Chap. 30.—An ACT to amend and re-enact sections 10, 22, 23, 56 and 65 of an
act approved April 2, 1902, entitled an act to provide a new charter for the
town of Covington, in the county of Alleghany, and to repeal all oon
acts with reference thereto. [H B 91}

Approved February 17, 1922.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That sec-
tions ten, twenty-two, twenty-three, fifty-six and sixty-five of the
charter of the town of Covington be amended and re-enacted so as
to read as follows;

Sec. 10. Election of a mayor and eight councilmen of the said town
shall be held biennially at such place in each ward of the town as
shall be designated by the council thereof and upon such dates as
prescribed by the general law of the State. Such elections shall be
held under the rules and regulations and subject to such provisions
as the council may prescribe. Notice of the time and place of the
holding of elections under this act shall be published at least ten
days before the holding of such election by the posting by the town

”
sergeant of printed handbills in at least five public places in each
ward of said town. The mayor and councilmen elected under this
act shall qualify according to law.

' Sec. 22. The salary of the mayor of the town as. now constituted
or hereafter elected, if any be allowed by the town council, shall be
fixed by the council, payable at stated periods; and no regulation
diminishing such compensation after it is once fixed shall be made
to take effect until after the expiration of the term for which the
mayor then in office shall have been elected. All fees which, but for
this section, would be collectable by the mayor for his personal use
in the trial of cases and in the issuance of writs shall be collected
by the mayor and delivered by him to the treasurer of the town as
rapidly as collected, taking the treasurer’s receipt therefor, which
shall be his voucher therefor. The salary of the mayor, when fixed,
shall so continue until changed by the town council, but no salary
allowed the mayor under this section shall be more than fifteen
hundred dollars per year.

Sec. 23. The town council may, by ordinance, prescribe what
compensation, if any, shall be paid to members of the council; pro-
vided, however, that such compensation for services as councilmen
shall not in any year exceed the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars
to each member of the said council.

Sec. 56. Any bonds whick may be issued under this act may
be either registered or coupon bonds and shall be issued in such
denomination and bear such rate of interest not exceeding six per
centum per annum as may be determined by the council and such
bonds shalt be made payable in not exceeding thirty years from their
date, and may, at the option of the council, be made redeemable after
such time as the council may prescribe; the interest shall be made
payable annually or semi-annually as the council may determine;
and the council may exempt any or all of such bonds from town
taxation; in which case a clause to that effect shall be inserted in
each bond. The treasurer shall endorse on each bond issued and sold
a certificate to the effect that the town of Covington has received the
amount of said bond from the holder and when such certificate is so
endorsed upon said bond and signed by the treasurer the title of the
purchaser shall in no case be questioned nor shall the purchaser or
any subsequent holder be required to see to the proper application
of the money by the town, and the validity of such bonds shall never
thereafter be questioned. All bonds issued by virture of this act shall
be signed by the mayor and countersigned by the clerk of the council
and shall have the seal of the town affixed thereto, and such bonds
shall be issued and sold and the proceeds used under the orders
of the council. Every bond issued by the council shall state on its
face for what.purpose it was issued. and the proceeds of such bonds
shall be applied exclusively for the purpose for which said bonds
were issued; but the bonded debt of the town shall at no time exceed
the limits placed thereon by the Constitution of Virginia, and pro-
vided, always, that no bonds shall be issued or sold for the purpose
of subscribing to the stock of any company for internal improvement
or other purposes, and nothing contained in this charter shall be held
to authorize the council to endorse or guarantee the bonds of any
person or corporatidn whatever.

Sec. 65. The council shall annually, at its regular meeting in May,
or as soon thereafter as practicable, order a levy upon all male and
female persons within said town over twenty-one years of age and
on all real estate within said town not exempt from State taxation
and on all such personal property and other subjects as may at the
time be subject to taxation by the State, the taxation of which by
cities and towns is not forbidden by general law; provided, however,
that the tax on persons shall be fifty cents and the tax levied for
general purposes shall in no year exceed the aggregate amount of
the levy in the county of Alleghany for the county and road purposes
in such year, and the maximum rate of taxation shall not be increased
except by an amendment to this charter.

2. The town of Covington now being in a serious condition
because of a lack of sufficient water supply, and it being desirous
of at once calling an election for the purpose of issuing bonds with
which to increase its water supply, which is necessary to be done
before the summer months, and owing to the general financial sit-
uation the sale of bonds is difficult, particularly at a rate of interest
lower than six per centum, and it being of the utmost importance
that the town of Covington have every opportunity to sell its pro-
posed water bonds, this act is declared an emergency act and shall
be in force from its passage.