SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2017 SESSION

  • print version
Senate Committee on Local Government

Chairman: William M. Stanley, Jr.

Clerk: John Garrett, Alex Elwood
Staff: Jeffrey Sharp, David Barry
Date of Meeting: January 24, 2017
Time and Place: 1/2 Hour after Adjournment Senate Room B

S.B. 802 Camping in tent or recreational vehicle; special use permit.

Patron: Stanley

Special use permit; camping in tent or recreational vehicle. Prohibits any locality from barring or requiring a special use permit for camping by a landowner and his family or nonpaying guests in a tent or recreational vehicle on the landowner's property for a total of no more than two months per year.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 15.2-2288.2:1, relating to special use permits for camping.

17100687D

S.B. 920 Lien priority.

Patron: Edwards

Lien priority. Inserts "real estate" in several places related to the priority of tax liens so that the operative language now reads "on a parity with liens for unpaid local real estate taxes."

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 15.2-901, 15.2-906, 15.2-907, 15.2-908, 15.2-908.1, and 15.2-1115 of the Code of Virginia, relating to lien priority.

17102716D

S.B. 930 Conservation and replacement of trees; land development processes.

Patron: Petersen

Conservation and replacement of trees; land development processes. Authorizes the Town of Vienna, by ordinance, to provide for the planting and replacement of trees, and the conservation of trees, during certain land development processes.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 15.2-961 and 15.2-961.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to conservation, planting, and replacement of trees during land development process; Town of Vienna.

17102915D

S.B. 932 Conveyance of utility easements; transportation.

Patron: Favola

Conveyance of utility easements; transportation. Exempts from the public hearing requirement prior to disposal of real property by a locality the conveyance of utility easements related to transportation projects.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 15.2-1800 of the Code of Virginia, relating to conveyance of utility easements; transportation.

17101930D

S.B. 967 Local industrial development authorities; port authority.

Patron: Cosgrove

Local industrial development authorities; port authority. Authorizes an industrial development authority or a locality, by ordinance, to create an advisory port authority committee, with powers necessary to operate a port in the locality and promote commerce. The bill expands the definition of "authority facilities" to include port facilities.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 15.2-4901, 15.2-4902 and 15.2-4905 of the Code of Virginia, relating to local industrial development authorities; port facilities.

17102302D

S.B. 976 Va Economic Development Partnership Authority; site and building assessment program.

Patron: Hanger

Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority; site and building assessment program; minimum size of industrial sites. Lowers the minimum size of industrial sites that may be included in the Authority's site and building assessment program from 250 acres to 100 acres. The bill contains a technical amendment.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 2.2-2238 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority; site and building assessment program; minimum size of industrial sites.

17103015D

S.B. 992 Charter; City of Hopewell; water renewal commission.

Patron: Dance

Charter; City of Hopewell; water renewal commission. Changes the membership of the Hopewell Water Renewal Commission (the Commission) from a total of eight members appointed by the city council, five of whom are nominees of five manufacturers, to an unspecified total, three of whom shall be a member of the city council, the city manager, and the city attorney, and the remainder of whom shall be appointed by the city council from nominees each submitted by a manufacturer who shall provide a capital contribution in an amount determined by the city council. The bill removes the city council's authority to provide for additional nominees to the Commission by manufacturers not involved in planning assistance and requires the Commission to assist in the maintenance and expansion of the city's regional wastewater treatment facility.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 1, as amended, and § 3 of Chapter XXV (A.1) of Chapter 431 of the Acts of Assembly of 1950, which provided a charter for the City of Hopewell, relating to the Hopewell Water Renewal Commission.

17102131D

S.B. 1139 Vested property rights; nonconforming uses.

Patron: Obenshain

Vested property rights. Provides that if a structure is one that requires no building permit, and an authorized local government official informs the property owner that the structure will comply with the zoning ordinance, and the owner relies upon the representation and constructs the improvements, a zoning ordinance may provide that the structure is nonconforming but shall not provide that such structure is illegal and subject to removal solely due to such nonconformity. The provisions of the bill are declared to not be deemed retroactive.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 15.2-2307 of the Code of Virginia, relating to vested property rights.

17102236D

S.B. 1173 Vested property rights; nonconforming uses.

Patron: Obenshain

Vested property rights. Provides that if a structure is one that requires no permit, and an authorized local government official informs the property owner that the structure will comply with the zoning ordinance, and the improvement was thereafter constructed, a zoning ordinance may provide that the structure is nonconforming but shall not provide that such structure is illegal and subject to removal solely due to such nonconformity. The provisions of the bill are declared to not be deemed retroactive.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 15.2-2307 of the Code of Virginia, relating to vested property rights.

17103645D

S.B. 1189 Water and sewer services; liens, owners, lessees, or tenants.

Patron: Edwards

Water and sewer services; liens; owners, lessees, or tenants. Separates Code provisions regarding water and sewer services provided to lessees or tenants of real property from Code provisions regarding water and sewer services provided to owners of real property. The bill removes a locality's authority to waive a required written authorization by an owner for water or sewer services provided by a locality to a lessee or tenant. A copy of the lease between the lessee or tenant and the owner is acceptable authorization.

The bill provides that no lien can be placed on the property of an owner when a lessee or tenant has delinquent fees for water or sewer charges until the locality has made reasonable collection efforts and practices including (i) applying the security deposit to the payment of the outstanding balance and (ii) either filing for the Setoff Debt Collection Program (§ 58.1-520 et seq.) or placing the account with a debt collection service. A lien against the lessee or tenant shall rank on a parity with a lien for unpaid taxes. When a locality does not require a security deposit from a lessee or tenant to obtain water and sewer services, the locality shall waive its lien rights against the property owner.

The bill also authorizes the locality or authority to provide a partial credit where excessive water and sewer charges result from an intentional cause. A locality or authority cannot deny service to a new lessee or tenant when there are unpaid fees for services to a previous lessee or tenant unless a lien against the property owner is placed on the property.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 15.2-2119, 15.2-2119.1, 15.2-2122, and 15.2-5139 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 15.2-2119.4, relating to water and sewer liens; lessee or tenant.

17103817D

S.B. 1203 Working waterfront development areas; establishment.

Patron: Lewis

Working waterfront development areas; establishment. Authorizes localities, by ordinance, to establish a working waterfront development area and grant certain incentives and regulatory flexibility to private entities for the development of working waterfronts in such area.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 15.2-2201 and 15.2-2283 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 15.2-2306.1, relating to working waterfront development areas.

17102755D

S.B. 1259 Conveyance of utility easements; transportation.

Patron: Black

Conveyance of utility easements; transportation. Exempts from the public hearing requirement prior to disposal of real property by a locality the conveyance of utility easements related to transportation projects.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 15.2-1800 of the Code of Virginia, relating to conveyance of utility easements; transportation.

17102908D

S.B. 1311 Hampton Roads Sanitation District; adds County of Surry to territory.

Patron: Norment

Hampton Roads Sanitation District; adding territory. Adds the County of Surry, excluding the Town of Claremont, to the Hampton Roads Sanitation District territory. The bill also adds a resident of Surry County as a potential appointee for the Hampton Roads Sanitation District Commission member who under current law must be a resident of the City of Suffolk or Isle of Wight County.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 1 and 2, as amended, of Chapter 66 of the Acts of Assembly of 1960, relating to Hampton Roads Sanitation District; adding territory.

17102741D

S.B. 1318 Troutdale, Town of; amending charter, specifies terms of mayor and recorder as four years.

Patron: Carrico

Charter; Town of Troutdale. Specifies the terms of office of the mayor and the recorder as four years.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 2, as amended, of Chapter 161 of the Acts of Assembly of 1906, which provided a charter for the Town of Troutdale, relating to elections.

17101234D

S.B. 1319 Wytheville, Town of; amending charter, removes certain provisions requiring special election.

Patron: Carrico

Charter; Town of Wytheville. Removes provisions that would require a special election to fill certain vacancies in the office of mayor or on the town council, thus subjecting all such vacancies to the existing requirement that vacancies be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by majority vote of the remaining members on the council.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 2, as amended, of Chapter 18 of the Acts of Assembly of 1946, which provided a charter for the Town of Wytheville, relating to vacancies in office.

17101236D

S.B. 1354 Comprehensive plan; telecommunications towers and facilities in Northern Virginia.

Patron: Favola

Comprehensive plan; telecommunications towers and facilities; Planning District 8. Provides that localities in Planning District 8 (Northern Virginia) have the option to enact ordinances that deem proposed telecommunications towers or facilities constructed by certain entities to be substantially in accord with the comprehensive plan if any such proposed telecommunications tower or facility is located in a zoning district that allows such telecommunications towers or facilities by right, in which case local planning commission approval shall not be required. Under existing law, commission approval is not required for such proposed telecommunications towers and facilities statewide.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 15.2-2232 of the Code of Virginia, relating to comprehensive plan; telecommunications towers and facilities.

17103135D

S.B. 1429 Onley, Town of; amending charter, shifts municipal elections from May to November.

Patron: Lewis

Charter; Town of Onley. Shifts the town's municipal elections from May to November.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 3.1 of Chapters 654 and 693 of the Acts of Assembly of 2005, which provided a charter for the Town of Onley, relating to elections.

17103632D