Cities having at least ten thousand persons are eligible to be classified as cities of the first class; cities having less than ten thousand persons are eligible to be classified as the second class. Cities in Virginia have generally followed a three-fold plan or pattern of development: first, an area is established, then incorporated as a town and finally elevated to city status as an independent municipality. During the colonial period, there were only two towns actually incorporated: Williamsburg and Norfolk. By 1800, only six additional towns were incorporated: Alexandria, Winchester, Fredericksburg, Richmond, Petersburg and York (Yorktown). Yorktown is the only town incorporated before 1800 which has not become a city.
A unique characteristic about cities in Virginia is the fact that an incorporated city is politically separate from the county in which it is geographically located. There are thirty-two independent cities: Alexandria, Bristol, Buena Vista, Charlottesville, Clifton Forge, Colonial Heights, Covington, Danville, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Galax, Hampton (formerly, a second class city; now combined with the town of Phoebus and Elizabeth City County into a first class city since 1952), Harrisonburg, Hopewell, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Newport News, Norfolk, Norton, Petersburg, Portsmouth, Radford, Richmond, Roanoke, South Boston, South Norfolk, Staunton, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Waynesboro, Williamsburg and Winchester. When Newport News and Warwick became the city of Newport News on July 1, 1958, this was the first city to be consolidated in the Commonwealth since Richmond and Manchester combined in 1910.
There are three types or forms of City Government in existence in Virginia: Mayor-Council form, Commission form and City Manager form. The city charter bears a similar relation to the city that the Virginia Constitution bears to the state. The citizens within the city area may decide for themselves the type of city government they prefer when they apply for their city charter.
Although there are three forms of local government available, there are certain characteristics common to all three types:
(1) A bicameral City Council (unless authorized by the General Assembly to have only one branch) is elected by the qualified voters of the city on the second Tuesday in June. The term of office of the councilmen begins on the following September 1. The council acts as the legislative body by passing city or municipal laws called ordinances. Cities are usually divided into various sections called wards. Since representation from each ward is primarily based upon population of the ward, the city council has the power to change ward boundaries. Since 1933, after every ten-year period, the city council is required by the Virginia Constitution to re-apportion such representation accordingly. Usually, there is one councilman from each ward.
(2) The following officials are required by the Constitution to be elected to office by the qualified voters: City Court Clerk, City Commonwealth's Attorney, City Commissioner of Revenue, City Treasurer and City Sergeant (Sheriff). All these officials (with the exception of the City Court Clerk whose eight-year term of office begins at the same time as the city judges' term) are elected on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November and their term of office begins on the following January 1. Under a constitutional amendment proposed in November 1960, certain elected officials of a city (or county) could serve as such officials in two or more cities (or counties, or city and counties) if a majority of the voters of the local units affected so decided; however, the amendment was defeated.
(3) Every city has a mayor who is the chief executive and who is elected by the people for a four-year term. Depending upon the form of city government adopted, the mayor may be essentially a figurehead or a key official. The chief duties of a mayor usually include the following:
a. enforcing ordinances, by-laws and orders,
b. ascertaining that duties of various city officials are carried out properly,
c. suspending city officials upon the authorization of the General Assembly for misconduct in office or for neglect of duty,
d. considering ordinances, resolutions, and other measures and approving or disapproving them,
e. presiding at city council meetings (unless a special provision already has provided for a council president) and voting only in case of a tie
f. appointing key officials with the approval of the city council (for example, the Chief of Police, the Fire Chief, the City Attorney) and members of certain boards (Planning, Health, Zoning Boards).
Every resolution or ordinance must be presented to the Mayor of a city after it has been passed by the City Council. The Mayor has three choices: