2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 8. Municipal Corporations › Article 18. Assessments to Improve Streets, Sidewalks and Sewers; Sewer Connections and Board of Health; Enforcement of Duty to Pay for Service › §8-18-16. Bond Issue to Be Authorized by Voters

No bonds shall be issued under the provisions of this article unless and until the question of issuing such bonds shall have first been submitted to a vote of the qualified voters of the municipality, and shall have received three fifths of all of the votes cast at such election for or against the same. The governing body of any municipality empowered and authorized to issue bonds under the provisions of this article may provide by ordinance for an annual election, at which the question shall be submitted to the people as to whether the municipality shall issue bonds, for the purposes and under the provisions of this article, to an amount not to exceed in the ensuing year the amount recommended by such ordinance for such ensuing year. The ordinance providing for such election need not specify in detail the location of the improvements contemplated to be paid for during the ensuing year out of such aggregate issue authorized for such year, but, before issuing any such bonds, the governing body shall adopt an ordinance or resolution as in this article provided, authorizing the improvements to be made. It shall be a sufficient description of the purpose for which such election is held if the ordinance calling the same shall recite that the governing body proposes to issue bonds for the purpose of grading, regrading, paving, repaving, surfacing, resurfacing, curbing, recurbing, building or renewing sidewalks, or constructing sewers or otherwise improving or reimproving the streets, alleys, public ways or easements, or sewer right-of-ways or easements, of such municipality at such time as to the governing body shall seem fit during the ensuing year ending on the ........... day of ....................., 19......, to an amount not exceeding in the aggregate during said year the sum of $................... When the governing body shall have once been authorized by a vote of the qualified voters to issue bonds for such purposes and to a sum not to exceed the amount set forth in the ordinance calling such election, no further election shall be necessary for the issuing of bonds during such ensuing year up to the amount stipulated in such ordinance calling such election, but the governing body shall, from time to time during such ensuing year, by ordinance authorize the issuance of such bonds in such sums, and authorize such improvements the cost of which shall be paid from the proceeds of such bonds, as said governing body shall determine. The aggregate amount of bonds authorized by such annual election shall not be exceeded during such ensuing year, unless the same be authorized by a special bond election held at a subsequent time in such year and duly called as provided for the calling of the annual bond election. The provisions of article one, chapter thirteen of this code, concerning bond elections shall, so far as they are not in conflict with the provisions of this article, apply to the annual bond elections and special bond elections herein provided for.