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Saltville council asks town attorney to draft ordinance to implement state blight law
Summary
Councilman Ryan Comer asked the town attorney to draft an ordinance implementing Senate Bill 1476 that allows localities to address tax‑delinquent vacant properties that meet blight criteria. The council approved forwarding the drafting task to the attorney.
The Saltville Town Council directed the town attorney April 8 to draft an ordinance that would implement Senate Bill 1476 locally, giving the town a mechanism to address properties that are vacant for five years or more and tax‑delinquent.
Councilman Ryan Comer told his ordinance and land-management committee that the committee voted to authorize the town attorney to draft implementing language. "He asked town attorney Paul Cassell to draft an ordinance implementing the current bill pertaining to blighted properties that are vacant for 5 years or more and tax delinquent, the locality can take it over," the packet minutes record.
The council voted to proceed with the drafting; the action authorizes the attorney to prepare ordinance language for future council consideration rather than adopting policy language at the meeting. Council members also discussed adding a description of the town seal into ordinance language and voted to accept public designs for the new seal.
The directive starts the local ordinance process: drafting by counsel, review by the ordinance committee, and eventual public reading and council vote as required by Virginia local government process. The council did not adopt final ordinance language at the meeting; it only authorized drafting and subsequent review.
