§7-22-14 Modification of Included area; notice; hearing.
§7-22-14. Modification of Included area; notice; hearing.
(a) General. -- The order creating an economic opportunity development district may not be amended to include additional contiguous property until after the amendment is approved by the executive director of the development office in the same manner as an application to approve the establishment of the district is acted upon under section seven of this article and the amendment is authorized by the Legislature.
(b) Limitations. -- Additional property may not be included in the district unless it is situated within the boundaries of the county and is contiguous to the then current boundaries of the district.
(c) Public hearing required. --
(1) The county commission of any county desiring to amend its order shall designate a time and place for a public hearing upon the proposal to include additional property. The notice shall meet the requirements set forth in section six of this article.
(2) At the time and place set forth in the notice, the county commission shall afford the opportunity to be heard to any owners of real property either currently included in or proposed to be added to the existing district and to any other residents of the county.
(d) Application to West Virginia development office. -- Following the hearing, the county commission may, by resolution, apply to the development office to approve inclusion of the additional property in the district.
(e) Consideration by the Executive Director of the Development Office. -- Before the executive director of the development office approves inclusion of the additional property in the district, the development office shall determine the amount of taxes levied by article fifteen, chapter eleven of this code that were collected by businesses located in the area the county commission proposes to add to the district in the same manner as the base amount of tax was determined when the district was first created. The state treasurer shall also deposit one twelfth of this additional tax base amount into the General Revenue Fund each month, as provided in section twelve of this article.
(f) Legislative action required. -- After the Executive Director of the Development Office approves amending the boundaries of the district, the Legislature must amend section nine of this article to allow levy of the special district excise tax on business located in geographic area to be included in the district. After the Legislature amends said section, the county commission may then amend its order: Provided, That the order may not be effective any earlier than the first day of the calendar month that begins sixty days after the effective date of the act of the Legislature authorizing the levy on the special district excise tax on businesses located in the geographic area to be added to the boundaries of the district for which the tax is levied or a later date as set forth in the order of the county commission.
(g) Collection of special district excise tax. -- All businesses included in a district because of the boundary amendment shall on the effective date of the order, determined as provided in subsection (f) of this section, collect the special district excise tax on all sales on tangible property or services made from locations in the district on or after the effective date of the county commission's order or a later date as set forth in the order.