Gov. Bob McDonnell announced last Thursday that he will launch a new task force for the review of state mandates in hopes of reducing the amount local governments must spend on policies required by the state.
Individuals on the task force will be able to review state mandates and recommend changes as they see fit.
Serving on the Task Force for Local Government Mandate Review are Virginia Beach City councilman Bob Dyer, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors member Pat Herrity, Lynchburg city manager Kimball Payne, Falls Church school board member Joan Wodiska and Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors member Shaun Kenney.
"This group will identify mandates that are overly burdensome or unnecessary and recommend appropriate changes, providing relief to local governments," McDonnell said in a press release.
According to the release, the creation of the task force is part of an ongoing effort to improve local and state government relations and evaluate the effectiveness of mandates.
Mandates are passed by both federal and state governments and require the implementation of certain policies at the local level.
Ray Scheppach, Batten School professor of practice, said legislators often do not realize the adverse financial effects these well-intentioned laws have on states and localities.
"Legislators will often mandate things assuming it's not going to cost anything," Scheppach said. "So, what a lot of states have done is ask their legislative budget offices to cost out the mandates before they can vote."
Stricter review processes for potential mandates could help prevent expensive legislation from arising in the future, but McDonnell said local governments are already struggling under the costs of existing mandates and tough economic times.
State Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, said these mandates cause a strain on the local and state levels.
"Governments [have placed] huge mandates on states and localities for years," he said. "Congress has never paid its share."
Deeds added some mandates had great purpose, but were generally not a good source of funding.
"I understand the challenge local governments face when trying to balance their budgets during complex financial times," McDonnell said in his press release. "This difficulty is exacerbated when the state places burdensome mandates on localities."
Del. David Toscano, D-Charlottesville, also commented on the controversy concerning local mandates, citing the difficulty this imposes on local property owners in the form of tax increases.
"Generally speaking, I think that any mandate that comes from the state should be accompanied by the money necessary to ensure the mandate is accomplished," he said. "Otherwise, localities will get stuck with the bill"
Read More
Student Council passes appointment bill, approves new CIOs at final meeting of semester
By Arshiya Pant | 1 hours agoMendoza Gonzalez also said she will be meeting with Kenyon R. Bonner, vice president and chief student affairs officer, to discuss further strategies for the Student Council Endowment Fund.
Professors speak about leading productive dialogue on Israel-Hamas war
By Lexie Stadler | 22 hours agoThe event was hosted by the University’s Task Force on Religious Diversity and Belonging, which is designed to ensure that the University is welcoming to community members from all religions and cultures.
Honor Committee considers formal ban of AI detectors as evidence in trials
By Lexie Stadler | 2 days agoThe Committee also addressed balancing student perspectives with those of Committee representatives during panel discussions.
