Virginia Law

In developing its findings of fact and recommendations with respect to a proposed county to city transition, the commission shall consider the information, data, and factors listed in this section. Any county filing notice with the commission that it proposes to become a city shall submit with the notice data and other evidence responsive to each element listed in this section that it deems relevant to the proposed transition.

1. A map showing (i) the location of all towns situated within the county; (ii) all adjoining and adjacent localities; (iii) identifiable unincorporated communities within the county; (iv) the population density of the various areas of the county; (v) the areas of the county served by urban services; (vi) major streets, highways, schools, and other major public facilities; (vii) significant geographic features, including mountains and bodies of water; (viii) existing uses of the land, including residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural; and (ix) information deemed relevant as to the possible future use of the property within the county.

2. A land-use table showing both the acreage and percentage of land currently devoted to the various categories of land use in the county.

3. The past, the estimated current, and the projected future population of the county, each town within the county, and of the major densely populated unincorporated communities within the county.

4. The past, the estimated current, and the projected future number of public school students enrolled in the public schools and the number of school-age children living in the county and in each town within the county.

5. The assessed 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 year and the preceding 10 years for the county and each town within the county.

6. The current local property and nonproperty tax rates, and the tax rates for the preceding 10 years, within the county and all towns within the county.

7. The estimated current local revenue collections and intergovernmental aid, the collections and aid for the previous 10 years, and projections of the collections and aid (including tax receipts from real property, personal property, machinery and tools, merchants' capital, business and professional license, consumer utility, and sales taxes) within the county and within each town within the county.

8. The amount of long-term indebtedness of the county and each town within the county and the amount and purpose for which that debt has been incurred.

9. Data regarding (i) the urban-type services presently provided by the county; (ii) the level of those services; (iii) the areas of the county served by those services; (iv) the additional services to be provided and the additional cost to be borne by the proposed city; and (v) the means by which the proposed city shall finance the additional services and costs.

10. The fiscal capacity of the county to function as an independent city and to provide appropriate services.

11. The impact of the proposed transition on compliance with and the promotion of applicable state policies with respect to environmental protection, public planning, education, public transportation, housing, and other state service policies declared by the General Assembly.

12. The commission's staff shall endeavor to assist localities contemplating or involved in proposed county-city transitions by identifying additional data elements considered by the commission to be relevant in the disposition of county to city transition issues.