The city of Martinsville is trying to become a town in Henry County as opposed to it’s current status of being an independent city. A special hearing was held on Monday with three judges from different parts of the state that were appointed by the Virginia Supreme Court.

The Martinsville city attorney made the case that Martinsville’s declining population and lack of tax base isn’t enough for the city to maintain basic levels of services for residents. While the Henry County attorney made the case that a voluntary settlement agreement was never reached between the city and county. Also stating that a Martinsville reversion would raise taxes for everyone in the county.

The judges didn’t make a ruling, but are expected to write an Opinion of court at a later time.