• About
  • Contact

Virginia Municipal League

Building Better Communities Through Sound Government

BETTER COMMUNITIES THROUGH SOUND GOVERNMENT

  • Organization
    • About the League
      • Strategic vision and goals
      • Benefits of VML Membership
      • Directions to the VML office
    • Board of Directors
      • Executive Meeting Packets
      • Serving on the Executive Board
      • VML Past Presidents
    • League Staff
    • Local Government Members
      • Benefits of VML Membership
    • Affiliate Organizations
    • VML/VACo APCO Steering Committee
      • VML/VACO APCo Steering Committee Board
    • Partners
  • Member Resources
    • General Assembly
    • ARPA Resources
    • Publications
    • Presentations
    • General Forum
    • Account
    • Reset Password
  • Education
    • Events >
      • 2023 Local Government Day
      • Virginia Local Elected Officials Conference
      • Annual Conference >
        • 2022 Annual Conference
        • 2021 Annual Conference
        • 2020 Annual Conference
        • Past Annual Conference Programs
        • Future Conference Dates
      • Virginia Mayors Institute >
        • 2022 Virginia Mayors Institute
        • 2021 Virginia Mayors Institute
        • 2020 Virginia Mayors Institute
      • 2022 Hurricane Season Briefing
      • ARPA Monitoring & Reporting Compliance Webinar
    • Essay Contest
      • Essay Contest Past Winners
    • Civility. Respect. Solutions.
    • American Rescue Plan Act Resources
    • Coronavirus Resources
    • Innovation Awards
      • Innovation Award Past Winners
    • Virginia You Love: 2022 Survey Contest
    • Racial Inequality – Local Statements
    • Wallerstein Scholarship
  • Advocacy
    • 2023 General Assembly
      • 2022 GA Resources
      • 2021 GA Resources
      • 2020 GA Resources
    • 2023 Local Government Day
      • 2022 Local Government Day
      • 2021 Local Government Day
    • Legislative Program
    • Legislative Committee
    • Policy Statements
    • Policy Committees
      • Community & Economic Development
      • Finance
      • General Laws
      • Human Development & Education
      • Infrastructure, Transportation & Environmental Quality
    • State Budget Overview Session
    • Local Federal Issues
    • Federal Advocacy
  • Media
    • VTC Magazine
    • eNews Newsletter
    • VML Voice Podcast
      • Subscribe: The VML Voice
    • Get the VML APP
    • Legal Resources
    • Local Officials’ Resources Series
    • Other Publications
    • News Releases
  • Calendar
  • Classifieds
    • Job Openings
    • Create Jobs
  • Corporate Engagement
    • Community Business Membership
      • Community Business Members Listings
    • Advertising with VML
    • Terms & Conditions
Home / Advocacy / Policy Committees

Policy Committees

The policy statements are developed by VML’s six policy committees.  These statements are taken up for presentation, discussed and adopted at the annual business meeting during the VML Annual Conference each fall.

The most recent policy statements can be found on the webpage for each of the committees:

  • Community & Economic Development
  • Infrastructure, Transportation & Environmental Quality
  • Finance Policy
  • General Laws
  • Human Development & Education

VML Policy Committees process

What is the role of the policy committees?  Policy committees receive briefings on select statewide issues, consider possible changes to the policy statement, and develop legislative recommendations for the Legislative Committee to consider.

How are policy committees appointed?  Policy committee membership consists of elected and appointed officials of full-member local governments.  Nomination information is sent in the spring to each locality, and each local government determines which of its officials will be nominated for each of the six policy committees.  Each local government may nominate up to two people per policy committee, at least one of whom must be an elected official.

What are the benefits of serving on a policy committee?  VML policy committees offer members an opportunity to learn about current and emerging statewide issues that affect local governments, to develop through policy statements the broad philosophical framework that guides the league, and to network with local officials with similar policy interests.

How many policy committees are there?  There are six policy committees: community and economic development, environmental quality, finance, general laws, human development and education, and transportation.

What issues does each policy committee cover?

  • Community & Economic Development:  Authority, administration, and funding of local governments to manage a full range of community and economic development issues, including business development and retention, international competitiveness, infrastructure development and investment, planning, land use and zoning, blight, enterprise zones, housing, workforce development and historic preservation.
  • Infrastructure, Transportation and Environmental Quality: Natural resources and the authority of local governments to manage the environment, including water resources and quality, solid and hazardous waste management, air quality and the Chesapeake Bay.
  • Finance:  Powers, organization and administration of local government financing, including taxing authority, debt financing, state aid to local governments and federal policies affecting local finance issues.
  • General Laws: Powers, duties, responsibilities, organization and administration of local governments, including state-local and inter-local relations, conflicts-of-interest, freedom-of-information, information management and personnel, telecommunications, utilities and law enforcement, jails and courts issues.
  • Human Development & Education: Management and funding of social services, prek-12 education, health, behavioral health, juvenile justice, recreation, rehabilitation and aging.

What is a policy statement?  Each policy committee develops a policy statement that covers issues in its respective area.  The policy statement expresses the agreement of VML’s membership on matters of interest to local governments.  The statement generally addresses broad, long-term, philosophical positions.  The VML membership approves the policy statements at its annual meeting.

How do policy statements differ from VML’s legislative program?  Policy statements are general in nature.  They reflect local governments’ positions on a range of issues.  The Legislative Program is more specific and immediate.  It is limited to legislative positions that VML expects to lobby on during the upcoming legislative session.

  • General Forum
  • 2023 General Assembly
  • Legislative Program
  • Policy Statements
  • Legislative Committee
  • Policy Committees
    • Community & Economic Development
    • Finance
    • General Laws
    • Human Development & Education
    • Infrastructure, Transportation & Environmental Quality
  • Federal Advocacy
Comments and questions about this website or the data provided may be addressed to Manuel Timbreza
©2023 Virginia Municipal League
Virginia Municipal League
P.O. Box 12164, Richmond, VA 23241
13 E. Franklin St., Richmond, VA 23219
804-649-8471

Copyright © 2023 · Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Terms and Conditions