CHAPTER 61

An Act to amend and reenact § 3.02, §§ 8.04, 9.06 and 9.11, as amended,
of Chapter 586, of the Acts of Assembly of 1950, approved April 7,
1950, being the charter of the city of Alexandria; to amend said
chapter by adding sections numbered 9.83 and 15.10. 11713

Approved February 15, 1962

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 3.02, §§ 3.04, 9.06 and 9.11, as amended, of Chapter 536 of the
Acts of Assembly of 1950, approved April 7, 1950, be amended and reen-
acted and that said chapter be further amended by adding two new sec-
tions, 9.38 and 15.10, the amended and new sections being as follows:

§ 3.02. Compensation of the Council.—_Members of the council shall
receive in full compensation for their services the sum of * two hundred
and fifty dollars per month; provided, however, that the mayor shall
receive in full compensation for his services the sum of * three hundred
and * fifteen dollars per month; provided, further, that the rate of com-
pensation for the members of the council and the mayor may be changed
by ordinance, except that no such rate of compensation shall be increased
to become effective during the term for which a member of the council
voting on the question of such increase shall have been elected.

§ 3.04. Powers.—All powers of the city as granted in Chapter 2 of
this charter and the determination of all matters of policy shall be vested
in the council. Without limitation of the foregoing, the council shall have
power to:

(a) Appoint and remove the city manager.

(b) Adopt the budget of the city.

(c) Authorize the issuance of bonds by a bond ordinance.

(d) Inquire into the conduct of any office, department or agency of
the city and make investigation as to municipal affairs.
(e) Establish administrative departments, offices or agencies. There
are hereby created the departments of finance, public works, police, fire,
public health, public welfare, and recreation and parks, the heads of which
shall be appointed by the city manager. The council by ordinance may
create, change, and abolish offices, departments, * ov agencies *. The
council may not change or abolish any offices or agencies created by this
charter and may not eliminate the function of any department created by
this charter. The council by ordinance may assign duties or functions to
the offices, departments, and agencies created by this charter. When a
vacancy occurs in any office to which the incumbent is elected by the
council, the council is empowered to fill the vacancy, and when such
vacancy occurs otherwise than by the regular expiration of the term of the
incumbent, the election shall only be for the unexpired term.

(f) Appoint the members of the school board, the planning commis-
sion and the board of zoning appeals.

(g) Establish advisory boards and commissions and appoint their
members.

(h) Provide for an independent audit.

(1) Provide for the number, titles, qualifications, powers, duties, and
compensation of all officers and employees of the city.

(j) Provide for the form of oaths and the amount and condition of
surety bonds to be required of certain officers and employees of the city.

§ 9.06. Whenever the commission shall have adopted a master plan
for the city or one or more parts thereof, geographical, topographical or
functional, and the master plan of such part or parts thereof shall have
been approved by the council and it has been certified by the council to the
clerk of the corporation court and filed by him with the court records,
then and thereafter no street, square, park * or other public way, ground,
open space, public building or structure, shall be construed or authorized
in the city or in the planned section or division thereof until and unless
the general location, character and extent thereof has been submitted to
and approved by the commission. No widening, extension, narrowing, en-
largement, vacation or change in the use of streets and other public ways,
grounds and places within the city, nor the sale of any land held by the
city, shall be authorized * to take place unless such transactions shall have
been first submitted to and approved by the commission; and no public
utility, whether publicly or privately owned, shall be construed or author-
ized in the city or in the planned section or division thereof until and
unless its general location, but not its character and extent, has been sub-
mitted to and approved by the commission; and no ordinance giving effect
to, or amending the comprehensive zoning plan as provided in § 9.09 of
this chapter shall be adopted until such application on motion for such
change has been submitted to and approved by the commission. In case of
disapproval in any of the instances enumerated above the commission shall
communicate its reasons to the council which shall not have the power to
overrule such action except by a recorded affirmative vote of three-fourths
of the members of the council, except as otherwise provided in § 9.12 of
this chapter. The failure of the commission to act within sixty days from
the date of the official submission to it shall be deemed approval. The fore-
going provisions of this section shall not be deemed to apply to the pave-
ment, repavement, reconstruction, improvement, underground pipes and
conduits, drainage, or other work in or upon any existing street or other
existing public way.

§ 9.11. It shall be the duty of the city planning commission to pre-
pare and submit to the council a comprehensive zoning plan, as referred
to in § 9.09 of this chapter, and from time to time, at intervals not exceed-
ing * two years, prepare and submit such changes in or revisions of the
said plan as changing conditions may make necessary.
§ 9.83. Land Development and Site Plans.—In order to provide for
the orderly and proper development of land within the city and to protect
the public safety, health and welfare the city council shall have the power
to adopt by ordinance regulations and restrictions relative to the develop-
ment of land. Such regulations and restrictions may prescribe standards
and requirements which provide for, but shall not be limited to, the follow-
ing: access for fire, police, emergency and service vehicles; width, grade,
location, alignment and arrangement of streets and sidewalks with relation
to existing streets and sidewalks, planned streets and sidewalks and the
master plan; easements for public utilities; facilities for off street parking;
laying out, constructing and improving streets, alleys and sidewalks; access
to adjacent land and to existing or proposed streets; water mains for
servicing fire hydrants; disposition of storm water; disposition of sewage;
control of flooding; control of slippage, shifting, erosion, accretion and
subsidence of soil; dedication of public streets, alleys, sidewalks, curbs,
gutters, sewers, drains and other public improvements; protection to other
land, structures, persons and property; guarantee of payment by the
developer of all costs or a proportionate share of costs for public streets,
alleys, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, sewers and drains; the submission and
approval of site plans and plats prior to developments; and procedures,
enforcement and penalties. The procedures may include but shall not be
limited to authorizing the city planning commission to consider the site
plans and plats in light of the regulations and restrictions applicable thereto
and approve or disapprove site plans and plats in aecordance therewtth.

§ 15.10. School Board and School Districts.—The school board of the
City of Alexandria shall consist of six trustees to be selected from the city
at large and the city shall constitute a single school district. The trustees
of the school board in office on the effective date of the passage of this
section shall continue in office for the terms for which they were selected.
Hereafter, the selection of trustees shall be made by the city council from
the city at large. In all other applicable respects the provisions of the
general laws of the Commonwealth shall apply with respect to the appoint-
ment of school trustees.

2. Anemergency exists and this act is in force from its passage.