A. The Authority shall consist of seven members as follows: four nonlegislative citizen members to be appointed by the Governor in consultation with the chief elected officer of each Hampton Roads locality or his designee, provided that at least one member shall be a resident of the City of Chesapeake, at least one member shall be a resident of the City of Norfolk, and at least one member shall be a resident of the City of Virginia Beach; and the chief elected officer of each Hampton Roads locality or his designee, who shall serve ex officio with voting privileges. Each member appointed by the Governor shall be subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. The members of the Authority annually shall elect a chairman and a vice-chairman from their membership; the vice-chairman shall perform the duties of the chairman in his absence. If a member of the Authority who is a chief elected officer of a locality is unable to attend a meeting of the Authority, he may designate another current elected official of such governing body to attend a meeting of the Authority. Such designation shall be for the purposes of one meeting and shall be submitted in writing or electronically to the chairman of the Authority prior to the affected meeting.
B. Members of the Authority who are elected shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. After the initial staggering of terms, members of the Authority appointed by the Governor shall serve terms of four years. At the end of a term, a member shall continue to serve until a successor is appointed and qualifies. A member who is appointed after a term has begun serves only for the rest of the term and until a successor is appointed and qualifies. The members of the Authority shall receive no compensation for their services, but a member may be reimbursed by the Authority for reasonable expenses actually incurred in the performance of the duties of that office.