Wednesday, January 15, 2014
State and Local Stories
Don't go eyeing the $51 million left unspoken for in former Gov Bob McDonnell's final budget as a resource for his successor, Gov. Terry McAuliffe, the head of the state Senate's money committee warns. State Sen. Walter Stosch, R-Henrico, kicked off the Finance Committee's 2014 workload by telling colleagues not to think they can tap that $51 million for pet projects. Forecasts for tax collections and other revenue are still too uncertain, he said. For now, any proposals to increase spending from the levels McDonnell suggested need to come with details about what spending would to cut to offset the rise, he said. "I think he's just sending a warning signal," said state Sen. John Watkins, R-Powhatan, a senior member of the committee.
Daily Press
Medarva Stony Point Surgery Center is for the first time posting partial prices online for some common procedures done at its facility, hoping people use the information to shop around when needing outpatient surgery. The prices include the facility fee but not the anesthesia or doctor’s fees — so the total cost for a procedure is not shown. Still, it’s a step toward giving people an idea of costs for services, so-called medical transparency, but at least one competitor calls it a marketing tool.
Times-Dispatch
The acting commissioner of Virginia’s behavioral health system promised skeptical legislators on Tuesday that a statewide electronic registry for psychiatric beds will begin operating in early March. John Pezzoli, who became acting commissioner of behavioral health and developmental services on Saturday, came under sharp questioning from members of a House Appropriations subcommittee over previous delays in creation of a registry to help find appropriate beds in a psychiatric crisis. “I’m going to have little patience if this doesn’t work,” said Del. R. Steven Landes, R-Weyers Cave and vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee, who noted the registry was supposed to have been completed two years ago.
Daily Progress
The Washington County Board of Supervisors spent more than two hours of the meeting — the focus of which was to elect a chair and vice chair, approve by-laws and establish and appoint members to committees — discussing potential changes to by-laws presented by Baker. Changes approved include the earlier distribution of the meeting agenda to board members, to allow the chair to make motions without passing the gavel and leadership of the meeting to the vice chair and to move the public comments section of the meeting to after the general business portion — effectively in the middle — and to extend that section by five minutes.
Herald Courier
For the third time in as many years, the James City County Board of Supervisors changed election terms, this time to make all supervisor terms concurrent. The vote split 4-1 Tuesday night, with supervisor John McGlennon opposed. Republicans have been pushing to upturn staggered terms since shortly after the 2011 redistricting, which was controlled by a Republican majority on the Board of Supervisors. The rationale behind uniform terms is avoiding a temporary disenfranchisement of voters who are redistricted into districts not scheduled to vote in a local election for an additional two years. Jeff Ryer, who chaired the commission charged with the 2011 redistricting, told the supervisors Tuesday night that they had a chance to decide whether all voters are equal, "or whether some are more equal than others." Former supervisor Jim Icenhour told the supervisors that the majority of governing bodies in Virginia are elected on staggered terms and that the trend is toward adopting staggered terms, not abandoning them. He also pointed out that while some redistricted citizens have to wait two extra years to vote, others get to vote two years early — or are "super-enfranchised" — when they are redistricted.
Virginia Gazette
Alexandria, a Northern Virginia city steeped in Civil War history, is considering repeal of an old law requiring certain new streets to be named for Confederate generals. City Council member Justin Wilson introduced legislation for Tuesday night’s council meeting to do away with a 1963 law requiring that any new “streets running in a generally north-south direction shall, insofar as possible, bear the names of confederate military leaders.” Mr. Wilson’s bill also would eliminate a requirement that new east-west streets be named for persons or places prominent in American history.
Washington Times
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