Requiring petition of qualified voters for defeated amendment to be reconsidered

SB 191 Text

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Introduced Version

Senate Bill 191 History

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Key:
Green
= existing Code.
Red
= new code to be enacted

WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE
2026
REGULAR SESSION
Introduced
Senate Bill 191
By Senator Weld
[Introduced January 14, 2026; referred
to the Committee on the Judiciary]
A BILL to amend and reenact §8-4-8 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to requiring a petition of qualified voters for a once defeated amendment to be reconsidered.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

article 4. framing and adopting a charter other than immediately following incorporation; revising or amending a charter; elections and expenses.

§8-4-8. Same — An alternate plan.

Whenever the governing body of any city shall deem it expedient to amend the charter of any such city (whether such charter be a special legislative charter or a charter framed and adopted or revised as a whole under the provisions of former §8A-1-1
et seq
., of this code, under §8-3-1
et seq
., of this code, or §8-4-1 of this code, as the case may be), it shall, by ordinance, set out in its proper record book the proposed amendment or amendments in full. The governing body shall set a date, time, and place for a public hearing thereon, which date shall be not less than 30 days after the date of the first publication hereinafter required. The governing body shall cause the proposed amendment or amendments, together with a notice of the date, time and place fixed for the hearing thereon, to be published as a Class II-0 legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of §59-3-1
et seq
. of this code, and the publication area for such publication shall be the city. The notice shall state that the proposed amendment or amendments shall be considered on the date and at the time and place fixed by the governing body and that any qualified voter or any freeholder of the city may appear and file objections, in writing, and also that if no objections are filed the said amendment or amendments shall become operative on and after a date fixed in the notice, which date shall be not less than 10 days after the date of the hearing. If no objections are filed, or if objections are filed and are withdrawn at the time of the hearing, or within 10 days thereafter, the governing body shall, by ordinance, adopt the amendment or amendments as an amendment or amendments to the charter, and cause a copy of the amendment or amendments, ordinance, and transcript of the proceedings to be certified to the Clerk of the House of Delegates, as keeper of the rolls, and to be recorded in the office of the clerk of the county commission. The same shall be preserved by such Clerk of the House of Delegates as an authentic public record. The amendment or amendments shall take effect on the effective date specified in the notice as aforesaid. After the effective date, all courts shall take judicial notice of such amendment or amendments.
If, on the date and at the time and place set for the hearing, objections to the amendment or amendments are filed and are not withdrawn then or within 10 days thereafter, the governing body may abandon the proposed amendment or amendments to which objections have been filed, or it may submit the proposed amendment or amendments, either as a unit or separately, at the next regular municipal election, or at a special municipal election if such governing body by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of its members shall determine and specify that a special municipal election is necessary and if the date of such regular municipal election shall be more than six months from such date, for ratification or rejection. Notice of any election at which the proposed amendment or amendments shall be voted upon shall state the date and hours thereof and shall set out the proposed amendment or amendments at length or state that copies may be obtained by any qualified voter or any freeholder of the city from a designated person at a stated place, upon request. The governing body shall cause such notice to be published as a Class II-0 legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of §59-3-1
et seq
. of this code, and the publication area for such publication shall be the city. The amendment or amendments approved, or such of them as may be approved, by a majority of the legal votes cast at the election thereon shall take effect on the date that the declaration of the results showing approval by the voters has been made by the governing body and entered in the minutes of the governing body. One copy of the amendment or amendments, together with a certified copy of the declaration of results attached thereto, shall be certified forthwith by the recorder of the city to the Clerk of the House of Delegates, as keeper of the rolls, and another to the clerk of the county commission for recording in the office of such clerk of the county commission. The same shall be preserved by said Clerk of the House of Delegates as an authentic public record. After the effective date of an amendment or amendments so filed, all courts shall take judicial notice of such amendment or amendments. If a majority of the legal votes cast at the election thereon be against any proposed amendment,
the same

such proposed amendment
shall not be proposed again,
without a petition of the qualified voters as provided for in §8-4-1(b) of this code considered in pari materia with

under
the provisions of this section, for at least one year.
The method of charter amendment provided for in this section is not in lieu of but is in addition to the other methods prescribed in this chapter.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require a petition of qualified voters for a once defeated amendment to be reconsidered.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.

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