Should Virginia Abolish their Independent Cities?

[muon2]

The states have been called the laboratory of democracy, and this seems to me a classic example. A few states have done city-county consolidations, some have allowed cities to go independent of their townships, but none have gone as far as VA in allowing cities large and small to depart from their counties (and then in some cases taking them over). Not only have cities in VA gone independent, but just last year one realized it wasn't working and went back into its county. That's a good lab at work. Maybe Bandit's right and other states will try their version of ICs.

[muon2]

Yes, because my mouse cursor can't touch them on Dave's election maps.

I'd be surprised if you can't some of them with your mouse. I'm sure you get Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Suffolk that took over their large counties. Alexandria, Lynchburg, Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton and Richmond cities should show up when mousing. I get Petersburg and Manassas, too. The rest have too small an area and they don't happen to line up with mouse coordinates.

[muon2]

Since independent cities is an issue for some of you, let me pose the following questions.

If independent cities were abolished what would you do with those that absorbed their whole county: Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Virginia Beach.

What would you do with those cities that are independent, but have no county to return to since it was absorbed by another city: Norfolk, Portsmouth?

What would you do with those cities that have land from more than one county: Alexandria, Galax, Petersburg, Richmond, Williamsburg?

Are independent cities in other states an issue: Baltimore, St Louis, Carson City?

[muon2]

I would go the New England style and abolish the counties

Seriously, I do not see a problem either way. The entire discussion seems to be contrived.

To VA's credit they have when all the county was in an independent city as has happened in the Hampton Roads area (eg. Elizabeth City county -> Hampton city; Nansemond county -> Suffolk city; Norfolk county -> Chesapeake city; Princess Anne county -> Virginia Beach city; Warwick county -> Newport News city; though some of these went through other cities before consolidation)