CHAPTER 559

An Act to amend and reenact §§ 4, 6, 7, 14 and 27 as amended, of an act
entitled “An act to amend and reenact the charter of the town of Cul-
peper’, approved January 11, 1898, relating to the officers of the town
and their terms of office and oaths, so as to provide that the treasurer
of the town shall be appointed by the council. = o5

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Approved April 6, 1954
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §§ 4, 6, 7, 14 and 27 as amended, of an act entitled “An act to
amend and reenact the charter of the town of Culpeper’, approved Jan-
uary 11, 1898, be amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 4. The municipal authorities of said town shall consist of a re-
corder * and a council of nine members, one of which councilmen shall be
president and one of whom shall be vice-president, as hereinafter set forth,
unless and until this form be changed in a manner prescribed by law. All
persons who are qualified voters of the town of Culpeper shall be eligible
to any of said offices. The terms of all of said officers shall begin and
continue for such length of time as is prescribed by law; no member of
any council shall be eligible, during his tenure of office, as such member, or
for one year thereafter, to any office to be filled by the council—by election
or by appointment. All the corporate powers of said town shall be exer-
cised by said council, or under this authority except when otherwise
provided.

§ 6. The present officers of the town shall continue in office until
the expiration of the term for which they were elected unless sooner re-
moved as provided by law.

At the regular election to be held for the election of officers for the
Town of Culpeper on the second Tuesday in June, nineteen hundred and
thirty-six, there shall be elected from the qualified voters of the Town of
Culpeper, a recorder whose term of office shall be for a period of two
years beginning the first day of September, nineteen hundred and thirty-
six; and five councilmen whose term of office shall be for a period of four
years beginning the first day of September, nineteen hundred and thirty-
six. At said election the five persons receiving the highest number of votes
for councilmen shall be declared elected. The said five councilmen so elected
together with the present four councilmen whose term of office expires on
the thirty-first day of August, nineteen hundred and thirty-eight, shall
constitute the council of the Town of Culpeper until their successors are
elected and qualify, as herein provided. At the regular election to be held
in the Town of Culpeper on the second Tuesday in June, nineteen hundred
and thirty-eight, for the election of officers, there shall be elected from
the qualified voters of the town a recorder whose term of office shall be for
a period of two years beginning the first day of September next following;
and four councilmen. The said four councilmen shall be elected in the
place and stead of the present four councilmen whose terms of office
expire the thirty-first day of August, nineteen hundred and thirty-eight.
The terms of office of the four councilmen so elected shall be for a period
of four years beginning the first day of September, nineteen hundred and
thirty-eight; and thereafter at the regular election to be held in the Town
of Culpeper biennially, on the second Tuesday in June, there shall be elected
a recorder whose term of office shall be for a period of two years beginning
on the first day of September following said election; and also five and four
councilmen, respectively, as their terms of office expire, whose terms of
office shall be for a period of four years beginning the first day of Septem-
ber following said election. ;
Upon the expiration of the term of office of the treasurer who is in
office at the time this amended section becomes effective, the council shall
appoint a town treasurer who shall hold office during the pleasure of the
council and whose duties shall be those prescribed in this charter, together
with such other duties as may be imposed by the council. Such treasurer
shall have all the powers conferred upon the town treasurer by this charter,
and he shall receive such compensation as shall be fixed by the council.
*

§ 7. The recorder, treasurer, and councilmen shall each, on or before
the first day of the term for which they are elected and in case of the
treasurer appointed, make and subscribe on oath or affirmation that they
will truly, faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of their said
office to the best of their abilities, so long as they shall continue therein;
the recorder and the treasurer shall take said oath before a notary public,
or some other officer authorized to administer oaths, and the councilmen
before the recorder or some other such officer, who shall file the same and
enter a memorandum of the fact on the town records.

§ 14. If anyone who shall have been duly elected recorder * or coun-
cilman, shall refuse or neglect to take the oath or affirmation, or to give
the bond required within the time prescribed, the council for the time
being shall declare his said office vacant, and shall forthwith fill such
vacancy for the unexpired term, by majority vote of the entire council.

§ 27. The treasurer may by * vote of a majority of the council be
removed from office for good and sufficient cause and the unexpired term
shall be at once filled by a majority vote of the entire council but no such
removal shall be made without reasonable notice to the officer complained
of, and an opportunity afforded him to be heard in his defense.

2. Anemergency exists and this act is in force from its passage.