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1995 SESSION

LD6072667
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 300
Offered January 19, 1995
Proposing an amendment to Section 2 of Article VII of the Constitution of Virginia, relating to the organization and government of localities.
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Patrons--Hawkins and Trumbo; Delegate: Clement
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Referred to the Committee on Privileges and Elections
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RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, a majority of the members elected to each house agreeing, That the following amendments to the Constitution of Virginia be, and the same hereby are, proposed and referred to the General Assembly at its first regular session held after the next general election of members of the House of Delegates for its concurrence in conformity with the provisions of Section 1 of Article XII of the Constitution of Virginia, namely:

Amend Section 2 of Article VII of the Constitution of Virginia as follows:

ARTICLE VII
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Section 2. Organization and government.

The General Assembly shall provide by general law for the organization, government, powers, change of boundaries, consolidation, and dissolution of counties, cities, towns, and regional governments. The General Assembly may also provide by general law optional plans of government for counties, cities, or towns to be effective if approved by a majority vote of the qualified voters voting on any such plan in any such county, city, or town.

The General Assembly may also provide by special act for the organization, government, and powers of any county, city, town, or regional government, including such powers of legislation, taxation, and assessment as the General Assembly may determine, but no such special act shall be adopted which provides for the extension or contraction of boundaries of any county, city, or town.

Every law providing for the organization of a regional government shall, in addition to any other requirements imposed by the General Assembly, require the approval of the organization of the regional government by a majority vote of the qualified voters voting thereon in each county and city which is to participate in the regional government and of the voters voting thereon in a part of a county or city where only the part is to participate.

The General Assembly shall provide by general law for agreements between a county and a city to share the revenues and costs associated with a particular land area to be designated in the agreement. The law shall provide for the establishment of a special governing body for the area to be comprised of two members selected by the governing body of the county, two members to be selected by the governing body of the city, and a fifth member to be selected alternatively by the county and city governing bodies, to serve for the terms and compensation provided by law. The General Assembly may provide that the special governing body shall have any of the powers or perform any of the functions of the county or city governing bodies with respect to the land area designated in the agreement and may provide for the adoption of the agreement upon the approval of the governing bodies of the county and city without a vote of the qualified voters of the county and city.