SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2014 SESSION

  • print version
Senate Committee on Local Government

Chairman: Ralph K. Smith

Clerk: John Garrett
Staff: Jeffrey Sharp, Scott Meacham
Date of Meeting: January 28, 2014
Time and Place: 1/2 hour after adjourment, Senate Room B

S.B. 10

Patron: Garrett

Discounted fees and charges for certain low-income and disabled customers; population density. Removes the requirement that a locality owning a water and sewer system have a population density of no more than 200 persons per square mile before it may by ordinance develop criteria for providing discounted water and sewer fees and charges for low-income and disabled customers.

S.B. 75

Patron: Puckett

Charter; Town of Honaker; November elections and mayoral term. Moves town council elections from May to November and extends the term of the mayor from two years to four years beginning with the mayor elected in November 2014.

S.B. 124

Patron: Lucas

Constitutional officers. Includes electronic or other systems among those items that a local governing body shall provide for the use of clerks of all courts of record as in the governing body's judgment may be reasonably necessary for the proper conduct of such offices. The bill also provides that a locality shall not reduce funding to a constitutional officer for personnel or other operational expenses except by separate ordinance after a public hearing. A local governing body shall not reduce funding to a constitutional officer for personnel or other operational expenses if such constitutional officer certifies that such reduction in funding would impair the ability of such constitutional officer to perform their statutory duties. Furthermore, the governing body or the chief administrative officer of a locality may not transfer locally funded personnel or electronic or other systems from a constitutional officer to a state agency without the written approval of such constitutional officer. The bill contains a technical amendment.

S.B. 196

Patron: Puckett

Charter; Town of Tazewell. Makes numerous technical changes to the town's charter and revises or repeals many outdated provisions.

S.B. 198

Patron: Alexander

Charter; City of Norfolk; council meetings and deputy police chief. Requires the city council to hold regular meetings on at least a monthly basis rather than at least 36 weekly meetings per year and creates the position of deputy chief of police as an appointee of the city manager.

S.B. 237

Patron: Petersen

Optional provisions in subdivision ordinances; sidewalk improvements. Adds to the list of optional provisions in local subdivision ordinances a provision allowing any town in the Northern Virginia Transportation District to require the dedication of land for sidewalk improvements where the property being developed is designated for such improvements on the locality's pedestrian plan.

S.B. 238

Patron: Petersen

Charter; City of Fairfax. Makes numerous technical changes to the City Charter. The bill also clarifies the duties and organization of the fire department and requires members of the elected school board to have lived in the city for one year prior to their election.

S.B. 267

Patron: Stanley

Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority; certified industrial parks. Provides that the Authority shall develop a program by which local industrial parks may become certified by the Commonwealth. In developing such a program, the Authority shall consider factors such as planning, zoning, engineering, title ownership, and general development readiness. The program shall also certify developments in various categories of industry.

S.B. 321

Patron: Ebbin

Charter; City of Alexandria. Shifts dates related to the election of the council and the school board to reflect the City's change to November elections. The bill provides that the city attorney may be the legal advisor to the school board with the concurrence of both the council and the school board.

S.B. 340

Patron: Puller

Group homes of eight or fewer; public notice and hearing; smoke detectors. Allows a locality to require any party wishing to establish a certain type of residential facility for the aged, infirm, disabled, or those with mental illness to provide public notice and participate in a public hearing. The bill requires the operator of such a facility to install smoke detectors regardless of when the building was constructed and directs the Board of Housing and Community Development to adopt regulations establishing standards for requiring smoke detectors.

S.B. 363

Patron: Saslaw

Charter; City of Falls Church. Updates the charter to reflect the shift from May to November city elections.

S.B. 374

Patron: Marsh

Neighborhood revitalization. Provides that a locality may by ordinance adopt a program to establish and impose an annual blighted property assessment fee on real properties that have remained vacant for one year or longer if the property has been permitted by the owner to deteriorate to the extent that it has become detrimental to the public health, safety, or welfare of the locality or surrounding area and has contributed to the reduction of surrounding property values.

S.B. 544

Patron: Ruff

Charter; Town of Victoria. Establishes a new charter for the Town of Victoria and repeals the current charter. The proposed charter contains powers typically granted to towns.

S.B. 550

Patron: Puller

Service districts; underground utilities. Adds Prince William County to the list of those localities with authority to establish service districts to impose taxes or assessments upon the owners of abutting property for the underground relocation of distribution lines for electricity, telephone, cable television, and similar utilities. Such underground relocation of distribution lines may only be ordered by the governing body and the cost thereof apportioned in pursuance of an agreement between the governing body and the abutting landowners.

S.B. 567

Patron: Colgan

Charter; City of Manassas. Updates the city's charter to reflect a shift in the time of local elections from May to November.

S.B. 589

Patron: Lucas

Disposal of solid waste fees; Southampton County. Allows Southampton County to levy fees for the disposal of solid waste at a county collection or disposal facility not to exceed the actual cost incurred by the county in removing and disposing of solid waste. The bill adds Southampton County to the list of counties permitted to use fees to purchase equipment; grants Southampton County the same authority that Accomack, Highland, Pittsylvania, and Wise Counties have regarding such fees; and allows Southampton County to exempt certain disabled veterans from such fees. The bill also makes technical changes.

S.B. 609

Patron: Deeds

Charter; City of Covington. Updates the city's charter to reflect a shift to November municipal elections. The bill also deletes outdated provisions and contains an emergency clause.

EMERGENCY

S.B. 631

Patron: Vogel

Authorities for development of former federal areas; dissolution. Provides that such authorities that are created by proclamation of the Governor prior to January 1, 1997, may be dissolved by the affected locality or localities without a proclamation of the Governor. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2016.

S.B. 656

Patron: Garrett

Local economic development. Provides that the Virginia income tax net revenue and sales and use tax generated by certain corporations or limited liability companies within a qualified locality shall be transferred to the qualified locality under certain conditions. A qualified locality is one that (i) has made application to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority for a Major Employment and Investment Project Site Planning Grant pursuant to § 2.2-2240.2 and has been rejected for such grant and (ii) has expended local funds for the economic development purposes specified in § 2.2-2240.2. The total amount eligible to be returned to a qualified locality shall not exceed $5 million for any single economic development project.