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Supervisor reports from regional BACO/VACO meeting highlight land-use and budget threats
Summary
Supervisor Jewett summarized regional BACO/VACO discussions, noting coordinated local resistance to state land‑use preemption, concerns about collective bargaining, data‑center transmission lines, and an initiative to pursue impact‑fee authority that started in Madison County.
Supervisor Jewett (S3) reported to the board on the recent BACO regional meeting and VACO summary, identifying several issues county officials said merit further tracking and possible state-level action.
Jewett said counties in Regions 6 and 7 focused on resisting any loss of local land-use control, and he flagged bills (including a previously defeated measure tied to multifamily housing on commercial land) that are likely to reappear. He described discussions about data-center siting and large transmission projects, and reported Stafford County’s estimate of significant local revenue impacts from military and elderly property-tax exemptions.
VACO representatives discussed collective bargaining proposals and the potential fiscal impacts on local budgets; Jewett said VACO intends to work with legislators to mitigate harmful effects. Madison-originated efforts to pursue impact-fee authority for development were noted as gaining traction regionally; Jewett said Delegate Hamilton had committed help to reintroduce the proposal.
Other regional concerns included centralization of child-services intake at the state level and mental-health access in rural counties. Jewett urged staying involved in VACO and preparing legislative materials for the board’s planned Aug. 27 legislative meeting with state delegation members.
Board discussion focused on prioritizing a short list of regional legislative asks and preparing white papers for the upcoming meeting.
