eNews – March 27, 2026
Register now for Small Towns Conference, Waiting on a budget, BRIC grants from VDEM...and more!
Friday, March 27, 2026/Categories: eNews
This edition of eNews is sponsored by Sparks@Play with expertise and a passion for playgrounds, parks, and sports infrastructure. Learn more >
In this issue:
VML News
Budget
Opportunities
VML News
Make plans now to attend VML’s 2026 Small Towns Conference in Chincoteague this May!
One fee covers all the offerings outlined below. Learn more and register here >.
May 13 – Pre-Conference Program & Reception
1:00pm – 4:30pm | Local Workshop: Tools & Materials for Building Communities
What are the tools and materials used for building and revitalizing communities? How can you make informed decisions that positively affect the growth of your community? This interactive workshop will provide a better understanding of the many components of community building, such as zoning & land use, transportation, historic preservation, placemaking & open space planning, and economic development.
5:00pm – 6:30pm |Reception at Steamers Restaurant
Whether you are coming from the afternoon program or just getting into town for the conference the next day, please join us!
May 14-15 – Small Towns Conference & Reception
The Small Towns Conference provides an overview of topics related to local government management specifically geared towards small town issues. This conference invites elected officials, including council members and mayors, town managers, and leadership staff to learn, network, and share resources and ideas.
Schedule:
- Continental breakfast will be available at 8:30am both mornings with programming beginning at 9:00am.
- VML Community Business Member Virginia American Water will host a reception (appropriately with a water view!) at the Ropewalk Restaurant 5:00pm – 6:30pm on May 14.
- The conference will conclude at 11:00am on May 15.
Full agenda coming soon!
For information on lodging, the latest updates, and to register visit VML’s website here >.
See you in Chincoteague!
VML Contact: Rob Bullington, rbullington@vml.org
Budget
All quiet on the budget front
If the maxim “no news is good news” holds true, then we have good reason to hope that a budget will be wrapped up and ready to sign on Thursday, April 23 during the expected Special Session. Why? Because there’s been no news! Well, almost no news. There have been murmurings about conversations with data center representatives, but scant details about the fruitfulness of those discussions.
The Reconvened or Veto Session is scheduled for Wednesday, April 22. And we can certainly hope that a budget agreement will be ready by then. But before that can happen, those pesky bottom line revenue numbers, not to mention divergent spending proposals, need to be reconciled.
The former will require compromise and the latter time. The 11 members of the budget conference and their staff will need to plow through not only spending differences but also language amendments. Poring over proposed budget language can be enormously time-consuming, especially since it doesn’t appear that the House and Senate conferees have had a substantive tête-à-tête since sharing bagels and coffee in the Executive Mansion several weeks ago.
Once that bottom line can be agreed upon, there will be considerable pressure on the budgeteers to wrap things up quickly. But again, it will take time and attention as important and numerous fiscal matters get resolved in the 2026-28 budget.
In the meantime, the economic climate in which the initial fiscal plans were developed has changed considerably since the House and Senate originally rolled out their budgets in late February.
Because of the war in Iran, gas prices have leaped considerably, rising more than a dollar per gallon since tensions escalated. The price of various commodities is sure to rise in the coming days as input and transportation costs spike. Unfortunately, the likely cascade of escalating prices comes on the heels of last month’s higher than expected producer price index that rose 0.7% in March, elevating PPI to 3.4%, the most since February 2025. These cost pressures cannot be good for the U.S. economy which lost 92,000 jobs in February 2026. According to CNBC, that’s “the third time in the last five months that the economy lost jobs.”
The changing economic landscape will also be difficult for the General Assembly’s budget writers to ignore, adding another element of uncertainty at a critical juncture in the fiscal process. The conferees will need to decide in the weeks ahead what, if anything, needs to change in the budgets they rolled out one month ago.
VML Contact: Joe Flores, jflores@vml.org
Opportunities
VDEM announces application period for FY24 and FY25 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)
FEMA has announced the release of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the FY24 & FY25 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant funding opportunity which includes a total of $1B in funding for this nationally competitive program.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) is currently accepting pre-applications and applications for this funding cycle. VDEM will provide additional details and upcoming webinar information soon!
VDEM Application Open Date: March 25, 2026
VDEM Application Close Date: May 25, 2026
The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program makes federal funds available for hazard mitigation activities with the goal of lowering future disaster costs. Key changes from previous years, include a shift toward narrower, construction-ready infrastructure projects, stronger emphasis on building codes, stricter funding caps per project, and streamlined review, while eliminating broad planning and phased funding paths that were previously accepted.
Allowable project types
Capability- and Capacity-Building Activities – activities that directly support infrastructure resilience, such as the adoption, enforcement, and implementation of hazard-resistant building codes. These activities must be directly tied to infrastructure projects such as building code adoption/enforcement, related technical training and project scoping activities for specific infrastructure are eligible. Hazard Mitigation Plan development or updates, and project scoping activities not directly supporting a specific infrastructure project are not eligible under BRIC.
Hazard Mitigation Projects – cost-effective infrastructure and construction projects designed to increase resilience and public safety; reduce injuries and loss of life; and reduce damage and destruction to property, critical services, facilities, and infrastructure (including natural systems) from a multitude of natural hazards, including drought, wildfire, earthquakes, and the effects of natural weather disasters. Only infrastructure and construction projects that have, at a minimum, a conceptual design are eligible; phased projects are not eligible.
Application submission
All project applications, and supporting documentation, must be submitted through VDEM EM Grants. If you do not have a VDEM EM Grants account, please register for an account here and indicate the reason as BRIC application, and the program category as Hazard Mitigation Assistance. VDEM staff will review and approve your account request, at which point you can begin the pre-application and application process.
Please do not attempt to submit your application in FEMA GO.
VDEM Contact: For more information on the application process and eligibility criteria, contact your locality’s VDEM regional hazard mitigation grant administrator listed here.
Upcoming offerings from the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s Local Government Leadership Workgroup has several upcoming events that may be of interest to local government leaders and staff.
Reducing Asphalt, Expanding Green Space: A Parking Policy Approach
Explore how smarter parking policies can reduce asphalt and expand green space to build more resilient Virginia communities.
- Tuesday, March 31, 2026 | 12-1 PM
- Free, but registration is required.
American Water Resources Association 2026 Conference
AWRA's 62nd Annual Conference will be held November 9-11, 2026, at the Hilton Penn’s Landing along the Delaware River, in the heart of Philadelphia, PA. The conference, hosted by AWRA’s Delaware, New Jersey and Philadelphia sections, will convene water resource professionals and students from throughout the nation and will provide attendees with the opportunity to learn about and engage in multi-disciplinary water resource discussions. The 2026 conference will also include locally relevant topics such as the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds, challenges for coastal communities and technology innovations as well as nationally and globally significant issues such as water quality, water supply, funding, coastal resilience, communication and outreach strategies and integrated water resources.
Plant the Seed: A Gateway to Conservation Landscaping
Learn how thoughtfully designed landscapes can protect local waterways, support pollinators, and create beautiful, resilient outdoor spaces.
- Thursday, April 23, 2026 | 6:30pm Speaker | 7:30pm Reception
- Free, but registration is required.
Environmental Sustainability Actions Around the State – Earth Week Pop Corn Session
It’s Earth Week/Month! This is a time to celebrate progress being made across the Commonwealth to build healthier, more resilient communities that work for all. Come join us as we learn about exciting leadership and innovation from multiple communities and sectors that will inspire you to join the effort to make Pennsylvania more sustainable.
- Friday, April 24, 2026 | 12-1 PM
- Complete this sign-up survey and indicate which presentation you want to attend.
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Contact: Rick Mittler, rmittler@allianceforthebay.org
Virginia Municipal Clerks Association Annual Conference: April 15-17
The Town of Blacksburg and members of the Virginia Municipal Clerks Association (VMCA) Region IV are pleased to host the 49th Annual Conference of the Virginia Municipal Clerks Association, to be held April 15–17, 2026, at The Inn at Virginia Tech.
The preliminary agenda is available here >.
Registration and additional information, including a link to reserve rooms, are available on the VMCA website here >.
VMCA Contact: Lorranie Spaulding, lspaulding@blacksburg.gov
Virginia Coastal Resilience Collaborative: Free workshop in Williamsburg April 21
The Virginia Coastal Resilience Collaborative is hosting a free workshop on Tuesday, April 21 for a workshop discussing NOAA’s updates to geodetic vertical datums and tidal datums.
Vertical datums are the baseline standards from which we derive land elevation and marine-based measurements like mean low water, mean high water, and mean sea level. NOAA and the National Geodetic Survey are in the process of updating vertical and tidal datums. Several of these derived measurements are addressed in state a local government codes and ordinances.
This workshop will focus on a project funded by NOAA through the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, where references to tidal datums, vertical datums, and their derived measurements were catalogued and assessed for potential impacts from pending updates.
Topics will include background on datums and their use in state and local codes in Virginia; how the VCRC, VIMS, and CBNERR-VA approached this research and catalogued references; the results of an analysis of these changes on Virginia state and local laws; and discussion on possible ways to address these impacts.
The workshop will be held from 9:30am to 1:00pm at William & Mary’s School of Education at 301 Monticello Ave, Williamsburg, VA 23185. Registration is free and lunch will be provided. Following various presentations on aspects of the project and preliminary conclusions, ample time for discussion is built in to garner feedback on next steps and address questions. We encourage you to share this event with your networks, particularly state and local government officials and employees, and planning district commissions who will see the most impact from these updates.
REGISTRATION: You can use this link to register for the workshop.
FLYER: A PDF promotional flyer is available here >.
AGENDA: A PDF of the workshop agenda is available here and on the VCRC website.
Virginia Coastal Resilience Collaborative Contact: Thomas Ruppert, tkruppert@wm.edu
2026 Virginia Recovery Conference happening June 15-17
The 2026 Virginia Recovery Conference, hosted by the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority’s (OAA) non-profit foundation, will take place June 15–17, 2026, at the historic Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center in Roanoke, Virginia. This inaugural statewide gathering will highlight best practices in substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery. Featuring four general sessions and 20 breakout sessions, this event showcases real‑world examples of how Virginia communities are putting opioid settlement funds to work to save lives and strengthen families.
Because interest in this conference is exceptionally high, attendance is capped at 400 participants, and it is expected to sell out quickly. To ensure that Virginia’s public-sector professionals have the first opportunity to attend, registration for state and local government employees is being opened early, ahead of all other registrants. This early-access registration window is available now through April 6. After this date, registration will open to all remaining interested parties on a first‑come, first‑served basis until capacity is reached.
We strongly encourage you to register as early as possible to secure your spot.
Special Benefits for 2026 Attendees:
- Opportunities for statewide networking and collaboration with leaders in prevention, treatment, recovery, and community partnerships as well as vendors and suppliers from across the Commonwealth.
- Access to practical tools and innovations communities are using to address the opioid epidemic.
- A complimentary professional portrait/headshot, taken onsite and provided at no additional cost.
Use of Opioid Settlement Funds:
Conference registration fees, hotel lodging, meals, and related travel expenses qualify as an allowable use of opioid settlement funds, as the event directly supports capacity-building, training, and knowledge-sharing related to substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery initiatives statewide.
Event & Registration Details:
OAA Contact: Tony McDowell, tmcdowell@voaa.us