15.2-802 - Powers of county vested in board of supervisors; membership, election, terms, etc., of board; vacancies; powers of chairman.
§ 15.2-802. Powers of county vested in board of supervisors; membership,election, terms, etc., of board; vacancies; powers of chairman.
The powers of the county as a body politic and corporate shall be vested inan urban county board of supervisors, to consist of one member from eachdistrict of such county and to be known as the board of supervisors ("theboard"). Each member shall be a qualified voter of his district and shall beelected by the qualified voters thereof. In addition to the above boardmembers, the voters shall elect a county chairman who shall be a qualifiedvoter of the county. No person may be a candidate for county chairman at thesame time he is a candidate for membership on the county board from anydistrict of the county. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the board andthe chairman shall be included and counted.
The county chairman shall be the chairman of the board and preside at themeetings thereof. The chairman shall represent the county at officialfunctions and ceremonial events. The chairman shall have all rights,privileges, and duties of other members of the board and such others, not inconflict with this article, as the board may prescribe. In addition, thechairman shall have the power to (i) call special meetings of the board inaccordance with the procedures and restrictions of § 15.2-1418, mutatismutandis; (ii) set the agenda for board meetings; however, any such agendamay be modified by an affirmative vote of the board; (iii) appoint countyrepresentatives to regional boards, authorities and commissions which areauthorized in advance by the board; however, any such appointment shall besubject to revocation by an affirmative vote of a majority of all memberselected to the board acting within the thirty-day period following thatappointment; and (iv) create and appoint committees of the board and namepresiding members of such committees as authorized by the board; however, anysuch committee or appointment shall be subject to revocation by anaffirmative vote of a majority of all members elected to the board.
At the first meeting at the beginning of its term and any time thereafterwhen necessary, the board shall elect a vice-chairman from its membership whoshall perform the duties of the chairman in his absence.
The supervisors and chairman first elected under the provisions of thischapter shall hold office until January 1 following the next regular electionprovided by general law for the election of supervisors. At such electiontheir successors shall be elected for terms of four years each.
If the number of districts in any such county is increased by redistrictingor otherwise subsequent to a general election for supervisors, and suchsupervisors have taken office, then the board shall adopt a resolutionrequesting a judge of the circuit court for such county to call a specialelection for an additional supervisor or supervisors in accordance with theincrease in the number of districts, such additional supervisor orsupervisors to be elected from the county at large, and such election shallbe held within forty-five days from the date of such request. Thequalifications of candidates and the election shall be as at general lawapplying to special elections. Any supervisors thereby elected shall holdoffice until January 1 following the next regular election provided bygeneral law for the election of members of the board, and at the next regularelection all supervisors of any such county shall be elected from districtsas provided by law.
If a vacancy occurs on the board, the chief judge of the circuit court forsuch county shall call a special election, in the district if the vacancy isof a district supervisor, or in the county at large if the vacancy is of thechairman, to be held not fewer than thirty nor more than ninety days afterthe occurrence of the vacancy; however, if the vacancy occurs within 150 daysprior to a general election, such special election may be held on the generalelection day; and if the vacancy occurs within 120 days prior to the date ofa regular election for the board of supervisors, such vacancy shall be filledby appointment by the remaining members of the board within seven days of theoccurrence of the vacancy, which appointment shall be for the duration of theterm of office of the person whose absence from the board occasioned suchvacancy. The qualification of candidates and the election shall be otherwiseas at general law applying to special elections.
(Code 1950, § 15-384.17; 1960, c. 382; 1962, c. 623, § 15.1-729; 1966, c.464; 1968, c. 797; 1971, Ex. Sess., c. 158; 1972, c. 707; 1985, c. 138; 1994,c. 148; 1997, c. 587.)