Title 15.2, Title 15.2. Counties, Cities and Towns

The board of supervisors shall be the policy-determining body of the county and shall be vested with all rights and powers conferred on boards of supervisors by general law, consistent with the form of county organization and government herein provided.

The board may prohibit any act defined as a misdemeanor and prohibited by the laws of this Commonwealth and provide a penalty for violations, to the end that the board may parallel by ordinance the criminal laws of this Commonwealth.

The board may inquire into the official conduct of any office or officer under its control, and investigate the accounts, receipts, disbursements and expenses of any county or district officer. For these purposes it may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths and require the product…

The board shall, as soon as its members are elected and take office, provide for the performance of all the governmental functions of the county and to that end shall provide for and set up all necessary departments of government, consistent with the provisions of the form of cou…

Whenever it is not designated herein what officer or employee of the county shall exercise any power or perform any duty conferred upon or required of the county, or any officer thereof, by general law, then any such power shall be exercised or duty performed by that officer or e…

The board shall appoint a county manager and fix his compensation. He shall be the administrative head of the county government and shall devote his full time to the work of the county. He shall be appointed with regard to merit only, and need not be a resident of the county at t…

The county manager shall not be appointed for a definite tenure, but may be removed at the pleasure of the board. If the board determines to remove the county manager, he shall be given, if he so demands, a written statement of the reasons alleged for the proposed removal and the…

In case of the absence or disability of the manager, the board may designate some responsible person to perform the duties of the office.

The county manager shall be responsible to the board for the proper administration of all the affairs of the county which the board has authority to control. To that end he shall appoint all officers and employees in the county's administrative service, except as otherwise provid…

All appointments made pursuant to § 15.2-612 shall be without definite term, unless for temporary service not to exceed twelve months. Any officer or employee of the county appointed by the manager, or upon his authorization, may be laid off, suspended or removed from office or e…

As the administrative head of the county government for the board, the manager shall supervise the collection of all revenues, guard adequately all expenditures, secure proper accounting for all funds, safeguard the property of the county, exercise general supervision over all co…

The county manager shall be responsible to the board for the administration of the following activities: 1. The assessment of property for taxation and the preparation of the tax books; 2. The collection of taxes, fees and other revenues of the county; 3. The custody of and accou…

The activities or functions of the county shall, with the exceptions herein provided, be distributed among the following departments: 1. Department of finance. 2. Department of public works. 3. Department of social services. 4. Department of education. 5. Department of public hea…

The director of finance shall be the head of the department of finance and as such have charge of (i) the administration of the county's financial affairs, including the budget; (ii) the assessment of property for taxation; (iii) the collection of taxes, license fees and other re…

No money shall be drawn from the county treasury, nor shall any obligation for the expenditure of money be incurred except in pursuance of appropriation resolutions. Accounts shall be kept for each item of appropriation made by the board. Each such account shall show in detail th…

The director of finance shall exercise all the powers conferred and perform all the duties imposed by general law upon commissioners of the revenue, not inconsistent herewith, and shall be subject to the obligations and penalties imposed by general law. Every general reassessment…

The director of finance shall exercise the powers conferred and perform the duties imposed by general law upon county treasurers, and shall be subject to the obligations and penalties imposed by general law. All moneys received by any county officer or employee for or in connecti…

The director of finance shall audit all claims against the county for goods or services. It shall be his duty (i) to ascertain that such claims are in accordance with the purchase orders or contracts from which the claims arise; (ii) to draw all checks in settlement of such claim…

The director of finance shall act as purchasing agent for the county, unless the board designates another officer or employee for such purpose. The director of finance or the person designated as purchasing agent shall make all purchases, subject to such exceptions as the board a…

The director may have such deputies or assistants in the performance of his duties as the board allows.

The chief assessing officer shall be subject to the obligations and penalties imposed by general law upon commissioners of the revenue.

The county engineer, who shall be head of the department of public works, shall be responsible for the construction and maintenance of county roads and bridges, county stormwater systems within public rights-of-way and public easements and all other public works. He shall exercis…

The director of social services, who shall be head of the department of social services, shall exercise the powers conferred and perform the duties imposed by general law upon the county board of social services, not inconsistent herewith. He shall also perform such other duties …

The department of education shall consist of the county school board, the division superintendent of schools and the officers and employees thereof. Except as herein otherwise provided, the county school board and the division superintendent of schools shall exercise all the powe…

Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding sections, in any county which hereafter adopts the county manager form of organization and government under this chapter, the members of the county school board then in office shall be appointed or reappointed, as the case may be, f…

The department of health shall consist of the county health director, who shall be appointed as provided in the applicable provisions of Article 5 (§ 32.1-30 et seq.) of Chapter 1 of Title 32.1 and who shall be head thereof, and the other officers and employees of such department…

The department of assessments, if and when established, shall be headed by a commissioner of the revenue or supervisor of assessments, who shall exercise the powers conferred and perform the duties imposed by § 15.2-619 upon the director of finance.

The department of extension and continuing education, if and when established, shall consist of the county extension agent, who shall be head of the department, a home economics agent, a 4-H youth agent and such other extension agents and employees as may be appointed or employed…

The department of public safety if and when established shall be under the supervision of a director of public safety appointed by the county manager. Such department shall consist of the following divisions: 1. Division of police, in charge of a chief of police and consisting of…

The board may create the office of county attorney. The county attorney shall be appointed by the county manager, and serve at a salary fixed by the board. He shall be accountable to the county manager. No person shall be appointed a county attorney under the provisions of this s…

The department of public utilities, if and when established, shall be under the supervision of a director of public utilities appointed by the county manager. The department shall be in charge of the construction, operation, maintenance and administration of public utilities, own…

As a condition of employment, any county having the county manager form of government shall require any applicant who is offered or accepts employment, whether full-time or part-time, permanent or temporary or contractual, at such county's water treatment facility after September…

The clerk of the circuit court, the attorney for the Commonwealth and the sheriff shall be selected in the manner and for the terms, and vacancies in such office shall be filled, as provided by general law. The clerk of the circuit court shall be clerk of the board of supervisors…

The board shall require an annual audit of the books of every county officer who handles public funds to be made by an accountant who is not a regular officer or employee of the county and who is qualified by training and experience. An audit made by the Auditor of Public Account…

The board shall establish a schedule of compensation for officers and employees which shall provide uniform compensation for like service. The compensation prescribed shall be subject to such limitations as made by general law.

Each year at least two weeks before the board must prepare its proposed annual budget, the county manager shall prepare and submit to the board a budget presenting a financial plan for conducting the county's affairs for the ensuing year. Such budget shall be set up in the manner…

All county officers and employees shall be paid regular compensation. The fee system as a method of compensation in the county shall be abolished, except for officers not affected by the adoption of this form of county organization and government. All such officers and employees …

The county may establish and prescribe for all employees of the county the following provisions applicable to such employees: 1. Normal workdays and hours of employment therein; 2. Holidays; 3. Days of vacation allowed; 4. Days of sick leave allowed; 5. Other provisions concernin…

The county manager shall give bond in the amount of not less than $5,000. The director of finance shall give bond in accordance with general law. If the county manager also serves as director of finance, he shall give bond in the full amounts indicated above. The board shall have…

The following officers shall not, except as herein otherwise provided, be affected by the adoption of the county manager form: 1. Jury commissioners; 2. County electoral boards; 3. Registrars; 4. Judges and clerks of elections; and 5. Magistrates.