 General Assembly Edition 1 Jan 17, 2019

Show notes

VACo Lobbyists Joe Lerch and Chris McDonald join Executive Director Dean Lynch to talk about the start of the 2019 General Assembly Session. The trio discusses issues such as solar, proffers, procurement, I-81, water quality, agriculture, and much more.
This special legislative episode is sponsored by Enterprise Fleet Management.

Transition to “Next Generation” NG9-1-1 with VITA’s Steve Marzolf Nov 20, 2018

Show notes

Steve Marzolf, VITA’s Integrated Services Program Director, explains the Commonwealth’s plan to assist local governments with the migration of Next Generation NG9-1-1 technology. This podcast includes important information about the timetable and state funding available for each of the 123 Public Safety Answering Points operated at the local level.
NG9-1-1 Deployment

9-1-1 Services Board
Estimated Capital and Operating Costs
Fairfax County Contract

Top Issues in Behavioral Health with Dr. Hughes Melton Oct 23, 2018

Show notes

Dr. Hughes Melton, Commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, sat down with VACo's Dean Lynch to discuss major issues in behavioral health, including efforts to address the addiction crisis and the effects of Medicaid expansion.

Utility-Scale Solar Energy Sep 18, 2018

Show notes

Utility-scale solar energy (USSE) projects are growing in size and number across the Commonwealth. Unlike a traditional electric generating facility, they are land intensive. One Megawatt (MW) of generation capacity typically requires the siting of solar panels on 8 to 12 acres of land. The result is larger projects - in the 150MW to 500 MW range - now measure in the thousands of acres and even square miles. This episode explores both the land use impacts and local revenue implications of this emerging energy production market on Virginia’s counties.

RESOURCES – LAND USE

Mecklenburg County Solar Facility Impact Analysis: An Examination Land Use Impacts by the Berkley Group, LLC (https://www.vaco.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/MecklenburgCountySolarFacilityImpactsAnalysis.pdf)
Utility-Scale Solar Facility Development: Assessing Impact on Historic Battlefields and Related Resources – American Battlefield Trust (https://www.battlefields.org/solar)
§ 15.2-2232.H of the Code of Virginia (https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/15.2-2232) - Requirement for Utility-Scale Solar Energy projects to conform with local comprehensive plans.
§ 15.2-2223C.8 of the Code of Virginia (https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title15.2/chapter22/section15.2-2223/) - Prescribes that a locality’s comprehensive plan map may include “…The designation of corridors or routes for electric transmission lines of 150 kilovolts or more.”

RESOURCES – TAX & REVENUE

Composite Index Ruling for Mecklenburg Solar Facility – April 6, 2017 Letter from Virginia Tax Commissioner (http://www.vaco.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/CompositeIndexRulingMecklenburg.pdf)
SB 902 (https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?181+ful+CHAP0849+pdf) – Bill introduced at VACo’s request – and now law - that caps the mandatory exemption from local property taxes for solar facilities of less than 150 MW and enables localities to provide exemptions for facilities of 150 MW or greater, as a local option.
§ 58.1-2606.C of the Code of Virginia (https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title58.1/chapter26/section58.1-2606/) – Prescribes that the personal property tax applied to electric suppliers of 25 MW or more in generating capacity shall not exceed the applicable real estate rate.

Medicaid Expansion and What it Means for County Governments Sep 04, 2018

Show notes

VACo Executive Director Dean Lynch interviews Dr. Jennifer Lee, Director of the Department of Medical Assistance Services, about Medicaid expansion and how her agency is working with local departments of social services, Community Services Boards, and jails on its implementation. Details about new coverage are available at www.coverva.org.

Combating the Opioid Crisis in Virginia's Counties Jun 20, 2018

Show notes

County Pulse Host Dean Lynch welcomes VACo's Angela Inglett to talk about this important issue. Inglett is author of the 1207 to the 95 Blog that provides resources, research and information for county officials on a variety of issues.

Connecting Rural Virginia to the Internet Jun 11, 2018

Show notes

County Pulse Host Dean Lynch speaks with VACo's Joe Lerch and Khaki LaRiviere about broadband connectivity in rural Virginia.