CHAPTER 455

AN ACT to repeal Article 1 of Chapter 25 of Title 15 of the Code
of 1950 such article containing 8 sections numbered 15-891
through 15-898, relating to regional planning commissions ;
and to amend the Code of 1950 by adding an article numbered
1.1 in Chapter 25 of Title 15, the new article containing 9
sections numbered 15-891.1 through 15-891.9 providing for
regional planning commissions, their creation, powers, duties,
membership, expenses, terms of office and adoption of plans.

[S 161]

Approved April 7, 1950

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That Article 1 of Chapter 25 of Title 15, containing eight sec-
tions numbered 15-891 through 15-898, is repealed.
2. That the Code of 1950 be amended by adding in Chapter 25 of
Title 15, a new Article numbered 1.1, containing nine sections
numbered 15-891.1 through 15-891.9 as follows:

ARTICLE 1.1
REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSIONS

§ 15-891.1. The governing body or bodies of any municipality
or county or of any group of municipalities or counties are author-
ized to cooperate in the creation of a regional planning and eco-
nomic development commission for any region agreed upon with
governing bodies of other counties and municipalities, or among
themselves as a group.

§ 15-891.2. The number and qualifications of the members of
any such regional planning and economic development commission,
their terms, and method of appointment or renewal shall be such
as determined and agreed upon by the cooperating governing
bodies except that at least one from each participating county or
municipality shall be a member of the planning board or commis-
sion of the county or municipality from which he comes, if such
municipality or county has a planning commission.

§ 15-891.3. The proportion of the expenditures of the regional
planning and economic development commission to be borne re-
spectively by the municipalities and counties cooperating shall be
such as determined and agreed upon by the cooperating governing
bodies who are authorized to appropriate to the regional planning
and economic development commission their respective shares of
the expenditures and to accept funds from public, semipublic or
private individuals or agencies for meeting the expenditures.
Within the amounts thus agreed upon and duly appropriated, any
such regional planning and economic development commission is
empowered to expend the money so appropriated and to appoint
such employees and staff as it deems necessary for its work. In
order to encourage the employment of a suitable and properly
qualified staff to assist regional planning and economic develop-
ment commissions, the Governor, in hig discretion, is hereby
authorized to make available to each regional planning and eco-
nomic development commission from monies not otherwise appro-
priated or from funds available to the Governor a sum not to ex-
ceed one-half the cost of salaries and operation of such staff and
in no case to exceed five thousand dollars to any one commission
annually; such funds may be made available by the Governor upon
formal application from a duly constituted regional planning and
economic development commission provided the composition of the
region and the program of activities to be undertaken are approved
by the Commissioner, Division of Planning and Economic Develop-
ment, Department of Conservation and Development and the per-
sonnel they propose to appoint have capabilities and experience
acceptable to the Commissioner, Division of Planning and Eco-
nomic Development.

§ 15-891.4. Each regional planning and economic develop-
ment commission shall elect a chairman whose term of office shall
be for such period as the commission determines but not less than
one year nor more than four years and it may create and fill such
other offices as it decides upon. It shall adopt rules for the trans-
action of business and shall keep a record of its resolutions, pro-
ceedings and actions which shall at reasonable times be open to
the public. It shall submit quarterly a report of its activities to
the Commissioner, Division of Planning and Economic Develop-
ment.

§ 15-891.5. Any county or municipality may from time to
time upon request of the commission either assign or detail to the
commission any members of its staff or direct members of its staff
to make for the commission special surveys or studies or perform
other services. All municipal, county and other local public
officials, upon request shall furnish to the commission within a
reasonable time such available information as it requires for its
work.

§ 15-891.6. All members of the regional planning and eco-
nomic development commission shall serve as such without compen-
sation, but they may be allowed necessary traveling and other ex-
penses while engaged in the work of or for the commission.

§ 15-891.7. It shall be the duty of a regional planning and
economic development commission to make and adopt a regional
plan for the physical, economic and social development of the
region, but the plan shall not be deemed an official plan or part of
the official plan of any municipality or county having a planning
commission unless adopted as such by the planning commission of
the municipality or county, if the municipality or county has a
planning commission, and any adoption by a munpicipality or
county must be in the manner prescribed by law for municipalities
and counties, respectively, as to such a matter.

§ 15-891.8. The regional plan may be adopted as a whole, or
as the work of making the plan progresses, parts thereof may be
adopted as prescribed in § 15-891.7.

§ 15-891.9. On and after the effective date hereof all of the
provisions of this act shall be fully applicable to any and all
regional planning commissions heretofore created in this state and
the provisions of the act under which such regional planning com-
missions were organized shall no longer apply. Such existing
regional planning commissions will, upon approval of this act, be-
come regional planning and economic development commissions
for the regions they now represent.