Title 15.2, Title 15.2. Counties, Cities and Towns

The clerk of the board shall be such qualified person as the board designates. He shall be compensated in an amount set by the board and may employ such deputies and assistants as the board authorizes. He shall exercise the powers conferred and perform the duties imposed upon suc…

A. In any county operating as of December 1, 1993, under the county manager plan provided for in this chapter, the members of the board shall be elected and vacancies on the board shall be filled as provided in this section. The members of the board shall be elected from the coun…

A. For purposes of this section: "Instant runoff voting" means a method of casting and tabulating votes in which (i) voters rank candidates in order of preference, (ii) tabulation proceeds in rounds such that in each round either a candidate or candidates are elected or the last-…

The administrative and executive powers of the county, including the power of appointment of all officers and employees whose appointment or election is not otherwise provided by law, are vested in the county manager, who shall be appointed by the board at its first meeting or as…

The county officers shall give such bonds as are now required by general law, except that the bond of the treasurer shall be in such penalty as the court or judge requires, but not less than fifteen percent of the amount to be received annually by him. In addition, the board may …

The term of office of the county manager shall expire on June 30 of each year. Except as hereinafter provided, he shall be notified at least sixty days before the expiration of his term if his services are not desired for the ensuing twelve-month period. He shall receive such ann…

The board may inquire into the official conduct of any office, officer or employee under its control, and investigate the accounts, receipts, disbursements and expenses of any such office, officer or employee. For these purposes it may subpoena county employees as witnesses, admi…

Arlington County, having a local ordinance adopted in accordance with § 19.2-389, shall require applicants for employment with the county to submit to fingerprinting and to provide personal descriptive information to be forwarded along with the applicant's fingerprints through th…

The board may appoint a county auditor for the audit and review of county agencies and county-funded functions. The county auditor shall have the power to make performance reviews of operations of county agencies or county-funded programs to ascertain that sums appropriated are e…

A. The board may appoint an independent policing auditor to support any law-enforcement civilian oversight body created by the board pursuant to § 9.1-601. The independent policing auditor shall have all the powers of the law-enforcement civilian oversight body, to the extent suc…

In addition to such other duties as are or may be prescribed by law or directed by the board, the county manager shall each year on or before April 15 prepare and submit to the board a tentative budget for informative and fiscal planning purposes. The budget shall be prepared in …

The board by resolution may require the county manager to certify to the treasurer the payroll of the regular employees of the county for the successive payroll periods, and vouchers for the payment of bills for materials and supplies which have been received and for which discou…

The board may by resolution authorize the county manager to sign and issue an order or authorization to the treasurer for payment of vouchers for materials, supplies and services which have been received and the treasurer shall pay the same. The provisions of § 15.2-711 shall app…

The treasurer or his duly authorized deputies may transfer public funds from one depository to another by wire. Such officers may also draw any of the county's money by check, by an electronic fund wire or payment system, or by any means deemed appropriate and sound by the county…

The board may designate one or more banks or trust companies as collecting or receiving agencies for county funds, which funds shall be deposited to the county's credit and be subject to the control of the county treasurer.

The board, by a majority vote of all the members elected, may abolish any board, commission, or office of such county except the school board and school superintendent, and the officers elected by popular vote provided for in Article VII, Section 4 of the Constitution of Virginia…

A referendum may be initiated by a petition signed by 200 or more qualified voters of the county filed with the circuit court, asking that a referendum be held on the question of whether the county shall have a department of real estate assessments. The court shall on or before A…

A. The membership of the board of equalization of real estate assessments shall be composed of an odd number of not less than three nor more than 11 members, as determined by the governing body of the county. The circuit court of the county shall appoint a number of members equal…

Any person aggrieved by an assessment of real estate made by the department of real estate assessments may apply for relief to the circuit court of the county within one year from December 31 of the year in which such assessment is made for assessments made prior to January 1, 20…

The board may provide for the postponement of the payment of assessments made pursuant to the provisions of Article 2 (§ 15.2-2404 et seq.) of Chapter 24 of this title by any property owner at the election of the property owner. Full payment of the assessment plus accrued interes…

The board may by ordinance place reasonable limits on the removal or immobilization of trespassing vehicles.

Notwithstanding the provisions of § 15.2-2019 or 33.2-213, the board may by ordinance name any section of U.S. Route 29 located within the boundaries of the locality. The Department of Transportation shall place and maintain appropriate signs indicating the name of such highway, …

In connection with some or all of its employee benefit programs, the board is authorized to enter into voluntary salary reduction agreements with its officers and employees when such agreements are authorized under the laws of the United States relating to federal income taxes. A…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the county board, in order to ensure its competitiveness as an employer, may by ordinance provide for the use of funds, other than state funds, to provide grants for county and school board employees, as well as employees of local const…

The board, in addition to any other powers granted by general or special law may appoint a civil service commission ("the commission"), to be composed of five persons who shall receive such compensation as the board prescribes. The initial terms of office of commission members sh…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any questionnaires, audit or interview notes, scoring keys, scoring sheets or similar documents pertaining to a classification and compensation study for county employees shall not be considered to be public or official …

In any county for which a trial board for police officers is provided by state statute, police officers may elect the remedy provided by Chapter 5 (§ 9.1-500 et seq.) of Title 9.1 in lieu of appealing to the trial board, but such election shall bar the right of appeal to the tria…

Any county which has a sanitary district which includes the entire county, may exercise all of the powers granted to the sanitary district in the name of the county or in the name of the sanitary district, or both. If the board elects to exercise any of the powers of the sanitary…

A. The board may, by ordinance, establish a local commission on human rights which shall have the following duties: 1. To promote policies to ensure that all persons be afforded equal opportunity; 2. To serve as an agency for receiving, investigating and assisting in the resoluti…

A. The board is hereby authorized, without limiting its authority to acquire by other means, to acquire by gift or purchase easements in gross or such other interest in real estate as are designed to maintain (i) the character and use of improved real property as rental property …

The board may provide that the persons, firms or corporations against whom assessments have finally been made under Article 2 (§ 15.2-2404 et seq.) of Chapter 23 of this title may pay such assessments in equal installments over a period not exceeding ten years together with inter…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, whenever any county purchases real estate for which the consideration paid exceeds $1,000, the county, in lieu of having the title examined and approved by an attorney-at-law, may purchase an insurance policy which insures the county's …

The board shall provide by local ordinance for the application of Chapter 4 (§ 25.1-400 et seq.) of Title 25.1 to displaced persons as defined in § 25.1-400, in cases of acquisition of real property for use in projects or programs in which only local funds are used.

Notwithstanding subdivision A 5 of § 15.2-2286, a county may adopt an ordinance which establishes a uniform schedule of civil penalties for violations of specified provisions of the zoning ordinances regulating the storage of junk and the repair of motor vehicles. Such schedule o…

The board may by resolution elect to have those of its officers and employees who are regularly employed part-time on a salary basis, whose tenure is not restricted as to temporary or provisional appointment, become eligible to participate in the county retirement systems as prov…

A county may provide by ordinance for the regulation of sales of goods and services by peddlers or itinerant merchants on any public street or sidewalk.

The board may adopt by ordinance procedures and a schedule of penalties so that the county manager or his designee may issue notices of violation for litter control ordinances. Before any summons is issued for the prosecution of a violation, the violator shall be notified by mail…

The board may (i) sell, at public or private sale, or exchange, lease (as lessor or lessee), mortgage, pledge, subordinate its interest in, or otherwise dispose of the real property, which includes the superjacent airspace, except airspace provided for in § 15.2-2030, which may b…

The board may establish by resolution a housing fund, the purpose of which will be to assist for-profit or nonprofit housing developers or organizations to develop or preserve affordable housing for low and moderate income persons. The fund may be used to assist the developer or …

A. In a county that provides in its comprehensive plan for the physical development within the county, adopted pursuant to § 15.2-2223, for densities of development ranging between a floor area ratio (FAR) of 1.0 FAR and 10.0 FAR, or greater, the governing body may adopt as part …

Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any person who is transferred from state to local employment pursuant to Chapter 816 of the Acts of Assembly of 1988, and who is a member of the Virginia Retirement System at the time of the transfer, shall continue to b…

The board may require by ordinance that the county and the owner divide equally the reimbursement of any tenant of a building containing at least four residential units for amounts actually expended to relocate when the tenant has been terminated by 120 days' notice given under §…

Notwithstanding the provisions of §§ 2.2-1202.1, 15.2-1506, and 15.2-1507 to the contrary, in any county which has the county manager plan of government provided for in this chapter, a grievance procedure may be established which permits an Equal Employment Opportunity officer, e…

With the consent of the property owner, a county may enter private property and, at the county's expense, construct or reconstruct a system to divert water not requiring treatment by the county's sanitary sewer system into the county's storm sewer system.

The board may impose taxes or assessments upon owners of abutting property for making, improving, replacing, or enlarging the walkways upon then existing streets; for improving and paving then existing alleys; and for either the construction or the use of sanitary or storm water …

In addition to the transient occupancy tax authorized by § 58.1-3819, the board may impose an additional transient occupancy tax not to exceed one percent of the total price paid by the customer for the use or possession of any room or space occupied in a retail sale. The revenue…