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2015 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Local Government

Chairman: Ralph K. Smith

Clerk: Maribeth Turner
Staff: Jeffrey Sharp, Scott Meacham
Date of Meeting: January 20, 2015
Time and Place: 1/2 hour After Adjournment, Senate Room B, General Assembly Bldg.

S.B. 695

Patron: Locke

Charter, City of Hampton; candidacy of councilmembers in mayoral election. Bars any City of Hampton mayoral candidate from simultaneously running for a place on the Hampton city council and establishes a procedure for the resignation of any serving councilmember who wishes to run for mayor. The bill establishes a deadline, effective date, and other parameters for the resignation of a serving councilmember and provides for the filling of the remaining term of office of a councilmember who has resigned to become a candidate in a mayoral election.

A BILL to amend Chapter 167 of the Acts of Assembly of 1979, which provided a charter for the City of Hampton, by adding a section numbered 3.01:2, relating to election of mayor.

15100863D

S.B. 744

Patron: Locke

Boards of zoning appeals; City of Portsmouth. Adds the City of Portsmouth to a provision requiring the governing body to appoint members and alternates to the board of zoning appeals. Under the general law, the circuit court appoints the members of a locality's board of zoning appeals.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 15.2-2308 of the Code of Virginia, relating to boards of zoning appeals; City of Portsmouth.

15101834D

S.B. 749

Patron: Lucas

Charter; City of Portsmouth. Allows any member of the city council to be a candidate for the office of mayor without resigning his office. Currently, the charter requires such a council member to resign by a specific date and sets out a procedure for filling the member's vacant seat.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 3.03 and 3.04 of Chapter 640 of the Acts of Assembly of 2011, which provided a charter for the City of Portsmouth, relating to the election of mayor and city council members.

15101734D

S.B. 751

Patron: Black

Charter; Town of Leesburg; unmanned aerial vehicles; preservation of trees. Authorizes the town council to limit the use of unmanned aerial vehicles within town boundaries and, by ordinance, to require private construction projects to preserve existing trees.

A BILL to amend Chapter 433 of the Acts of Assembly of 1962, which provided a charter for the Town of Leesburg in the County of Loudoun, by adding sections numbered 3-8 and 7-A.6, relating to unmanned aerial vehicles; preservation of trees.

15101725D

S.B. 755

Patron: Saslaw

Charter; City of Falls Church. Replaces a detailed metes and bounds description of the city boundary with references to the relevant legislative acts and a court order.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 1.02 of Chapter 323 of the Acts of Assembly of 1950, as amended by Chapter 292 of the Acts of Assembly of 1973, which provided a charter for the City of Falls Church, relating to boundaries.

15101477D

S.B. 795

Patron: Carrico

BVU Authority; cable television. Authorizes the BVU Authority to provide cable television, Internet, and all other services that might be rendered by use of the Authority's fiber-optic system to persons located within the Taylors Valley community of Washington County.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 15.2-2108.11 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 15.2-7207.1, relating to Bristol Virginia Utilities Authority; authority to provide cable television and related services in Taylors Valley.

15101564D

S.B. 841

Patron: Lucas

Counties; adoption of ordinances; notice by publication. Removes the requirement that counties, except as otherwise required by law, publish notice of an intention to propose an ordinance for two weeks in a newspaper having a general circulation. The bill contains technical amendments.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 15.2-107, 15.2-858, 15.2-1414.3, 15.2-1427, 15.2-2114, 15.2-2303.2, 15.2-5704, and 21-118.4 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the adoption of ordinances by counties; notice by publication.

15101932D

S.B. 889

Patron: Petersen

Zoning; affordable dwelling units; City of Fairfax. Adds the City of Fairfax to the list of localities whose governing bodies are authorized to adopt zoning ordinances that provide for an affordable housing dwelling unit program.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 15.2-2304 of the Code of Virginia, relating to zoning; affordable dwelling units; City of Fairfax.

15102007D

S.B. 935

Patron: Wexton

Charter; Town of Herndon; elections. Moves the date of election of the mayor and members of the town council from May to November beginning with the election of November 2016 and extends the terms of those in office as of July 2016 until December 31, 2016. The bill also provides for the election of a vice mayor at the first regular town council meeting in January following a municipal election.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 3.1, as amended, and 3.7 of Chapter 646 of the Acts of Assembly of 1968, which provided a charter for the Town of Herndon in the County of Fairfax, relating to mayor and council; vice mayor; November elections.

15102253D

S.B. 937

Patron: Wexton

Local regulation of certain aircraft. Provides that a locality may by ordinance prohibit the use within its boundaries of privately owned, unmanned, autonomous aircraft weighing 55 pounds or less within its boundaries.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 1 of Chapter 9 of Title 15.2 a section numbered 15.2-926.3, relating to local regulation of certain aircraft.

15102247D

S.B. 940

Patron: Stuart

Charter; Town of Montross; November elections, town council. Moves the date of election for the members of the town council from May to November, beginning in 2016.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 2, as amended, of Article III of Chapter 560 of the Acts of Assembly of 1950, which provided a charter for the Town of Montross in the County of Westmoreland, relating to election times.

15101502D

S.B. 1171

Patron: Carrico

Charter; City of Bristol. Make clarifying changes related to the BVU Authority. Other changes include deletion of provisions related to the youth services department and replacing references to the city comptroller with chief financial officer.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 2.01, as amended, §§ 2.02 and 2.04, § 4.03, as amended, § 6.02, §§ 7.02 and 8.02, as amended, §§ 9.01, 10.02, 10.03, 10.06, and 10.09, § 10.10, as amended, and §§ 11.01 and 15.02 of Chapter 542 of the Acts of Assembly of 1990, which provided a charter for the City of Bristol, and to repeal § 7.11 and § 8.06, as amended, of Chapter 542, relating to city powers, utilities, chief financial officer, and city departments.

15101841D

S.B. 1176

Patron: Carrico

Charter; City of Bristol. Makes clarifying changes related to the BVU Authority. Other changes include deletion of provisions related to the youth services department and replacing references to the city comptroller with chief financial officer.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 2.01, as amended, §§ 2.02 and 2.04, § 4.03, as amended, § 6.02, §§ 7.02 and 8.02, as amended, §§ 9.01, 10.02, 10.03, 10.06, and 10.09, § 10.10, as amended, and §§ 11.01 and 15.02 of Chapter 542 of the Acts of Assembly of 1990, which provided a charter for the City of Bristol, and to repeal § 7.10 and § 8.06, as amended, of Chapter 542, relating to city powers, utilities, chief financial officer, and city departments.

15103528D

S.B. 1214

Patron: Ebbin

Charter; City of Alexandria. Deletes numerous outdated provisions and updates references to the Code of Virginia.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 2.02, 3.01, 3.02, 3.04, 3.06:1, and 3.07, as amended, §§ 3.13, 3.16, and 3.17, §§ 5.01 and 6.03, as amended, §§ 7.16, 7.20, and 10.03.1, and §§ 11.01, 13.02, and 13.03, as amended, of Chapter 536 of the Acts of Assembly of 1950, which provided a charter for the City of Alexandria, and to repeal Chapter 14 (§§ 14.01 through 14.05) of Chapter 536 of the Acts of Assembly of 1950, relating to powers, mayor, city council, city collector, and department of finance.

15101109D

S.B. 1247

Patron: Deeds

City of Charlottesville; authority to amend zoning ordinance. Authorizes the City of Charlottesville, as part of its zoning ordinance, to offer developers certain options regarding the construction of sidewalks. The bill amends a 2013 act of assembly that granted this authority to Charlottesville only as part of its subdivision ordinance.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 1 of Chapter 277 of the Acts of Assembly of 2013, relating to the City of Charlottesville; authority to amend zoning ordinance.

15100975D