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HB940 • 2026

Suffolk, City of; amending charter, clarifying membership of city council.

An Act to amend and reenact §§ 3.01, as amended, 3.08, 7.02, and 7.03 of Chapter 367 of the Acts of Assembly of 1973, which provided a charter for the City of Suffolk, relating to council composition; city clerk; department oversight.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Clark
Last action
2026-04-06
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included details not fully supported by the official source material, such as specifying exact changes in responsibilities and compensation.

Amends City Charter for Suffolk

This act changes parts of the charter for the City of Suffolk, Virginia, by clarifying council membership and updating language related to department oversight.

What This Bill Does

  • Clarifies that the city council shall consist of eight members to reflect the addition of a directly elected mayor.
  • Updates language to clarify the appointment process and responsibilities of the city clerk.
  • Adjusts rules so that department directors report directly to the city manager.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The City Council of Suffolk, Virginia
  • City Clerk of Suffolk, Virginia

Terms To Know

Charter
A document that outlines the basic laws and rules for a city or town.
Department Director
The person in charge of running a specific department within a city government.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify when these changes will take effect.
  • Does not include details about the compensation for the city clerk or other positions mentioned.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 243 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 243 (effective 7/1/2026)

  3. 2026-04-06 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0243)

  4. 2026-03-10 House

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026

  5. 2026-03-10 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  6. 2026-03-02 House

    Signed by Speaker

  7. 2026-03-02 Senate

    Signed by President

  8. 2026-03-02 House

    Enrolled

  9. 2026-03-02 House

    Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB940ER)

  10. 2026-02-25 Senate

    Read third time

  11. 2026-02-25 Senate

    Passed Senate Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  12. 2026-02-24 Senate

    Rules suspended

  13. 2026-02-24 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  14. 2026-02-24 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)

  15. 2026-02-24 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  16. 2026-02-23 Local Government

    Reported from Local Government Block Vote (14-Y 0-N)

  17. 2026-02-06 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  18. 2026-02-06 Local Government

    Referred to Committee on Local Government

  19. 2026-02-05 House

    Read third time and passed House Block Vote (97-Y 0-N 0-A)

  20. 2026-02-04 House

    Read second time and engrossed

  21. 2026-02-03 House

    Read first time

  22. 2026-01-30 Subcommittee #1

    Subcommittee recommends reporting (7-Y 0-N)

  23. 2026-01-30 Counties, Cities and Towns

    Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns (21-Y 0-N)

  24. 2026-01-28 Subcommittee #1

    Assigned HCCT sub: Subcommittee #1

  25. 2026-01-13 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101864D

  26. 2026-01-13 Counties, Cities and Towns

    Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns

Official Summary Text

Charter; City of Suffolk.
Corrects an error in the existing charter of the City of Suffolk to clarify that the city council shall consist of eight members to reflect the addition of the directly elected mayor to the city council. The bill also removes obsolete language to clarify the appointment process and responsibilities of the city clerk. Finally, the bill updates language to reflect the city manager's direct responsibility for the department directors, consistent with the City of Suffolk's established management and reporting structure. This bill is identical to SB 303.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
An Act to amend and reenact §§ 3.01, as amended, 3.08, 7.02, and 7.03 of Chapter 367 of the Acts of Assembly of 1973, which provided a charter for the City of Suffolk, relating to council composition; city clerk; department oversight.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§ 3.01, as amended, 3.08, 7.02, and 7.03 of Chapter 367 of the Acts of Assembly of 1973 is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 3.01. Composition.
The council of the consolidated city shall consist of
seven
eight
members, as established in §§ 3.02 and 3.03 of this charter.
§ 3.08. Clerk.
The initial council shall appoint a city clerk who shall serve until July 1, 1974. Thereafter the council shall appoint a city clerk
for a four-year term
. He shall be clerk of the council and custodian of the corporate seal of the city, and shall be the officer authorized to use and authenticate it. All records in his office shall be public records and open to inspection
at any time
during regular business hours. He shall receive compensation, to be fixed by the council. All receipts by him shall be paid into the city treasury. He shall keep all papers, documents and records pertaining to the consolidated city, the custody of which is not otherwise provided for. He shall perform such other duties as are required by this charter or by the council by ordinance or resolution.
§ 7.02. Department heads.
There shall be a director at the head of each department, and the same person may be the director of several departments. The director of each department, except the
(i)
departments of law and education,
(ii) city clerk, and (iii) city assessor,
shall be appointed by the city manager and may be removed by him at any time provided, however, that the council may designate the city manager
, deputy city manager,
or assistant city manager to be director of one or more departments. The director of each department shall be chosen on the basis of his general executive and administrative ability and experience and his education, training and experience in the class of work which he is to administer.
§ 7.03. Responsible to city manager.
The directors of each department, except the
(i)
departments of law and education,
(ii) city clerk, and (iii) city assessor,
shall be immediately responsible to the city manager
, deputy city manager,
or assistant city manager for the administration of their respective departments, and their advice may be required by him on all matters affecting their departments. They shall make reports and recommendations concerning their departments to the city manager under such rules and regulations as he may prescribe.