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ACROSS SESSIONS
- Subject Index: Since 1995
- Bills & Resolutions: Since 1994
- Summaries: Since 1994
Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.
2004 SESSION
Chairman: Frederick M. Quayle
Date of Meeting: February 24, 2004
Time and Place: 2:00 p.m. Senate Room B GAB
Patron: Putney
Bedford Joint Economic Development Authority. Allows the Bedford Joint Industrial Development Authority to be named the Bedford Joint Economic Development Authority, or such other name as the governing bodies of the City of Bedford and Bedford County shall choose.
02/14/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N)
Patron: Cox
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.
01/28/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N)
Patron: Baskerville
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 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.
02/17/04 House: Read third time and passed House (91-Y 8-N 1-A)
Patron: Athey
Affordable housing. Adds Fauquier County to those localities with authority to provide for an affordable housing dwelling unit program under § 15.2-2304 rather than the general law provisions.
01/28/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N)
Patron: Ware, R.L.
Donations by localities. Allows localities to make donations to any nonprofit organization providing recreational or daycare services to persons 65 years of age or older.
01/28/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N)
Patron: Fralin
Reimbursement of certain traffic incident expenses. Raises from $100 to $250 the flat fee that localities may seek from a person convicted of violating certain traffic-related offenses in order to reimburse the locality for providing an appropriate emergency response to any accident or incident related to such violation. The bill provides that costs for firefighting, rescue and emergency medical services may be ordered as restitution.
02/17/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N)
Patron: Lingamfelter
Ready access to proffer cash payments and expenditures reports. Requires the local Conditional Zoning Index to provide ready access to all proffered cash payments and expenditures disclosure reports prepared by the local governing body for the Commission on Local Government. The bill also requires the local zoning administrator to update the Conditional Zoning Index annually and no later than November 30 of each year.
01/28/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N)
Patron: Suit
Abatement of nuisances; liens. Provides that charges imposed by municipalities related to abatement of nuisances shall constitute a lien against the property ranking on a parity with liens for unpaid local taxes. A locality may waive such liens in order to facilitate the sale of the property under certain circumstances.
02/04/04 House: Read third time and passed House (56-Y 42-N)
Patron: Marrs
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.
01/28/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N)
Patron: Dudley
Inspection of water supplies. Removes the requirement that localities test the public water supply for the presence of methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE). MTBE is a synthetic compound used as an oxygenate in reformulated gasoline (RFG) to help reduce air pollution, and has been found to enter the water supply by leaking from faulty underground storage tanks.
01/28/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N)
Patron: Rapp
Removal of nonconforming abandoned signs. Provides that any locality may, by ordinance, require certain abandoned nonconforming signs to be removed by the owner of the property on which the signs are located, if notified by the locality to do so. If, following such two-year period, the locality has made a reasonable attempt to notify the property owner, the locality through its own agents or employees may enter the property upon which the sign is located and remove any such sign whenever the owner has refused to do so. The cost of such removal shall be chargeable to the owner of the property.
02/11/04 House: Read third time and passed House (93-Y 7-N)
Patron: Rapp
Industrial development authorities. Allows any locality to refer to its industrial development authority as an economic development authority.
02/04/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N)
Patron: Oder
Zoning adjacent to military bases, military installations, and military airports. Requires localities to give written notice to the commander of any military base, military installation, or military airport that is within 3,000 feet of a proposed comprehensive plan or zoning change. Also, such installations are added to the list of items that a locality may include in its comprehensive plan and protection against encroachment against such installations is added as a purpose of zoning ordinances.
02/04/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N)
Patron: Oder
Provisions of a subdivision ordinance. Clarifies provisions related to conveyance of easements to franchised cable television operators and public service corporations.
01/28/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N)
Patron: Drake
Notice of zoning amendment. Provides that when a proposed amendment of the zoning ordinance involves a change to the applicable zoning ordinance text regulations that decreases the allowed dwelling unit density of any parcel of land, written notice shall be given by the local planning commission, or its representative, at least five days before the hearing to the owner or owners, their agent or the occupant, of each parcel involved.
02/11/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N)
Patron: Drake
Home-ownership assistance. Allows that a locality may by ordinance provide for the use of funds, other than state funds, for grants to assist employees of the locality to purchase residences in such locality. The residences shall be the primary residence of any employee receiving such grants or loans and individual grants shall not exceed $5,000 per employee.
02/06/04 House: Read third time and passed House (98-Y 2-N)
Patron: Van Landingham
Affordable housing. Adds the City of Alexandria to the list of localities with authority to provide for an affordable housing dwelling unit program under § 15.2-2304.
01/28/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N)
Patron: Phillips
Tourism Development Authority. Authorizes the Tourism Development Authority to form corporations, limited partnerships or limited liability companies for the purposes of fostering or promoting tourism, job creation, economic development, or the sale of goods manufactured and produced in Virginia. The Authority was established in 1993 for the LENOWISCO and Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commissions to promote, expand and develop tourism industries in that coal-producing region.
01/28/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N)
Patron: Phillips
Water and sewer authorities; conduits for fiber optic cable. Permits water and sewer authorities to install, own and lease pipe or conduit for purpose of carrying fiber optic cable.
01/28/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N)
Patron: Marshall, D.W.
Meetings of governing bodies. Provides that any city or town that holds an organizational meeting in compliance with its charter or code shall be deemed to be in compliance with general law provisions. The provisions of this act shall apply to the actions of all city and town councils beginning July 1, 1997.
02/14/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N)
Patron: Marshall, D.W.
Constitutional officers; employment. Allows a constitutional officer to hire an employee without readvertising if the initial advertisement ran within 120 days. The current time limit is 60 days.
01/28/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N)
Patron: Barlow
Exterior lighting regulation; James City County. Allows James City County to regulate the maximum upward exterior illumination levels of buildings and property zoned or used for commercial or business purposes. Such ordinance shall only apply to lighting installed after the effective date of the ordinance and shall not affect or be applied to agricultural or silvicultural operations, certain outdoor advertising signs, temporary VDOT construction or maintenance, utility companies, facilities owned by the Department of Corrections, lighting regulated by the Uniform Statewide Building Code or to premise security lighting for certain multi-family residential or commercial office buildings. The provisions of the bill expire if not acted upon by July 1, 2006.
02/04/04 House: Read third time and passed House (72-Y 27-N)
Patron: Barlow
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.
02/04/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N)
Patron: Barlow
Authority to cut grass. Adds Isle of Wight County (described by population) to those counties with authority to require that the owner of occupied residential real property cut the grass or lawn area of less than one-half acre on such property when growth on such grass or lawn area exceeds 12 inches in height; or may whenever the governing body deems it necessary, after reasonable notice, have such grass or lawn area cut by its agents or employees, in which event, the cost and expenses thereof shall be chargeable to and paid by the owner of such property and may be collected by the county as taxes and levies are collected.
02/05/04 House: Read third time and passed House (74-Y 26-N)
Patron: Hugo
Charter; Town of Clifton. Provides that the vice mayor shall preside in the absence of the mayor.
01/28/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N)
Patron: Nutter
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.
02/04/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N)
Patron: Weatherholtz
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.
02/17/04 House: Read third time and passed House (67-Y 33-N)
Patron: Cline
Charter; Town of Glasgow. Provides for staggered council terms and deletes obsolete provisions.
02/04/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N)
Patron: Scott, J.M.
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.
02/04/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N)
Patron: Melvin
Portsmouth Industrial Development Authority. Allows the Portsmouth Industrial Development Authority to be named the Portsmouth Economic Development Authority.
02/14/04 House: Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N)