Chap. 42.—An ACT authorizing the mayor and common council of the
town of Liberty, Virginia, to borrow for said corporation, and for
the purposes of purchasing fire-engines, and any and all other appa-
ratus suitable for extinguishing fires, and of bringing water to and
establishing water-works in said town, and making other permanent
improvements, a sum of money not exceeding forty thousand dollars.

Approved November 18, 1884.

1. Beit enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
the act entitled an act to authorize the mayor and common
council of Liberty, in the county of Bedford, to borrow money,
approved March sixth, eighteen hundred and eighty-two, as
amended by an act approved March tenth, eighteen hundred
and eighty-four, be and the same is hereby revised and
amended so as to read as follows:

§1. Beit enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
the mayor and common council of the town of Liberty, be
and they are hereby authorized and empowered to borrow
for said corporation, and for the purpose of purchasing fire-
engines, and any and all other apparatus suitable for extin-
guishing fires, and of bringing water to and establishing water-
works in said town, and making other permanent improve-
ments, a sum of money not exceeding forty thousand dollars,
by the issue and sale of the bonds of said corporation as here-
inafter provided.

2. Said bonds shall be registered or coupon, and shall. be
issued in such denominations, and bear such rate of interest,
not exceeding six per centum per annum, as may be deter-
mined by said mayor and common council: said interest to
be payable semi-annually, and said mayor and common council
shall have power to exempt said bonds from municipal taxa-
tion. The principal of said bonds shall be payable in thirty
years from their date, or upon the call of said corporation, at
any time after the expiration of ten years from their date.
Said bonds shall be signed by the mayor of said town, and
countersigned by the recorder, and shall be sold and negotiated
in such manner as may be prescribed by the said mayor and
common council.

3. In order to provide for the payment of the accruin
interest on said bonds, and of the principal thereof, the said
mayor and common council are hereby authorized and em-
powered to levy and collect a tax, not to exceed in amount
fifty cents on the hundred dollars worth of property, to be
known as the improvement tax, and to be applied exclusively
to the purposes of this act.

4. The said mayor and common council shall have the
power to purchase any lands or privileges ovcr any lands
outside of or within the corporate limits of said town, for the
purposes contemplated by this act; and if the said mayor and
common council are unable to agree with the owners as to the
price to be paid for said land, or privileges over the same,
then upon application to the county court of the county of
Bedford, the said court shall appoint commissioners to ascer-
tain the value of said land, or the damages for the privileges
desjred over the same, and proceed as in like cases is provided
by law: provided that said mayor and common council shall
have no authority to issue bonds under this act until they
shall have first taken the sense of the qualified voters of said
town, at an election held after due notice of the time and
place thereof has been given, at which said election the voters
shall vote “for an improvement tax,” and “against an im-
provement tax;” and if it appear from the returns of said
election that a majority of the votes cast, and a majority of
the freeholders voting, are in favor of said improvement tax,
then said mayor and common council shall have the right to
exercise all the powers conferred by this act: and provided
further, that the sense of said qualified voters may be taken
by a single election for the entire sum authorized by this act,
or by successive elections for such portions thereof as may
be determined upon and submitted by said mayor and com-
mon council: and provided further, that any such election or
elections ‘must be held within two years from the passage of
this act.

5. All acts and parts of acts in conflict with this act are
hereby repealed.

6. This act shall be in force from its passage.