Departments of Northampton County
The Departments of Northampton County are dedicated to achieving, under the leadership of the County Administrator, the goals set forth by the Board of Supervisors; to provide efficient, effective, equitable services to our citizens and visitors.
Elected Constitutional Officers in Virginia
"Elected governing bodies share some of their governing obligations with elected constitutional officers. Most Virginia cities and counties have five officers, as provided by the state constitution:
Commissioner of the Revenue
Treasurer
Sheriff
Commonwealth’s Attorney
Clerk of the Circuit Court
Constitutional officers are elected at large for a term of four years, except for the circuit court clerk, who serves an eight-year term.
Commissioner of the Revenue: The commissioner of the revenue prepares real estate and personal property tax books and bills; assesses personal property, machinery and tools, merchants’ capital, and some business taxes; and, in some cities, assesses real estate. The commissioner serves a significant state function as the receiving point for state income tax forms.
Treasurer: The treasurer is charged with the collection, custody, and disbursement of local funds. The treasurer also collects funds for the state, reporting on these accounts to the state comptroller. A few cities and counties have either eliminated the office of the commissioner of revenue or the treasurer or have combined the two offices into a finance department.
Clerk of the Circuit Court: The duties of the clerk of the circuit court fall into two major categories, associated with:
Judicial proceedings in the circuit court: These functions include working with the judge on trial schedules, maintaining jury lists, and handling other duties related to circuit court trials.
General record keeping for the locality: These duties include recording all documents relating to land transfers, deeds of trust, mortgages, births, deaths, wills and divorces – as well as recording election results and issuing hunting, fishing, and marriage licenses.
Commonwealth’s Attorney: The Commonwealth’s attorney is primarily responsible for prosecuting violations of criminal law.
Sheriff: The sheriff, in cities, is the custodian of the jail and process server and bailiff for the courts. In cities and counties operating a regional jail, generally a jail superintendent (rather than the sheriff) is the jail custodian. In most counties, the sheriff also is the chief law enforcement officer, a duty assigned to police departments in cities and towns. Some towns have entered into a joint cost-sharing agreement with a county for law enforcement services.
Constitutional officers are legally independent of the governing body. The funding of the constitutional officers is complex. Funding levels vary according to the officer, particular positions within the offices, and duties in a particular locality. Under state statutes and administrative guidelines, the locality pays a certain percentage of operational costs of the constitutional officers because they perform local functions. "
-Excerpt from Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Education
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