15.2-503 - Referendum on election of the county chairman from the county at large; powers and duties of chairman.
§ 15.2-503. Referendum on election of the county chairman from the county atlarge; powers and duties of chairman.
A. The board of any county in which members of the board are elected fromdistricts, may by resolution petition the circuit court for the county for areferendum on the question of whether there should be a chairman of the boardelected at large, or the like referendum may be requested by a petition tothe circuit court signed by at least ten percent of the voters of the county.Upon the filing of the petition, which shall be filed not less than ninetydays before the general election, the circuit court shall order the electionofficials at the next general election held in the county to open the pollsand take the sense of the voters therein on that question. Notice of thereferendum shall be published once a week for three consecutive weeks priorto the referendum in a newspaper having general circulation in the county,and shall be posted at the door of the county courthouse. The ballot shall beprinted as follows:
"Shall the chairman of the county board of supervisors, to be known as thecounty chairman, be elected by the voters of the county at large?
[] Yes
[] No"
The election shall be held and the results certified as provided in §24.2-684.
B. If a majority of the qualified voters voting in such referendum vote infavor of the election of a county chairman of the board from the county atlarge, beginning at the next general election for the board, the countychairman shall be elected for a term of the same length and commencing at thesame time as that of other members of the board. No person may be a candidatefor county chairman at the same time he is a candidate for membership on theboard from any district of the county.
C. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 15.2-502, the board thereafter shallconsist of one member elected from each district of the county and a countychairman elected by the voters of the county at large. The county chairmanshall be the chairman of the board and preside at its meetings. The chairmanshall represent the county at official functions and ceremonial events. Thechairman shall have all voting and other rights, privileges, and duties ofother board members and such other, not in conflict with this article, as theboard may prescribe. At the first meeting at the beginning of its term andany time thereafter when necessary, the board shall elect a vice-chairmanfrom its membership, who shall perform the duties of the chairman in hisabsence.
(1986, c. 203, § 15.1-589.3; 1997, c. 587.)