§ 88a. Assessment and equalization of assessments of real estate.

The council of said city shall have the right and power, in lieu of any other method prescribed by law, to provide for the annual assessment and reassessment of real estate for taxation, and to that end may appoint in the manner and for the term prescribed in § 11 of this Charter a single assessor to assess such real estate for taxation, may prescribe the duties and term of office of said assessor, may require that he shall give his entire time to the duties of his office, may remove him for cause, may fix his compensation, which shall be payable out of the local treasury, and may likewise provide for such technical and clerical assistance as may be necessary or advisable and for the payment of any other expenses that may be properly incident thereto. Such person as appointed shall be the city assessor and shall have such number of assistants as the council by ordinance may provide, such assistants to be nominated by him and confirmed by the council. Said annual assessments or reassessments shall be completed by said assessor by the thirty-first day of March of the year in which they are made.

All such real estate shall be assessed at its fair market value and the taxes for each year on such real estate shall be extended on the basis of the last assessment made prior to such year, subject to such changes as may have been lawfully made.

Notwithstanding any of the provisions of sections 58-895 and 58-899 to 58-901, inclusive, of the Code of Virginia, the circuit court of said city or the judge thereof in vacation shall, annually, appoint for the city a board of review of real estate assessments, to be composed of three members, who shall be freeholders of said city. The terms of such members shall commence on their appointment and shall expire on the thirtieth day of November of the year in which they are appointed unless such terms are extended. Such court or the judge thereof in vacation may extend the terms of the members of the said board of review and shall fill any vacancy therein for the unexpired term. The members of the said board shall receive per diem compensation for the time actually engaged in the duties of the board, to be fixed by the council of said city, and to be paid out of the treasury of said city, provided, however, that the council of said city may limit the per diem compensation to such number of days as, in its judgment, is sufficient for the completion of the work of the board.

Such board of review shall have and may exercise the power to revise, correct and amend any assessments of real estate made by said assessor in the year in which they serve, and to that end shall have all the powers conferred upon boards of equalization by sections 58-903 and [to] 58-912, inclusive, of the Code of Virginia. Notwithstanding any provision of said sections, however, the board of review may adopt any regulations providing for the oral presentation, without formal petitions or other pleadings of requests for review, and looking to the further facilitation and simplification of proceedings before the board.

Any person of said city aggrieved by any assessment made by said assessor or board of review may apply for relief in the manner provided by sections 58-1145 to 58-1151, inclusive, of the Code of Virginia.

This section shall not apply to the assessment of any real estate assessable under the law by the state corporation commission.

(Acts 1950, Ch. 488; Acts 1983, Ch. 587, § 1; Acts 1999, Ch. 479, § 1; Acts 1999, Ch. 525, § 1)

(Acts 1950, Ch. 488; Acts 1983, Ch. 587, § 1; Acts 1999, Ch. 479, § 1; Acts 1999, Ch. 525, § 1)