CHAPTER 388

AN ACT to amend and reenact §§ 15-862, 15-870, 15-872, 15-878,
and 15-874 of the Code of 1950, relating to the county board
form of organization and government, so as to permit the
adoption of such form by any county in the State, to define
and limit certain duties of the county executive secretary,
to prescribe the compensation of certain county officers, to
provide alternate methods of furnishing certain health ser-
vice and to prescribe the composition of the county board of
public welfare, and to amend the Code of 1950 by adding a
section numbered 15-882.1, to permit the creation of the of-
fice of general registrar in counties adopting such form of
organization and government.

[ H 542 ]

Approved April 5, 1950

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §§ 15-862, 15-370, 15-872, 15-373 and 15-374 of the
Code of 1950 be amended and reenacted, and to amend the Code
by adding a section numbered 15-382.1, the amended and new
sections being as follows:

§ 15-862. * Counties authorized to adopt county board
form of government.—Any county in the State * is hereby
authorized to adopt the county board form of county organiza-
tion and government provided for in the following sections of
this article, by complying with the requirements and procedure
hereinafter specified.

§ 15-370. Powers and duties of executive secretary.— (a)
The executive secretary may be the clerk of the board of county
supervisors. He shall, if designated by the board of county su-
pervisors to be its clerk, unless otherwise excused, attend all
meetings of the board, and shall if designated as clerk record
in a book, to be provided for the purpose, all of the proceedings
of the board.

(b) He shall, in so far as shall be required by the board of
county supervisors, be responsible to the board for the proper
administration of all affairs of the county which the board has
authority to control. He shall keep the board advised as to the
financial condition of the county and shall submit to the board
monthly, and at such other times as shall be required, reports
concerning the administrative affairs of the county.

(c) The executive secretary shall, if required by the board
of county supervisors, examine regularly the books and papers
of each department, officer and agency of the county and report
to the board the condition in which he finds them and such other
information as the board may direct.

(d) He shall from time to time submit to the board such
recommendations concerning the affairs of the county and its
departments, officers and agencies as he shall deem proper.

(e) Under the direction of the board of county supervisors,
the executive secretary shall, each year at least two weeks be-
fore the board must prepare its proposed annual budget, prepare
and submit to the board a proposed annual budget for the coun-
ty; he shall, in so far as required by the board, see that the
budget as finally adopted is properly executed. The board of
county supervisors may, however, direct that the county budget
be prepared by the county clerk.

(f) He shall audit all claims against the county for services,
materials and equipment for such county agencies and depart-
ments as the board of county supervisors may direct, except
those required to be received and audited by the county school
board, and shall present the same to the board of county super-
visors together with his recommendation and such information
as shall be necessary to enable the board to act with reference to
such claims.

§ 15-372. County school board and division superintendent
of schools.—(a) The county school board and the division su-
perintendent of schools, shall exercise all the powers conferred
and perform all the duties imposed upon them by general law.

(b) The county school board shall be composed of (1) not
less than two nor more than six trustees chosen by the board of
county supervisors and (2) from each town within the county
constituting a separate town school district operating under a
town school board, one trustee or member selected annually by
the town school board of such town from its own membership.
If the trustees or members of the county school board first chos-
en by the board of county supervisors are three or less in num-
ber they shall all be appointed for terms of four years, and sub-
sequent appointments shall be for terms of four years each. If
the trustees or members so chosen shall be four, five or six in
number, one shall be appointed for a term of one year, one for
a term of two years, one for a term of three years, and so on up
to the number of trustees or members so appointed, and all sub-
sequent appointments of trustees or members chosen by the
board of county supervisors shall be for terms of such number
of years as there are trustees or members of the board chosen
by the board of county supervisors. All appointments to fill
vacancies shall be for the unexpired terms.

(c) Each trustee or member shall receive as compensation
for his services an annual salary of not to exceed two hundred
and forty dollars, payable in equal monthly installments, and
mileage at a rate not to exceed five cents per mile for each mile
of travel by the most direct route going to and returning from
the place of meeting.

§ 15-373. County health officer; county board of health.—
The county health officer shall be chosen by the board of county
supervisors from a list of eligibles furnished by the State Board
of Health. He shall exercise all the powers conferred and shall
perform all the duties imposed upon the local health officer and
the local board of health by general law, not inconsistent here-
with. He shall also perform such other duties as may be im-
posed upon him by the board of county supervisors. The board
of county supervisors may select two qualified citizens of the
county, who shall serve without pay, and who together with the
county health officer shall constitute the county board of health.
Such board shall advise and co-operate with the county health
officer. The board may at any time be abolished by the board
of county supervisors. The board of county supervisors may,
in lieu of establishing a local board of health as herein provided,
operate its health department as a part of a State Board of
Health district.

§ 15-374. County board of public welfare and superintend-
ent of public welfare—The board of county supervisors shall
select three qualified citizens of the county, one of whom may be
a member of the board of county supervisors, who shall consti-
tute the county board of public welfare. Such board shall, in so
far as not inconsistent with this form of county organization
and government, exercise all the powers conferred, and perform
all the duties imposed, upon county boards of public welfare by
law. There shall also be a superintendent of public welfare who
shall be chosen by the board of county supervisors, or by the
county board of public welfare if the board of county super-
visors so provides, from a list of eligibles furnished by the State
Commissioner of Public Welfare and Institutions. He shall, in
so far as not inconsistent with this form of county organization
and government, exercise all the powers conferred and perform
all the duties imposed upon superintendents of public welfare
by general law. The county board of public welfare and the
superintendent of public welfare shall also perform such other
duties as shall be required by the board of county supervisors.

§ 15-382.1. The board of county supervisors may by reso-
lution provide for the creation of the office of general registrar
for the county. Upon receipt of a certified copy of such resolu-
tion by the county electoral board, it shall within thirty days
thereafter appoint such general registrar, who shall be a dis-
creet citizen, a qualified voter, and resident of the county for
which he is ‘appointed, and shall possess the qualifications pre-
scribed by law for registrars. The board of county supervisors
Shall furnish the general registrar with a suitable office, furni-
ture and equipment, prescribe his office hours, and fix his com-
pensation. Any general registrar appointed shall hold office for
two years from the first day of July next following his appoint-
ment, and until his successor shall be duly elected and qualified.

The appointment of a general registrar shall automatically
abolish the office of registrar for each and all of the election
districts of the county as provided by law, as of the date of
qualification of the general registrar, and each and every such
district registrar shall thereupon promptly deliver to the general
ora all the books, papers and documents pertaining to their
offices.

The general registrar shall, before entering upon the duties
of his office, take and subscribe the oath of office prescribed by
law for registrars. His power and duties shall be similar to the
power and duties prescribed by general law for registrars; and
all books, papers and documents belonging to the office of the
general registrar shall be public records and open for inspection
during reasonable hours, provided, he shall post in each election
district in his county, the notices required by general law to be
posted by registrars in their respective election districts.