VIRGINIA GOVERNMENTAL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION Budget … · 2019-11-11 · budget. So the June adopted budget for 2014-16 included a reserve of $842.5 million; and anticipated a withdrawal

Despite the strong urging of the VGEA to protect State employee jobs, Governor Terry McAuliffe announced in September detailed cost-cutting

plans, which included nearly 600 State employee job cuts, as part of an effort to bridge the additional $882 million budget shortfall projected for the current biennium. The General Assembly had previously taken actions to close $1.5 billion of the total $2.4 billion shortfall.

Most of the job cuts (90 percent) are in the Department of Corrections, where closures include the Powhatan Correctional Center (264), the Cold Springs Work Center in Augusta County (45) and the White Post Diversion Center in Clarke County (34). Also, a new women’s prison in Culpeper County, where 163 employees had already been hired, will not open as planned. An additional 200 vacant positions in the Department will be abolished.

Other affected agencies include the Department of Taxation, with fi ve jobs eliminated; the Department of Forestry, four; the Board of Elections, three; the Compensation Board and Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, two each; the Department of General Services, the Department of Health, the New College Institute; and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, each with one. The Department of State Police will leave 41 trooper positions unfi lled. Other cuts have been made in other agencies and departments but were not included on this list. The Governor also said the state will cut back use of outside consultants, contractors and attorneys.

The Governor had previously indicated to the VGEA that he had hoped to minimize State employee job losses as agencies went through the budget cutting process. In his press conference he noted that these actions affect less than one half of one percent of the state employee workforce, adding that “Making these budget reductions had been the most diffi cult experience of my term so far.”

Other state offi cials said they hope the DOC will be able to place affected employees in other jobs, but DOC Director Harold W. Clarke told employees in a letter that the scope of spending cuts will make that diffi cult to accomplish. Speaker of the House William J. Howell (R-Stafford) called it “unwelcome news that so many of Virginia’s hardworking State employees will be affected.”

State employees losing jobs because of these cuts may be placed in other positions within their agencies, take similar positions in other agencies or face layoff. Those facing layoff will receive severance benefi ts under the VGEA championed Workforce Transition Act of 1995 (WTA).

The WTA provides severance payments based on years of service ranging from four weeks (Continued on page 4)

FORESightBudget Shortfall Impacts State Employees: More Than 565 Lose Jobs in DOC; More Cuts Expected

VIRGINIA GOVERNMENTAL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION Issue 3, 2014 Newsletter

s e n d y o u r i n p u t : i n f o @ v g e a . o r g

Department of Corrections Director Harold W. Clarke

Harold W. Clarke grew up in the Panama Canal Zone. After graduating from Do-

ane College in Crete, Nebraska, in 1974, he joined that state’s De-partment of Correctional Services as a Counselor. He was:• Named

warden at the Ne-braska State Penitentiary in 1987

• Appointed Director of Ne-braska Department of Correc-tional Services in 1990

• Secretary of the Washington State Department of Correc-tions in 2005

• Commissioner of the Massa-chusetts Department of Cor-rections two years later

• Appointed Director of Correc-tions in the Commonwealth of Virginia in November 2010.

Among other initiatives under Director Clarke’s leadership, the VADOC has focused on improving offender re-entry in the Common-wealth.

2 VIRGINIA GOVERNMENTAL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION ISSUE 3, 2014 NEWSLETTER ISSUE 3, 2014 NEWSLETTER ISSUE 3, 2014 NEWSLETTER www.vgea.org

p r e s i d e n t ‘ s m e s s a g e

ForeSight is a publication for members and friends of the Virginia Governmental Employees Association. It is published by VGEA and we welcome comments and ideas from VGEA members.Johnna L. Cossaboon......................................Editor VGEA Communications Director: [email protected]. Ronald Jordan.......Executive Director & ContributorJim Roberts.............Legislative Director & Contributor

For Member Services questions, please call Sonya Williams at 877-302-7146, or email [email protected]

On the Cover: Governor Terry McAuliffe presented Lac-ey Atwood, daughter of Forrest Atwood of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, with a 2014 VGEA Scholar-ship Award. Four $2500 awards are presented each year.

FORESight

Make Your Voice Heard and Remind Our Elected Offi cials What You Do for the Commonwealth

As I was sitting in the audience at our annual meet-ing in September listening to Director of DHRM Sara Wilson’s presentation, I was stunned to learn

that approximately 1.5 percent of the classifi ed State workforce was eligible for public assistance and approxi-mately 2 percent was below the Federal poverty line. It’s no wonder, given that State employees’ pay lags 21.45

percent behind comparable pri-vate sector posi-tions. A sense of incongruity hit me as I refl ected on the previous remarks of Governor McAuliffe – when he touted his economic development plan to attract businesses to Virginia because our Commonwealth offers so many ser-vices that businesses covet. Those services are provided by the VDOT workers who maintain our roadways; DMV staff; law enforcement agencies who provide public safety; mental health services folks who care for the citizens’ well being; our schools and universities who educate our young; among the many services the State provides – in other words, you, the State employee whose the day-to-day productivity keeps the Commonwealth progressing. Even in these harsh economic times, with budget cuts and workforce reductions, you, the State employee, don’t waver. That being said, you must make your voice heard and re-mind our elected offi cials of what you do for the Common-wealth and how well you do your job.

With your continued support and input, our organization will develop a comprehensive legislative agenda that ad-dresses, not only for now, but for succeeding years, the following issues:

• Compensation- pay and benefi ts are linked together, not separate

• Cost effi ciencies in State government• Retention of employees• Affordable health care options

I strongly urge you to submit comments and suggestions via email ([email protected]). Encourage your co-workers to become VGEA members at vgea.org; and stay abreast of the current issues by reading our eNews.

With your sustaining support and input, your Board of Di-rectors will continue to work diligently to represent you.I look forward to working with you this year.

Best regards,

Gary

Gary WagnerVGEA President

New VGEA President Gary Wagner helped Immediate Past President Wendy Brown at the September 13 Annual Meeting.

Name: April Mullins Mela

Locality/County: Appomattox, Virginia

VGEA Participation: Member since 2007Board member since 2010

Public Employment Experience: West Virginia Department of Education 1982- 1986,

Department of Social Services 1993-1998, Department of Juvenile Justice 2005-2007, Department of Corrections 2007-2014. Education: Randolph Macon Woman’s College Bachelor of Arts

Interests: Artistic pursuits, History, Travel, Collecting Words of Wisdom: “Walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.” – Audrey Hepburn

VIRGINIA GOVERNMENTAL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION ISSUE 3, 2014 NEWSLETTER ISSUE 3, 2014 NEWSLETTER ISSUE 3, 2014 NEWSLETTER www.vgea.org 3

a n n u a l m e e t i n g w r a p - u p

VGEA Names 2 Know

On Saturday, September 13, Governor Terry McAu-liffe was introduced by then-VGEA-President Wendy Brown and kicked off our 2014 Annual Meeting at

the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and (Koger) Conference Center in Richmond/Midlothian. The Governor is always a dynamic speaker who brings energy to everything he does – even early on a Saturday morning – and he helped to rev up the group for a fantastic meeting.

McAuliffe spoke about the State economy and thanked ev-eryone present for their role in making the Commonwealth a well-run State. He also talked about his recent trips to recruit more businesses to move to Virginia and to bring jobs and enterprise to our Commonwealth. Stone Brewery was one California-based brewery that had recently com-mitted to opening a location in Richmond and he was leav-ing for Asia the following day to successfully bring more businesses and jobs to Virginia.

When McAuliffe spoke about the revenue shortfalls we have been facing and will continue to face together

through the next biennium, he said, “We are doing every-thing we can to preserve State employee jobs.” That was one message that he brought to us. Others can be viewed on videoclips of the Governor and other speakers which are available under News and Events on our website at www.vgea.org

Questions Asked During the Meeting

Members had a lot of Budget questions about how the General Assembly seemed to go from being in session in February/March and appearing to be on track with State salary increases (of 1% or 2%) to a month or so later facing what was then a billion and a half dollar shortfall. How were the fi nancial analysts so off? The short answer is a long word – federal SEQUESTRATION. That means the Federal government enacted across-the-board spending cuts that took effect in 2013. These cuts greatly impacted Virginia because of mandated decreased federal agency spending including the armed forces, (from which the Commonwealth also lost State sales and other taxes) and in large part caused the projected shortfall - now estimat-ed at $2.4 billion. There were, of course, other economic elements.

Back in June, when the Fiscal Year 2014-16 biennial bud-get was fi nally passed, it attempted to address the budget shortfall known at that time, which was estimated at $1.55 billion. Because the Caboose Budget (amending the FY 2014 budget) had already been adopted, the entire three-year estimated shortfall was programmed into the new budget. So the June adopted budget for 2014-16 included a reserve of $842.5 million; and anticipated a withdrawal of $707.5 million from the Rainy Day Fund, to close the known gap.

However, revenues continued to decline, resulting in an even larger shortfall than was anticipated after the June budget action. The Governor called for an offi cial revenue re-forecast for the upcoming biennium immediately after the June 30 fi scal year close. Two overarching facts infl u-enced the resultant revised forecast:• The expectation that Virginia’s economy will continue to

underperform the nation• Continued sluggish job and salary growth

Governor McAuliffe presented the revised revenue forecast (Continued on page 5)

2014 Annual Meeting Was Best Attended on Record

v g e a c h a p t e r s

4 VIRGINIA GOVERNMENTAL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION ISSUE 3, 2014 NEWSLETTER www.vgea.org

New VGEA Greater Southwest Chapter Established

(Continued from page 1)

of salary up to 36 weeks of salary. These amounts are reduced by the value of any unemployment compensation that might also be received during the time that WTA payments are given. The WTA also ensures that employee health insurance and life insurance is continued for 12 months after the layoff date with the state continuing to pay its share of insurance premium.

Also under the WTA, eligible employees may elect to convert their severance payment to additional years of Virginia Retirement System (VRS) or Virginia Law Offi cers

Retirement System (VALORS) retirement service credit, which may enable them to retire rather than being laid off. This provision in the WTA allowed thousands of state employees to retire rather than face layoff during the Great Recession.

The VGEA will continue to monitor these actions to ensure that every affected employee is treated fairly and receives all of the benefi ts to which he or she is entitled under state personnel regulations and the WTA. VGEA members may contact the offi ce for assistance by email at [email protected] or call toll-free 877-302-7146.

The founding group (pictured above) recently gath-ered for the very fi rst meeting of the new VGEA Greater Southwest Chapter!

Be a part of something exciting! Join or renew your membership today on the VGEA website: www.vgea.org. If you’d like to join the Chapter above indicate that on the application where it asks for Chapter affi liation.If you don’t have Internet access or prefer that a brochure

with more information and/or a hard copy application be mailed to you, please call our VGEA Offi ce toll-free at 877-302-7146.

If you want information about starting a VGEA Chap-ter in your neck of the woods, please contact State Field Manager Teresa Craig at [email protected] or call toll-free 877-302-7146. We have two more Chapters in the works to be launched in 2015!

VIRGINIA GOVERNMENTAL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION ISSUE 3, 2014 NEWSLETTER ISSUE 3, 2014 NEWSLETTER ISSUE 3, 2014 NEWSLETTER www.vgea.org 5

a n n u a l m e e t i n g

Governor Topped High-Powered Annual Meeting Agenda(Continued from page 3)

to the Joint Money Committees on August 15. It was sig-nifi cantly lower than was anticipated in the June budget and assumed the following:

• Total general fund revenue growth of 2.7% in FY 2015 (reduced from 5.2%)

• Total general fund revenue growth of 2.7% in FY 2016 (reduced from 4.1%)

When this ad-ditional shortfall is factored in, the anticipated biennial defi cit is expected to be $881.5 million more than predi-cated in the June budget.

Because we are already many months into fi scal year 2015, the Governor and General Assembly leadership quickly determined that addressing the shortfall now will provide more time to imple-ment savings

actions. HB 5010 and SB 5005 make the following changes to the budget enacted in June:

• Updates the revenues assumed in the budget to refl ect the downward revisions to the general fund forecast

• Appropriates $470.0 million in FY 2015 and $235.0 mil-lion in FY 2016 from the Rainy Day Fund

• Takes action to close the remaining budget shortfall of $345.5 million in FY 2015 and $536.0 million in FY 2016 through the establishment of four reversion ac-counts

Those four accounts provide for the following:

1. State agency reductions of $92.4 million in FY 2015 and $100 million in FY 2016 - approximately 4 percent

each year. This total is not agency-specifi c and the Gover-nor is given latitude to achieve necessary savings within the confi nes of the agency reduction plans. Existing bud-get language provides limitations on how much the Gover-nor can reduce spending in any one agency or program to 15 percent or less and prohibits reductions to retirement

system contributions. The Governor requested that each agency plan for a 5 percent reduction in FY 2015 and 7 percent reductions in FY 2016 and those plans have been submitted to the Governor.

2. Higher education reductions of $45.0 million each year. These reductions will be taken against Educa-

tion and General programs only. Research, fi nancial aid, Cooperative Extension and VIMS are exempt from reduc-tions. These are not across-the-board reductions against the General Fund, but may affect future tuition costs. The target refl ects each institution’s in-state/out-of-state mix and revenue capacity. Also, consistent with the Governor’s guidance, the Bill states the legislative intent that institu-tions achieve savings through productivity and operating effi ciencies and not through any mid-year tuition and fee increases. HB 5010 and SB 5005 also repeal language that set aside $20 million for higher education. These amounts were not allocated to any particular institution in the June budget, but were designed to be an additional reserve in the event that revenues declined further.

3. Savings from state aid to local governments of $30 million each

year. Overall, aid to locali-ties makes up almost half of the budget. Localities will be given the fl exibility to identify which programs to reduce to achieve the target. Targets established by the De-partment of Planning and Budget will be distributed among locali-ties on a pro rata basis.

4. The last reversion

clearing account contains net spending adjustments of $40.6 million in FY 2015 and $284.9 million in FY 2016 from a series of bal-ance reversions, transfers and other actions. The largest component is the authorization of transfers from the Rainy Day Fund totaling $705 million. It also includes language (Continued on page 8)

Department of Human Resources Management Director Sara Wilson

Virginia Retirement System Director Bob Schultze


f r e q u e n t l y a s k e d q u e s t i o n s

Can We Contact Our Legislators From Work or Not?

When the VGEA holds its Regional Meetings and opens the fl oor up for questions, one of the most frequently asked questions is about whether

State employees are “allowed” to contact their legisla-tors from their workplace computers or telephones. This is because many employees get mixed messages about this. For instance, just last year one manager sent out a mes-sage to her employees that read something like this:

There has recently been a newsletter sent out by the Virginia Governmental Employees Association (Of which some of you may be members) requesting that employ-ees contact their local legislators regarding pay issues. It is certainly okay for you to make contact with your local legislator regarding issues that affect you. However, these activities should be conducted on your own personal time and any correspondence that is sent to your representa-tive should be on your own personal letterhead or if sent electronically, it should be sent from your personal home computer.

Please advise if you have questions.

Thanks,

Agency Manager

______________________

From: Workman, Joe (StateAgency) [mailto: [email protected]]To: [email protected]: VGEA Newsletter

Dear VGEA,

Are we no longer allowed to contact our legislators at work? I thought I saw this addressed several times over the years and it was concluded that we could.

Thanks,Joe___________________

Hello Joe:

Thank you for writing about this at times confusing topic. The VGEA recommends that employees be mindful of the guidance from their agency managers and supervisors. Basically, use common sense by limiting any personal use of work computers and phones for legislative activity to breaks or lunchtime and then limit that to incidental and occasional use.

You should also note this relevant part of the Law: § 2.2-2902.1 of the Code of Virginia states in substantive part that:

“Nothing in this chapter or Chapter 12 (§ 2.2-1200 et seq.) of this title shall be construed to prohibit or otherwise restrict the right of any state employee to express opinions to state or local elected offi cials on matters of public concern, nor shall a state em-ployee be subject to acts of retaliation because the employee has expressed such opinions.”

It may be of further interest to note that the Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) Policy 1.75 states in substantive part:

“Personal use means use that it is not job-related. In general, incidental and occasional personal use of the Commonwealth’s Internet access or electronic communi-cation systems is permitted; however, personal use is prohibited if it: • interferes with the user’s productivity or work perfor-

mance, or with any other employee’s productivity or work performance;

• adversely affects the effi cient operation of the comput-er system or;

• violates any provision of this policy, any supplemental policy adopted by the agency supplying the Internet or electronic communication systems, or any other policy, regulation, law or guideline as set forth by local, State or Federal law. (See Code of Virginia §2.1-804-805; §2.2-2827 as of October 1, 2001.)”

The DHRM policy is controlling, unless an agency has adopted in writing a more specifi c policy in its place. Check with your agency or department Human Resources Offi ce to see if they have adopted a more detailed policy. We hope you fi nd this information useful and we will be happy to attempt to address any further questions.

If you are having a specifi c issue with this in your work-place contact the VGEA at 877-302-7146 or [email protected] and a VGEA staff member will look into the specifi c issue you are having and help you resolve it.

Stay informed about the latest NEWS! Visit our Virginia Governmental Employees Association Website at www.vgea.org and ‘Like Us’ on Facebook by clicking the icon on our homepage!

VIRGINIA GOVERNMENTAL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION ISSUE 3, 2014 NEWSLETTER www.vgea.org 7

v g e a m e m b e r b e n e f i t s

Did you know that the VGEA awards four $2,500 scholarships every year? That’s right, a total of $10,000!

To be eligible, you need to either be a VGEA member, or the spouse, child or grandchild of a member. The member needs to have been a VGEA member in good standing for a full year prior to the application date, and you can only win once.

More rules and guidelines will be included with the Ap-plication Packet. The Application will be posted on the

website at vgea.org by February 1. New essay ques-tions are created each year to prevent previous applicants from having an advantage.

Preliminary eliminations are made by the Scholarship Committee without any names attached to the packets. The fi nalists are then evaluated by an independent scholarship essay evaluation professional.

If you or a family member has applied but has not won before, you/they may apply again. There is no limit to the number of times you may apply. Try, try and try again!

VGEA Membership Can Help Pay For Education!

Every member of the VGEA is provided with $2,500 in accidental death and dismemberment insur-ance just by being a member. There are no strings

attached to your coverage. In order for us to provide this benefi t, our agreement with American Income Life allows them to try to sell members additional insurance. The card you return to designate a benefi ciary for the insurance en-ables AIL to follow up with a visit to deliver the insurance certifi cate with the benefi ciary designation and to try to sell more life insurance. You are not required to designate

a benefi ciary and in the event you do not, and a claim is fi led, it will simply be paid to your estate. You are also un-der no obligation to meet with the salesperson as a condi-tion of receiving the coverage. You can just say “no thank you.” If the salesperson becomes troublesome, please let the VGEA Offi ce know and we will contact their supervisor. AIL has many fi ne salespeople but occasionally we encoun-ter one who is just too darn pushy. In that case when we get a call from a member, we talk to their supervisor and it is taken care of quickly.

Every VGEA Member Gets $2,500 AD&D Insurance Automatically


a n n u a l m e e t i n g 2 0 1 4 (Continued from page 5)

freezing the additional transfer of existing general fund sales tax revenues to transportation at this year’s level for one year only. This defers the $50.0 million incremental increase to transportation scheduled for FY 2015 until FY 2016.

This account does appropriate an additional $5.7 million next year and $10.1 million in FY 2016 to fi ll 36 more judgeships, effective this December 1. It also authorizes the Governor to reallocate up to $5 million each year from economic devel-opment to other efforts so long as that money is used for job creation.

Lastly, this account directs the Governor to develop budget reduction plans and other strategies for submission to the 2015 regular session of the General Assembly to address the remaining FY 2016 shortfall of $272 million not otherwise addressed in HB 5010. More cuts will likely be proposed in January to close the remainder of the revenue gap starting next July, but this provides a sort of ‘down payment’ on the next fi scal year’s cuts. It’s a good fi rst step and we’ll just have to wait and see what comes to fruition next year.

In addition to addressing Budget Questions, joining the Governor on the Annual Meeting agenda was Senator John Watkins (R-Powhatan), the chief architect of the 2012 VRS reform and a champion of State employee issues. Also speaking and answering questions on behalf of the Governor was Secretary of Administration Nancy Rodrigues, who, along with Department of Human Resources Manage-ment Director Sara Wilson, discussed salary issues and disparities between State employees’ pay and comparable private sector jobs.

They also brought to light these surprising statistics (Wilson’s DHRM slide presentation is posted under the News & Events section on the VGEA website at www.vgea.org):

• Nearly 2,300 full-time State employees qualify to

receive food stamps• Ten percent of full-time employees qualify for the

Earned Income Tax Credit (that’s one in 10)• State employees salaries trail similar private sector

jobs by 21.45 percent!• Healthcare costs are projected to rise 6.5 percent in

2014• Infl ation is currently 2 percent. Which means, every

year without a raise is like getting a 2 percent pay cut.

Virginia Retirement System Director Bob Schultze also reviewed the fi nancial state of the retirement system and looming challenges. His VRS slide presentation is also available under the News & Events section on the VGEA website at www.vgea.org.

One Dozen State Agencies Represented at Tidewater Regional Meeting

The Tidewater Regional Meeting was hosted October 16 at Kelly’s Tavern in Chesa-peake. The room was fi lled with folks from

Labor and Industry, Norfolk State University, Conservation and Recreation, Old Dominion University and many other agencies! The VGEA represents ALL State employees and retir-ees!

To learn more about the Tidewater Chapter or others, please contact State Field Manager Te-resa Craig at [email protected].

Governor McAuliffe arrived earlier at the 2014 Annual Meet-ing than many of the 200 VGEA member and guest attendees! He led off an informative and well-balanced slate of speakers which contributed to an event that received rave reviews. We hope you will be able to join us next year on September 12!


e l d e r l a w f o r t h e y o u n g

Now’s the Time to Think About RetirementBy: Walt Pulliam, Jr., President, VGEA Richmond Retirees’ Chapter

MARK BARON, ATTORNEY AT LAW WWW.MARKBARON-LAW.COM

Experienced in and dedicated to saving careers of Virginia State and Local Government Employees all over Virginia. Representation in non-dismissal or dismissal grievance cases, including unfair performance evaluation grievance cases. These cases are not easy. They do involve legal procedures and principles. Don’t be fooled or mislead by Human Resources or anyone else about this.

Having sound knowledge about your legal rights is your best protection. When possible, it is always best to consult an independent, experienced legal professional at the fi rst sign of serious trouble at work and before fi ling any grievance case.Your career is worth it! Author of unique books on winning strategies and real cases in state/local/federal government grievance procedure or MSPB cases. See amazon.com (Search books under: “Mark Baron”). Also off ers advice and counsel with regard to best exercise of anti-discrimination rights, including rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Free Initial Phone Call Reasonable Rates Call (804) 662-5761 After Hours (804) 740-7073

Most State employees begin to think about retire-ment as they grow older and just begin to think ahead. Younger employees most times are more

concerned about the present; as they deal with mortgag-es, paying off student loans and day-to-day living expens-es. However, it is never too early to begin planning for your eventual job departure date, even if one plans to work beyond traditional retirement age.

When plan-ning for your even-tual retire-ment, there is much to consider – including post-retire-ment health-care costs, pensions, life insurance, long-term care, estates, survivor’s needs and funeral ar-rangements – some of which could come into

play immediately if there was an accident or serious ill-ness.

A variety of instruments exist to provide information, guid-ance, and direction for the retiring individual, his or her family, healthcare providers, or guardian. Among these are some basic essentials to have in place. They are:

• a will• a durable power of attorney• a revocable trust • an advance medical directive

These are legal documents which might be personally pre-pared, but are best done with the assistance of a compe-tent “elder law” attorney. While this may entail some cost, the pay-off will come when the documents are in place and the need for them arises. Family and other affected parties need to be involved in the preparation of these materials and know where they can be found when needed.

Human resource offi ces, the Virginia Retirement System, and other groups can offer assistance as one begins this process. Under the term “elder law,” considerable informa-tion is available online.

Virginia Continuing Legal Education at www.vacle.org also offers a compendium of materials for your use.

Take an older person’s advice and, “Just do it.”


c a p i t o l o r n a m e n t

DESIGN UNVEILED FOR THIRD ANNUAL VIRGINIA CAPITOL ORNAMENT Third in a series of annual collectible ornaments, the 2014 Official Capitol Square Ornament features Virginia’s Executive Mansion. Finished in brilliant polished brass made entirely in the U.S.A and presented in a handsome gift box, the ornament makes a perfect gift for colleagues and friends. All proceeds support the Virginia Capitol Foundation’s mission to enhance the educational and cultural potential of Capitol Square’s historic treasures through program development and community engagement. The First Annual Ornament, introduced in 2012, featured the Capitol’s central, Jefferson-‐designed structure. The Second Annual Ornament featured the historic Bell Tower. “The Foundation is pleased to be able to offer these limited-‐edition ornaments to our Capitol family to celebrate and support Capitol Square while establishing a new tradition for the Commonwealth,” said Foundation Trustee and program chair Wendy Church Sydnor.

$23.50 each + $6 shipping 5 or more – call for discount pricing • Call with credit card (804) 786-1010 • Mail check payable to VCF to VCF, P.O. Box 396, Richmond, VA 23218 • Go online www.virginiacapitol.gov or

https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/VirginiaCapitolPreservationFo/ornamentsale.html A limited number of 2012 and 2013 ornaments are available.

Folks in the Northern Virginia Re-

gion came out for a meeting and heard a legislative update and more VGEA news from Executive Director Ron Jordan. The Prince William Chapter hosted the meeting.

To join the Prince William Chapter or for more infor-mation, contact Chapter President Linda Pierce at email [email protected].

PRINCE WILLIAM CHAPTER (Northern Virginia Region)


2 0 1 4 g o l f t o u r n a m e n t

VGEA Golf Tourney Raises Funds for Scholarships

The 2014 VGEA Golf Tournament was held on Friday, September 12, at the Royal New Kent Golf Club in Providence Forge,

Va. The traditional Irish links course is challeng-ing even for the best golfers, with lots of grasses, bunkers and water hazards. The weather could not have been better that day, sunny and warm with a slight breeze.

The teams played Captain’s Choice and prizes were given to the three lowest scoring teams as well as Closest to the Pin and the Longest Drive.

The First Place Team, pictured left, was John Livinski, Rick Martin and Roy Floyd. Second Place was the team of Tom Wiles, Mike McCor-mack, Jeff Kessler and Mark Rew. Coming in Third was the team of John Harrison, Jeff Het-zer, Kevin Gregg and Joel Parker.

Thank You to our Golf Tournament Sponsors: Charlie O’Connor of the Hanson Agency; the VGEA Rich-mond Retirees’ Chapter and Ad-vantus Strategies.

Advantus also sponsored a team, (pic-tured right): Robert Crockett, Keenan Caldwell, Carl “CW” Laugerbaum and James Grandstaff.

Mark your calendars now for the 2015 Joan and Glen Pond Invita-tional VGEA Golf Tournament, set for Friday, September 11 at the Crossings Golf Club in Glen Allen.

The 2015 VGEA Annual Meeting will also take place at the Wyndham Vir-ginia Crossings Hotel and Confer-ence Center, in Glen Allen – adja-cent to the Crossings golf course – on Saturday, September 12.

Save the dates! These events should be an excellent time for both VGEA members and guests to come out, network, participate, listen, teach and learn!

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FORESightVirginia Governmental Employees Association1011 E. Main Street, Suite 400, Richmond, Virginia 23219(804) 355-3120 Toll Free (877) 302-7146 Fax (804) 228-4501www.vgea.org email: [email protected]

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Documents

VIRGINIA GOVERNMENTAL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION Budget … · 2019-11-11 · budget. So the June adopted budget for 2014-16 included a reserve of $842.5 million; and anticipated a withdrawal