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Supervisors report from VACO legislative day and warn of state efforts to preempt local authority
Summary
Board members who attended the VACO conference reported a wave of proposed state bills that could curtail local control over land use, data centers, solar siting and collective bargaining, and urged vigilance and engagement with the General Assembly.
Several Madison County supervisors returned from the Virginia Association of Counties (VACO) legislative day and reported common themes: proposed bills that would shift decision‑making from localities to Richmond on issues such as solar siting, data centers, land use and employee collective bargaining.
Supervisor Jewett said many bills aim to centralize authority and remove local discretion. “They wanna try to bring that back in house to Richmond and not so much the county,” Jewett said. Supervisor Buchanan described the proposed legislation as a potential “category 5 hurricane” for local authority, highlighting two senate bills—Senate Bill 917 and Senate Bill 1401—as particularly concerning because they would limit local control over collective bargaining decisions for county employees.
Board members said VACO provided a nonpartisan forum where local officials from across the state expressed similar concerns about state preemption. Several supervisors urged continued engagement with delegates and senators and suggested the county follow VACO platform items and proposed budget allocations closely. One supervisor noted a state budget surplus but said only a small fraction of new general fund resources would return to localities.
No formal board action was taken; supervisors said they would continue to monitor proposed legislation and report back to the board.
