SB401: Local government; use of county tax revenue for secondary road improvements.

SENATE BILL NO. 401
Offered January 13, 2010
Prefiled January 13, 2010
A BILL to amend and reenact § 15.2-826 of the Code of Virginia, relating to urban county executive form of government; use of county tax revenue for secondary road improvements.
Patron-- Petersen

Referred to Committee on Local Government

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That § 15.2-826 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

 § 15.2-826. Department of finance; director; general duties.

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 revenues; (iv) the custody of all public funds belonging to or handled by the county; (v) the supervision of the expenditures of the county and its subdivisions; (vi) the disbursement of county funds; (vii) the purchase, storage and distribution of all supplies, materials, equipment and contractual service needed by any department, office or other using agency of the county unless some other officer or employee is designated for this purpose; (viii) the keeping and supervision of all accounts; and (ix) such other duties as the board requires.

The board may assign the budget function to the urban county executive or a budget officer.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, general or special, the county may by ordinance for any fiscal year choose to retain its portion of the retail sales and use tax that is otherwise remitted to the Commonwealth for transportation purposes.  The director of finance shall have such funds held in escrow by the county for purposes of secondary road improvements.  In such case, the County will be prohibited from receiving secondary road funding from the Commonwealth for that fiscal year.  If it chooses to adopt such an ordinance, the county shall give notice to the Commonwealth no later than May 1 of the preceding fiscal year of its intent.