Bill Text: VA HJR339 | 2022 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 3-1)
Status: (Passed) 2022-03-10 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ339ER) [HJR339 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2022-HJR339-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, in 1966, the General Assembly created the Metropolitan Areas Study Commission, known as the Hahn Commission, which found that a holistic approach to solving local and regional problems needed to be taken, and recommended a new concept, the creation of Planning District Commissions and Service District Commissions; and
WHEREAS, the Virginia Area Development Act (VADA), passed in 1968, created the Planning District Commission framework "to encourage and facilitate local government cooperation and state-local cooperation in addressing on a regional basis, problems of greater than local significance"; and
WHEREAS, the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) was established in 1972 to foster intergovernmental cooperation by bringing together elected and appointed officials and citizens to discuss common needs and develop solutions to regional issues; and
WHEREAS, the TJPDC, the member governments of which are the Counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson and the City of Charlottesville, provides regional vision, collaborative leadership, and professional service to develop effective solutions; it serves as a liaison between local and state governments, partnering with the Commonwealth to carry out state initiatives at the local and regional level; and
WHEREAS, the TJPDC and its partners have worked on numerous projects such as developing regional water supply plans, solid waste and recycling reporting, watershed improvement planning, transportation plans, Community Development Block Grants, and the region's Emergency Rent and Mortgage Relief Program; and
WHEREAS, the TJPDC established a number of important entities that have worked to enhance the quality of life in the region, including the establishment of JAUNT (on-demand transportation) and the Jefferson Area Board for Aging in the mid-1970s; the Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization in 1982; the Virginia Economic Development Corporation in 1983, which today is known as the Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development; the Thomas Jefferson Housing Improvement Corporation in 1989, which later became the Piedmont Housing Alliance; the Thomas Jefferson HOME Consortium in 1992; the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless in 2001; the Jefferson Area Regional Transit Partnership in 2017; and the Central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership in 2019; and
WHEREAS, the TJPDC has supported its member governments by conducting studies and identifying solutions in the areas of transportation, infrastructure, broadband Internet, the environment, and community development; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, the TJPDC is celebrating 50 years of promoting regional collaboration and expanding the types of services it provides to its member governments; and
WHEREAS, the TJPDC takes great pride in its 50 years of accomplishments, while recognizing the importance of looking ahead to the challenges of the future; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission on the occasion of its 50th anniversary for the many important programs and services it has provided to the region; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the vital support provided by the Commission to its local governments, citizens and the Commonwealth.
