COLUMBIA, Va. (AP) — Leaders in Columbia are moving toward a public vote to dissolve the Fluvanna County town.

The Town Council has scheduled a meeting Aug. 19 to decide whether to let voters decide the town’s fate.

Council member Kerry Murphy-Hammond tells the Richmond Times-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1ogfQiv) that the council likely will vote to hold the referendum, which would take place in November. If passed, Columbia would become unincorporated in January.

Murphy-Hammond says residents have been debating whether to dissolve the town for at least 30 years.

Columbia is located at the confluence of the James and Rivanna rivers. Town Council member Bennett Q. Saunders says floods in 1969, 1972 and 1985 ravaged the town and prompted businesses to leave.

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Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.timesdispatch.com

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