A. At least sixty days prior to selecting a facility site, the Authority shall hold a public hearing within thirty miles of the site proposed to be acquired for the purpose of soliciting public comment.

B. Except as otherwise provided herein, at least sixty days prior to the public hearing required by this section, the Authority shall notify the local governing body in which the facility is proposed to be located and advertise the notice in a newspaper of general circulation in that locality. The notice shall include: (i) a description of the site proposed to be acquired, (ii) the intended use of the site, and (iii) the date, time, and location of the public hearing. After receipt of the notice required by this section, the local governing body in which a facility is proposed to be located may require that this period be extended for up to sixty additional days or for such other time period as agreed upon by the local governing body and the Authority.

C. At least thirty days before acquiring or entering into a lease involving a facility site and before entering into a construction contract involving a new facility or facility site, the Authority shall submit a detailed written report and findings of the Authority that justify the proposed acquisition, lease, or contract to the General Assembly. The report and findings shall include a detailed plan of the method of funding and the economic necessity of the proposed acquisition, lease, or contract.

D. The time periods in subsections A, B, and C of this section may not run concurrently.

1996, c. 1021, § 15.1-1694; 1997, c. 587.