Virginia Local Government Management Association (VLGMA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, professional association made up of more than 350 professional local government managers and key members of their management teams, representing Virginia cities, counties, and towns. The organization is dedicated to strengthening the quality of local government through professional management and seeks to promote professional management in a variety of ways including training, networking, member support, and resource sharing. VLGMA is a state affiliate of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the Virginia Municipal League (VML). For more information about the VLGMA and Membership please click HERE.
The VLGMA membership year operates on the local government fiscal year basis (July 1 – June 30). To become a new member or renew your membership please click on the membership form button to access the form.
You may conveniently pay online using a credit card, or you may send a check after completing the on-line form.
Individual Membership Categories
Member (Dues based on member provided calculation – see note below)
The member category consists of:
- Virginia local government chief executives, managers, or administrators,
- Deputy or assistant managers, or administrators.
- Executive directors of regional planning districts, regional service authorities, or similar regional government entities.
- Note: dues are based on Member-provided calculation: Salary + Deferred Comp. x .0025; For example, a member with a base salary of $100,000 and deferred compensation of $20,000 would be calculated as follows: $120,000 x .0025 = $300 dues. Minimum dues are $225 ( unless a person is from a small locality ) and maximum dues are $525.
- Maximum Cap on Dues ($525)
If your salary + deferred compensation is greater than $200,000, your calculated dues are capped at $525. - Small Locality ($185 annually)
If you are in the member category and from a locality with a population of 2,500 or less, your dues are $185. - New-to-VLGMA Managers, Deputies, Assistants (introductory dues waiver)
Limited to Virginia Managers/Administrators/Executives, and Deputy, and Assistant managers/administrators who are new to VLGMA (either new to the state or never been a VLGMA member); The complimentary membership is for the dues year dues year in which you join (July 1–June 30).
- Maximum Cap on Dues ($525)
- Note: dues are based on Member-provided calculation: Salary + Deferred Comp. x .0025; For example, a member with a base salary of $100,000 and deferred compensation of $20,000 would be calculated as follows: $120,000 x .0025 = $300 dues. Minimum dues are $225 ( unless a person is from a small locality ) and maximum dues are $525.
Associate Member ($175 annually)
Virginia local government employees (including department heads, department staff, other staff in the manager/administrator’s office) who do not qualify under the “Member” definition.
Affiliate Member ($75 annually)
Non-local government individuals who have a strong interest in local government in Virginia (includes military base commanders; individuals who teach public administration full-time at a college or university; staff of statewide local government organizations, or Weldon Cooper Center staff; members of nonprofit research and staff agencies that serve the local government.) This also includes members in transition after a one-year dues waiver.
Retired Member ($50 annually)
Any retired member of VLGMA or retired local government professional who wishes to remain affiliated with the Association
Student Member ($50 annually)
Any person who is primarily a student and intends to pursue a career in local government; or any full-time intern, fellow, or equivalent working in local government and who is not eligible for, or more appropriately classified in, another membership category
Members in Transition (dues waived the first year; affiliate level following)
Any member in good standing who goes into transition shall retain VLGMA membership as an Affiliate Member with dues in the first membership year of transition waived.
Life Member (No dues assessed)
A VLGMA Member who has retired from active service and completed 25 years or more of VLGMA membership Life membership may also be bestowed by a unanimous vote of the VLGMA Executive Board for individuals who have not satisfied the 25 years requirement but have a distinguished record of service to the profession and the Association. If you believe you are eligible please confirm your status by emailing Janet Areson at jareson@vml.org.
Organizational Membership Categories and Dues
VLGMA offers local governments two categories of organizational membership
• Standard Agency Membership (up to 5 individuals) ($1,125)• Large Agency Membership (up to 10 individuals) ($2,050)
Those included in an organizational membership are individuals who qualify for the member and associate categories of VLGMA membership as well students/fellows/interns (see description above). The membership term is the same as for individual members (July 1-June 30).
FAQ about VLGMA MembershipI paid for ICMA membership – does it cover VLGMA as well?
No, paying for ICMA does not cover VLGMA dues, and vice versa. ICMA and VLGMA have separate membership platforms.I am a MEMBER and not sure how to enter my dues
Select “Member – Enter Calculated Dues in Space Below” from the drop-down option
Enter your salary and deferred compensation (both fields required, enter zero if needed).
- It will automatically calculate your dues using your annual salary + deferred compensation x .0025.
- If your salary + deferred compensation is less than $80,000 the calculated dues are a minimum of $200 unless you are from a locality of less than 2,500 population. If that is the case, use the small locality option – dues $185.
- If your salary + deferred compensation is greater than $200,000 the calculated dues are capped at $525.
Why do you request a personal phone, email, and address?
While not required, we request this information because a member may go into transition or decide to retire during the course of the membership year.
I am unsure of my membership category
Please contact Janet Areson at jareson@vml.org if you are unsure of your membership category.
I am a life member – do I still need to complete the form?
We encourage life members to complete the form so that we can ensure we have the most up-to-date contact information on file.
I am not sure if my locality included me in the organizational membership
We encourage members to check with their CAO about the organizational membership status for their community. We can also check this information for you. If you have not been included in the organizational membership, you may still sign up as an individual member.
My locality used the organizational membership form but did not use all the available slots. We want to add someone now – how do we do that?
If you used the organizational membership option but you did not use all the slots available in that option (5 for standard; 10 for large) and need to add additional members (no more than the maximum allowed based on the organizational membership option), you can use the following link to provide the information on the additional people: Add/Remove VLGMA Organization Member.
My locality used the organizational membership option but now someone in our group has left and we want to add someone else to that slot. How do we do that?
Please use the following form, Add/Remove VLGMA Organization Member, to provide the information on the new person, and the name of the person they are replacing in your group membership.
We have a CAO or deputy/assistant CAO who is new to VLGMA and we want to take advantage of the complimentary membership option for them while using the organizational membership option. Can we do that?
Yes, you can. Fill out the individual membership form for that new person and check the applicable category (new to VLGMA). Their membership will not count toward the organization membership total for your locality for the remainder of this fiscal year only.
What is the credit card transaction fee?
Credit card payments will include a 3% transaction fee.
Membership Form