Charter of the City of Charlottesville

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The Charter of the City of Charlottesville is the basic document that defines and codifies the organization, powers, functions and essential procedures of the city government. The current charter was adopted in 1946.

1946 Charter Council Manager.JPG

No fewer than three different charter documents have been used before, and there have been unsuccessful efforts at several points in Charlottesville's history to propose the adoption of alternate charters.

The General Assembly creates counties, towns, and cities by issuing specific charters to municipal corporations, or defining procedures for communities to incorporate. The official charter of a locality is the Acts of Assembly chapters that create and amend the charter. While all Virginia municipalities have charters which give them distinct governmental attributes, currently the two principal forms of government used by Virginia towns and cities are Council-Manager and the Mayor-Council, also referred to as “city manager” or “strong mayor” forms of government.

History of charter and Acts of Assembly chapter documents

Charlottesville, in Albemarle County, was named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wife of King George III, and was established in 1762.

1801

Charlottesville incorporated as a town in 1801.

1815 ACT

During the Session of 1815, the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia appointed additional Trustees for the Town of Charlottesville “Whereas the Trustees of the Town of Charlottesville, in the county of Albemarle, are so reduced, by death, resignations and removals, that there is not a sufficient number to proceed to business; by which the improvements and regulations of the said Town are much obstructed; for remedy whereof,…John Kelly, John H. Craven, John Winn, Twyman Waytt, James Leitch, Nicholas Lewis, William Watson, Joseph Bishop, John R. Jones, John C. Ragland, Frank Carr and Alexander Garrett…appointed additional Trustees...” (Act of Assembly chapter passed on January 15, 1816) Template:Sect-stub

1851

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1888 charter

Charlottesville incorporated as a city in 1888. The first city charter provided for a biennially elected mayor and twelve member board of aldermen (three alderman were elected from each of the four wards); and seven other elected officers. Template:Sect-stub

1902

Charlottesville became a city of the second-class in 1902. Template:Sect-stub

1899 - 1900 charter

Chapter 1012 – An ACT to provide a new charter for the city of Charlottesville and to repeal all acts inconsistent therewith was approved by the Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia on March 3, 1900. The new 1899-1900 charter organized the City of Charlottesville under a mayor-council government. This form of government and charter remained in place until it was superseded by the 1922 charter, which provided for a special type of city commission government. Template:Sect-stub

1916 ACT

Charlottesville became a city of the first-class as of August 1, 1916. (Legislative government consisted of a two chamber city council composed of 4 Alderman and 8 Councilmen.) Template:Sect-stub

1922 charter

Chapter 411, as approved by the Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia on March 24, 1922, created a new city charter which provided for reduced council of three members and the modified from of commission government. This special form of government, as provided by the Code of Virginia of 1919 and known as the Modified Commission Form, was adopted by qualified voters on December 17, 1920. Template:Sect-stub

1946 charter

The current charter of the City of Charlottesville was adopted in 1946. This new 1946 charter organized the City of Charlottesville under a council-manager government, a change from the Modified Commission form of government that had been in place since the 1922 Charter. Amendments to the current 1946 charter are numerous. Template:Sect-stub

Proposed alternatives

1908 referendum

Act to provide a new charter to the city of Charlottesville, approved by Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia March 14, 1908.

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1916 referendum

Staute permitting change in government to Commission-Manager defeated by voters of Charlottesville on May 19, 1916, due in part to the complication arising from annexation of the new territory of the city.

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Main article: City of Charlottesville charter referendum, 1916


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