Chap. 310.—An ACT to allow the citizens of Prince William county
to vote on the question of the removal of the court-house from
Brentsville to Manassas ; to issue bonds for erection of public build-
ings, in case removal to said corporation be agreed to by a majority
of the voters of Prince William.

Approved March 1, 1888.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
it shall be the duty of the officers charged with conducting
elections in the county of Prince William, to hold an election
on the fourth Thursday in May, eighteen hundred and eighty-
eight, for the purpose of taking the sense of the voters of
said county upon the question of removing the location of
the county court-house of said county from Brentsville to
Manassas. A separate ballot-box shall be provided at each
voting precinct, in which shall be deposited the ballots of the
then qualified voters, who shall desire to vote upon the ques-
tion of said change of location. The said ballots shall be
either “for Brentsville” or “for Manassas.” Each ballot
which shall have written or printed thereon “for Brentsville,”
shall be counted as a vote against said change of location;
and each ballot which shall have printed thereon “for Manas-
sas,” shall be counted as a vote for the removal of the loca-
tion of the said court-house from Brentsville to the said cor-
poration of Manassas.

2. The manner of receiving and canvassing the ballots cast
at said election, and of making returns of the results thereof,
shall conform to the general election law of the state, so far
as it can be made applicable thereto. The certificate of the
judges of election shall be in the following form, or equiva-
lent thereto:

We hereby certify that at the election held this — day of
, eighteen hundred and eighty-eight, for the precinct
of , on the question of the change of location of the
court-house of Prince William county, —— votes were cast
“for Brentsville,” and —— votes “for Munseaaer

A. B.
G. H. C. D. } Judges.
J. K. f Clerks. BEFl

The commissioners of election shall canvass the returns
according to law, and shall make an abstract showing the
number of votes for and against the said change of location, |
cast at each precinct; the total number of votes for and

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against said change, in the county. If from said returns and
abstract duly made, it shall appear that a majority of all the
votes cast were “for Manassas,” the said corporation of
Manassas or such place as may be selected within half a mile
of its corporate limits, shall be the place of holding the courts
of said county, and for conducting the other business of said
county usually transacted at a court-house, 80 soon as a suit-
able site of not less than two acres is selected within said
corporation, and suitable county buildings are erected thereon,
and received by the commissioners as hereinafter set forth.
The council of the corporation of Manassas shall have plans
and specifications prepared for a court-house, clerk’s offices,
and jail; the court-house and clerk’s office to be in one build-
ing, and jail in separate building; and shali receive sealed
proposals to donate suitable sites for said buildings; which
sealed proposals, plans, and specifications shall be submitted
to the commission hereinafter provided, for their approval.

4. The council shall notify the tollowing persons to meet
at Manassas at a certain time and place, namely: the county
judge, each of the supervisors of the county, also Henry F.

ynn, William H. Brown, John A. Brawner, Elisha E. Meri-
dith, Benjamin D. Merchant, John C. Weems, John Rennoe,
John G. Taylor, John Clark, Thomas L. Seleaman, Charles F.
Bailey, and John Chapman, or so many of the persons above
named as shall then be residents of the county. So many of
said persons named as shall accept the: trusts and duties im-
posed on them by this bill, by meeting in response to said no-
tice, shall constitute a commission, which, having organized
by choosing a chairman and secretary, and having been first
sworn to perform their said duties solely with reference to
the best interests of the county, shall examine the sites offer-
ed, and select from among them the site, in their judgment,
most suitable for the said county buildings, which site afore-
said, shall be conveyed to the county by deed approved b
the attorney for the commonwealth. Said commission shall
then examine the plans and specifications submitted by the
council, and shall approve the same, if, in their judgment,
they will insure better buildings than those now at Brents-
ville. When the said buildings are completed, the commis-
sion aforesaid shall assemble, and so soon as they determine
that the buildings aforesaid’ have been erected in substantial
accordance with the plans and specifications agreed on, they
shall receive the same on behalf of the county, and the re-
cord of their action shall be filed in the office of the county
clerk of the county. Whereupon it shall be the duty of the
board of supervisors, to convey the county lot and buildings
now at Brentsville to the corporation of Manassas. The
council of said corporation may at any time dispose of its
interest in the said county lot and buildings by lease-deed
or deeds of trust, signed by all the members of said council;
and all income or proceeds therefrom shall be devoted by
said council towards canceling any indebtedness that may be
incurred by the corporation in the erection of said buildings.

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5. When the said commission shall have decided on the
plans and specifications for said buildings, which walls shall
e of brick or stone, and to be erected within two years from
vote of removal: provided, if any provision of this act be
the subject of litigation, then the time of completion shall be
within two years from final conclusion of such litigation.
The said council, after due advertisement for sealed proposals,
shall proceed to contract for and to erect the said courthouse,
clerk’s offices, and jails in accordance with the aforesaid plans
and specifications.

6. In order to enable the corporation of Manassas to erect
said buildings, the council thereof is hereby empowered to
receive subscriptions in cash or in bonds or notes. Said
council is also empowered to issue and negotiate a series of
corporation bonds not to exceed six thousand dollars, said
bonds to run not more than ten years, bearing interest not
more than six per centum, payable annually. To insure the

unctual payment of the same, the said council is directed to
evy a special tax to meet the principal and interest of the
said bonds as they shall become due; said special tax to be
levied annually until said bonds and interest shall be paid,
on the taxable property, at a rate not less than fifty cents on
one hundred dollars, and not more than one dollar on a hun-
dred. The said special tax shall be used for no other pur-
pose except to meet said principal and interest, and the
proceeds of said bonds shall not be used for any other pur-
pose except for the erection of said county buildings. The
council may require such bond as it shall deem proper from
the sergeant of the corporation, who shall collect and pay
over the said special tax to a treasurer, who shall be chosen
by the council; said treasurer shall execute a bond in the
sum of twenty thousand dollars, payable to the corporation of
Manassas, conditioned for the faithful performance of his du-
ties, with security, to be approved by the council. He shall
render an acount to the council monthly, and his books shall
be open to inspection by the members of the council. He
shall pay out the money in his hands, on warrants directed
by the council, each warrant to state the purpose for which
it is paid, and shall only be paid out for the purposes above
named. It shall be the duty of said treasurer to collect any
subscriptions made, and he is hereby given authority to col-
lect the same by suit, if necessary, on behalf of the corpora-
tion. The bonds provided for in this section, shall not be ne-
gotiated by the council below their par value.

7. There shall be no taxation of any kind whatever for
any of the purposes of this act, except upon property situ-
ated within the corporation of Manassas. The commissioners
and treasurer provided for in this act, shall serve without
compensation.

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