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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>56495</law_id><section_number>15.2-3401</section_number><catch_line>Referendum on contracting of debt by counties in voluntary settlement agreements</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="15.2">Counties, Cities and Towns</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="III">Boundary Adjustments and Changes of Status of Counties, Cities and Towns</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="34">Voluntary Settlement of Annexation, Transition or Immunity Issues</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>Before a <span class="dictionary">county</span>, under the terms of a voluntary agreement pursuant to this chapter, <span class="dictionary">contracts</span> a debt pursuant to Article VII, &#xA7;&#xA0;10 (b) of the Constitution of Virginia, the <span class="dictionary">board of supervisors</span> shall, in conformity with Article VII, &#xA7;&#xA0;10 (b) of the Constitution of Virginia, <span class="dictionary">petition</span> the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> for the <span class="dictionary">county</span> for an <span class="dictionary">order</span> calling for a special election in the <span class="dictionary">county</span> on the question of contracting such debt.
		The question on the ballot shall be as follows, provided that the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> in its <span class="dictionary">order</span> calling for the election may substitute alternative language necessary to specify the type of agreement or the particular debt which the <span class="dictionary">county</span> proposes to <span class="dictionary">contract</span> under an agreement:
		&#x201C;Shall (name of <span class="dictionary">county</span>) be authorized to <span class="dictionary">contract</span> a debt by entering into a <span class="dictionary">contract</span> for the payment (describe the debt or payment) to (name of <span class="dictionary">locality</span> to whom payments are to be made) as a part of the proposed voluntary annexation and immunity <span class="dictionary">settlement</span> agreement between the <span class="dictionary">county</span> and (name of other <span class="dictionary">locality</span>)?
		[ ] Yes
		[ ] No&#x201D;
		The clerk of the <span class="dictionary">county</span> shall cause a notice of the <span class="dictionary">referendum</span> to be published three times in a newspaper having general circulation in the <span class="dictionary">county</span>, with the first notice appearing no more than 35 days before and the third notice appearing no less than seven days before the election, and shall post a copy of the notice at the door of the <span class="dictionary">county</span> courthouse.
		The election shall be held and the results thereof ascertained and certified in accordance with Article 5 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="How special elections superintended and determined" href="/24.2-681/">24.2-681</a> et seq.) of Chapter 6 of Title 24.2. If a majority of the <span class="dictionary">voters</span> of the <span class="dictionary">county</span> voting in such election approve the contracting of such debt, the <span class="dictionary">county</span> may proceed to adopt, by <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span>, the agreement.</p></section></text><history>1985, c. 66, &#xA7; 15.1-1167.2; 1997, c. 587; 2023, cc. 506, 507; 2024, cc. 225, 242.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
