Agenda 04/22/2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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What are the benefits of serving on a policy committee? Serving on a VML policy comZmttee offers local officials an opportunity to learn about current and emerging statewide issues that affect local governments, to develop through policy statements the broad philosophical framework that guides the league, and to network with local officials with similar policy interests. What are steering committees~ and how do they relate to policy committees? Policy committees can be relatively large, making it chfficult to tackle tasks such as developing an agenda or crafting specific policy language. For this reason, VML established a steering comm/ttee for each policy committee based on the National League of Cities model. The steering cormmttee is appointed by the VML President, and is headed by the chair of the policy cormmttee. Typically 10 to 12 members of the policy committee serve on the steering comnUttee. Membership is limited to elected officials and chief appointed officers. The steering committee meets prior to the meeting of the full policy committee to identify potential issues for the policy comrmtree to consider, and when necessary, to recommend changes to existing policy statement language. How many policy committees are there? There are five policy comrmttees: environmental quality, finance, general laws, human development and education, and transportation. What issues does each policy committee cover? The issues covered by each committee are as fo]lows: · Environmental Quality: Natural resources and the authority of local governments to manage the environment, including water resources and quahty, solid and hazardous waste management, air quality and the Chesapeake Bay. · Finance: Powers, organization and administration of local go~emment £mancing, includ/ng taxing authority, debt financing, state aid to local gorernments and federal policies affecting local finance issues. · General Laws: Powers, duties, responsibilities, organization and adrc2nistration of local governments, including state-local and interlocal relafinns, conflicts-of-interest, freedom-of- information, information management and personnel; local planning and zoning issues, includLng economic development, housing and blight; and law enforcement, jails and courts issues. · Human Development and Education: Management and funding of social services, education, health, mental health, juvenile justice, recreation, rehabL1/tafion and programs for the aging. Transportation: Development, maintenance and funding of a comprehensive land, sea and air transportation system for the Commonwealth, and federal, state and local roles in the provision and regulation of transportation. What is a policy statement? Each policy committee develops a policy statement that covers issues in its respective area. The policy statement expresses the agreement of VML's membership on matters of interest to local governments. The statement is limited to broad, long-term, philosophical positions, as opposed to positions that address Lmmedlate, short-term issues. The VML membership approves the policy statements at its annual meeting. How do policy statements differ from VML's legislative program? Policy statements are general in nature. They reflect local governments' positions on a range of issues. The focus of the Legislative Program is more specific and Lmmediate. It is limited to legislative positions that VML expects to lobby on during the upcoming legislative session.