eNews January 20, 2023
Friday, January 20, 2023 - 02:24pm
This issue is sponsored by:
Dominion Energy operates in 20 states across the U.S., offering clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy to more than 7 million customers. Headquartered in Richmond, VA, Dominion Energy invests in the communities where they live and work, and strives to protect our natural resources while delivering safe, reliable energy to their customers. Learn more >.
In this issue:
- Local Government Day 2023 a success
- VML members are eligible to receive legislative updates throughout the General Assembly session
- VDOT soliciting feedback on draft of updated Non-Metropolitan Area Consultation Process Guide
- 2023 Virginia Women’s Municipal Leadership Institute begins March 23
- Grant Writing Training being offered near Richmond Feb. 13-14
- $500,000 in grant funding for Virginia wellness campaign
- Save the date: Broadband Together Conference to be held May 17-18
- EPA grant webinars happening next week
- Winter Edition of National Civic Review now available
- Tools to promote Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day happening Jan. 27
VML News
Local Government 
Day 2023 a success
The Virginia Municipal League, in partnership with The Virginia Association of Counties and the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions, was pleased to welcome over 400 attendees to the Omni Hotel in Richmond this week for Local Government Day. Over 400 people attended, including elected officials and staff from across the Commonwealth, state senators and delegates, and officials from the Office of the Governor.
During the early afternoon, attendees heard from President & CEO Jason El Koubi of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership who outlined his organization’s vision for driving economic growth in Virginia. James Regimbal from Fiscal Analytics summarized Virginia’s budget options before staff from VML and VACo updated attendees on legislative priorities and the status of bills affecting local governments being considered by the General Assembly.
Following these presentations, attendees were encouraged to visit their delegations before returning to the Omni for an evening reception.
VML Contact: Rob Bullington, rbullington@vml.org
VML members are eligible to receive legislative 
updates throughout the General Assembly session
Elected officials and staff from VML member local governments are eligible to receive the VML Legislative Bulletin which is published only during the General Assembly Session. This electronic newsletter covers bills and budget items being tracked by our staff, analysis of legislation affecting local governments, and alerts for legislation that should be opposed or supported by our members. This information is no longer published in eNews.
To begin receiving the VML Legislative Bulletin send a request to VML Director of Communications Rob Bullington, rbullington@vml.org.
Please include in the body of the email:
- Your first and last name
- Your title (i.e., councilmember, town manager, etc.)
- The name of your locality
- Your email address for local government communications (i.e., name@cityofexample.gov)
VML Contact: Rob Bullington, rbullington@vml.org
Opportunities
VDOT soliciting feedback on draft of updated Non-Metropolitan Area Consultation Process Guide
The Virginia Department of Transportation in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment is currently updating Virginia’s Non-Metropolitan Area Consultation Process Guide.  This document illustrates how Virginia’s State, regional, and local officials work together to identify, plan, and fund the public’s transportation system, as required by State and Federal law. In addition, this document helps regional and local decision-makers understand the State’s transportation planning and funding practices.
The previous edition of the guidelines (2018) is a 33-page document. The new edition is streamlined and will be hosted online for easier use. The draft is available here for review.
VDOT is welcoming input from local governments and other entities with an interest in Virginia’s transportation planning and funding. Comments can be provided in a short survey available here.
The survey will be available until Friday, March 17, 2023.
VDOT Contact: Darrel S. Johnson, 804-371-8868 or Darrel.Johnson@VDOT.Virginia.gov.
2023 Virginia Women’s Municipal Leadership Institute begins March 23
This partnership between Virginia Women Leading Government and the Virginia Tech Roanoke Center provides women aspiring to become local government leaders with connections, content, tools, and opportunities to further develop their skills and broaden their network.
- Who:Â The Institute will be limited to 25 women aspiring to fill leadership positions in local government. Participants should be prepared to be actively engaged and attend every session to learn from one another and from content leaders.
- What: The delivery format is hybrid including five two-day sessions and three virtual half-day sessions.
- Cost:Â Tuition of $1,500 includes breakfast and lunch for all in-person sessions as well as hotel accommodations for Thursday, March 23 at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. All other accommodations for and travel expenses are at the participant’s expense.
- When:Â The Institute will launch Thursday, March 23, 2023, at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center and will continue for eight months. The Institute will conclude at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
Contact: Institute Coordinator Bonnie Svrcek, bsvrcek@gmail.com
Grant Writing Training being offered near Richmond Feb. 13-14
Henrico County Emergency Management and Workplace Safety and Grant Writing USA will present a two-day grant writing workshop at the Henrico County Public Safety Training Center on February 13-14, 2023. This training is for grant seekers across all disciplines.
For event details visit: http://grantstraining.com/henrico0223
Beginning and experienced grant writers from city, county and state agencies as well as healthcare organizations, nonprofits, K-12, colleges and universities are encouraged to attend.
The discounted tuition of $465 includes everything: two days of instruction, workbook, and access to Grant Writing USA’s Alumni Forum with tools, helpful discussions and more than 200 sample grant proposals. Please use the discount code “ASSN” to receive this $30 discount off full price at registration.
Groups of 5 or more receive a $50 discount per person. Discounts for Grant Writing USA alumni and nonprofits are also available. Please call for details. Payment is not required at the time of registration.
All health and safety guidelines will be followed. Online reservations are necessary.
More information including learning objectives, class location, graduate testimonials and online registration is available here >.
Grant Writing USA Contact: Tammy Pitts, 888.435.7281 or tammyp@grantwritingusa.com.
$500,000 in grant funding for Virginia wellness 
campaign
The National Fitness Campaign (NFC) has announced $500,000 in grant funding coming to fifteen communities in the state of Virginia for 2023. This funding will be allocated to support municipalities across the state to join the growing NFC wellness campaign building healthy infrastructure to smart cities and schools of the future. NFC’s award-winning initiative is now planning its 500th Healthy Community in America and is poised to deliver vital outdoor wellness programs helping to fight the obesity epidemic across the country.
If you are not yet familiar with the campaign, the program is designed to bring world-class healthy infrastructure to public spaces, along with consulting, funding, and community programming support; formed in response to the growing health crisis in America caused by sedentary lifestyles. Please watch NFC’s 3-minute video describing the program: Campaign Video.
Through our partnership with NFC, the Virginia Municipal League is pleased to provide priority access to application briefings for our members across Virginia who may be interested in qualifying for funding and partnership. The briefing is a 30-minute zoom call which will qualify your community for a feasibility study and grant application.
Typically, the briefings with NFC require the Park Director, Mayor, or Town Manager and/or Administrator to qualify for funding. Funding is now available for 2023 site partners and is projected to be allocated over the next 60 days.
Contact: If you would like to receive a briefing to learn more about the program and how to qualify, please fill out the short contact form at nationalfitnesscampaign.com.
Save the date: Broadband Together Conference to 
be held May 17-18
Plan on joining VML and our partner organizations for two days of exploring topics to expand broadband access in the Commonwealth. The 2023 Broadband Together Conference will be held May 17-18 at the Hilton Short Pump (12042 W Broad St, Richmond, VA 23233). Registration coming February 1.
VML Contact: Josette Bulova, jbulova@vml.org
Resources
EPA grant webinars happening next week
The two EPA grants outlined below are good opportunities for local governments and local nonprofit collaborations.
Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Program
- EJG2G Live Webinar – Thursday January 26th @ 2PM
- EPA will have a Live Webinar to answer questions, to facilitate application submissions, and to offer dedicated staff members who can provide support as needed. Learn more here >
- The Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G) Program EJG2G Program (formerly known as the State Environmental Justice Cooperative Agreement program) will provide an estimated total of $70 million in funding.
- Of this, $20 million will be for State governments to be used in conjunction with CBO partners, $20 million will be for local governments with CBO partners, $20 million will be for Federally Recognized Tribal Nations with CBO partners, and $10 million will be for US territories and remote tribes w/ limited access to CBO partners.
- In total the Agency anticipates funding approximately 70 projects of up to $1 million each for a 3-year project.
- Â Fact sheet available here >
Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program
- EJCPS Live Webinar – Tuesday January 24th @ 2PM
- The Jan. 24th webinar will answer questions on the EJPS grants to facilitate application submissions, and to offer dedicated staff members who can provide support as needed. Learn more here >.
- The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program will provide an estimated total of $30 million in funding directly to community-based nonprofit organizations (CBOs) and partnerships of these organizations).
- $5 million will be reserved for small CBOs with five or fewer full-time employees.
- In total, the Agency anticipates funding approximately 50 awards of $500,000 and 30 awards of $150,000.
- Fact sheet available here >
 Contact: Office of Environmental Justice, (202) 564-2515 or environmental-justice@epa.gov
Winter Edition of National Civic Review now available
This special equity edition of the National Civic Review reflects the interests that the National Civic League shares with three of its partners: the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which is working to advance racial healing and equity, the NextFifty Initiative, a Colorado-based nonprofit whose mission is to improve the lives of older adults, and the Charles Kettering Foundation, which promotes democratic practices and supports work to improve racial equity.
To access this edition, go to the table of contents where you will be prompted to enter your unique access code: VML23.
National Civic League Contact: Rebecca Trout, rebeccat@ncl.org
Tools to promote Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day happening Jan. 27
The National League of Cities (NLC) has worked with city leaders to implement Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) outreach campaigns for over 20 years. These campaigns have helped to raise awareness and increase the participation rate of low- and moderate-income residents. As this work has grown, we’ve helped municipalities partner with local Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs to help their residents access this important tax credit through a trusted source. It is through these efforts that billions of federal dollars are brought back to local economies every year.
On Friday, January 27, 2023, we will be celebrating the 17th annual EITC Awareness Day. This day is an effort by the IRS to encourage local governments, community organizations, and other stakeholders to bring attention to the EITC and opportunities for free tax filing services through VITA.
VML’s local government members are encouraged to increase the number of individuals that receive the EITC by raising the visibility of the credit. NLC has drafted a communications toolkit for municipal leaders to help them celebrate EITC Awareness Day, connect with VITA partners, and raise the visibility of this important tax credit for their residents. In the communications toolkit, your will find a template press release, a sample email to partners, a city proclamation template, and sample social media posts that they can tailor to meet their needs.
Additionally, NLC would also love to hear more about what your locality will do to help their residents this tax season. Please take time to complete the tax time survey.
NLC Contact: Patrick Hain, hain@nlc.org
