All taxable real estate, all taxable coal and other mineral lands, and all taxable tangible personal property and the tangible personal property of public service corporations, except rolling stock of corporations operating railroads, and also the capital of merchants are hereby segregated and made subject to local taxation only.
The governing body of each county shall, at its regular meeting in the month of January in each year, or as soon thereafter as practicable not later than a regular or called meeting in June, fix the amount of the county and district taxes for the current year. Any such governing body may provide that if any taxpayer owns tangible personal property of such small value that the local levies thereon for the year result in a tax of less than fifteen dollars, such tax may be collected as provided by ordinance or such property may be omitted from the personal property book and no assessment made thereon.
The imposition of taxes or the collection of such taxes shall not constitute an appropriation nor an obligation or duty to appropriate any funds for any purpose, expenditure or contemplated expenditure. No part of the funds raised by the general county taxes shall be considered available, allocated or expended for any purpose until there has been an appropriation of funds for that expenditure or purpose by the governing body either annually, semiannually, quarterly, or monthly. There shall be no mandatory duty upon the governing body of any county to appropriate any funds raised by general county taxes except to pay the principal and interest on bonds and other legal obligations of the county or district and to pay obligations of the county or its agencies and departments arising under contracts executed or approved by the governing body, unless otherwise specifically provided by statute. Any funds collected and not expended in any fiscal year shall be carried over to the succeeding fiscal years and shall be available for appropriation for any governmental purposes in those years.
The clerks of the circuit courts shall furnish to the governing bodies of their counties, on or before the day on which they meet to set county taxes, copies of all orders and allowances made by their respective courts, payable out of the county treasury; and the supervisors shall provide for the payment of all such orders and allowances as the courts may be authorized to make.
If the attorney for the Commonwealth of any county is of the opinion that an order for imposition of taxes made by his governing body is illegal or if he receives a petition of one per centum of the registered voters of the county, but no fewer than fifty such voters, demanding that he appeal such order, such attorney shall appeal therefrom, within thirty days after such order is made, to the circuit court of the county and such appeal shall operate as a supersedeas. Without waiting the final decision of the appeal the governing body may rescind its order and impose taxes according to law. If the court, on the hearing of the appeal, is of the opinion that the order is contrary to law, it shall reverse the same and direct the governing body to enter such order as to the court may seem right. If money be collected under any such order, which is afterward rescinded or reversed, the treasurer shall forthwith repay such money to the person from whom it was collected. If he fails so to do, a motion may be made and judgment obtained, in like manner as in cases provided in 58.1-3140.
The clerk of the governing body, upon any appeal being taken, shall immediately give notice thereof to the governing body and make out a brief return of the proceedings in the case before the governing body, with its decision thereon, and file the same, together with the bond and all the papers in the case in his possession with the clerk of the court to which the appeal is taken. Such appeal shall be entered, tried and determined as appeals of right, on such record with any other pleadings and evidence that the court in its discretion may permit.
The council of every city and town shall annually cause to be made up and entered on its journals an account of all sums lawfully chargeable on the city or town which ought to be paid within one year and order the imposition of taxes in such amount as in their opinion is necessary to be raised. Any such governing body may provide that if any taxpayer owns tangible personal property of such small value that the local levies thereon for the year result in a tax of less than fifteen dollars, such tax may be collected as provided by ordinance or such property may be omitted from the personal property book and no assessment made thereon.
The imposition of taxes or the collection of such taxes shall not constitute an appropriation nor an obligation or duty to appropriate any funds by the council of any city or town for any purpose, expenditure, or contemplated expenditure. No part of the funds raised by the general city or town taxes shall be considered available, allocated, or expended for any purpose until there has been an appropriation of funds for that expenditure or purpose by the council either annually, semiannually, quarterly, or monthly. There shall be no mandatory duty upon the council of any city or town to appropriate any funds raised by general city or town taxes except to pay the principal and interest on bonds and other legal obligations of the city or town and to pay obligations of the city or town or its agencies and departments arising under contracts executed or approved by the council, unless otherwise specifically provided by statute. Any funds collected and not expended in any fiscal year shall be carried over to the succeeding fiscal years and shall be available for appropriation for any governmental purposes in those years. This section shall be applicable to all cities and towns in the Commonwealth and the provisions of any charter of any city or town inconsistent or in conflict with this section shall be inoperative to the extent of such inconsistency or conflict.
The cities and towns of this Commonwealth, by their duly constituted authorities, are hereby authorized annually to levy, in addition to any other levies authorized by law, a special levy upon such taxable property in such cities and towns as is not, by law, segregated to the Commonwealth for taxation, or withheld from city or town taxation, at a rate not in conflict with general law, for the purpose of providing a sinking fund or to pay the principal and interest of their bonded indebtedness, as and when the same become due and payable. All charters of any city or town are hereby repealed insofar as they are in conflict herewith.
Before any local tax levy shall be increased in any county, city, town, or district, such proposed increase shall be published in a newspaper having general circulation in the locality affected at least seven days before the increased levy is made and the citizens of the locality shall be given an opportunity to appear before, and be heard by, the local governing body on the subject of such increase.
The governing body of any county, city or town in laying levies on taxable real estate, tangible personal property and merchants' capital may impose different rates of levy on real estate, merchants' capital, tangible personal property or any separate class thereof authorized under Chapter 35 ( 58.1-3500 et seq.), and machinery and tools, or it may impose the same rate of levy on any or all of these subjects of taxation. Such rates shall conform to the requirements set forth in such Chapter 35.
The provisions of this section shall not be deemed to prohibit or limit the withholding from an employee's salary of any sums required by the Social Security Act, the Unemployment Compensation Act, federal or state income tax statutes, deductions for retirement systems, or other deductions authorized by the employee or made pursuant to any assignment or execution, nor shall this section be deemed to prohibit or limit the imposition, levy or collection of any tax authorized to be imposed by Chapter 37 ( 58.1-3700 et seq.) of this title.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, special or general, to the contrary, the governing body of any county, city or town may by ordinance provide that taxes on real estate, tangible personal property and machinery and tools be levied and imposed on a fiscal year basis of July 1 to June 30. Such locality is authorized and empowered to change the rate of any such levy during any fiscal year.
As to any locality which has adopted such ordinance all provisions of this Code specifying a date or month relative to the levy, payment or collection of such taxes shall be interpreted to specify the corresponding date or month of the fiscal year, except that all property shall be assessed as of January 1 prior to such fiscal year unless otherwise specifically provided under 58.1-3011.
In order to effect a change to a fiscal tax year pursuant to this section, any locality may have a short calendar year from January 1 through June 30, or a short fiscal year from January 1 through June 30. All provisions of law applicable to the assessment of property, levy, payment and collection of taxes for a calendar year shall apply to such short tax year. If such short year is a fiscal year, the locality may borrow beginning January 1 pursuant to 15.2-2629 and 15.2-2631 as if it had been on such fiscal year from the prior July 1. If such short year is a calendar year, borrowing pursuant to 15.2-2629 and 15.2-2631 must be repaid at the time specified in 15.2-2631 for fiscal year borrowings.
Any locality which levies taxes on a fiscal year basis, as authorized by general law or special act, shall exonerate or refund its personal property tax for that portion of the tax year for which the property was properly assessed by another jurisdiction in the Commonwealth and the tax paid.
The governing body of any county, city or town may provide by ordinance that all taxable real estate or personal property and machinery and tools therein be assessed as of July 1 of each year, any other provision of law, general and special, including the provisions of the charter of any city or town, to the contrary notwithstanding. In any such locality, public service corporation property shall continue to be assessed at its value as of January 1, prior to such assessment date. Any ordinance adopting a July 1 tax day for personal property as authorized hereunder shall require that a prorated refund or credit of personal property tax be given for that portion of the tax year during which the property was legally assessed by another jurisdiction in the Commonwealth and the tax paid. Any locality providing for the taxation of certain property on a proportional monthly or quarterly basis as authorized by general law or special act shall provide for a refund or credit of personal property tax for any tax year or portion thereof during which the property was legally assessed by another jurisdiction in the Commonwealth and the tax paid.
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