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County administrator reports progress on legislative priorities; sales tax and regional road funding advance
Summary
County Administrator Don briefed the board on General Assembly developments: Senate Bill 1307 passed the Senate and moved to the House, a regional sales tax proposal to make the current 0.7% a full cent for Hampton Roads passed the House and awaits further action, and several bills limiting local land‑use authority failed; the county continues to
Don (County Administrator) updated supervisors on the mid‑session status of several legislative items the county is tracking.
He reported that Senate Bill 1307 passed the Senate and had moved to the House of Delegates for further consideration. He also described a regional proposal specific to Hampton Roads that would convert the current 0.7% local sales‑and‑use tax to a full 1.0% (adding 0.3 percentage points, sometimes described in the meeting as the remaining “penny”); that proposal passed the House and, if enacted, would expand funding for primary road projects in Hampton Roads, double funding available for Smart Scale projects in the region and reduce time to receive those funds, Don said. The speaker noted the governor last year vetoed similar legislation and said the county’s advocates are hopeful the bill will ultimately be enacted or that sufficient support will exist to address transportation needs in the region.
Don said the county and supervisors met with legislators in Richmond to press for relief related to certain property tax exemptions for spouses of disabled or deceased military members; that bill did not advance out of the Senate. He said other bills that would have preempted local land‑use authority for energy projects (including solar) were defeated and that the county has had success in protecting local authority.
The update was informational; supervisors asked clarifying questions about which committees will next consider the measures and whether county representatives would return to Richmond during the next two weeks to follow bills as they move through subcommittees and finance committees. Don said staff will continue to monitor the House and Senate committee schedules and report back to the board.
