Chap. 82.—An ACT to amend and re-enact an act of assembly, entitled: An
act to authorize school boards of the several school districts in the counties
of this State to borrow money and to issue bonds for the purpose of erecting
and furnishing school houses, and to provide for the payment of such bonds
and the interest to accrue thereon, approved March 15, 1906.

Approved February 25, 1908.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That an act
entitled an act to authorize school boards of the several school districts
in the counties. of this State to borrow money and to issue bonds for
the purpose of erecting and furnishing school houses, and to provide
for the payment of such bonds and the interest to accrue thereon, ap-
proved March fifteenth, nineteen hundred and six, he amended and re-
enacted so as to read as follows:

§1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That when-
ever the school board of any school district in any of the counties of
this State shall, by resolution duly spread upon the minutes of the
proceedings of such board, declare that an additional school-house or
-chool-houses are necessary to provide additional public school facilities
for the children of school age in such district, and that the school funds
of such district will not be sufficient to provide such additional school
building or buildings, and to furnish the same, and the statement of
facts contained in the resolution of such school board shall be confirmed
and approved by resolution of the board of supervisors of the county
wherein such school district is located, the school board of any such
district may, when authorized by a vote of a majority of the qualified
voters of any such district, as hereinafter provided, borrow money for
the purpose of erecting a school-house or school-houses therein and for
furnishing the same, and may issue either registered or coupon bonds
for the sums of money so borrowed; the said bonds to be payable at a
period not exceeding thirty years after their date, and to be made re-
deemable at the option of any such school board at any time after five
years from their date, and such bonds shall bear interest at a rate not
exceeding six per centum per annum, payable either annually or semi-
annually, as the school board may prescribe: provided, that no such
bonds shall be sold for less than their par value, and that at no time
shall the aggregate amount of bonds issued and outstanding in any
school district exceed seventeen per centum of the aggregate assessed
value of the real estate located in such school district.

§2. That the said bonds shall be of such form and denomination as

the school board of any such school district by resolution spread upon
the minutes of the board, may prescribe, and shall be signed by the
chairman and attested by the secretary of the board, and there shall
be a lien upon the school property erected and procured with the pro-
ceeds of the sale of any such bonds for the payment of the principal
thereof, and the interest to accrue thereon; and if it shall be so stated
on the face of the bonds, there shall be a lien on all the school property
of the school district issuing and selling the same for the payment of
the principal thereof and the interest to accrue thereon.

§3. That the proceeds realized from the sale of any such bonds issued
under the provisions of this act shall not be used for any other purposes
than that of erecting school buildings and furnishing the same.

§4. That no bonds shall be issued under the provisions of this act
unless authorized by a vote of the majority of the qualified voters of the
school districts proposing to issue the same, at a special election to be
ordered and held as hereinafter provided.

§5. When the resolutions of the school board and board of super-
visors shall be certified to the circuit court of the county in which any
such school district is located, together with the location of the school-
house or school-houses to be erected, with the plans, specifications, and
estimated cost thereof, approved by the division school superintendent
and the superintendent of public instruction, the said court shall order
a special election to be held in any such district at such time and after
such notice (which shall not be less than two weeks), as the court may
prescribe by order entered upon its minutes, to pass upon the question
whether such bonds shall be issued or not, for the amount recommended
by the school board of such district. .And the clerk of the court shall
give the notice required by the court of such special election by pub-
lication in some newspaper of the county in which such school district
is located, and if there be no newspaper published in such county, then
in a newspaper published in some adjoining county, or nearby city or
county, and by having the same posted by the sheriff of the county
in at least ten conspicuous points in any such school district, which said
notice shall state the amount of bonds ‘to be issued, the purpose of the
proposed issue thereof, and whether the said bonds shall be a lien on
all the property in the district or a part thereof. The clerk and sheriff
of the county shall each receive for their services hereunder two dollars,
to be paid out of the county treasury.

§6. The board of supervisors shall prepare the tickets and all other
necessary details for such special election, and shall pay the expenses
thereof out of the funds of the county, and any such election shall be
conducted and held in like manner as regular elections, and the laws
of the State applying to general elections shall apply to such special
elections, except as hereinafter provided, and the judges and clerks of
the regular elections in said district shall be the judges and clerks in
any such special election, and shall receive the same compensation; and
the voting precincts in any such district for general elections shall also
be the same for any such special elections.

§7. The judges and clerks of such special elections shall canvass the
vote and certify the same to the county clerk in the same manner as
required by law in general elections, and on the second day following
such special elections, it shall be the duty of the county clerk, the Com-
monwealth’s attorney, and the commissioner of the revenue, who are
hereby constituted a board of canvassers for that purpose, to meet in
the clerk’s office of said county and to canvass the returns of such
special elections, and to certify the results ascertained by them to the
board of supervisors of the county, who shall spread the same upon the
minutes of the board and when this shall have been done, if no notice
of contest of said election shall have been filed, within ten days after
said election, the certificates of the canvassing board, hereby created,
shall be conclusive of the legality and regularity of said special election
and of the result thereof.

§8. All registered voters of any such school district who were qualified
by law to vote in the last preceding general election shall be qualified
to vote in any such special election.

§9. From the school levies of any such school district there shall be
paid, as it matures, the interest on the bonds hereby authorized, and
there shall be set aside annually, as a sinking fund, such a sum as will
provide for the payment of the principal when it matures. Such sinking
fund shall be invested in the bonds hereby authorized, or in such other
securities as the said board may, with the approval of the division
superintendent of schools for said county, select. The said school
board shall annually report to the board of supervisors of the county
the amount of the debt outstanding and the amount and condition of
the sinking fund.

§10. This act shall not be construed to repeal or amend any special
acts passed by this or any previous general assembly, allowing or au-
thorizing any school district in this State to borrow money and to
issue bonds therefor.