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2008 SESSION


CHAPTER 353
An Act to amend and reenact §§ 15.2-2503 and 22.1-93 of the Code of Virginia, relating to publication of local government and school board budgets online.
[H 140]
Approved March 5, 2008

 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That §§ 15.2-2503 and 22.1-93 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 15.2-2503. Time for preparation and approval of budget; contents.

All officers and heads of departments, offices, divisions, boards, commissions, and agencies of every locality shall, on or before the first day of April of each year, prepare and submit to the governing body an estimate of the amount of money needed during the ensuing fiscal year for his department, office, division, board, commission or agency. If such person does not submit an estimate in accordance with this section, the clerk of the governing body or other designated person or persons shall prepare and submit an estimate for that department, office, division, board, commission or agency.

The governing body shall prepare and approve a budget for informative and fiscal planning purposes only, containing a complete itemized and classified plan of all contemplated expenditures and all estimated revenues and borrowings for the locality for the ensuing fiscal year. The governing body shall approve the budget and fix a tax rate for the budget year no later than the date on which the fiscal year begins. The governing body shall annually publish the approved budget on the locality's website, if any, or shall otherwise make the approved budget available in hard copy as needed to citizens for inspection.

§ 22.1-93. Approval of annual budget for school purposes.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including but not limited to Chapter 25 (§ 15.2-2500 et seq.) of Title 15.2, the governing body of a county shall prepare and approve an annual budget for educational purposes by May first or within thirty days of the receipt by the county of the estimates of state funds, whichever shall later occur, and the governing body of a municipality shall prepare and approve an annual budget for educational purposes by May fifteen or within thirty days of the receipt by the municipality of the estimates of state funds, whichever shall later occur. Upon approval, each local school division shall publish the approved annual budget on the division's website, if any, or if there is no division website, the document shall otherwise be made available in hard copy as needed to citizens for inspection.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall, no later than the fifteenth day following final adjournment of the Virginia General Assembly in each session, submit estimates to be used for budgetary purposes relative to the Basic School Aid Formula to each school division and to the local governing body of each county, city and town that operates a separate school division. Such estimates shall be for each year of the next biennium or for the then next fiscal year.

2. That the provisions of this act shall become effective on January 1, 2009.