Honorable Chair and Committee Members: SB 58 is the companion bill to HB 564, which you all previously rejected. I commend you for that earlier decision and encourage you to do the same with this bill. The charter change contemplated in this piece of legislation would likely establish an open season for legislative interference with the workings of my city's executive branch by eliminating judicial enforcement with meaningful sanctions for violations and substituting a political remedy with no real teeth, namely censure and a maximum $100 fine. Imposition of those minimal penalties would be dependent on a majority vote of one's council colleagues, all but guaranteeing that members of a dominant council bloc would never bear them, whether merited or not. I believe the proposed changes ill serve the public interest in a city with much higher involuntary turnover historically in the city manager's position than experienced by our neighboring localities. When this matter was on the agenda for city council approval, all citizens who spoke at the public hearing were opposed to it. Indeed, this set of changes did not originate as a requested reform from the citizenry but rather from the council members themselves. Its main effect would be to insulate them from accountability to their constituents. I ask you, therefore, to vote "no" again on the Senate counterpart of the failed House bill. Thank you for the consideration.

Honorable Chair and Delegates: As a twenty-five-year resident of Portsmouth and a civic activist therein, I write to oppose the changes to the Portsmouth City Charter contained in the bill before you today, SB 523, as you did a few weeks ago with its House companion bill, HB 1117. What Senator L. Louise Lucas has submitted at the request of the Portsmouth City Council is in essence a solution to a non-existent problem. During the entirety of the time that our city charter has had a recall provision, it has only been successfully employed twice to remove a local elected official, and in both instances the official removed was the same individual. (The "Politics" heading in the Wikipedia entry for James W. Holley III provides summary accounts of the two recall campaigns.) Clearly, the existing language in the charter has not facilitated a systematic or indiscriminate employment of the recall tool to overturn the outcome of regular local elections. An attempt to remove his successor, five years after the second Holley recall, failed for lack of sufficient valid signatures. No subsequent effort has even made it to the signature verification. Clearly, the proponents’ argument main argument, that recall elections in Portsmouth constitute a political pandemic, are hyperbolic and disingenuous. When city council held a public hearing on the proposed charter changes on September 14, 2021, only four citizens, I among them, turned out to speak on the item. The official minutes of that meeting reflect that citizen opinion was unanimously opposed to the rewording. In addition, I urged council to submit the proposal to the electorate in a referendum, an alternative method of vetting it provided under the charter, but they declined. My presumption is that they expected the citizenry would not find the modified recall provisions acceptable and were determined to make the changes regardless of the desires of their constituents. Rather than serving the best interests of the citizens as a whole, council’s action appears self-serving, for the effect of the new language is to impose additional barriers in a process that has been demonstrably hard to accomplish in its present form. Delegates, rather than tinkering with our charter for no discernible improvement in the quality of life for the residents of Portsmouth, I ask you, as many fellow citizens have asked our council members, to invest your energies in initiatives that will reduce the rate of serious crime and violence in our commonwealth generally and Portsmouth particularly. Our city council had no popular mandate for sending you the measure that currently occupies your attention, just a desire, it would appear, to insulate themselves from accountability to those they purport to represent. I urge you, therefore, to reject SB 523 as you did with its House counterpart, HB 1117. Thank you for the consideration.

To the committee: I write in full support of SB537. In my role as an at-large member of Lynchburg City Council, I have become keenly aware of how essential a thriving tree canopy is to a community’s long-term success, especially as our part of the world gets warmer and our air quality threatened. But currently, localities lack many of the tools to preserve and expand their tree canopies. This bill takes an important and needed step to ensure localities like mine have the ability to conserve our tree canopy. I urge you to adopt it. Thank you for your consideration, and with respect, Beau Wright Vice Mayor City of Lynchburg

REASONS TO SUPPORT SB537: Virginia LCV 50,000 acres of forest and non-urban tree canopy are converted to other land uses per year in Virginia due to timber harvest, urbanization, agricultural expansion, and other drivers. These bills are the result of the months’ long stakeholder advisory group representing local government, home builders, commercial builders, agriculture, conservation members and Department of Forestry. The legislation prioritizes on-site tree preservation and replanting but affords some opportunities to meet canopy requirements in nearby under-resourced communities—including formerly redlined neighborhoods—to help offset urban heat islands. The bills also allow larger tree canopies to be required when development occurs in areas with existing enhanced tree canopies or when a locality agrees to a somewhat reduced local parking lot, setbacks, and similar requirements.

Newport News City Council supports legislation that gives localities more authority in the preservation and management of urban forests which are instrumental in capturing and storing carbon, reducing storm water runoff, improving air quality, reducing energy use, and mitigating the health effects of urban heat islands. We ask you to support SB537.

VLA is concerned that SB 537 may give localities authority to restrict or require additional requirements on loggers and the logging industry. Silviculture is recognized in the Code of Virginia 10.1-1126.1 and limits local authority. For any development, forest harvesting is normally the first land disturbance and yet is essential before the development may proceed. VLA wants to ensure that legitimate silviculture is completely excluded from local authority even though it is an essential part of every development. Thank you.

SUPPORT Senate Bill 537 Recent preliminary data suggest that 50,000 acres of forest and non-urban tree canopy are converted to other land uses per year in Virginia due to timber harvest, urbanization, agricultural expansion, and other drivers. These land use changes, particularly in urban and suburban localities, hinder Virginia’s ability to reduce stormwater runoff and achieve its WIP commitments to restoring the Chesapeake Bay. This bill is the result of the months’ long stakeholder advisory group representing local government, home builders, commercial builders, agriculture, conservation members and Department of Forestry. The group reached consensus on the following points: SB 537 extends statewide the authority for localities to develop tree canopy programs; programs that require developers to preserve or plant trees that are, or would be, lost because of development. Localities that have an existing tree program are not impacted. SB 537 just offers new possibilities for localities that wish to adopt these ordinances. The legislation prioritizes on-site tree preservation and replanting but affords some opportunities to meet canopy requirements in nearby under-resourced communities—including formerly redlined neighborhoods—to help offset urban heat islands. The bills also allow larger tree canopies to be required when development occurs in areas with existing enhanced tree canopies or when a locality agrees to a somewhat reduced local parking lot, setbacks, and similar requirements. The bills expand the opportunities for localities, as well as non-profit and other organizations, to establish tree canopy banks and tree canopy funds. These will assist in meeting tree canopy goals, including planting and maintaining trees on public and other property, and advancing pollution reduction, stormwater management, flood mitigation, and other environmental goals. Additionally, the legislation requires the State Forester to adopt standards to be used by localities in determining how to achieve tree canopy percentages.

Please support SB 732, Climate Resilience. Planning to address climate and weather-related disasters makes it more likely that effective responses will take place in the event of a disaster but will also limit the reach and extent damage.

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. It provides potentially large savings at minimal cost by avoiding expensive mistakes and strengthening resilience. There is bipartisan Senate support. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

I write to ask for your support of SB732 Climate Resilience. I feel strongly that the Comprehensive Plans for development of and within a community be kept current and relevant, and used as a tool to incorporate new data such as heat mapping, changes in rainfall, and flood risks. Such a plan could reduce the risk of disaster and help areas recover in the event of a disaster. Thank for your work on behalf of all Virginians.

Dear Senators, We are truly past the 11th hour in controlling the effects of Climate Change. Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you, Margaret Knight McLean, Fairfax County Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Dear Senators, Climate change is real and threatening many Virginians. Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly.

Dear Members of the Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committee, Please support SB 551, Flood resiliency and protection and SB 732 Climate Resilience. The first bill focuses on preparing for an increasing number and intensity of floods in the whole Commonwealth, not just on the coast. It is essential to make all communities aware of the danger of flooding and to use the Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate community responses prior to and in response to floods. Virginia is a leader in understanding the problem of flooding and planning effective actions to reduce the risks to life and property. SB 732 enlarges planning efforts to include disaster planning in the Comprehensive Plans of localities. Using technologies such as heat mapping can enable localities to include risk assessments in their plans for the future. All of the senators supported this bill, so I am asking you to do so, too. Yours sincerely, Sidney Johnson

Climate change is inevitable; it is not a matter of it but when Virginia becomes flooded. This bill will provide for a comprehensive plan of action so we can be prepared to address the many effects flooding will have on our citizens. Please support the effort to be prepared and able to deal with these adverse outcomes.

Support SB732, please. Community planning makes sense on all levels. We need tool of 21st century to get data and develop counter-measures. Let all communities become aware and build protection. Martha Rollins, Norfolk

Please support SB 732 - Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for supporting SB 732, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place. Stair Calhoun

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. AND Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly .

Dear Delegate: I urge your support of SB 732, which adds consideration of climate resilience to all localities' Comprehensive Plans. This bill passed the Senate with full bipartisan support. That was not surprising because it is common sense to direct localities to consider how they can prepare for and recover from disasters. Hopefully, most localities have already included disaster planning in their Comprehensive Plans. For those that have not, this bill will add the topic to the list of future events planning that a community must consider. Just like having school children practice with a fire drill makes our schools safer, localities that have a disaster plan and recovery plan will be safer places to live for all citizens. Thank you for your hard work this session and for giving SB 732 the attention it deserves. Sincerely, Sarah Mayhew Fairfax, VA 22032

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 732 Climate resilience. During over 30 years of working for the city of Virginia Beach, I came to appreciate the value of the city’s comprehensive plan as a land use planning tool and an expression of the city’s vision. I used it as a reference and I assisted with community engagement as part of its periodic review. I learned that, if followed, a well thought out comprehensive plan can prevent unwise and expensive decisions. We have entered an era where old measures like annual rainfall are no longer reliable. To cope, a comprehensive plan must use the latest information to reduce the risk of disaster, and also to recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality improve its resilience. It is just common sense to use all available information to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for your work for Virginians!

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly. Nancy Priddy