Chap. 545.—An ACT to require the boards of supervisors of the counties and
the councils or other governing bodies of cities and towns to prepare and
publish annual budgets, to hold public hearings thereon, and to give pub-
licity to proposed increases in the local tax levies; to provide for regular
audits by the State accountant in the counties, and to prescribe the duties
and powers of such accountant in reference thereto. [H B 348]

Approved March 26, 1926.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of(Virginia, That at
least thirty days prior to the time when the annual tax levy or assess-
ment, or any part thereof, is made, the boards of supervisors of the
counties and the councils or other governing bodies of the cities and
towns shall prepare a budget containing a complete and itemized plan
of all proposed expenditures, for the locality or any subdivision thereof,
and of estimated revenues and borrowings of the locality for the en-
suing fiscal and appropriation year. Opposite each item of the pro-
posed expenditures the budget shall show in separate parallel columns
the amount appropriated for the last preceding appropriation year,
the amount expended during that year, the amount appropriated for
the current appropriation year, and the increase or decrease therein.
This budget shall be accompanied by:

(1) Astatement of the contemplated revenue and disbursements,
liabilities, reserves and surplus or deficit of the county, city or town as
of the date of the preparation of the budget.

(2) An itemized and complete financial balance sheet for the said
locality at the close of the last preceding fiscal and appropriation year.
(2%) Before any local tax levy may be increased, the amount
and purpose of such increase shall be published in a newspaper having
general circulation in the locality affected at least thirty days before
the increased levy or assessment is made, and the citizens of the
locality shall be given an opportunity to appear before, and be heard
by, the local governing authority on the subject of such increase.
The publication mentioned in this section may be at the same time as
the publication mentioned in the preceding section.

2. A brief synopsis of the budget shall be published in a news-
paper having general circulation in the locality affected, and notice
given of one or more public hearings at which any citizen of the said
locality shall have the right to attend and state his views thereon.
The board of supervisors of any county not having a newspaper of
general circulation may in lieu of the foregoing notice, provide for
notice by written or printed hand bills, posted at such places as it may
direct, so as to accomplish the purposes of this act.

3. It shall be the duty of the State accountant, either in person
or through an assistant, annually to aduit all accounts and records of
every county, in so far as they relate to local funds, and to make a
detailed written report thereof to the board of supervisors within
thirty days after each audit. The said report shall be preserved by
the clerk of the board of supervisors, and shall be open to public in-
spection at all times by any qualified voter of the county. The cost
of such audit shall be borne by thé county receiving the service of said
accountants, as provided for in section five hundred and sixty-five of
the Code of Virginia. Any shortage existing in the accounts of any
officer, as ascertained by the said audit, shall be made public within
thirty days after such shortage is discovered, and a brief statement
thereof shall be sent by the accountant who makes the audit, to the
court having jurisdiction thereof, and filed in -the clerk’s office of said
court.

4. The provisions of this act shall not become effective until
January first, nineteen hundred and twenty-seven; nor shall the pro-
visions of this act apply to any city whose charter contains provisions
for a budget conforming substantially to the budget provisions of this
act.