Landes highlights Albemarle County legislation

Delegate Steve Landes, R-Weyers Cave, highlighted legislation benefitting Albemarle County. House Bills 775, 776, and 1148 were introduced to assist residents of Albemarle County.

“These bills are intended to improve the quality of life in Albemarle County. House Bills 775 and 776 will enable Albemarle County to ensure that its urban ring and suburban areas remain livable, usable and desirable for both individuals and businesses alike,” said Landes. “House Bill 1148 addresses the revenue sharing agreement between Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville. Albemarle County has been paying millions of dollars to the City of Charlottesville and this legislation will help remedy that inequity. The revenue sharing agreement is antiquated since annexation is no longer an option for localities. This bill will provide an option for Albemarle County to extricate itself from this agreement.”

These bill were introduced in response to requests made from Albemarle County and its citizens.

Brief summaries of the Albemarle related legislation are listed below.

• House Bill 775, Removal of snow and ice; county executive form of government, authorizes any county outside Planning District 8 that has adopted the county executive form of government (Albemarle County), to provide by ordinance reasonable criteria and requirements for the removal of accumulations of snow and ice from public sidewalks by the owner or other person in charge of any occupied property. Currently, only counties within Northern Virginia Planning District 8 may adopt such an ordinance.
• House Bill 776, Regulation of parking on secondary highways; Albemarle, adds Albemarle County to the list of counties that may, by ordinance, regulate parking on secondary highways.
• House Bill 1148, Review of economic growth-sharing agreements, provides that all economic growth-sharing agreements between localities that exceed five years in duration shall contain a provision that allows any party to the agreement to call for a review of the agreement no more often than once every five years to determine whether the agreement continues to be in the best interest of the reviewing locality. The agreement shall contain a provision allowing such locality to end the agreement if a majority of the members of the governing body of the reviewing locality affirmatively vote to end the agreement. The bill also provides that any such agreement that has been if effect for at least 10 years as of July 1, 2018, shall be subject to renegotiation if requested by one of the parties to the agreement. The parties to the agreement shall negotiate in good faith in an attempt to reach a new agreement.

Landes represents the 25th House District, which includes parts of Albemarle, Augusta, and Rockingham Counties. Landes is currently serving his twelfth term in the Virginia House of Delegates. Visit SteveLandes.com for additional information.