In 2012, following the 2010 decennial census, Virginia re-drew the boundaries of its Congressional Districts.  In 2013, plaintiffs brought a Voting Rights Act challenge to that re-districting.  They alleged that the re-districting unconstitutionally packed African-American voters into a small number of Districts.  The suit was ultimately defended by Virginia’s Republican Congressional delegation and was initiated […]

It happens in January, every year.  The General Assembly convenes and considers all manner of bills that localities support or oppose.  And localities get nervous.  More nervous than most Assembly-watchers, I say. Why would that be? While the General Assembly adopts legislation every year that affects Virginians, arguably it has more of an effect on […]

As discussed on this blog previously, there is a movement afoot in the Virginia General Assembly to transfer the responsibility and costs of the secondary road system in Virginia to your local county, city or town.  See our previous post — VDOT Study: Will State Roads Become Local Again?  (To be clear, secondary roads are more […]

Businesses seeking a local government approval (or a denial for someone else’s proposal) may need some guidance. Local governments behave in a way that is different than businesses behave, for legal and political and many other reasons. As an attorney who has practiced local government law most of my career, I have seen approaches to […]

On May 12, 2011, Sands Anderson PC held a webinar for local government attorneys, assessors, Commissioners of the Revenue, Boards of Equalization and local government staff involved in the local government assessment and appeal process.  The Virginia Municipal League’s Mark Flynn and myself served on the panel. The webinar was a big success!  About 130 […]

*NOTICE OF RESCHEDULING OF WEBINAR*   The Sands Anderson webinar on Virginia Tax Assessment Law: 2011 previously scheduled for Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at noon has been rescheduled to Thursday, May 12, 2011 at the same time.    If you have already registered, you do not need to do anything.  If you are a local […]

Virginia Local Tax Assessment Appeals: State of the Law 2011 Register for this event May 4, 2011 Noon – 2:00 p.m. Presented by the Virginia Local Government Team of attorneys at Sands Anderson PC. Faculty: Mark Flynn, Director of Legal Services, Virginia Municipal League Andrew R. McRoberts, Local Government Attorney, Sands Anderson PC FREE SESSION […]

The Virginia General Assembly adjourned on Sunday, and during its 2011 session, considered, amended, killed and/or adopted thousands of pieces of legislation, plus the Virginia budget.  During the session, the state legislature adopted some important changes in the law affecting local governments.  Over the coming weeks, I will be touching on some of the most significant bills.  […]