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2002 SESSION

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HJ 139 Study; consolidation of cities in South Hampton Roads.

Introduced by: Johnny S. Joannou | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS PASSED HOUSE: (all summaries)

Consolidation of cities in South Hampton Roads. Establishes a joint subcommittee to study the feasibility of city consolidation in South Hampton Roads, including the Cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. In conducting its study, the joint subcommittee shall examine the feasibility of consolidating the Cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach into a single city. The joint subcommittee shall examine other models whereby localities were consolidated into a single city that operates under the strong mayor/council form of government, and determine whether such a system, with a directly elected mayor, would be feasible in South Hampton Roads, to be phased in over a period of 10 to 20 years. The joint subcommittee shall further study the feasibility of permitting the consolidation of a particular city only upon a favorable vote by referendum in such city and the procedure by which the consolidation may go forward with fewer than five cities if the referendum was rejected in one or more cities. The joint subcommittee shall examine the feasibility of allowing the constitutional officers of each of the consolidating cities to retain their individual positions during an interim period of time or until the retirement of such an officer and shall further explore an efficient method of eventually transferring the duties of such officers to a single office for the consolidated city.

Other issues to be examined by the joint subcommittee shall include (i) the method by which the individual debts and obligations of the consolidating cities shall become the debts and obligations of the consolidated city; (ii) the feasibility of providing for oversight by an outside entity of new local debt of the consolidating cities during the transition period between the time of voter approval of the consolidation and the actual consolidation; (iii) the means by which utility systems within the consolidating cities may be efficiently combined or coordinated so as to provide cost-effective and uninterrupted service to the region; (iv) the feasibility of phasing in a consolidated school system under the leadership of a single school board; and (v) whether an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia will be required in order to implement a proposed consolidation.


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