HB2494: Charter; City of Hopewell.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That 4 of Chapter IV, as amended, 1 of Chapter XVIII, as amended, and 1 of Chapter XXII of Chapter 431 of the Acts of Assembly of 1950 are amended and reenacted and that Chapter XVIII of Chapter 431 of the Acts of Assembly of 1950 is amended by adding sections numbered 2 and 3 as follows:
Chapter IV
Council
4. Election and terms of president (ex officio mayor), vice-president (ex officio vice-mayor) and members of boards and commissions; quorums; journal; etc. (a) On the first Tuesday in July next following the regular municipal election, or as soon thereafter as may be practicable, the newly elected council shall proceed to choose by majority vote of all the members thereof one of their number to be president, who shall be ex officio mayor, and another as vice-president, who shall be ex officio vice-mayor, of the council, each of whom shall serve for a period of two years from the first day of the July in which such election is held and until their successor or successors have been elected and qualified.
(b) Appointment of boards and commissions; enumeration,
term. The school board, library board, and dock commission shall each consist
of five members.; provided,
however, that in the event the council elects to participate in a regional free
library system in lieu of establishing a local library board as provided for in
Chapter XXII, Section 1, the council shall appoint such
members of the board of such regional free library system as are permitted
under the inter-jurisdictional contract establishing the regional library
system as that contract may be amended from time to time.
The council shall appoint the members of such boards and commissions as are provided for in this charter, or as may be established by the council or by general law on a date and for such terms as may be established by ordinance.
The members of the boards and commissions shall serve until their successors have been appointed and qualified.
(c) Elections to be by viva voce vote; rules of procedure; punishment of members for misconduct, etc.; quorum; eligibility of members for other office; journal of proceedings. All elections by the council shall be viva voce and the vote recorded in the journal of the council.
The council may determine its own rules of procedure; in the absence of established rules of procedure, Roberts "Rules of Order" shall prevail. Council may punish its members for misconduct and may compel the attendance of members in such manner and under such penalties as may be prescribed by ordinance. It shall keep a journal of its proceedings. A majority of all the members of the council shall constitute a quorum to do business, but a smaller number may adjourn from time to time.
No person, now a member or who may hereafter be elected to the council, shall during his tenure of office, or during the term for which he was elected as such member, be eligible to any office to be filled by the council by election or appointment.
Chapter XVIII
Bond Issues
1. Bonds, within the limits provided by general law, may
shall be issued by said citythe
City of Hopewell, upon the affirmative vote of
a majority vote of all members of council, and the issuance, execution and
terms thereof shall be governed by 15.1-170 et seq., inclusive,in
a referendum of voters pursuant to 15.2-2610 and 15.2-2611 of
the Code of Virginia of 1950, as amended.
2. The following bonds shall be exempted from the requirement to be approved by a referendum of voters: (i) bonds issued for improvements to existing public buildings; (ii) bonds not exceeding $10 million, as adjusted for inflation based upon increases in the annual All Items Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers, as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, issued for economic development purposes as determined by the city council; (iii) revenue bonds; (iv) refunding bonds; and (v) tax and revenue anticipation obligations that mature within one year from the date of their issue. Such bonds so excepted may be issued upon an affirmative vote of a majority of all members of city council.
3. The issuance, execution, and terms of such bonds shall be governed by Chapter 26 ( 15.2-2600 et seq.) of Title 15.2, of the Code of Virginia of 1950, as amended.
Chapter XXII
Library Board
1. ThereAt the election of city
council, shall
be (i) a library board of the City of Hopewell
which that shall
consist of five members, who shall be residents of the City of Hopewell, who shall
be appointed by a majority of the city council as hereinbefore provided, whose
qualifications shall be such and who shall perform such duties as the city
council may prescribe., or (ii) the City
of Hopewell shall join and participate in a regional free library system
pursuant to 42.1-37 to 42.1-45, inclusive, of
the Code of Virginia of 1950,
as amended.