eNews March 10, 2023
Friday, March 10, 2023 - 05:08pm
This issue is sponsored by:
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In this issue:
- General Assembly update and OSHA risk mitigation training to be held in Onancock on March 29
- Broadband Together Conference registration and information now available!
- Comprehensive General Assembly update from VML staff members coming in April
- 5th Congressional District vacancy for the Commonwealth Council on Aging
- Mayors and town/city administrators invited to participate in the March Registered Apprenticeship Challenge
- USEPA Region 3 to hold 2nd Annual Mid-Atlantic Summit May 17
- Free webinar on the SolarAPP+ tool being offered March 20
- Save the Date for the National Stormwater Policy Forum
- EPA issues best-practices memo for assessing cybersecurity risks to water and wastewater utilities
- NLC update on rail safety and Congress
- Virginia Tech survey to gauge how localities can attract remote workers
VML News
General Assembly update and OSHA risk mitigation training to be held in Onancock on March 29
VML and the Virginia Risk Sharing Association (VRSA) are pleased to offer a morning of updates about bills and budget items affecting localities from the 2023 General Assembly session including the status of proposed legislation dealing with short term rentals. This will be followed by presentations on topics critical to local risk mitigation such as cybersecurity, marijuana legislation and reasonable suspicion, and site inspections.
This is a free, in-person event. Complimentary lunch will be available following the sessions. Registration is required.
- Date: Wednesday, March 29
- Time:9:00 a.m. – Noon
- Location: Onancock Town Hall (15 North Street, Onancock, VA 23417)
- Registration: Available here >
About VRSA
VRSA’s experienced risk services staff provide site and security assessments to protect their members and their employees. In addition, they provide program and policy review and risk management trainings and workshops. For those entities looking for online training, the VRSA Online University provides free, unlimited courses tailored to public entities on topics such as public safety, cybersecurity, human resources, and OSHA training.
VML Contact: Rob Bullington, rbullington@vml.org
Comprehensive General Assembly update from VML staff members coming in April
What bills of interest to local governments came out of the 2023 session of the General Assembly? If there is a budget, what does it mean? If there isn’t a budget yet…well, what does that mean?
In April, VML policy staff will address these and other issues during a comprehensive General Assembly wrap-up webinar that will be free for VML members.
Date and registration information to be announced soon!
VML Contact: Rob Bullington, rbullington@vml.org
Broadband Together Conference registration and information now available!
Join us May 17-18 at the Hilton Short Pump in Richmond for Broadband Together 2023. Once again, we will explore topics that help us expand broadband throughout the Commonwealth.
Registration, agenda, room reservations, and more are available here >.
This event is co-hosted by the Broadband Association of Virginia (VCTA), the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) and the Virginia Municipal League (VML).
Contact: Kimberly Voxland, kvoxland@vcta.com
Opportunities
5th Congressional District vacancy for the Commonwealth Council on Aging
The Commonwealth Council on Aging has a vacancy for a gubernatorial appointment for a constituent residing in the 5th Congressional District (currently represented by Rep. Bob Good) for a term ending June 30, 2025.
If you live in the 5th Congressional District and would be interested in serving, complete an application on the Secretary of the Commonwealth website by doing the following:
- Go to the application portal here >
- Filter for “Aging, Commonwealth Council on”
- Select “Member Seat – 5th Congressional District” to proceed with completing the application.
Additional information about the Commonwealth Council on Aging can be found here. Resources on the webpage include the Council’s: enabling statutory authority (§ 51.5-127 and 51.5-128), annual reports, current membership list, and list of previous and upcoming meetings.
Commonwealth Council on Aging Contact: Charlotte Arbogast, charlotte.arbogast@dars.virginia.gov
Mayors and town/city administrators invited to participate in the March Registered Apprenticeship Challenge
Do you want to keep people in your town? Do you want to attract new residents through employment? Registered Apprenticeship is a toll that brings a high return on investment.
The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) Division of Registered Apprenticeship is seeking out mayors and town/city administrators to start a dialogue with its regional registered apprenticeship consultants. The purpose is to bring visibility to this earn-while-you-learn, occupational training model to all hiring agents.
By partnering with DOLI you can help bring Registered Apprenticeship to your locality!
More information is available here >.
DOLI Contact: Patricia Morrison, Patricia.Morrison@doli.virginia.gov
USEPA Region 3 to hold 2nd Annual Mid-Atlantic Summit May 17
The 2nd annual USEPA Region 3 Mid-Atlantic Summit will bring together a broad range of stakeholders from across the nation including federal, state, tribal, and local government partners, as well as non-profits and community-based organizations. The day includes numerous workshops with themes around environmental justice, climate change, innovation, and much more.
This virtual event will be held Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Save the date and keep an eye out for registration details.
See below information about last year’s summit:
Region 3 Help Desk: (800) 438-2474
Free webinar on the SolarAPP+ tool being offered March 20
Local officials are invited to hear from the City of Harrisonburg and Culpeper County about their experience and learn from the developers of the SolarAPP+ tool that allows localities to use an automated permitting tool for residential solar installation.
This virtual event will be held Monday, March 20 from 2pm-3pm.
Free registration is available here >.
About the SolarAPP+ tool:
- Integrates with existing permitting software
- Designed to streamline the permitting process
- Save time and resources for applicants and municipal staff
- More information here >.
Contact: Aaron Berryhill, aaron.berryhill@energy.virginia.gov
Save the Date for the National Stormwater Policy Forum
The National Stormwater Policy Forum is a half-day event co-led by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) Stormwater Institute and the National Municipal Stormwater Alliance (NMSA), which will take place on Monday, April 24 during Water Week.
Co-hosted by the National League of Cities (NLC) and the National Association of Counties (NACo), the event provides an opportunity for WEF, NMSA, NLC, and NACo members to learn about current policy issues driving the stormwater sector today. Staff and officials from VML member localities are eligible to attend.
The 2023 National Stormwater Policy Forum will be a hybrid event with limited in-person attendance available. The event will take place at the co-located offices of NLC and NACo in Washington, D.C.
If you are interested in participating in the event in-person, please complete this registration form. There will be a separate registration for virtual participants that will be available soon.
NLC Contact: Carolyn Berndt, Legislative Director, Sustainability Federal Advocacy, Berndt@nlc.org
Resources
EPA issues best-practices memo for assessing cybersecurity risks to water and wastewater utilities
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a memorandum to states and public water systems (PWS) proposing best practices for evaluating water and wastewater utilities’ vulnerabilities to cybersecurity attacks.
The EPA’s March 2023 memo, “Addressing PWS Cybersecurity in Sanitary Surveys or an Alternate Process,” offers guidance to utilities to assess current cybersecurity practices, develop risk-mitigation plans to address identified vulnerabilities, and offer technical assistance for both evaluations and remedies to reduce risks.
Federal regulations require states to conduct periodic sanitary surveys of public water systems to protect drinking water. EPA interprets the regulations to include operational technology, such as industrial control systems and cybersecurity systems. As part of a state’s periodic sanitary surveys of public water systems, the state will assess a PWS’s cybersecurity adequacy, and if deficiencies are found then the state must require the utility to address them.
The EPA’s 100-page memo offers best practices for cybersecurity self-assessments or third-party assessments, a cybersecurity check-list, information on training and other technical assistance, and suggestions for financial assistance to assess and improve cybersecurity controls.
The EPA memo can be found on the agency’s website here >.
Contact: Preston Bryant, pbryant@mwcllc.com
NLC update on rail safety and Congress
The tragic events in East Palestine, OH, have resulted in a bipartisan push to pass needed rail safety legislation in the Senate, and we know this is an issue close to home for so many communities that have rail assets in their communities.
The National League of Cities (NLC) sent this detailed rail safety letter to Congress, and we have also stood up a simple sign-on letter to ask Congress to act on rail safety so that local government leaders can show their individual support. We would like to ask for your help to amplify the letter. We’d like to get as many localities as possible to sign-on.
Options:
- Share this new blog – Cities Ask Congress to Act on Rail Safety – or feel free to borrow from it.
- Consider both adding your name to this NLC rail safety letter sign-on link and sharing it with your local government colleagues.
Also, we are glad to confirm that NLC’s Rail Roundtable will return at CCC on Sunday, March 26, along with an Aviation Roundtable (with a special focus on airport noise) as we continue the process of FAA reauthorization this Congress.
NLC Contact: Irma Esparza, diggs@nlc.org
Virginia Tech survey to gauge how localities can attract remote workers
The Virginia Tech Economic Development Studio and the Center for Economic and Community Engagement are working with Main Street America and Virginia Main Street to study how communities attract and retain remote workers. The goal is to provide recommendations for communities across the urban-rural gradient seeking to attract and retain different types of remote workers while overcoming existing challenges and accommodating sustainable growth.
The purpose of this survey is to gather data about remote work in your community, the types of local assets that may attract remote workers and existing/anticipated challenges throughout the remote work transition. It should take you approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
Click here to take the survey.
Anything you choose to share via this survey will remain confidential and you may withdraw at any time.
Contacts: Kit Friedman, kitf420@vt.edu; Sarah Lyon-Hill, sarahlh@vt.edu
