Stafford staff outline 2026 legislative priorities; HB2660 timeline change and 1% local sales tax move to top of list

Anthony Tuigo, Stafford County’s Intergovernmental Affairs Manager, and county legislative staff presented a high‑level review of recently adopted Virginia laws and a draft 2026 General Assembly legislative program at the board’s May 27 meeting. The presentation underscored short‑term statutory changes that will require staff action, and proposed elevating a local 1% sales‑tax option and relief for state‑mandated veteran tax exemptions to the county’s top priorities.

Tuigo opened the item: “I’m Anthony Tuigo, Intergovernmental Affairs Manager.” He framed two parts of the briefing: a review of adopted legislation and an initial draft of the county’s 2026 legislative program to guide advocacy.

A staff‑highlighted statutory change was House Bill 2660, which shortens local review timelines for subdivision and site plan approvals and reduces several state review timeframes (for example, requiring state agencies receive plats faster and shortening planning‑commission action windows). Staff told the board the changes become effective July 1, 2025, and that a work group convened under the bill must report by Nov. 1, 2025. Several supervisors voiced staffing concerns about meeting tighter turnaround times; Vice Chair Allen asked how the state will track compliance with a 25–30% faster turnaround and emphasized potential impacts on county review capacity.

Staff also reviewed other items that could require local action or present new permissive authorities. They noted that a bill to impose statewide housing production targets (House Bill 2641) was defeated in committee. Staff discussed permissive options such as establishing a local tree‑canopy fund (language in HB2630) that would allow localities to collect fees from developers who cannot meet canopy requirements; staff said the county would need to research how and when a developer could opt to pay into such a fund. Another permissive example discussed was a mechanism to address long‑vacant, blighted properties (HB1476), which includes strict conditions such as multi‑year vacancy and building‑official declarations before a locality could act.

On priorities, county legislative staff recommended moving the local option to add a 1% sales tax for school construction back to the top of Stafford’s legislative program; staff said the changing statewide political environment increases the chance the proposal could advance. The draft also elevates offsetting costs of state‑mandated real‑estate and personal‑property tax exemptions for veterans as a top priority and retains an opposition stance on unfunded mandates and on restrictions to interbasin water transfers.

Lauren, legislative staff, said the county will streamline language in the program to focus on key goals and noted the county will continue public education on the veterans‑tax exemption issue prior to the session. Tuigo added that the county will monitor bills and workgroups over the summer and return with a refined program for the board at a future meeting; staff indicated a tentative follow‑up in July.

No formal board action was taken at the May 27 meeting. Supervisors asked staff for additional detail on several bills and for analysis of potential operational impacts — particularly regarding the faster plan‑review timelines under HB2660 and the permissive tree‑canopy fund — and staff agreed to return with deeper information.

What’s next: staff will track the HB2660 work group and report requirements, provide a deeper analysis of permissive bills (for example, the tree canopy fund), and bring a revised legislative program back to the board for action at a future meeting, tentatively in July.