West Virginia Code Chapter 8. Municipal Corporations § 8-16-7. Ordinance for construction, etc., of works

Before any municipality or municipalities shall, under the provisions of this article, construct, reconstruct, establish, acquire, improve, renovate, extend, enlarge, increase, equip or repair (including replacements) any municipal public works, the governing body, or the governing body of each participating municipality, shall enact an ordinance or ordinances, which shall (a) set forth a brief and general description of the works, including a reference to the preliminary report or plans and specifications which shall theretofore have been prepared; (b) set forth the estimated cost thereof; (c) order the construction, reconstruction, establishment, acquisition, improvement, renovation, extension, enlargement, increase, equipment or repair (including replacements) of such works; (d) direct that municipal revenue bonds be issued pursuant to this article, in such amount as may be found necessary to pay the cost of the works; (e) contain such provisions as the governing body determines are necessary or desirable with regard to the establishment and setting aside of reserves from the proceeds of such revenue bonds or from the revenues of said works, or from both, and the administration and disposition thereof; and (f) contain such other provisions as may be necessary or proper in the premises. When two or more municipalities take joint action under the provisions of this article, a certified copy of each such ordinance shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the county commission of the county or counties in which the municipalities are located and in the office of the state tax commissioner, and when any such municipality is located in more than one county, the filing for that municipality shall be in the office of the clerk of the county commission in which the major portion of the territory of such municipality is located. Before any such ordinance shall become effective, an abstract of the ordinance, determined by the governing body or each governing body, as the case may be, to contain sufficient information as to give notice of the contents of such ordinance, together with the following described notice, shall be published as a Class II legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of article three, chapter fifty-nine of this code, and the publication area for such publication shall be such municipality or each such municipality, as the case may be. The notice to be published with said abstract of the ordinance shall specify a date, time and place for a public hearing, the date being not less than ten days after the first publication of said abstract and notice and not prior to the last publication of said abstract and notice, at which time and place all parties and interests may appear before the governing body of the municipality or each such municipality and may be heard as to whether or not said ordinance shall be put into effect, and said notice shall also identify the office in which a certified copy of such ordinance shall be on file for review by interested persons during the office hours of such office. At such hearing all objections and suggestions shall be heard and the governing body or each such governing body shall take such action as it or they shall deem proper in the premises: Provided, That if at any such hearing written protest is filed by thirty percent or more of the freeholders of the municipality for which the hearing is held, then the governing body of said municipality shall not take further action unless four fifths of the members of said governing body assent thereto: Provided, however, That in case written protest is filed by thirty percent or more of the freeholders as herein provided, any such governing body shall have authority to appoint a committee to consist of one proponent, one opponent, and the third to be selected by these two, to determine whether or not thirty percent of the freeholders have in fact protested and said committee shall report its findings to any such governing body.