The board may acquire any publicly or privately owned public service properties located within the boundaries of the district regardless of whether or not all or any part of such properties are located within the corporate limits of any city, incorporated town or other municipal corporation included within the district and may purchase and acquire all rights and franchises and any and all property within or outside the district necessary or incidental to the purpose of the district.

Terms Used In West Virginia Code 16-13A-8

  • board: means a board of health serving one or more counties or one or more municipalities or a combination thereof. See West Virginia Code 16-1-2
  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of the bureau, who may be designated as the state health officer. See West Virginia Code 16-1-2
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • public service properties: when used in this article, shall mean and include any facility used or to be used for or in connection with: (1) The diversion, development, pumping, impounding, treatment, storage, distribution or furnishing of water to or for the public for industrial, public, private or other uses (herein sometimes referred to as "water facilities"). See West Virginia Code 16-13A-1c
  • Town: includes a city, village or town, and the word "council" any body or board, whether composed of one or more branches, which is authorized to make ordinances for the government of a city, town, or village. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10

The board may construct any public service properties within or outside the district necessary or incidental to its purposes and each such district may acquire, construct, maintain and operate any such public service properties within the corporate limits of any city, incorporated town or other municipal corporation included within the district or in any unincorporated territory within ten miles of the territorial boundaries of the district: Provided, That if any incorporated city, town or other municipal corporation included within the district owns and operates either water facilities, sewer facilities, stormwater facilities or gas facilities or all of these, then the district may not acquire, construct, establish, improve or extend any public service properties of the same kind within such city, incorporated towns or other municipal corporations or the adjacent unincorporated territory served by such cities, incorporated towns or other municipal corporations, except upon, the consent of such cities, incorporated towns or other municipal corporations and in conformity and compliance with the rights of the holders of any revenue bonds or obligations theretofore issued by such cities, incorporated towns or other municipal corporations then outstanding and in accordance with the ordinance, resolution or other proceedings which authorize the issuance of such revenue bonds or obligations.

Whenever such district has constructed, acquired or established water facilities, sewer facilities, a stormwater system, stormwater management program or gas facilities for water, sewer, stormwater or gas services within any city, incorporated town or other municipal corporation included within a district, then such city, incorporated town or other municipal corporation may not thereafter construct, acquire or establish any facilities of the same kind within such city, incorporated town or other municipal corporation without the consent of such district.

For the purpose of acquiring any public service properties or lands, rights or easements deemed necessary or incidental for the purposes of the district, each such district has the right of eminent domain to the same extent and to be exercised in the same manner as now or hereafter provided by law for such right of eminent domain by cities, incorporated towns and other municipal corporations: Provided, That the power of eminent domain provided in this section does not extend to highways, road and drainage easements, or stormwater facilities constructed, owned or operated by the West Virginia division of highways without the express agreement of the commissioner of highways: Provided, however, That such board may not acquire all or any substantial part of a privately owned waterworks system unless and until authorized so to do by the public service commission of West Virginia, and that this section shall not be construed to authorize any district to acquire through condemnation proceedings either in whole or substantial part an existing privately owned waterworks plant or system or gas facilities located in or furnishing water or gas service within such district or extensions made or to be made by it in territory contiguous to such existing plant or system, nor may any such board construct or extend its public service properties to supply its services into areas served by or in competition with existing waterworks or gas facilities or extensions made or to be made in territory contiguous to such existing plant or system by the owner thereof.