CHAPTER 332

An Act to amend and reenact §§ 5.1 and 14-a of Chapter 384 of the Acts
of Assembly of 1946, approved March 28, 1946, which provided a
charter for the city of Charlottesville, and to amend the said Chapter
by adding a section numbered 14-b, the amended and new sections
relating to the submission of proposed ordinances or charter amend-
ments to the qualified voters of the city, to the Charlottesville Rede-
velopment and Housing Authority, to the introduction of fluorine or
sodium fluoride into the water system of the city, and to provide for
referenda.

[S 156]

Approved March 30, 1962

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §§ 5.1 and 14-a of Chapter 384 of the Acts of Assembly of 1946,
approved March 28, 1946, be amended and reenacted and that the said
chapter be amended by adding a section numbered 14-b, as follows:

§ 5.1. The council shall have authority to order, by resolution directed
to the corporation court of the city or the judge thereof in vacation, the
submission to the qualified voters of the city for an advisory referendum
thereon any proposed ordinance or amendment to the city charter. Upon
the receipt of such resolution the corporation court of the city or the
judge thereof in vacation shall order an election to be held thereon not
less than thirty nor more than sixty days after the receipt of such resolu-
tion. The election shall be conducted and the result thereof ascertained
and determined in the manner provided by law for the conduct of general
elections and by the regular election officials of the city. If a petition
requesting the submission of an amendment to this charter, set forth in
such petition, signed by qualified voters equal in number to ten per centum
of the largest number of votes cast in any general or primary election
held in the city during the five years immediately preceding, * each signa-
ture to which has been witnessed by a person whose affidavit to that effect
is attached to the petition, is filed with the clerk of the corporation court
of the city he shall forthwith certify that fact to the court or judge thereof
in vacation. * Upon the certification of such petition the corporation
court of the city or the judge thereof in vacation, shall order an election
to be held not Jess than thirty nor more than sixty days after such certifica-
tion, in which such proposed amendment shall be submitted to the qualified
voters of the city for their approval or disapproval. Such election shall
be conducted and the result thereof ascertained and determined in the
manner provided by law for the conduct of general elections and by the
regular election officials of the city. If a majority of those voting thereon
at such election approve the proposed amendment such result shall be
communicated by the clerk of the corporation court of the city to the
two houses of the General Assembly and to the representatives of the
city therein with the same effect as if the council had adopted a resolution
requesting the General Assembly to adopt the amendment.

Nothing contained in this section shall be construed as affecting
the provisions of § 14-a of this charter.

§ 14-a. * Before the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing
Authority undertakes any public housing project within the city it shall
obtain the approval of the council or voters, on each construction site, as
hereinafter set forth. The application for approval shall have a plat,
certified by a registered surveyor or engineer, or a plat prepared from
the current city land book showing city parcel numbers of the land con-
cerned and attested by the City Assessor, attached to and made a part of
such application. The plat shall identify the proposed site and show the
proposed development of the site.

The council shall advertise for at least two weeks in a newspaper
published in the city that * the authority has applied for the approval
of the council under this section and shall give notice therein of the time
and place for a hearing on such request which hearing shall be at least
thirty days from the date of the first advertisement. The council may
approve such * application following such hearing unless a petition signed
by * qualified voters equal in number to five percentum of the largest num-
ber of votes cast in any general or primary election held in the city during
the five years immediately preceding, each signature to which has been
witnessed by a person whose affidavit to that effect is attached to the
petition, seeking a referendum on the granting of such * application is
filed with it prior to such hearing. If such petition is filed with the
council, the council shall petition the judge of the corporation court to call
an election under § 24-141 of the Code of Virginia. The judge shall set
the election for a time at least thirty days after the date of the hearing
and the provisions of § 24-141 of such Code shall apply. If the voters
voting approve the * application of the authority the council may grant the
same but if the voters disapprove such * application it shall not be granted.
§ 14-b. After the effective date hereof it shall be unlawful to intro-
duce fluorine, or sodium fluoride, or any compound or combination thereof
into the city’s public water system unless the voters of the city approve
the same in a referendum called and held under § 24-141 of the Code, as
amended; such referendum to be initiated by a petition seeking introduc-
tion of such chemicals filed with the council as hereinafter set forth. The
petition shall be signed by qualified voters equal in number to ten per
centum of the largest number of votes cast in any general or primary
election held in the city during the five years immediately preceding,
each signature to which has been witnessed by a person whose affidavit
to that affect is attached to the petition. If a majority of the voters voting
in the election approve, fluorine, sodium fluoride, or a compound thereof
may be added to such water supply; but, if a majority so voting, vote
against them then neither fluorine, sodium fluoride, nor any compound
thereof shall be added to such water supply system. If a referendum
is held hereunder another referendum thereon shall not be held untid
the expiration of two years.
2. An emergency exists and this act is in force from its passage.