Magazine

About the cover: This month we look at some technology-driven services and products that are helping local governments work better, faster and smarter. Rather than presenting pie-in-the-sky ideas, however, we’ve tried to keep it real with affordable (if not free) solutions that any local government – big or small – can use.

Download VTC March 2020

About the cover: In 2019 Virginia was ranked #1 among states for business. That was news worth celebrating, but we won’t keep that title without robust economic development initiatives in 2020 and beyond. In this issue, we check in with some state-level programs that are poised to take economic development in Virginia to new heights and what that means for localities across the Commonwealth. We also check in with a small town’s economic development director and get some international relations advice from a protocol expert.

Download VTC Jan/Feb 2020

On the cover: This is one busy guy. He’s a council member from the City of Norfolk, principal of the Academy for Discovery at Lakewood, a city-wide Project Based Learning and International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme school, and our new president! Get to know Tommy Smigiel beginning on page 12.

Download VTC Dec. 2019

On the cover: Most everyone enjoys making money. Some people enjoy spending money while others prefer to save. Local and state governments are made up of people, so why should they be any different? In this issue we explore the mechanism by which governments make plans to spend or save money: Budgets!

Download VTC Nov. 2019

(Pictured on the cover) Robert David, Youth and Gang Violence Prevention Coordinator. The City of Danville was awarded the 2019 VML President’s Innovation Award at this year’s annual conference in Roanoke. Their winning entry in the Youth Services category was for “Project Imagine” a program created by Robert David to help at-risk youths imagine a life outside of gangs by working for their community. Learn more on page 11.

Download VTC Oct. 2019

Inside: 

• The year in review
• Cyber-attack ransoms
• Supreme Court preview

Download VTC Sept. 2019 – Conference Issue

About the cover: It’s summer! Time to get out and about.  But, where to go? We can help with this issue dedicated to the business of tourism and lesser known destinations around Virginia. 

Download VTC July/Aug. 2019

About the cover: It’s been a year since we looked at energy, so it’s time for a recharge! Keeping the lights on can be complicated, expensive and, well, electrifying. Complicated, because a modern power grid is a multi-faceted network in need of constant monitoring and upkeep. Expensive, because producing and distributing energy takes advanced equipment and smart people to run it. Electrifying, because so many new, exciting things are in the works for power in Virginia. Find out more inside this issue. 

Download VTC June 2019

About the cover: This one is all about the kids as we celebrate the winners of VML’s “If I Were Mayor” essay contest (see page 21) and riff on an observation made about education made more than 100 years ago that is as true today as it was then. Learn more on page 10.

Download VTC May 2019

About the cover: Look out Virginians! Scooters on your streets, short-term rentals in your neighborhoods, and solar panels in the pastures on the outskirts of town. What do these and other “disruption economy” offerings mean to your locality and employment as-a-whole across the Commonwealth? We take a look.

Download VTC April 2019