eNews – May 22, 2026
New website benefit for VML members, Opportunity for localities to weigh in on e-bikes, Budget debate likely headed to June...and more!
Friday, May 22, 2026/Categories: eNews
This edition of eNews is sponsored by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development committed to creating safe, affordable and prosperous communities to live, work and do business in Virginia....Learn more >
In this issue:
VML News
Finance
Transportation
Health & Human Resources
Opportunities
Resources
VML News
VML partners with Munibit to bring members a new website benefit
VML has partnered with Munibit, a website platform built specifically for small local governments, to give members access to an affordable, done-for-you website. Design, hosting, migration, support, and ADA Title II accessibility support are all included!
VML members get three months free!
Visit munibit.com/website-program-vml and use code “VML” when booking your free demo.
VML Contact: Rob Bullington, rbullington@vml.org
2026 Innovation Awards entries now being accepted
The Virginia Municipal League’s Innovation Awards celebrate the programs and individuals that make it possible for our local governments to solve pressing problems, address emerging needs, and adapt to changing circumstances.
Local governments of all sizes are encouraged to compete for coveted Innovation Awards across seven categories. The entries will be judged based on the scope and results of the project in relation to the community’s size, thereby putting all localities on a level playing field.
One of the seven category winners will be selected for the prestigious President’s Award for Innovation. The winner of the President’s Award will be revealed when all the award winners are honored during the Awards Banquet at the VML Annual Conference in Norfolk in October.
Don’t miss this premiere opportunity to spotlight innovative programs that make your town, city or county a great place for people to call home!
Learn more and download the entry form on VML’s website here >.
VML Contact: Manuel Timbreza, mtimbreza@vml.org
Finance
Ongoing budget debate headed to June
“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”
Those words, famously spoken in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, emphasized the point that people with fundamentally different points of view are unlikely to conduct themselves as the other party would deem reasonable and appropriate.
That may not exactly apply to Virginia’s House and Senate budget writers who have demonstrated their ability to be reasonable and responsible on fiscal matters through the years. But clearly very few lawmakers who craft the two-year budget that begins in less than six weeks are communicating with one another.
To state the obvious, if you fail to communicate you certainly cannot be reasoned with nor come to any agreements. And decisions are what everyone watching this long-running drama are hoping for (and soon).
For three months, we have known where the House and Senate stand on their respective budgets, including their billion-dollar bottom line revenue differences. If there has been any progress on the budget – and there’s very little evidence of that – one must ask why not and at what cost? At a time when economic uncertainty continues to swirl, the General Assembly’s fiscal differences should be discussed, debated, and decided upon without further delay.
That said, general fund revenues continue to come in strong. Last week, Secretary of Finance Mark D. Sickles reported that general fund revenues through April are up 3.3 percent (or $851.0 million) year-to-date.
But Secretary Sickles also noted that excess revenue growth is primarily attributable to “volatile revenue sources such as individual income tax nonwithholding and refunds.” The former is a tricky revenue category that must be analyzed carefully to understand whether those revenues can be relied upon in the months ahead.
Maybe that’s one of the reasons Governor Spanberger announced earlier this week that she’s asking Secretary Sickles and his finance team to reexamine the current forecast to assess whether changes should be made. Typically, a governor decides in the last few weeks of the session whether a “reforecast” of general fund revenues is appropriate. That timing coincides with when budget conferees can use additional monies to bridge their fiscal differences. Since months have passed without progress, it seems reasonable to pore over general fund revenues through April to see if they can help.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that anyone told Senator L. Louise Lucas that a revenue review was in the offing, which is why she seemed to dismiss it out of hand at Tuesday’s meeting of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee that she chairs.
Only time will tell how many additional general fund resources might be available after a thorough review of revenues through April 2026. Whether any changes facilitate a resolution to the budget impasse remains to be seen. Hopefully communications among the participants will be clear, concise, and swift to ensure completion of a new biennial budget soon.
Those close to the budget debate say it will get done by the end of June. We eagerly await an agreement.
VML Contact: Joe Flores, jflores@vml.org
Transportation
Workgroup on e-bikes to meet; opportunity for localities to ask questions and share concerns
As electric bicycles, scooters and skateboards have become increasingly popular many localities are considering what options they have to regulate these devices. Virginia joins a growing number of states examining whether to establish new regulations for electric bicycles, scooters and skateboarders with New Jersey this spring going so far as to prohibit anyone under the age of 15 from using or riding an electric bicycle, scooter or skateboard. In Virginia these devices are treated as bicycles and users are expected to obey the same rules of the road.
HB1120, which passed this session and was signed by Governor Spanberger in April, established a work group on “electric power assisted bicycles, motorized skateboards and scooters, electric personal assistive mobility devices and mopeds for operators and the general public”. This work group will examine options to improve safety for riders and the general public and report back to the General Assembly by November 1, 2026.
The first meeting of the work group will be held by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles in Richmond next week. More meetings are expected this summer. VML is included in the workgroup.
This is an excellent opportunity for cities, towns and counties to weigh in with local experiences and ideas for how to manage or regulate the growing use of electric bicycles, scooters and mopeds. If you or your locality would like to submit questions or concerns regarding electric scooters, skateboards, power assisted bicycles and mopeds in your community, please contact Mitchell Smiley (below).
VML Contact: Mitchell Smiley, msmiley@vml.org
Health & Human Resources
Youth commission sets study plan, gets briefings on child advocacy centers and juvenile justice
Reviewing the funding and support for children’s advocacy centers and potential expansion of oversight by the children’s ombudsman to youth committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice are the two major studies to be undertaken by the Virginia Commission on Youth this year.
At its May 20 meeting in Richmond, the Commission heard a detailed presentation about children’s advocacy centers from Rebecca Simmons, executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Virginia. These centers receive state funding and have received federal funding in the past, but that funding has been cut back at a time of increasing and more complex caseloads.
The Commission will create a stakeholder workgroup to examine the service and funding needs of the program and report back with recommendations in the fall. Local governments are included in the stakeholder workgroup.
The Commission also heard a detailed report from the Department of Juvenile Justice about progress on findings from a previous Inspector General report and efforts to address needs of youth served at the state and local/regional level.
The meeting agenda and reports can be found on the Commission’s website here >.
The Commission on Youth is a legislative branch agency; it studies and makes recommendations to the General Assembly on issues affecting youth and their families. The Commission is chaired by Senator Barbara Favola; Delegate Karrie Delaney serves as vice chair.
VML Contact: Janet Areson, jareson@vml.org
Opportunities
VDEM announces application period for FY2024 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Amendment Grant
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced the release of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the FY24 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Amendment grant funding opportunity which includes a total of $600M in funding for this nationally competitive program. This NOFO was amended by FEMA on April 30, 2026, opening the application period for a second time.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) is currently accepting pre-applications and applications for this funding cycle. VDEM will provide additional details in the upcoming webinars listed below.
Any applications that were previously submitted will need to be resubmitted to FEMA. EM Grants has the ability to copy previous applications, however applicants are encouraged to contact your grant administrator to discuss the resubmission process and provide any updated documentation that may be required.
VDEM Application Open Date: April 30, 2026
VDEM Application Close Date: June 30, 2026
The Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant program makes federal funds available for hazard mitigation activities with the goal of eliminating the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings and structures insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in participating communities. FMA funds a variety of flood mitigation activities that are designed to reduce flood risk to policyholders to reduce the NFIP’s financial exposure.
Allowable project types
Capability- and capacity-building activities: Those that build state and community capability and capacity for developing future flood risk reduction and hazard mitigation projects that will subsequently reduce flood claims against the NFIP. Mitigation planning updates and project scoping are eligible.
Localized flood risk reduction: Those that target community-level initiatives designed to decrease flood frequency and severity. These projects enhance community safety, reduce economic damages as well as reduce flood claims against the NFIP.
Individual flood mitigation: Those that mitigate the risk of repetitive and severe flooding to structures insured under the NFIP.
Application submission process
All project applications, and supporting documentation, must be submitted through VDEM EM Grants here >. If you do not have a VDEM EM Grants account, please register for an account here > and indicate the reason as FMA 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 in the EM Grants system.
Please do not attempt to submit your application in FEMA GO.
Webinar information
Below are links to join each webinar session, so please join at the time/date indicated below and share if interested.
OPTION 1
VDEM: FY24 FMA Amendment Informational Webinar
Tuesday 5/19/2026 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Microsoft Teams Meeting
Dial in by phone
Join on a video conferencing device
More info here >
OPTION 2
VDEM: FY24 FMA Amendment Informational Webinar
Tuesday 6/2/2026 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Microsoft Teams meeting
Dial in by phone
Join on a video conferencing device
More info
VDEM Contact: For more information on the application process and eligibility criteria, contact your locality’s VDEM regional hazard mitigation grant administrator listed here >.
VAPDC’s “Finding Funding for the Future” workshop series happening this summer
The Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions’ “Finding Funding for the Future” multi‑session workshop series is designed to equip local governments, PDC staff, state agency partners, economic developers, and EDA/IDA board members with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate today’s complex funding landscape and secure resources to help build stronger communities.
Through practical guidance, real‑world examples, and insights from program experts, participants will explore emerging funding opportunities and learn strategies for building competitive proposals and aligning collaborative projects with priorities such as infrastructure, community development, and economic resilience.
Super Regional Workshops
Check-in for each event begins at 9:00 AM and sessions run from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
VAPDC Contact: David Blount, DBlount@tjpdc.org
Resources
2025 edition of the Mandates Catalog approved
The 2025 edition of the Catalog of State and Federal Mandates on Local Governments has been approved and published by the Commission on Local Government. The Commission approved the 2025 version on May 8, 2026. The Code of Virginia, § 15.2-2903(7), directs the Commission to prepare and annually update a catalog of this nature. The online database catalog was produced with the input of various agencies that administer or have purview over the mandates.
The catalog is available at the following link: Mandates Online Database and has also been published to LIS here >.
DHCD Contact: Joseph Dennie, joseph.dennie@dhcd.virginia.gov