Supervisors will meet in the county administrative building’s Summerlin Room at 3 p.m. Tuesday to decide on what projects and laws they want General Assembly representatives to pursue. The agenda packet can be found here, and the legislative agenda starts on page 75.
“We greatly value our partnership with our representatives in the Virginia General Assembly,” reads information provided by the county. “Your commitment to advancing the well-being of Henry County’s residents is sincerely appreciated. This agenda has been carefully prepared to emphasize issues of particular importance to the County.”
Currently, the list covers a wide range of topics that vary in terms of price scope. One of the largest, which continues to be a point of contention among communities like Martinsville and others located close to the border, has to do with improvements to one of the major thoroughfares between North Carolina and Virginia.
“Henry County urges the Commonwealth Transportation Board and the General Assembly to allocate funding for significant improvements to Route 220, particularly the section from Route 58/220 Bypass to the North Carolina state line and the Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre,” reads information from the county.
U.S. 220 is a commercial asset linking the region to economic hubs like Greensboro, North Carolina. The matter straddles the divide between economic development and transportation.
Housing is another topic that could double as an economic matter.
“Henry County supports expanding funding and appropriate incentives to foster housing development,” county staff wrote.
Housing and economic development are considered part of the county’s core agenda, along with six other topics, including public safety and recreation.
Staff requests lawmakers focus on housing geared toward enhancing the local workforce. Workforce development could be another legislative agenda in and of itself.
“Henry County strongly advocates for reforms in curriculum and funding to integrate comprehensive career and technical education programs into middle and high schools,” writes staff. “These initiatives are vital in increasing the number of students who graduate with workforce-ready credentials, ensuring they are well-prepared to enter the job market.”
There are a total of 24 possible topics supervisors could include in their legislative agenda for the upcoming year.
