General Assembly>Division of Legislative Services>Publications>Session Summaries>2004>Charters and Authorities

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Charters and Authorities

Passed

P HB24

Rudee Inlet Authority. Repeals the 1960 act that created the Rudee Inlet Authority. The authority has reportedly long been dormant and its duties have been taken over by various city offices of Virginia Beach. This is a recommendation of the Virginia Code Commission.
Patron - Landes

P HB53

Charter; City of Winchester. Increases the term of school board members from three to four years.
Patron - Sherwood

P HB56

Charter; City of Colonial Heights. Shifts city elections for the council and school board from May to November. Those currently in office shall have their terms extended by six months.
Patron - Cox

P HB57

Charter; City of Franklin. Increases the salaries of school board members from $1,000 to $4,000 and the school board chairman from $1,500 to $5,000.
Patron - Councill

P HB58

Luray-Page County Airport Authority. Provides for the establishment of the Luray-Page County Airport Authority upon resolutions adopted by the participating county and town. The powers of the authority, vested in a five-member board of directors, are typical of other airport authorities.
Patron - Louderback

P HB176

Charter; City of Richmond. Provides for the direct election of the mayor, beginning in November 2004. The person receiving the most votes in each of at least five of the nine city council districts shall be elected. Should no one be elected, a runoff election shall be held on between the two persons receiving the highest total of votes citywide. The person receiving the most votes in each of at least five of the nine city council districts shall be elected. An elected term shall run four years. Anyone eligible to serve on city council may serve as mayor except no one may be elected mayor for three consecutive full terms. The mayor shall be the chief executive officer of the city and shall be responsible for the proper administration of city government. The mayor shall be recognized as the head of government for all ceremonial purposes, military law and the service of civil process. The office of mayor shall be a full-time position with salary and expenses set by the council. The position of city manager is replaced by the position of chief administrative officer, appointed by the mayor subject to the advice and consent of a majority of the members of city council. The chief administrative officer shall serve at the pleasure of the mayor. Additional amendments clarify the responsibilities of the mayor and the chief administrative officer.
Patron - Baskerville

P HB241

Charter; Town of Christiansburg. Provides that neither the mayor nor any member of the town council during his tenure of office as such shall be eligible to any remunerative office, position, or employment with the Town.
Patron - Nutter

P HB249

Charter; City of Fairfax. Provides that the Mayor and council members may be compensated in accordance with general law.
Patron - Petersen

P HB550

Charter; Town of Purcellville. Provides that if a council vacancy occurs prior to the midpoint of the term, there shall be an election at the next regular council election to fill the remaining two years of the term. Also, council is given authority to appoint an architectural review board, which shall be responsible for the review and implementation of architectural design standards for all commercial and overlay districts.
Patron - May

P HB559

Charter; Chesterfield County. Provides that the County shall have the power to create or modify certain assessment districts for local improvements. For any such assessment district created after January 1, 2003, the Board may provide for the payment of an assessment of costs for improvements, or of any installment due pursuant to § 15.2-2413 of the Code of Virginia, to be suspended when any owner who owned property on the day the ordinance creating the assessment district was adopted and who occupies a residential building located on the property is 65 years of age or older.
Patron - Marrs

P HB823

Charter; City of Norfolk. Amends the charter by (i) granting authority to create voluntary design overlay districts, (ii) clarifying the meeting times of council, and (iii) making changes to the status of certain employees reporting to the city manager.
Patron - Drake

P HB968

Charter; City of Williamsburg. Provides that the City may create underground utility districts upon a petition signed by at least three-fourths of the land owners within a proposed district. Also, school board member salaries are clarified and the clerk of council is given additional authority to administer oaths.
Patron - Barlow

P HB994

Charter; Town of Clifton. Provides that the vice mayor shall preside in the absence of the mayor.
Patron - Hugo

P HB1088

Charter; City of Radford. Updates the City's boundary description, provides that all readings of ordinances shall require an affirmative vote of the majority of the members present and voting to pass, and makes numerous technical and clarifying changes.
Patron - Nutter

P HB1112

Charter; City of Harrisonburg. Provides that the mayor may resign the office of mayor without giving up his or her membership on council. Also, the council may, by unanimous vote of the council members other than the mayor, remove the mayor from the office of mayor.
Patron - Weatherholtz

P HB1206

Charter; Town of Glasgow. Provides for staggered council terms and deletes obsolete provisions.
Patron - Cline

P HB1248

Charter; City of Falls Church. Makes changes affecting the internal operations and administration of city government in order to give the City greater flexibility to deal with personnel and other matters.
Patron - Scott, J.M.

P SB97

Charter; City of Fairfax. Provides that the mayor and council members may be compensated in accordance with general law.
Patron - Devolites

P SB124

P SB203

P SB211

Charter; City of Franklin. Increases the salaries of school board members from $1,000 to $4,000 and the school board chairman from $1,500 to $5,000.
Patron - Quayle

P SB396

P SB472

Charter; City of Alexandria. Makes several changes including (i) authority to provide grants not to exceed $5,000 to employees to purchase or rent residences within the City, (ii) grandfathering of city ordinances that may not have complied with general law, so long as the action was in compliance with the then applicable local law, (iii) clarifying that certain local procedures preempt provisions of general law, and (iv) clarifying certain notice provisions.
Patron - Ticer

P SB522

Charter; City of Lexington. Provides that vacancies in the office of mayor or in council shall be filled by election if the vacancy occurs during the first 18 months of the term.
Patron - Hanger

P SB561

Charter; City of Richmond. Extends council terms from two to four years, subject to approval by voter referendum, restores language repealed by charter amendments of 1998 related to nomination of council candidates, removes the requirement of a public hearing for council appointees who are removed from office, clarifies language regarding appointment and removal of certain appointees, creates a new group of appropriations that are exempt from lapsing at the close of a fiscal year, allows the director of finance to appoint a designee to certify that funds are available for formal bids and provides that the stormwater utility program may be administered by either the Department of Public Works or the Department of Public Utilities.
Patron - Lambert

Failed

F HB63

Charter; City of Richmond. Amends the city's charter to provide for the direct election of the mayor. At the November 2004 election, and every four years thereafter, a general election shall be held to elect the mayor. The person receiving the most votes in each of at least five of the nine city council districts shall be elected. Should no one be elected, a run-off election shall be held between the two persons receiving the highest total of votes citywide. The person receiving the most votes in each of at least five of the nine city council districts shall be elected. An elected term shall run four years. Anyone eligible to serve on city council may serve as mayor except no one may be elected mayor for three consecutive terms. The mayor shall appoint the chief administrative officer subject to the advice and consent of a majority of the members of city council. The chief administrative officer shall be responsible solely to the mayor and serve at the pleasure of the mayor. The mayor will be a full-time position with salary and expenses set by the city council.
Patron - Marshall, R.G.

F HB707

Charter; City of Hopewell. Provides that certain state funding mandates will be suspended if in any calendar year the increase in the Consumer Price Index as published by the United States Department of Commerce is more than the increase in the assessed value of private real estate in the City of Hopewell, adjusted for general reassessment, as published by the City of Hopewell real estate assessor.
Patron - Ingram

F HB1031

Charter; City of Richmond. Provides for the direct election of the mayor, beginning in November 2004. The person receiving the majority of votes in the city at large shall be elected. An elected term shall run four years. No one ineligible to serve on city council may serve as mayor. No person who has served two full terms as mayor may again be eligible for election to the positions of mayor or vice mayor. The mayor shall be the chief executive officer of the city and shall be responsible for the proper administration of city government. The mayor shall have the power to veto any budget, appropriation, tax, levy, resolution, ordinance or other paper passed by vote of the city council, but council may thereafter override the mayor's veto with a vote of 75 percent or more of the currently filled seats on council. All powers and responsibilities of the city manager under the provisions of the charter shall be vested in the mayor. All references in this charter to the city manager shall be deemed to mean the mayor, unless the context clearly requires a different meaning. The mayor may appoint such staff subordinate to and responsible to him as he may wish, subject to the city budget passed by the council. The mayor shall be recognized as the head of government for all ceremonial purposes, military law and the service of civil process. The office of mayor shall be a full-time position with salary and expenses set by the council.
Patron - Marrs

F SB80

F SB368

Charter; City of Richmond. Extends council terms from two to four years, restores language repealed by charter amendments of 1998 related to nomination of council candidates, removes the requirement of a public hearing for council appointees who are removed from office, clarifies language regarding appointment and removal of certain appointees, creates a new group of appropriations that are exempt from lapsing at the close of a fiscal year, allows the director of finance to appoint a designee to certify that funds are available for formal bids and provides that the stormwater utility program may be administered by either the Department of Public Works or the Department of Public Utilities. This bill is incorporated into SB 561.
Patron - Watkins

Carried Over

C SB133

Charter; City of Roanoke. Amends the city's charter to allow for both city council and voter petition-initiated advisory referenda. Such referenda may be held on any question relating to the affairs of the city. If a petition-initiated referendum pertaining to a charter amendment passes by a majority vote, then the clerk of the circuit court shall communicate the result to the General Assembly with the same effect as if the council had adopted a resolution requesting the General Assembly to adopt the amendment.
Patron - Edwards

C SB478

Charter; County of Roanoke. Provides that the County shall have authority to levy upon the sale or use of cigarettes a tax at a rate not to exceed 0.75 cents per cigarette sold or used, such tax to be collected pursuant to Article 7 (§ 58.1-3830 et seq.) of Chapter 38 of Title 58.1 of the Code.
Patron - Edwards

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General Assembly>Division of Legislative Services>Publications>Session Summaries>2004>Charters and Authorities

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