West Virginia Legislature
2016 Regular Session
Introduced
House Bill 2265
2015 Carryover
(By Delegate Cowles)
[Introduced January 13, 2016; referred to the
Committee on Political Subdivisions then the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §7‑2‑2 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to increasing the minimum number of magisterial districts in a county from three to four.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §7‑2‑2 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. COUNTY AND DISTRICT BOUNDARIES; CHANGE OF COUNTY SEAT AND NAMES OF UNINCORPORATED TOWNS AND OF DISTRICTS.
§7‑2‑2. Magisterial districts; boundary lines.
Each county shall be laid off by the county court commission
into magisterial districts, not less than three four nor more
than ten in number, and as nearly equal as may be in territory and population.
The districts as they now exist shall remain until changed by the county court
commission. The county court commission may, from time to
time, increase or diminish the number of such the districts, and
change the boundary lines thereof of the districts as necessity
may require, in order to conform the same them to the provisions
of the constitution of the state.
Whenever the county court shall deem commission
finds it advisable to change the boundary line between two or more
districts, or to establish a new district out of another or two or more
districts, or to consolidate two or more existing districts into one, it may
make such the change, establishment or consolidation, by an order
entered of record. And if a survey be deemed is necessary, it
may employ the surveyor of lands for the county, or any other competent
surveyor, who shall survey and make a plat of the several districts as the
same they are thus altered, on which the new lines shall be
plainly delineated, noting particularly such the places of
notoriety or prominent objects through or by which such the lines
pass, and return such the plat and description to the court
and the same county commission. The plat shall be filed in the clerk's
office of such court clerk of the county commission=s office and recorded
by the clerk. But before such the districts shall may
be increased or diminished, or the boundary lines thereof changed, the court
county commission shall cause a notice of its intention to do so to be
posted on the front door of the courthouse of the county, and at some public
place in each district affected thereby, for at least thirty days prior to the
term of court the commission at which such the
action is proposed to be taken.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to increase the minimum number of magisterial districts in a county from three to four.
Strike‑throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.