VACo County Pulse Podcast

Part 2. Alex takes us on a windshield tour of examples of both land uses, and we discuss how Mecklenburg has responded in terms of planning for how these fit within their community.

Utility-Scale Solar – Legislative Outlook with Dean Lynch In the first of a 2-part episode, Joe Lerch sits down with VACo Executive Director Dean Lynch to discuss the big picture on state energy policy related to solar and recent attempts to preempt local authority on siting of facilities. Central to this discussion is the passage in 2020 of Virginia Clean Economy Act which sets certain targets fo...

Utility-Scale Solar – Erosion Control and Stormwater with Mike Rolband In Part 2 of our episode on Utility-Scale Solar, Joe Lerch sits down with Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director Mike Rolband to focus on issues related to erosion control and stormwater management. We learn about widespread and significant impacts due to developers not adhering to minimum requirements to p...

Part 2. Listen in as Joe Lerch takes a tour of the Equinix facility in Loudoun County. Before hitting the floor to see where all the processing and storage takes place, Chris Kimm with Equinix guides us through the various components of the power to run the data center. 

Listen in as Joe Lerch interviews Loudoun County Vice Chair and VACo Board Member Juli Briskman. We learn how the industry has transformed their community, what steps they’ve taken in terms of planning for its growth and impacts, and what other counties should consider when the industry comes knocking on the door.

Part 1. Listen in as Joe Lerch interviews Chris Kimm, Senior Vice President of Global Customer Care and Experience at Equinix, an American multi-national corporation that builds and operates data centers. Learn about the data center business, and how they provide a seamless and instantaneous experience for commerce, industry, education, and social interactions. In so doing we touch on a range of t...

VACo Executive Director Dean Lynch welcomed Delegate Terry Kilgore to the County Pulse Podcast to talk about the 2020 General Assembly Session. The two Scott County natives discussed Equal Taxing Fairness, budget amendments, legislation submitted by Delegate Kilgore, opportunities in Southwest Virginia, and much more. 

VACo Executive Director Dean Lynch and Lancaster County Supervisor Jason Bellows discuss the start of the 2020 General Assembly Session and issues of interest to Counties. 

VACo’s Katie Boyle talks with economist Jim Regimbal about key elements of the Governor’s proposed budget, which was presented on December 17.  VACo’s preliminary analysis of the budget is available at https://www.vaco.org/governor-presents-biennium-budget-proposals/ .

VACo staff Chris McDonald and Joe Lerch discuss recent announcements and developments in the arena of water quality and renewable energy.

Access to affordable broadband is an essential component of modern life. The impacts of connecting individuals and communities to the internet range from increased economic development, improved student outcomes, and a more vibrant and engaged society. Providing adequate financial assistance to counties to build the necessary telecommunications infrastructure to deploy universal affordable access...

VACo’s Angela Inglett speaks with Callan Dudley of Southern Landscape Group about the rising generation of workers. Callan shared how Southern Landscape Group is working with its local school system to inspire students with the employment possibilities within their communities. 

In this episode, Superintendent Keith Perrigan of Bristol City Public Schools and President of the Small and Rural Schools Coalition and Jason Bellows, District 3 Supervisor for Lancaster County, member of the VACo Board of Directors and VACo Region 2 Director join VACo’s Jeremy Bennett to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing K-12 education in small and rural communities.

According to a to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Virginia’s veteran population exceeded 725,000 individuals distributed across every locality in the Commonwealth. This constitutes approximately 3.6% of the total veteran population in the United States and ranks Virginia as the 8th state with the most veterans residing within it. The skills, leadership, and experience that veterans carry ofte...

Frank Bossio (Former Culpeper County Administrator) and Sue Hansohn (Member of the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors) jump on the podcast to chat with Angela Inglett about workforce development and to explain why we should encourage young people to explore options apart from the college track. We talk about new methods of delivering career training and the importance of recognizing the dignity...

In this episode, we meet the recently appointed Chair of the VACo Rural Caucus: Grayson County Administrator Bill Shepley.  Bill talks to host Angela Inglett about his love for Rural Virginia, his vision for the Caucus, and his excitement about the opportunities facing rural communities.

Katie Boyle talks with Jim Regimbal of Fiscal Analytics, Ltd., about key components of the budget adopted in 2019 and major economic factors shaping the next biennium budget.

VACo Executive Director Dean Lynch talks with Senate Finance Co-Chairman Emmett Hanger about key policy issues of interest to local governments, including transportation, broadband, and strengthening the state-local partnership.  

Meg Bohmke of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors and VACo Executive Committee and Superintendent of Stafford County Public Schools Dr. Scott Kizner join VACo’s Jeremy Bennett to discuss the K-12 education budget process and collaboration between school divisions and boards of supervisors. This episode is sponsored by VACORP - the premier group self-insurance pool providing comprehensive cove...

Attorney Sharon Pandak of Greehan Taves & Pandak and CEO Darren Coffey of the Berkley Group join VACo's Joe Lerch to discuss the benefit of having a proactive land use plan. Counties routinely budget dollars for legal expenses but rarely for long-range planning expenses.

Host Joe Lerch speaks with Gwen Kennedy, Loudoun County's Legislative Liaison, about what the Northern Virginia locality is doing to prepare for the 2020 Census approaches. This episode is sponsored by Enterprise Fleet Management - the No. 1 leasing solution for County fleets. Link to ROAM Tool Localities can use this tool to see where hard-to-survey areas have been in the past.  

Host Katie Boyle talks with Margaret Nimmo Holland, Executive Director of Voices for Virginia’s Children, about the upcoming 2020 Census and efforts to ensure a successful count in Virginia.  This episode is sponsored by Avaya -- a leading provider of next-generation communications solutions for businesses and government entities worldwide.

In this episode, VACo Lobbyists Joe Lerch and Katie Boyle talk about the final days of the 2019 General Assembly Session - the conference process, what's next for the state budget, and some bills of interest to counties. 

Host Chris McDonald talks with VACo General Counsel Phyllis Errico and VACo Lobbyist Jeremy Bennett about a variety of issues, including agritourism, school modernization, school safety, FOIA, COIA, and much more. 

VACo Lobbyists Joe Lerch and Chris McDonald talk about a variety of issues, including alcohol reform, I-81 improvements, industrial hemp, casinos, proffers and much more.