HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO.
(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss, By Request, and Delegates
Smirl, By Request, and Jenkins, By Request)
(Introduced March 25, 1997; referred to the
Committee on Constitutional Revision.)
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of West
Virginia, amending section eight, article ten thereof,
relating to bonded indebtedness of counties, etc., and
changing the percentage of votes required for passage from
three fifths to a majority; numbering and designating such
proposed amendment; and providing a summarized statement of
the purpose of such proposed amendment.
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia, two thirds of
the members elected to each house agreeing thereto:
That the question of ratification or rejection of an
amendment to the Constitution of the State of West Virginia be
submitted to the voters of the State at the next general election
to be held in the year one thousand nine hundred ninety-eight,
which proposed amendment is that section eight, article ten
thereof be amended to read as follows:
ARTICLE 10. TAXATION AND FINANCE.
§8. Bonded indebtedness of counties, etc.
No county, city, school district, or municipal corporation, except in cases where such corporations have already authorized
their bonds to be issued, shall hereafter be allowed to become
indebted, in any manner, or for any purpose, to an amount,
including existing indebtedness, in the aggregate, exceeding five
per centum percent on the value of the taxable property therein
to be ascertained by the last assessment for state and county
taxes, previous to the incurring of such the indebtedness; nor
without, at the same time, providing for the collection of a
direct annual tax on all taxable property therein, in the ratio,
as between the several classes or types of such taxable property,
specified in section one of this article, separate and apart from
and in addition to all other taxes for all other purposes,
sufficient to pay, annually, the interest on such the debt, and
the principal thereof, within, and not exceeding thirty-four
years. Such The tax, in an amount sufficient to pay the interest
and principal on bonds issued by any school district not
exceeding in the aggregate three per centum percent of such the
assessed value, may be levied outside the limits fixed by section
one of this article: Provided, That no debt shall be contracted
under this section, unless all questions connected with the same,
shall have been first submitted to a vote of the people, and have
received three-fifths a majority of all the votes cast for and
against the same.
Resolved further, That in accordance with the provisions of
article eleven, chapter three of the code of West Virginia, on
thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, such proposed
amendment is hereby numbered "Amendment No. 1" designated as the
"Bonded Indebtedness Vote Amendment" and the purpose of the
proposed amendment is summarized as follows: "To reduce from
sixty percent to a majority the percentage of votes required for
passage of bonding indebtedness issued by counties etc."
NOTE: The purpose of this amendment is to reduce from sixty
percent to a majority the percentage of votes required to pass a
bonding issue for counties, municipalities, etc.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken
from the present Constitution, and underscoring indicates new
language that would be added.