CHAP. 277.—An ACT to authorize the qualified voters of Prince
William county to vote on the question of the removal of the
court-house from Brentsville to Manassas; to authorize the
town of Manassas to issue bonds, and also directing the board
of supervisors of the said county to levy a special tax, and is-
sue bonds in case such removal be agreed to by a majority of
the voters of said county.

Approved February 16, 1892.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia,
That it shall be the duty of the officers charged with con-
ducting elections in the county of Prince William to hold
an election on the first Saturday in August, eighteen hun.
dred and ninety-two, for the purpose of taking the sense
of the qualified voters of the said county upon the ques.
tion of removing the location of the county court-house
of said county from Brentsville to Manassas. A separate
ballot-box shall be provided at each voting precinct, in
which shall] be deposited the ballots of the then qualified
voters who shall desire to vote on the question of the said
change of location. The said ballots shal! be either “ For
Brentsville” or “For Manassas.” Each ballot which
shall have written or printed thereon “For Brentsville ”
shall be counted as a vote against the said change of lo-
cation, and each ballot which shall have written or print-
ed thereon “For Manassas” shall be counted as a vote for
the removal of the location of the said court-house from
Brentsville to the said corporation of Manassas.

2. The manner of receiving and canvassing the ballots
cast at the said election and of making returns of the
results thereof shall conform to the general election law of
the state so far as applicable thereto. The certificate of
the judges of election shall be in the following form or
equivalent thereto:

We hereby certify that at the election held this sixth day
of August, eighteen hundred and ninety-two, for the pre-
cinct of , on the question of the change of location
of the court-house of Prince William county, votes
were cast for Brentsville, and votes for Manassas.

A. B.,

G. H.
> + Clerks. C. D., > Judges.
J. K,, EF.

The commissioners of election shall canvass the returns
according to law, and shall make an abstract showing the
number of votes for and against the said change of loca-
tion cast at each precinct, and the total number of votes
for and against said change in the county. If, from said
returns and abstracts duly made, it sball appear that a
majority of all the votes cast were for Manassas, the said
corporation of Manassas shall be the place of holding the
courts of the said county and for conducting all the other
business of said county usually conducted at a court-house,
80 soon as a suitable site is selected within the said cor-
poration and suitable county buildings are erected thereon
and received by the commissioners hereinafter named.
The said commissioners shall have plans and specifica-
tions prepared for a court-house, clerk’s offices, and jail—
the court-house and clerk’s offices to be in one building,
and the jail in a separate building—and shall receive
sealed proposals to donate suitable sites for said buildings.
3. The following persons shall constitute a commission
to carry out the provisions of this bill, to-wit: Each of
the supervisors of the said county; also Henry F. Lynn
Colonel Edmund Berkeley, L. A. Marstellar, John A.
Brawner, John T. Leachman, James E. Herrell, John G.
Taylor, John Rennoe, John Clark, William R. Selectman,
James V. Nash and Ernest Lindsey, or such of them as
may then be living, and shall accept the trusts and duties
imposed by this bill. They shall meet at Manassas on
the fifteenth day of September, eighteen hundred and
ninety-two, and after being duly sworn to perform their
said duties solely with reference to the best interests of
the county, shall organize by choosing a chairman and
secretary, and then examine the sites offered, and select
from among them the site, in their judgment, most suita-
ble for the said county buildings, which site aforesaid,
shall be conveyed to the county by and approved by the
attorney for the commonwealth. The said commission
shall, after agreeing upon the plans and specifications afore-
said, let out to the lowest responsible bidder, the building
of the said court-house, clerk’s offices and jail, the cost
thereof, however, not to exceed the sum of fifteen thous-
and dollars, including the sum given by the corporation
of Manassas, and that realized from obligations as herein-
after set forth, amounting to not less than five thousand
dollars actually guaranteed. When the said buildings
are completed, the commission aforesaid shall assemble,
and so soon as they determine that the buildings afore-
said have been erected in substantial accordance with the
plans and specifications agreed on, they shall receive the
same on behalf of the county, and the record of their
action shall be filed in the office of the county clerk of
the county.

4. When the said commission shall have decided on the
plans and specifications, which specifications shall em-
brace walls of brick or stone, and fire-proof clerk’s offices,
the erection of the said buildings shall be completed
within two years from the vote for such removal: pro-
vided, if any provision of this act be the subject of litiga-
tion, then the period of completion shall be within two
years from the final conclusion of such litigation.

5. The council of the town of Manassas is hereby au-
thorized to issue bonds, to run not exceeding ten years, to
the amount of three thousand dollars, the proceeds thereof
to go to aid in the erection of the public buildings afore-
said (provided the vote be in favor of removal to the said
corporation), and shall dispose of the same at not less than
par value, the said proceeds to be paid over to the treas-
urer of the said county of Prince William; and it shall be
the duty of the said council to levy a special tax, not to
exceed fifty cents on the one hundred dollars’ worth of
real and personal property within the said corporation,

r annum, and to continue the same annually until said

nde are fully paid; which said tax shall he used only in
payment of the said bonds and the interest thereon; and
the said corporation shall have the right to redeem the
said bonds at any time before maturity. And said council
is authorized to receive from private persons contributions
in money or by obligation, said obligations to be payable
to Prince William county, to be collected by the said coun-
cil, and when collected to be paid to the said treasurer as
aforesaid; said contributions to be subject to the condi-
tions of removal as aforesaid.

§. To further carry out the provisions of this act, it
shall be the duty of the board of supervisors of the said
county of Prince William to levy a special tax, not to ex-
ceed in any one year ten cents on the one hundred dollars
of real and personal property in said county, the first levy
hereunder to be made at the first meeting of said board
after the result shall be announced in favor of removal,
but not otherwise; and the said board is authorized to
issue bonds of the said county, not to exceed the sum of
five thousand dollars, payable in annual instalments not
to exceed five years, said bonds not to be negotiated below
their par value; and the said board of supervisors are
hereby empowered to carry into full effect all provisions
of this act which are not otherwise specially provided for.

7. This act shall be in force from its passage.