CHAPTER 248

An Act to amend and reenact § 1 of Chapter IX and 8§ 8, 9 and 10 of
Chapter XXIII of Chapter 481 of the Acts of Assembly of 1950,
approved April 6, 1950, which provided a new charter for the city
of Hopewell, the amended sections relating, respectively, to the civul
and police justice and to the planning commission and board of zoning
appeals.

[H 285]

Approved March 18, 1954
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 1 of Chapter IX and §§ 8, 9, and 10 of Chapter XXIII of
Chapter 431 of the Acts of Assembly of 1950, approved April 6, 1950,
be amended and reenacted, as follows:

§ 1. There shall be a civil and police justice for the said city who
shall be appointed for a term of two years at the time and in the manner
hereinbefore provided, whose qualifications and compensation shall be
such as the council may by ordinance or resolution provide, and who shall
have such authority and jurisdiction as is conferred upon * civil and
police justices by the general laws of the State of Virginia.

§ 8. The said * commission shall elect one of its members as chair-
man and shall appoint a secretary and such other employees as may be
needed for the conduct of the work of the said * commission.
§ 9. The meetings of the * commission shall be held at the call of
the chairman and at such other times as the * commission may deter-
mine. It shall keep records of its proceedings.

§ 1 The * city council shall act as a board of zoning appeals and
wherever the word “board” or “board of zoning appeals” appears in
§§ 10, 11, 12, or 18 of this chapter it shall mean the city council acting
as the board of zoning appeals unless the context clearly indicates other-
wise. Appeals to the board may be taken by any person aggrieved or by
any officer, department, board, commission or agency of the city from
any order, requirement, decision or determination of the administrative
officer. The appeal shall be taken within such reasonable time as shall
be prescribed by the board by filing with the board a notice of appeal
specifying the grounds thereof. The administrative officer shall there-
upon transmit to the board all papers constituting the record upon which
the action appealed from was taken. The board shall fix a reasonable
time for the hearing of the appeal, give notice to the parties in interest
and decide the issue within a reasonable time, at which hearing the
party may appear in person, by agent or attorney, and shall be given an
opportunity to be heard. The board may prescribe a fee to be paid when-
ever an appeal is taken, which shall be paid into the city treasury.

Zz. An emergency exists and this act is in force from its passage.