15.2-7017 - Miscellaneous.
§ 15.2-7017. Miscellaneous.
A. Any money set aside for the payment of the principal of or interest on anybonds issued by the Authority not claimed within two years from the day theprincipal of such bonds is due by maturity or by call for redemption shall bepaid into the treasury of the Commonwealth. No interest shall accrue on suchprincipal or interest from the day the same is due as aforesaid. TheComptroller of the Commonwealth shall keep an account of all money thus paidinto the treasury, and it shall be paid to the individual copartnership,association, or corporation entitled thereto upon satisfactory proof thatsuch individual, copartnership, association, or corporation is so entitled tosuch money. If the claim so presented is rejected by the Comptroller, theclaimant may proceed against the Comptroller for recovery in the CircuitCourt of the City of Richmond. An appeal from the judgment of the circuitcourt shall lie to the Supreme Court of Virginia as in actions at law, andall laws and rules relating to practice and procedure in actions at law shallapply to proceedings authorized hereunder. No such proceedings shall be filedafter 10 years from the day the principal of or interest on such bonds is dueas aforesaid; however, if the individual having such claim is an infant orinsane person or is imprisoned at such due date, such proceedings may befiled within five years after the removal of such disability, notwithstandingthe fact that such 10-year period has expired.
B. The Authority may contract with the City of Richmond, the Counties ofHenrico and Chesterfield, and the Department of State Police for the policingof any or all Authority facilities, and the City of Richmond, the Counties ofHenrico and Chesterfield, and the Department of State Police are herebyauthorized to enter into contracts with the Authority for such purpose.Police officers providing police services pursuant to such contracts shall beunder the exclusive control and direction of the authority providing suchofficers, and shall be responsible to that authority exclusively for theperformance of their duties and the exercise of their powers. The Authorityshall reimburse the City of Richmond, the County of Henrico or Chesterfield,or the Commonwealth, as the case may be, in such amounts and at such time ortimes as shall be mutually agreed upon, for providing police service. Suchofficers shall be responsible for the preservation of the public peace,prevention of crime, apprehension of criminals, protection of the rights ofpersons and property, and enforcement of the laws of the Commonwealth and allrules and regulations of the Authority made in accordance herewith, and suchofficers shall have all the rights and duties of police officers as providedby the general laws of the Commonwealth. The violation of any such rule orregulation shall be punishable as follows: if such a violation would havebeen a violation of law if committed on any public road, street, or highwayin the City of Richmond or the County of Henrico or Chesterfield, it shall bepunishable in the same manner as if it had been committed on such publicroad, street, or highway; otherwise it shall be punishable as a Class 1misdemeanor. All other police officers of the Commonwealth and of the City ofRichmond and the Counties of Henrico and Chesterfield shall have the samepowers and jurisdiction within the areas of operations agreed upon by theparties that they have beyond such limits and shall have access to all suchareas at any and all times without interference for the purpose of exercisingsuch powers and jurisdiction. For the purpose of enforcing such laws, rules,and regulations the court or courts having jurisdiction for the trial ofcriminal offenses committed in the City of Richmond or in the Counties ofHenrico and Chesterfield within whose boundaries any crime is committed shallhave jurisdiction to try any person charged with the violation of any suchlaws, rules, and regulations within such boundaries. A copy of the rules andregulations of the Authority, attested by the Secretary orSecretary-Treasurer of the Authority, may be admitted as evidence in lieu ofthe original. Any such copy purporting to be sealed and signed by suchSecretary or Secretary-Treasurer may be admitted as evidence without anyproof of the seal or signature, or of the official character of the personwhose name is signed to it.
C. All actions at law and suits in equity and other proceedings, actions, andsuits against the Authority, or any other person, firm, or corporation,growing out of the construction, maintenance, repair, operation, and use ofany Authority facility, or growing out of any other circumstances, events, orcauses in connection therewith, unless otherwise provided herein, shall bebrought and conducted in the court or courts having jurisdiction of suchactions, suits, and proceedings in the City of Richmond or the County ofHenrico or Chesterfield within whose boundaries the causes of such actions,suits, and proceedings arise, and jurisdiction is hereby conferred on suchcourt or courts for that purpose. All such actions, suits, and proceedings onbehalf of the Authority shall be brought and conducted in the Circuit Courtof the City of Richmond, except as herein otherwise provided, and exclusivejurisdiction is hereby conferred on such court for the purpose. Eminentdomain proceedings instituted and conducted by the Authority shall be broughtand conducted in the court or courts having jurisdiction of such proceedingsin the City of Richmond or the Counties of Henrico and Chesterfield withinwhose boundaries the land or other property to be so acquired or the majorportion thereof is situated, and jurisdiction is hereby conferred on suchcourts for such purpose.
D. On or before the 30th day of September in each year, the Authority shallprepare a report of its activities for the 12-month period ending thepreceding July 1 of such year and shall file a copy thereof with theCommonwealth Transportation Board, the City of Richmond, and the Counties ofHenrico and Chesterfield. Each such report shall set forth an operating andfinancial statement covering the Authority's operations during the 12-monthsperiod covered by such report. The Authority shall cause an audit of itsbooks and accounts to be made at least once in each year by certified publicaccountants to be selected by the Authority, and the cost thereof shall betreated as a part of the cost of construction and operation of the project.
E. The records, books, and accounts of the Authority shall be subject toexamination and inspection by duly authorized representatives of theCommonwealth Transportation Board, the governing bodies of the City ofRichmond and the Counties of Henrico and Chesterfield, and any bondholder orbondholders at any reasonable time, provided the business of the Authority isnot unduly interrupted or interfered with thereby.
F. Any member, agent, or employee of the Authority who contracts with theAuthority or is interested, either directly or indirectly, in any contractwith the Authority or in the sale of any property, either real or personal,to the Authority shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to afine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment in jail for not more than oneyear, either or both. Exclusive jurisdiction for the trial of suchmisdemeanors is hereby conferred upon the Circuit Court of the City ofRichmond; provided, that the term "contract," as used herein, shall not beheld to include the depositing of funds in, or the borrowing of funds from orthe serving as agent or trustee by, any bank in which any member, agent, oremployee of the Authority may be a director, officer, or employee or have asecurity interest; nor shall such term include contracts or agreements withthe Commonwealth Transportation Board or the purchase of services from, orother transactions in the ordinary course of business with, public servicecorporations.
(2009, c. 471.)