A. Upon receipt of the first agricultural and forestal districts application, the local governing body shall establish an advisory committee which shall consist of four landowners who are engaged in agricultural or forestal production, four other landowners of the locality, the commissioner of revenue or the local government‘s chief property assessment officer, and a member of the local governing body. The members of the committee shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the local governing body. The advisory committee shall elect a chairman and a vice-chairman and elect or appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the committee. The advisory committee shall serve without pay but the locality may reimburse each member for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of his duties. Any expenditures of the committee shall be within the amounts appropriated for such purpose by the local governing body. The committee shall advise the local planning commission and the local governing body and assist in creating, reviewing, modifying, continuing or terminating districts within the locality. In particular, the committee shall render expert advice as to the nature of farming and forestry and agricultural and forestal resources within the district and their relation to the entire locality.

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Terms Used In Virginia Code 15.2-4304

  • Advisory committee: means the agricultural and forestal districts advisory committee. See Virginia Code 15.2-4302
  • Application: means the set of items a landowner or landowners must submit to the local governing body when applying for the creation of a district or an addition to an existing district. See Virginia Code 15.2-4302
  • District: means an agricultural, forestal, or agricultural and forestal district. See Virginia Code 15.2-4302
  • Forestal production: means the production for commercial purposes of forestal products and includes the processing or retail sales, by the producer, of forestal products which are produced on the parcel or in the district. See Virginia Code 15.2-4302
  • Governing body: means the board of supervisors of a county, council of a city, or council of a town, as the context may require. See Virginia Code 15.2-102
  • Includes: means includes, but not limited to. See Virginia Code 1-218
  • local government: shall be construed to mean a county, city, or town as the context may require. See Virginia Code 15.2-102
  • Locality: means a county, city, or town as the context may require. See Virginia Code 1-221

B. The local governing body may designate the planning commission to act for and in lieu of an agricultural and forestal districts advisory committee if the membership of the planning commission includes at least four landowners who are engaged in agricultural or forestal production.

1977, c. 681, § 15.1-1510; 1987, c. 552; 1989, c. 52; 1997, c. 587; 2011, cc. 344, 355.