Chap. 200.—An ACT to provide a charter for the town of West Point.
in King William county, Virginia.

Approved March 1, 1884.

1. Beit enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
chapter three hundred and twenty-nine of the Acts of Assem-
bly, eighteen hundred and seventy-one and eighteen hundred
and seventy-two, be amended and re-enacted so as to read as
follows:

$1. The town of West Point, in King Willlam county, as
the same has been heretofore laid off into Jots, streets and
alleys, shall be and the same is hereby made a town corporate
by the name and style of the town of West Point, and by
that name shall have and exercise the powers conferred upon
towns by, and be subject to the provisions of the fitty-fourth
chapter of the Code of Virginia. and all laws now in force or
may be hereafter enacted ‘applicable to towns of less than
five thousand inhabitants.

$2. The boundary of said town shall be as follows: Beuin-
ning at the confluence of the Mattaponi and Pamunkey
rivers; thence up the Pamunkey river. with the meanderings
thereof, to the land dividing the Taylor estate from the land
belonying to the West Point land company: then along said
line to the Mattaponi river: then down the Mattaponi river,
with the meanderings thereof, to the place of beginning.

&3. The officers of said town shall consist of one mayor
and five other citizens, who shall compose the council of said
town, a sergeant, W ho shall be elected by said council, and
such other officers as they, the council, may deem necessary.
The said council shall have power to pass all by-laws and
ordinances for the government of the town which they may
deem hecessary: provided they are not in contlict with the
laws of this state or the United States, or statutes of the
state pertaining to this subject.

&£. An election for mayor and councilmen shall be held as
the law provides. on the first Saturday in September, eighteen
hundred and eighty-four, and every two years thereatter.
The officers so elected, and all officers elected by the council,
shall commence their term of office on the first day of Jan-
uary succeeding their election. and shall hold such office tor
the term of two years. or until their successors are elected
and have qualified, except that the council may prescribe the
term of all officers elected by it. But this section shall not
apply to elections to fill vacancies. in which case the election
shall be for the unexpired term. and the person so elected
shall enter upon his office at the order of the council.

$5. The sergeant of said town shall be a conservator of
the peace, and be invested with the full powers of a constable
Within the limits of said corporation, and shall also have the
power to arrest offenders within one mile of said limits tor
offences committed within the limits of said town. He shall
collect town taxes, and may distrain and sell therefor in like
manner as a sheriff may distrain and sell for state taxes, and
shall have, in all respects, like powers to force the collection
thereof. On or before the first day of J anuary of each year,
he shall be prepared to exhibit before the council, or such
person or persons as they mav designate, a statement of his
transactions as the financial officer of the town.

§ 6. He shall be ex-officio treasurer of the town; shall exe-
cute such bonds, and give such security as the council may
prescribe; shall receive all moneys belonging to the town
and shall disburse the same by such authority and in such
manner as the council may determine.

§ 7. The council of said town shall have power, if they
deem it best, to elect a treasurer of said town other than the
town sergeant, in which case the next preceding scction
shall apply to such treasurer 80 elected, and not to the town
sercveant.

§ 8. Every citizen of said town who is liable therefor, shall
be exempt from the payment of any road tax, or district tax
whatever, and from any county capitation tax: provided
that the council of said town may impose a capitation tax of
one dollar upon every such citizen; which tax will be equal
to the county capitation tax and the town capitation tax pro-
vided for by law, which shall be devoted exclusively to free
school purposes.

$9. For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this
act. the said council shall have authority to levy a tax upon
all the real and personal estate in the town not exceeding
tifty cents upon every hundred dollars in value of) such pro-
perty ; shall have power to impose license tax upon all busi-
ness for which the state imposes a tax, or which is provided
for by law; and its officer shall have such power to collect
the sume as a state officer would have in like case, and to im-
pose a tax for the privilege of keeping a dog or dogs within
the corporate limits ; and in addition to the property tax pro-
vided for in this section, and in addition to the capitation tax
provided for in section eicht, may, if they deem it necessary,
impose a tax not exceeding thirty cents on the hundred dol-
lars upon all the real estate and personal property in said
town: provided, that the amount raised under the last men-
tioned assessment shall be devoted exclusively to the support
of the public schools.

§ 10. It shall be the duty of the said council at its first
meeting after this act becomes a law, and at its first meeting
in F ebruary of every fifth year thereafter, to appoint three
trecholders whose duty shall be to assess all of the real estate
in said town, for corporation purposes. Said assessor, in
making such assessment, shall not be bound by anv assess-
ment made by an assessor for state purposes, but may assess
at a rate greater or less than the state assessment. Said
assessment shall be taken as the basis of value in all taxation
for Corporation purposes, but shall not interfere with assess-
ments made by law for taxation for state purposes. It shall
be the duty of the council to provide such compensation for
the assessor as they may deem adequate. Any person who
fecls himself aggrieved by such assessment. may apply to the
council at any one of the two regular meetings of the town
council held next after such assessment is completed, to have
the same corrected, and said council may correct such assess-
ment if they deem it erroneous.

§11. Itshall be the duty of the treasurer of King William
county, to keep a separate account of all state capitation tax
collected cach year, commencing with the year eighteen hun-
dred and eighty-four, trom the citizens of West Point; and at
the times when it would be his duty to settle with the audi-
tor of the state, to pay the whole amount derived from. said
source, less his Commission, to the treasurer of said town of
West Point. The auditor of the state shall receive the
receipt of the said town treasurer from the said treasurer of
King William county, as so much money in said settlement
with said county treasurer, All money paid to the said
treasurer of the town, shall be used by the town council for
the support and maintenance of the public schools of said
town: provided that the amount so paid the town treasurer
by the county treasurer, shall be in full of the amount to
which the town would otherwise be entitled as a school dis-
trict of the county of King William, out of the school fund
due from the state or county.

§ 12. Said council shall have authority to instruct its offi-
cers Lo make sale of any real estate within the town which
may be delinquent for town taxes, subject to the hen of the
state for any taxes on said land which may be due it. and
such sale may be made according to, and shall be subject to
all the laws and regulations governing the sale of land, delin-
quent for the non-payment of state taxes.

§ 13. It shall be the duty of the council at its first meeting
after this act becomes a law, and at its regular meeting in
February of cach year thereafter, to appoint one frecholder,
whose duty it shall be to assess all personal property, and all
improvements put upon real estate since the assessment was
made, provided for in section ten, for corporate taxation.
The remedy for those complaining of such assessment, shall
be the same as that provided for in section ten.

14. Except as is otherwise provided in this charter, the
law of the state of Virginia, relating to towns of less than
five thousand inhabitants, shall be fully applicable to the town
of West Point.

15. All acts or parts of acts inconsistent with this act, are
hereby repealed: provided that nothing in this act shall be
construed to repeal any ordinance of the town now in force,
not inconsistent with this charter.

17. This act shall take effect from its passave.