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Introduced Version Senate Bill 219 History

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Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted
Senate Bill No. 219

(By Senator Hunter)

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[Introduced January 15, 2008; referred to the Committee on Economic Development; and then to the Committee on Finance.]

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A BILL to amend and reenact §7-20-3, §7-20-6, §7-20-11 and §7-20-12 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to fees and expenditures for county development.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §7-20-3, §7-20-6, §7-20-11 and §7-20-12 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 20. FEES AND EXPENDITURES FOR COUNTY DEVELOPMENT.
§7-20-3. Definitions.
(a) "Capital improvements" means the following public facilities or assets that are owned, supported or established by county government:
(1) Water treatment and distribution facilities;
(2) Wastewater treatment and disposal facilities;
(3) Sanitary sewers;
(4) Storm water, drainage, and flood control facilities;
(5) Public primary and secondary school facilities;
(6) Public road systems and rights-of-way;
(7) Parks and recreational facilities; and
(8) Police, emergency medical, rescue, and fire protection facilities.
"Capital improvements" as defined herein is limited to those improvements that are treated as capitalized expenses according to generally accepted governmental accounting principles and that have an expected useful life of no less than three years. "Capital improvement" does not include costs associated with the operation, repair, maintenance, or full replacement of capital improvements. "Capital improvement" does include reasonable costs for planning, design, engineering, land acquisition, and other costs directly associated with the capital improvements described herein.
(b) "County services" means the following: (1) Services provided by administration and administrative personnel, law enforcement and its support personnel; (2) street light service; (3) fire-fighting service; (4) ambulance service; (5) fire hydrant service; (6) roadway maintenance and other services provided by roadway maintenance personnel; (7) public utility systems and services provided by public utility systems personnel, water; and (8) all other direct and indirect county services authorized by this code.
(c) "Direct county services" means those public services authorized and provided by various county agencies or departments.
(d) "Indirect county services" means those public services authorized and provided by commissioned agents, agencies or departments of the county.
(e) "Growth county" means any county within the state with an averaged population growth rate in excess of one percent per year as determined from the most recent decennial census counts and forecasted, within decennial census count years, by official records of government or generally approved standard statistical estimate procedures: Provided, That once "growth county" status is achieved it is permanent in nature and the powers derived hereby are continued.
(f) "User" means any member of the public who uses or may have occasion to use county facilities and services as defined herein.
(g) "Impact fees" means any charge, fee, or assessment levied as a condition of the following: (1) Issuance of a subdivision or site plan approval; (2) issuance of a building permit; and or(3) approval of a certificate of occupancy, or other development or construction approval when any portion of the revenues collected is intended to fund any portion of the costs of capital improvements for any public facilities or county services not otherwise permitted by law. An impact fee does not include charges for remodeling, rehabilitation, or other improvements to an existing structure or rebuilding a damaged structure, provided there is no increase in gross floor area or in the number of dwelling units that result therefrom.
(h) "Proportionate share" means the cost of capital improvements that are reasonably attributed to new development less any credits or offsets for construction or dedication of land or capital improvements, past or future payments made or reasonably anticipated to be made by new development in the form of user fees, debt service payments, taxes or other payments toward capital improvement costs.
(i) "Reasonable benefit" means a benefit received from the provision of a capital improvement greater than that received by the general public located within the county wherein an impact fee is being imposed.
(j) "Plan" means a county, comprehensive, general, master or other land use plan as described herein.
(k) "Program" means the capital improvements program described herein.
(l) "Unincorporated area" and "total unincorporated area" means all lands and resident estates of a county that are not included within the corporate, annexed areas or legal service areas of an incorporated or chartered municipality, city, town or village located in the State of West Virginia.
§7-20-6. Criteria and requirements necessary to implement collection of fees.

(a) As a prerequisite to authorizing counties to levy impact fees related to population growth and public service needs, counties shall meet at least two of the following requirements:
(1) A demonstration that population growth rate history as determined from the most recent base decennial census counts of a county, utilizing generally approved standard statistical estimate procedures, in excess of one percent annually averaged over a five-year period since the last decennial census count; or a demonstration that a total population growth rate projection of one percent per annum for an ensuing five-year period, based on standard statistical estimate procedures, from the current official population estimate of the county; or a demonstration of job growth rate of at least two percent annually averaged over a five-year period since the last decennial census count;
(2) Adopting a countywide or district comprehensive plan;
(3) Reviewing and updating any comprehensive plan at no less than five-year intervals;
(4) Drafting and adopting a comprehensive zoning ordinance;
(5) Drafting and adopting a subdivision control ordinance;
(6) Keeping in place a formal building permit and review system which provides a process to regulate the authorization of applications relating to construction or structural modification. The county shall adopt, pursuant to section three-n, article one of this chapter, the state building code into any such building permit and review system; and
(7) Providing an improvement program which shall include:
(A) Developing and maintaining a list within the county of particular sites with development potential;
(B) Developing and maintaining standards of service for capital improvements which are fully or partially funded with revenues collected from impact fees; and
(C) Lists of proposed capital improvements from all areas, containing descriptions of any such proposed capital improvements, cost estimates, projected time frames for constructing such improvements and proposed or anticipated funding sources: Provided, That a county that has begun the process of adopting a comprehensive plan or that has adopted one or more district plans may begin the collection of impact fees which are to be placed in a separate, interest bearing account: Provided, however, That such impact fees may only be disbursed after the completion and adoption of all of the preceding requirements of this subsection.
(b) Capital improvement programs may include provisions to provide for the expenditure of impact fees for any legitimate county purpose, including, but not limited to roads, mass transit or nonmotorized transit facilities. This may include the expenditure of fees for partial funding of any particular capital improvement where other funding exists from any source other than the county or exists in combination with other funds available to the county: Provided, That for such expenditures to be considered legitimate, no county or other local authority may deny or withhold any reasonable benefit that may be derived therefrom from any development project for which such impact fee or fees have been paid.
(c) Capital improvement programs for public elementary and secondary school facilities may include provisions to spend impact fees based on a computation related to the following: (1) The existing local tax base; and (2) the adjusted value of accumulated infrastructure investment, based on net depreciation, and any remaining debt owed thereon. Any such computation must establish the value of any equity shares in the net worth of an impacted school system facility, regardless of the existence of any need to expand such facility. Impact fee revenues may only be used for capital replacement or expansion.
(d) Additional development areas may be added to any plan or capital improvements program provided for hereunder if a county government so desires. The standards governing the construction or structural modification for any such additional area shall not deviate from those adopted and maintained at the time such addition is made.
(e) The county may modify annually any capital improvements plan in addition to any impact fee rates based thereon, pursuant to the following:
(1) The number and extent of development projects begun in the past year;
(2) The number and extent of public facilities existing or under construction;
(3) The changing needs of the general population;
(4) The availability of any other funding sources; and
(5) Any other relevant and significant factor applicable to a legitimate goal or goals of any such capital improvement plan.
§7-20-11. Additional powers.
(a) In addition to any other powers which a county may now have and not withstanding the provisions of section six of this article, each county, by and through its county commission, shall have the following powers:
(1) To acquire, whether by purchase, construction, gift, lease or otherwise, one or more infrastructure projects, or additions thereto, which shall be located within the county;
(2) To lease, lease with an option to purchase, sell, by installment sale or otherwise, or otherwise dispose of, to others any infrastructure projects for such rentals or amounts and upon such terms and conditions as the county commission may deem advisable;
(3) To establish a special infrastructure fund as a separate fund into which all special service fees and other revenues designated by the county commission shall be deposited, and from which all project costs shall be paid, which may be assigned to and held by a trustee for the benefit of bondholders if special infrastructure revenue bonds are issued by the county commission; and
(4) To impose a countywide service fee to pay the costs of one or more infrastructure projects, including, but not limited to, the payment of debt service on any revenue bonds issued under section thirteen of this article.
(b) For purposes of this section and its implementation and use:
(1) "Capital improvements" means the following public facilities or assets that are owned, supported or established by a county commission:
(A) Water treatment and distribution facilities;
(B) Wastewater treatment and disposal facilities;
(C) Sanitary sewers;
(D) Storm water, drainage and flood control facilities; and
(E) Public road systems, including, but not limited to, rights-of-way, lighting, sidewalks, walking and biking paths, permanent mass transit facilities and other amenities to improve the safety of the public relating to transportation, and gutters.
"Capital improvements" as defined herein is limited to those improvements that are treated as capitalized expenses according to generally accepted governmental accounting principles and that have an expected useful life of no less than three years. "Capital improvement" does not include costs associated with the operation, repair, maintenance or full replacement of capital improvements. "Capital improvement" does include reasonable costs for planning, design, engineering, land acquisition and other costs directly associated with the capital improvements described herein, whether incurred prior to or subsequent to imposition of a countywide service fee. This includes costs incurred by a developer prior to imposition of the countywide service fee that would have been incurred by the county commission as part of the cost of capital improvement, provided such costs were not incurred more than thirty-six months before the county commission adopts the order imposing the countywide service fee, or such shorter period, as determined to be reasonable in the sole discretion of the county commission.
(2) "Plan" means the plan for special infrastructure projects that includes one or more capital improvements, as defined in this section that is adopted by a county commission in conformity with the requirements of this article.
(c) Before commencing certain infrastructure projects, the county commission shall obtain written confirmations from an affected public utility or the West Virginia Department of Transportation or other agency, as provided in this section:
(1) If the project includes water, wastewater or sewer improvements, the county commission shall obtain from the utility or utilities that provide service in the area or areas where the improvements will be made that the utility or utilities:
(A) Currently has adequate capacity to provide service without significant upgrades or modifications to its treatment, storage or source of supply facilities;
(B) Will review and approve all plans and specifications for the improvements to determine that the improvements conform to the utility's reasonable requirements and, if the improvement consists of water transmission or distribution facilities, that the improvements provide for adequate fire protection for the district; and
(C) If built in conformance with said plans and specifications, will accept the improvements following their completion, unless the project will continue to be owned by the county commission.
(2) If the special infrastructure project includes improvements other than as set forth in subdivision (1), subsection (b) of this section that will be transferred to the West Virginia Department of Transportation or other governmental agency, written evidence that the department or agency will accept the transfer if the infrastructure project is built in conformance with requirements of the Department of Transportation, or other agency, pursuant to plans and specifications approved by the department or other agency.
§7-20-12. Countywide service fees.
(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, every county shall have plenary power and authority to impose a countywide service fee upon each employee and self-employed individual for each week or part of a calendar week the individual works within the county, subject to the following:
(1) No individual shall pay the fee more than once for the same week of employment within the county.
(2) The fee imposed pursuant to this section is in addition to all other fees imposed by the jurisdiction within which the individual is employed.
(3) The fee imposed pursuant to this section may not take effect until the first day of a calendar month, as set forth in the order of the county commission establishing the fee, that begins at least thirty days after a majority of the registered voters of the county voting on the question approve imposition of the service fee, in a primary, general or a special election held in the county.
(4) In addition to imposing a weekly amount that is equal for all employees, in the alternative, the county may impose a service fee upon employees, as defined in this section, in an amount not to exceed one percent of yearly wages or other earned income. No service fee shall be imposed upon employees who are not required to pay federal or state income taxes.
(4) (5) The order of the county commission shall provide for the administration, collection and enforcement of the service fee. Employers who have employees that work in the county imposing the service fee shall withhold the fee from compensation paid to the employee and pay it over to the county as provided in the order of the county commission. Self-employed individuals shall pay the service fee to the county commission in accordance with the order establishing the fee.
(5) (6) The terms "employed", "employee", "employer" and "self-employed" have the following meaning:
(A) "Employed" shall include an employee working for an employer so as to be subject to any federal or state employment or wage withholding requirement and a self-employed individual working as a sole proprietor or member of a firm so as to be subject to self-employment tax. An employee shall be considered employed in a calendar week so long as the employee remains on the current payroll of an employer deriving compensation for such week and the employee has not been permanently assigned to an office or place of business outside the county. A self-employed individual shall be considered employed in a calendar week so long as such individual has not permanently discontinued employment within the county.
(B) "Employee" means any individual who is employed at or physically reports to one or more locations within the county and is on the payroll of an employer, on a full-time or part-time basis or temporary basis, in exchange for salary, wages or other compensation.
(C) "Employer" means any person, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, association (unincorporated or otherwise), corporation, institution, trust, governmental body or unit or agency, or any other entity (whether its principal activity is for-profit or not-for-profit) situated, doing business, or conducting its principal activity in the county and who employs an employee, as defined in this section.
(D) "Self employed individual" means an individual who regularly maintains an office or place of business for conducting any livelihood, job, trade, profession, occupation, business or enterprise of any kind within the county's geographical boundaries over the course of four or more calendar weeks, which need not be consecutive, in any given calendar year.
(6) (7) All revenues generated by the county service fee imposed pursuant to this section shall be dedicated to and shall be exclusively utilized for the purpose or purposes set forth in the referendum approved by the voters, including, but not limited to, the payment of debt service on any bonds issued pursuant to section thirteen of this article and any costs related to the administration, collection and enforcement of the service fee.
(b) Any order entered by a county commission imposing a countywide service fee pursuant to this part, or increasing or decreasing a countywide service fee previously adopted pursuant to this part, shall be published as a Class II legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of article three, chapter fifty-nine of this code and the publication area for the publication shall be the county. The order shall not become effective until it is ratified by a majority of the lawful votes cast thereon by the qualified voters of the county at a primary, general or special election, as the county commission shall direct. Voting thereon shall not take place until after notice of the referendum shall have been given by publication as above provided for the publication of the order after it is adopted by the county commission. The notice of referendum shall at a minimum include: (1) The date of the referendum; (2) the amount of countywide service fee; (3) a general description of the capital improvement or improvements included in the special infrastructure project to be financed with the service fee; (4) whether revenue bonds will be issued; and (5) if bonds are to be issued, the estimated term of the revenue bonds. The county commission may include additional information in the notice of referendum.


NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to allow for additional fees and those fees for county development.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.

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