CHAPTER 7

An Act to amend and reenact § 15-504, as amended, of the Code of Vir-
ginia, prohibiting certain county officials to have interest in contracts
with counties. 8 19]

Approved September 17, 1956

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 15-504, as amended, of the Code of Virginia be amended and
reenacted as follows: . .

§ 15-504. No supervisor, superintendent of the poor, special police-
man, commissioner of the revenue, treasurer, attorney for the Common-
wealth, clerk of the court, trial justice, sheriff or any paid officer of the
county shall become interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract, or
in the profits of any contracts, made by or with any officer, agent, com-
missioner, or person acting on behalf of the supervisors, the county school
board, or superintendent of the poor of the county, or in any contract, fee,
commission, premium or profit therefrom, paid, in whole or in part, by the
county or any board, commission or agency thereof, or in the sale or
furnishing of supplies or materials to such county, and shall not become
interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract, or in the profits of any
contract, made by or with any officer, agent, commissioner, trustee or over-
seer for working and keeping in repair the public roads in the county.

On application of the board of supervisors, board of public welfare, or
school board, the circuit court may designate such attorney, who may be
the attorney for the Commonwealth or * judge of the county court, to
represent either or all such boards in matters requiring the services of
an attorney, such attorney so designated to be paid such compensation by
the county or school board or by the board of public welfare, as requisite,
as the court prescribes.

And no supervisor shall, except by descent or devise, marriage or as
a personal representative, committee of an insane person, or guardian, be-
come interested, directly or indirectly in any claim against his county,
whether the same shall have been passed upon by the board of supervisors
or not. Any such contract shall be void, and the amount embraced by
any contract, the value of any such supplies or materials and the amount
of any such claim shall never be paid; or, if paid, may be recovered back,
with interest, by the county, in the circuit court of the county, by action
or motion, within two years from the time of payment.

The term “contract’’, as herein used, shall not be held to include the
depositing of county or town funds in, or the borrowing of funds from, local
banks in which members of the board of supervisors, members of the school
board, or other county officers herein named may have a stock interest;
nor shall it include the granting of franchises to or purchase of services
from public service corporations. Provided, further, that the term “con-
tract”, as herein used, shall not be held to include any deposit of county
funds heretofore or hereafter made, or the borrowing of funds from local
banks in which any member of the board of supervisors may be a director
or stockholder.

This section shall not apply to attorneys for the Commonwealth em-
ployed by the governing bodies of counties under the provisions of
§§ 58-762, 58-1016 or 58-1102 to collect taxes which are a lien on real estate;
nor to contracts for additional compensation to be paid an attorney for the
Commonwealth for services rendered in connection with proceedings under
Chapter 8 of this title.
_ . Nor shall this section apply to the publication of notices, lists, or other
information, which the county is required or permitted by law to publish,
in a newspaper owned directly or indirectly by a county officer or operated
by such officer, provided such newspaper is the only newspaper of general
circulation published in such county.

Nor shall this section apply to the compensation, not in excess of one
dollar per day, of sheriffs who also serve as jailors for their counties.
2. An emergency exists and this act is in force from its passage.