Virginia Municipal League

Building Better Communities Through Sound Government

BETTER COMMUNITIES THROUGH SOUND GOVERNMENT

eNews March 19, 2021

eNews: The newsletter of the Virginia Municipal League Friday, March 19, 2021 - 05:51pm

In this issue:

Legislation

Budget & Economy

Health & Human Services

Transportation

VML News

 

Legislation

Last chance to voice support of VML positions on items important to localities

Last week, the Virginia Municipal League sent several communications to the Northam administration to request changes to legislation and budget items to provide relief and assistance to local governments.

These items will likely be finalized in the coming week. We encourage our members to contact their delegations and the administration in support of these items. Please use or reference these letters when crafting your own messages and let us know when you’ve voiced support. Every message counts!

Items to support (use the links to jump to each):

 

Support for local police departments

From: VML and the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police

To: Governor Northam

Subject: Request to submit a budget amendment to increase state financial support for police departments throughout the Commonwealth.

Excerpt: Police departments serving and protecting Virginians who live in our cities, counties and towns were not recognized. No bonus. No salary increases. No increase in the state’s contribution to the “599” law enforcement program.

Read the full letter here >

VML Contact: Janet Areson, jareson@vml.org

 

Reduce the unfunded liability of the Teacher Retirement Fund

To: Secretary of Finance Layne

From: VML

Subject: Suggestion to use increased revenues to reduce the unfunded liability of the Teacher Retirement Fund

Excerpt: Another way to view this is that any additional VRS contribution provides a 7.4% annual rate of return on funds invested – a much superior return than the 1-2% returns currently being earned on Treasury deposits.

Read the full letter here >

VML Contact: Neal Menkes, nmenkes@vml.org

 

Review and use of body-worn camera video

To: Secretary Johnson and Secretary Moran

From: VML

Subject: Request that budget item 75#1c be amended to include references to the review and use of body-worn camera video by Commonwealth’s Attorney offices.

Excerpt: As you know, Virginia State Bar ethics rules require that attorneys, not paralegals, review and redact video footage. The workload for these offices will increase as more local law enforcement agencies deploy body-worn cameras and as state agencies and public universities adopt this technology.

Read the full letter here >

VML Contact: Janet Areson, jareson@vml.org

 

Clarify state share of salary increases for SOQ-recognized teaching and support positions

To: Secretary of Finance Layne

From: VML

Subject: Requests that the local match language for state salary increases for teachers and support staff be clarified so as not to require local school divisions to provide an average salary increase of 5 percent for each year of the biennium. The suggested language would allow local school divisions to combine salary actions taken in FY21 and FY22 to reach the 5.0 percent maximum.

Excerpt: Sufficient funds are appropriated in this act to finance, on a statewide basis, the state share of up to a 5.0 percent salary increase the second year for funded SOQ instructional and support positions, effective July 1, 2021, to school divisions that certify to the Department of Education that salary increases of a minimum average of 2.0 percent have been or will have been provided during the 2020-2022 biennium, either in the first year or in the second year or through a combination of the two years, to instructional and support personnel.

This action preceded VML staff discussions on how to proceed with the various budget issues.

Read the full details of the budget item with explanation here >

VML Contact: Neal Menkes, nmenkes@vml.org

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SB1157 and moving May local elections to November – next steps

With the Governor’s signing of SB1157 (Spruill) last week, localities with May elections find themselves on a tight timeframe to review their standing election cycles and determine how to align with the new November requirement. So far, the City of Fredericksburg has begun the process of changing from an even-year schedule to an odd-year schedule and other localities are discussing the same.

Among Virginia cities and towns that have traditionally held May elections, 116 are currently slated to have their next local election in 2022:

Abingdon Crewe Irvington Occoquan St. Charles
Appalachia Danville Ivor Onancock St. Paul
Appomattox Dendron Jarratt Orange Staunton
Ashland Dublin Jonesville Pamplin Stony Creek
Belle Haven Duffield Keller Parksley Strasburg
Berryville Dungannon Kenbridge Pennington Gap Surry
Blackstone Edinburg Kilmarnock Pound Tangier
Boones Mill Exmore LaCrosse Purcellville Tappahannock
Boydton Fairfax City Lawrenceville Pulaski The Plains
Boykins Farmville Lebanon Quantico Troutdale
Bristol Franklin Louisa Radford Victoria
Cape Charles Fredericksburg Lovettsville Remington Vinton
Capron Fries Lynchburg Ridgeway Wachapreague
Chase City Galax Marion Rocky Mount Wakefield
Chesapeake Gate City Middleburg Round Hill Warrenton
Chilhowie Grundy Mineral Rural Retreat Waverly
Chincoteague Hallwood Mt. Jackson Salem Waynesboro
Claremont Hamilton New Castle Saltville Weber City
Clarksville Hampton New Market Saxis White Stone
Clifton Haymarket Newport News Scottsville Williamsburg
Clinchport Haysi Newsoms Smithfield Wise
Clintwood Hillsville Nickelsville South Boston Woodstock
Coeburn Independence Norfolk South Hill Wytheville
Courtland

The question for these localities now is whether they want to continue holding their elections in even years to align with the federal election cycle, (which could include Presidential/Vice-Presidential and Congressional Elections) or whether to move to odd years and align with the state’s elections (which could include Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and the General Assembly).

For localities that decide to move cycles ahead of their next election, time is of the essence. Councils have less than three months in which to schedule public hearings to discuss the move, then draft and approve ordinances to change the schedule ahead of the upcoming June 8 filing deadline for November 2021 local elections.

VML Contact: Jessica Ackerman, jackerman@vml.org

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Budget & Economy

The Feds are here to help – A short narrative about the American Rescue Plan

Below are the highlights of items of interest for local governments that take into account details from the recently passed American Rescue Plan (ARP). Please note that the figures used below are based on past estimates issued by congressional committees and national organizations and should not be used for local budget development purposes. However, this should give an order of magnitude as to the funding support for these items until such times as the U.S. Treasury issues final numbers.

Also please note, unless otherwise indicated, all the programs below are financed separately from the State and Local Coronavirus Relief Funds.

Programs (use the links to jump to each):

Child Care

Under the FY21 Budget Reconciliation, there is a $39 billion supplemental for childcare. Nearly $15 billion will provide expanded childcare assistance through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) for operating expenses, personnel costs, and mental health supports. The remaining nearly $24 billion creates a stabilization fund for eligible childcare providers. Administered by state lead agencies, these funds can support providers who are currently operating or are closed for COVID-related reasons, as well as supply-building activities. These funds can stabilize childcare programs by covering a range of expenses such as personnel costs, rent, facility maintenance and improvements, personal protective equipment (PPE) and COVID-related supplies, goods and services needed to resume providing care, mental health supports for children and early educators, and reimbursement of costs associated with the current public health emergency. Eligible childcare providers receiving the funds must also provide relief from copayments to families struggling to cover tuition.

The House Committee on Education and Labor estimates that Virginia will receive $796 million in grants.

Head Start

Roughly $1 billion in emergency funding which will be used to maintain access to services for children and families. The allocations are based on agency enrollment. Funds remain available through Sept. 30, 2022.

The House Committee on Education and Labor estimates that Virginia will receive $16.6 million.

K-12

$122 billion for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, which will give schools the resources to safely reopen for in-person instruction and address significant impacts of the pandemic on students’ education and well-being. Ninety percent of the ESSERF is allocated to local educational agencies (LEAs) using the formula specified by Title I of the ESEA.

According to the House Committee on Education and Labor, here are examples of eligible spending purposes:

  • This includes repairing ventilation systems, reducing class sizes, obtaining additional space to implement social distancing guidelines, purchasing personal protective equipment, increasing access to technology and broadband, funding summer and after school and other extended learning programs, and hiring additional educators to reduce learning loss and support staff to care for students’ health and well-being.
  • Schools must reserve at least 20 percent of the funding they receive to address learning loss.

The House Committee estimates that Virginia will receive $2.1 billion.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

For FY2021, provides $250 million for Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which authorizes federal funding for early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities ages birth to three years, and $200 million for Part B, Sec. 619, which authorizes supplementary grants to states for preschool programs serving children with disabilities ages three through five.

Substance Use Disorder Services

$30 million to states, local governments, non-profits, and providers for community-based SUD services.

Medicaid HCBS

States will get a one-year, 10-point increase in FMAP for Medicaid HCBS starting April 1. Estimated cost is $12 billion if states adhere to these conditions:

  • Supplement (not Supplant): Money must be used to increase the level of state funds expended for home and community-based services for eligible individuals through programs in effect as of April 1, 2021.
  • States will implement or supplement one or more activities to enhance, expand or strengthen home and community-based services under the State Medicaid program.

Small Business Support

Some $15 billion is included in the FY21 Budget Reconciliation Act for states to set up programs to support small businesses, with set-asides and incentives for very small organizations and for disadvantaged groups.

$25 billion for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, to supply grants of up to $10 million/restaurant (maximum $5 million per physical location), based on pandemic-related losses.

Emergency Rental Assistance

There is $21.5 billion for emergency rental assistance for up to 18 months for eligible household rent and utilities, much of which is disbursed to states and localities. There is also $5 billion for emergency housing vouchers distributed through public housing agencies, $100 million for rural housing, and another $5 billion for homelessness assistance.

Homeowners Assistance Fund

$9.9 billion allocated to the Homeowners Assistance Fund to help homeowners in need pay overdue mortgage bills, taxes, insurance, and HOA dues. These funds will be distributed through state Housing Finance Agencies.

Community Navigator Pilot Program

Some $100 million for states and local governments to set up navigator services to help communities and organizations gain access to COVID-19 relief programs.

Transit Grants

$30.4 billion for transit agencies to assist with operating costs, including payroll and PPE expenses. This includes dedicated funds to support rural transit agencies, transit service for the elderly and individuals with disabilities.

$8 billion for airports to cover costs of operations, personnel, and cleaning, including a set-aside for rent relief and other costs of airport concessionaires primarily directed toward small businesses and minority-owned firms.

Water Assistance

$500 million for states and tribes to support low-income households paying for water through working with public water systems to reduce rates and arrearages.

Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund

In addition to the recovery funds, out of any money in the U.S. Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $10 billion will be available for making payments to states, territories and tribal governments for critical capital projects directly enabling work, education, and health monitoring in response to COVID-19. Each state will receive $100 million with lesser amounts guaranteed for U.S. territories and indigenous people. The remainder of the funds will be allocated to the states based on population. To provide access to these funds, the U.S. Treasury will establish an application process for grants from the fund within 60 days of enactment of the law.

The purpose of the fund is to carry out critical capital projects directly enabling work, education, and health monitoring, including remote options, in response to the public health emergency.

VML Contact: Neal Menkes, nmenkes@vml.org

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Unpacking the State and Local Coronavirus Relief Funds: It’s even more complicated than you think!

The American Relief Plan (ARP) creates a special fund for states and another for local governments. The State Fiscal Recovery Fund includes $195.3 billion of which Virginia is estimated to receive $3.71 billion. The allocation formula is based on population, poverty data and unemployment data. Here is how it breaks down:

  • $25.5 billion divided evenly among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each state will receive no less than $500 million.
  • After the reserved amounts for D.C. and tribes are distributed, 50 percent will be distributed based on the proportion of a state’s population compared with the nation’s total population, 25 percent will be based on a state’s rural population compared with the rural populations of all 50 states, and 25 percent will be based on the number of individuals with a household income that is below 150 percent of the poverty line compared the number of such individuals in the 50 states.
  • Also, some portion of the funds will go to states based on a ratio of a state’s average estimated number of seasonally adjusted unemployed individuals over a three-month period ending December 30, 2020 divided by the national figure for this variable.

Disbursement rules

States and localities must follow these rules in disbursing their allocations:

  • Respond to the public health emergency or its negative economic impacts, including assistance to households, small businesses, and non-profits, or aid to affected industries such as tourism, travel, and hospitality.
  • Respond to workers performing essential work during the emergency by providing premium pay to eligible public workers or by providing grants to eligible employers that have eligible workers performing essential work.
  • Provide government services to the extent of the reduction in tax revenue relative to revenues collected in the most recent full fiscal year prior to the public health emergency.
  • Make necessary investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.
  • Cannot use the money to shore up pensions or to finance state tax cuts.
  • Money must be spent by December 31, 2024.
  • Funds can be transferred to private non-profit organizations as well as public benefit corporations and special purpose units of state and local governments.

The feds can withhold up to half of the payments by one-year for states and eligible local governments.  The money is to be distributed to the states within 60-days after a state’s certification of need is received by the Secretary of the Treasury. Periodic reports are required from states and local governments detailing the use of the federal funds and other information the Secretary may require.  The Secretary also has power to make pro rata adjustments when funds are insufficient.

The Local Fiscal Recovery Fund includes $130.2 billion for localities. Virginia is estimated to receive $2.89 billion from this locality fund. The rules for local governments to follow are the same as stipulated for states (see above).

Counties and cities with populations greater than 50,000 will receive their allocations directly from the U.S. Treasury. Towns and other units of governments will get their allocations as a pass-through from their state governments. Local governments are also authorized to transfer these funds to their state government if they choose to do so.

Questions and Answers (maybe)

  1. How quickly will state and local governments receive the financial aid?
    • Allocations should be received within 60-days of the eligible governments submitting their certifications of need to the U.S. Department of Treasury.
    • Smaller local governments (defined as having fewer than 50,000 inhabitants) will not receive allocations directly from the feds. Instead, these allocations will go to the states. The states will have 30-days to disburse the funds to localities referred to as “non-entitlement units of local government.” States can ask for an extension for distributing the local money but would need to justify why the extension is required. States cannot change the amounts or attach additional requirements to the payments allocated to these smaller local governments.
  2. What is the difference between a “CDBG City” and a “Non-entitlement”?
    • “CDBG City” generally (but not always) refers to cities of over 50,000 inhabitants. They would receive their allocations directly from the feds based on a modified CDBG formula*. Metro or CDBG cities are reserved $45.57 billion of which Virginia is expected to receive $628 million.
    • A non-entitlement government includes cities, townships, villages, and other municipalities with populations less than 50,000. Allocations would be made proportionate to a non-entitlement locality’s population compared with a state’s total non-entitlement population and would be subject to a cap of 75 percent of the locality’s most recent pre-pandemic budget as of January 27, 2020.
      • Some $19.53 billion is reserved for non-entitlement units of local government of which Virginia is estimated to receive $604 million. States are responsible for distributing these funds to non-entitlement local governments.
  3. How reliable are the estimates for non-entitlement local governments? (Hint: The answer is not very).
    • The calculation must manually remove all “metro city” governments and underlying areas located within those areas.
    • Census data does not identify cases where local governments overlap. For example, an area can fall within both a town government and a township government. Or, in the case of Virginia, the area can be in both a town and a county.
  4. What is the story with counties?
    • Some $60.1 billion is reserved for counties of which Virginia is expected to receive $1.655 billion. Distribution is generally based on a ratio comparing a county’s population with the total number of county inhabitants in a state.
    • However, there are special rules for certain counties. An Urban County (as defined in §102 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974) will receive no less than the amount it would receive under the formula in 42 USC 5306 (b).
    • It is not crystal clear how towns are to be treated under the federal legislation, meaning, are they considered a general local government contained within the boundary of a county?

VML Contact: Neal Menkes, nmenkes@vml.org

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Economic activity begins to stir…

…but job growth remains stuck.

Private-sector economists, the Federal Reserve Bank, and Wall Street are all optimistic about the nation’s economic recovery.

Federal Reserve officials expect the economy to rapidly surge toward its pre-pandemic strength, with the unemployment rate falling to 4.5 percent by the end of this year, and inflation surpassing the Fed’s 2 percent target, according to projections released this week.

The estimates paint a far-rosier picture than those released before the passage of two economic stimulus bills and more widespread access to coronavirus vaccines.

Fed officials now anticipate that gross domestic product could grow 6.5 percent, the fastest since the 1980s. Inflation is also projected to hit 2.4 percent by the end of the year, a marked jump from the 1.8 percent projection in December. A growing number of Fed policymakers expect the economy to be healed enough to begin raising interest rates from near-zero beginning in 2023.

The good news is tempered by some 9 million Americans still missing from the labor force and entire industries, including hospitality and entertainment, that cannot fully revive until the pandemic is brought under control. The Federal Reserve Bank also faces concerns from Wall Street that the economic rebound will lead to a surge in the inflation rate.

But caveats aside, what accounts for the burst of optimism? For some economists, the answer is the American Rescue Plan. Goldman Sachs is forecasting U.S. gross domestic product to grow 8 percent this year in the fourth quarter compared to the same period a year ago, marking the fastest increase in almost 60 years. Major companies, including American Airlines and United Airlines, said they would cancel tens of thousands of planned layoffs. And, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen now says that she expects the country “could reach full employment by as soon as next year.”

Closer to home

For Virginia, the employment gains are yet to arrive as reflected in the January job data that the Virginia Employment Commission released this week.

Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell 0.3 of a percentage point in January to 5.3 percent, which is 2.8 percentage points above the rate from a year ago. According to household survey data in January, the labor force decreased by 1,452, essentially unchanged, to 4,253,627, as the number of unemployed residents decreased by 8,920. The number of employed residents rose by 7,468 to 4,026,343. Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate continues to be below the national rate, which decreased to 6.3 percent.

Virginia nonagricultural wage and salary employment, from the monthly establishment survey, rose by 14,100 jobs in January to 3,895,200 while December’s preliminary estimate was revised downward by 28,900, eliminating that month’s small job gain. In January, private sector employment increased by 8,900 jobs to 3,191,200, while public sector payrolls increased by a net 5,200 jobs (all state government) to 704,000.

Last week the number of initial unemployment claims filed during the year since pandemic employment impacts began to be felt in March 2020 exceeded the total number filed during the previous three economic recessions.

For the filing week ending March 13, the figure for seasonally unadjusted initial claims in Virginia was 15,525. The latest claims figure was an increase of 1,789 claimants from the previous week. This brought the total number of claims filed since the March 21, 2020 filing week to 1,508,365, compared to the 477,600 averaged during the previous three economic recessions since 1990.

For the most recent filing week, continued weeks claimed totaled 59,976, which was a 3.7 percent decrease from the previous week, but 38,640 higher than the 21,336 continued claims from the comparable week last year.

Because payroll withholding is the Commonwealth’s most important revenue source, job growth is essential to pay for state-administered and state-funded services. The strong collections this past year in individual non-withholding taxes has helped to keep the state’s balance sheet in the black but is considered by state financial experts as too volatile. Also, the better-than-expected collections in sales taxes may also waver as the economy reopens and buying patterns switch from goods to services.

VML Contact: Neal Menkes, nmenkes@vml.org

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Please take the time to read: “Meet the New and Improved Earmark”

Brittney Kohler from the National League of Cities has authored a timely article “Meet the New and Improved Earmark: What Cities and Towns Need to Know: What Cities and Towns Need to Know.”

In the piece, Kohler outlines how actions taken by the 117th Congress now make it possible (again) Members of Congress’ requests for Community Project Funding in appropriations bills for the upcoming 2022 fiscal year. Additionally, members of Congress may submit requests for highway and transit project designations under a new formal process.

This means that localities “have new opportunities to work directly with Congress in the next month or two to bring awareness to key local projects that are deserving of federal partnership and have full community support.”

Additional Resource: “Community Project Funding What You Need to Know to Compete (March 18, 2021)” by The Ferguson Group in conjunction with the International City/County Management Association

VML encourages our members to read the full article from the NLC and the additional resource from The Ferguson Group to learn more about these new opportunities.

VML Contact: Michelle Gowdy, mgowdy@vml.org

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Health & Human Services

Statewide COVID-19 model update

The Virginia Department of Health contracts with the University of Virginia’s Biocomplexity Institute for a model that tracks COVID-19 cases, testing, and vaccinations and provides scenarios of how COVID-19 will affect Virginia on a regional and statewide basis. This model is regularly updated to account for new and additional data.

The most recent update to the model tracks the potential spread of COVID-19 and variants through the spring and summer. A summary document is available on the VDH website here >.

VML Contact: Janet Areson, jareson@vml.org

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Marcus alert workgroup meetings, information available to public

Anyone interested in following the Marcus Alert workgroup formed to develop ground rules for implementation of the HB5043/SB5038 approved during the 2020 Special Session can get information about workgroup meetings and presentations given at meetings on this page.

The workgroup meets on a weekly basis as it develops the initial implementation plan that is due by July 1.  The next meeting is scheduled for March 22, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The meeting link can be found on the Commonwealth Calendar.

The Marcus Alert legislation requires the development and operation of a statewide crisis alert program as well as local response systems to ensure that individuals undergoing a mental health crisis receive assistance first from mobile crisis and community care teams and to decrease the involvement of law enforcement in such responses.

The first five localities/regions to implement the program beginning by December 2021 have been formalized. They are:

  • Region 1: Orange, Madison, Culpeper, Fauquier, and Rappahannock Counties (Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services)
  • Region 2: Prince William County/Manassas/Manassas Park (Prince William County Community Services)
  • Region 3: City of Bristol and Washington County including the Towns of Abingdon, Damascus, and Glade Spring (Highlands CSB)
  • Region 4: City of Richmond (Richmond Behavioral Health Authority)
  • Region 5: City of Virginia Beach (Virginia Beach Human Services)

Localities/regional groups will be added in phases over the next five years until all localities are a part of the program.

VML Contact: Janet Areson, jareson@vml.org

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Transportation

Federal transit funding from ARP anticipated

At the Commonwealth Transportation Board meeting this week the Jennifer Mitchell, Director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), updated the board on the estimated amounts of new revenue that Virginia is expected to receive as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Transit specific funding has been set aside in the amount of $30.4 billion nationwide. Director Mitchell indicated that Virginia’s transit agencies at all levels – from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to rural transit agencies – are estimated to receive some level of additional funds. It appears from these estimates that WMATA will receive the largest funding allocation of nearly $1.4 billion while other agencies across the Commonwealth are estimated to receive funding as much as 70 percent of their annual operating budget.

Attendees also learned that rural transit providers are expected to receive funding but in amounts that are yet to be determined. These new revenues will help transit systems to continue to provide service and avoid drastic cuts given the decline in ridership and revenues that agencies experienced in the last year.

DRPT has not released the exact figures of how much agencies will be receiving. This information will become available as we learn more from federal agencies as to how funds from ARP will flow to specific local and regional transit providers.

VML Contact: Mitchell Smiley, msmiley@vml.org

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Electric vehicle study findings presentation now available

The Electric Vehicle Readiness study was presented to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) this week. This study assessed the state of electric vehicle adoption and infrastructure across the Commonwealth. The report found that while adoption of electric vehicles is growing there is more the Commonwealth can do to support the adoption of electric vehicles. These measures include continued investment in electric bus adoption by transit agencies and support for the adoption of new electric vehicles for rural transit and transit dependent communities.

The full presentation is available here >.

VML Contact: Mitchell Smiley, msmiley@vml.org

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VML News

VML 2021 policy committee nominations coming your way

VML will be sending 2021 policy committee nominations information to managers and clerks in member local governments in the coming week.

VML has six policy committees:

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

Members of local governing bodies and appointed local officials may serve on the committees.

The policy committees will meet virtually this summer, likely in late July. Those meetings will be set once policy committee chairs are chosen in the coming weeks.

For more information about VML’s policy process, visit the policy committee page on the VML website.

VML Contact: Janet Areson, jareson@vml.org

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Innovation Awards nominations now being accepted

Forty-five years ago, the Virginia Municipal League launched its “Achievement Awards” to recognize outstanding work being done by local governments across Virginia. The program went on to become Virginia’s highest honor in local government creativity. In 2017 the name was changed to “Innovation Awards”, but the purpose remains the same: To celebrate all that you do to make your city, town, or county a great place to live!

Appropriately this is the “sapphire anniversary” year for the awards as sapphire is often associated with healing and peace – two things we have good reason to welcome in 2021.

So, don’t miss this opportunity to spotlight programs and individuals that have made a big difference to your residents by creating innovative solutions to address emerging needs.

Full details and the entry form are available here >.

The deadline to submit is Monday, August 16. The awards will be presented at VML’s Annual Conference in Leesburg in October.

VML Contact: Manuel Timbreza, mtimbreza@vml.org

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Comments and questions about this website or the data provided may be addressed to Manuel Timbreza
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