Virginia Law

In developing its findings of fact and recommendations with respect to a proposed town-county annexation agreement, the commission shall consider the information, data, and factors listed in this section. Any town or county presenting proposed annexation agreements to the commission under the provisions of § 15.2-3231 of the Code of Virginia shall submit with the proposed agreement data and other evidence responsive to each element listed in this section that it deems relevant.

1. A written metes and bounds description of those areas of the county made eligible for annexation under the proposed agreement having as a minimum, sufficient certainty to enable a layman to identify those areas. The description may make reference to readily identifiable monuments such as public roads, rivers, streams, railroad rights of way, and similar discernible physical features.

2. A map showing (i) the boundaries of the various areas eligible for annexation under the proposed agreement and their relationship to existing political boundaries; (ii) identifiable unincorporated communities; (iii) major streets, highways, schools, and other major public facilities; (iv) significant geographic features, including mountains and bodies of water; (v) existing uses of the land, including residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural; and (vi) information deemed relevant as to the possible future use of the property in the areas affected by the proposed agreement.

3. A land-use table showing both the acreage and percentage of land currently devoted to the various categories of land use in the town, the county, and the areas of the county affected by the agreement.

4. The past, the estimated current, and the projected population of the town, the county, and those areas of the county affected by the proposed agreement.

5. The past, the estimated current, and the projected number of public school students enrolled in the public schools and the number of school-age children living in the town, the county, and those areas of the county affected by the proposed agreement.

6. The assessed property values, by major classification and, if appropriate, the ratios of assessed values to true values for real property, personal property, machinery and tools, merchants' capital, and public service corporation property for the current and preceding 10 years for the town, and the county, and similar data for the current year in those areas of the county affected by the proposed agreement.

7. The need of the municipality to expand its tax resources, including its real estate and personal property tax base.

8. The need of the municipality to obtain land for industrial, commercial, and residential development.

9. The current and prospective need for additional urban services in the areas of its county subject to annexation under the agreement.

10. Plans for the immediate and future improvement of areas annexed under the terms of the agreement, including the extension of public utilities and other services.

11. The commission's staff shall endeavor to assist localities contemplating or involved in town-county agreements defining annexation rights by identifying additional data elements considered by the commission to be relevant in the disposition of the issues.