Chap. 238.—An ACT to incorporate the town of Columbia, in Flu-
Vanna county.

Approved Mareh 3, 1879.

1. Be if enacted by the general assembly, That the town of
Columbia, in the county of Flnvanna, as the same has hereto-
fore been, or may hereafter be laid off into lots, streets and
alleys, shall be and the same is hereby made a town corporate,
by the name of The Town of Columbia; and by that name
shall have and exercise the powers conferred upon towns by the
fifty-fourth chapter of the Code of Virginia, (edition of eighteen
hundred and seventy-three), aud be sabject to all the provisions
of said Code, and all laws now in force, or which may hereafter
be enacted in reference to the government of towns of Jess
than five thousand inhabitants, so far as the same are not, in-
consistent with the provisions of this act. But no citizen of
suid corporation shall be required to work on the public roads,
nor be required to pay any road tax i Columbia magisterial
district: provided said corporation shall keep its streets and
roads in repair, and provide for its poor within its corporate
limits.

2. The boundaries of the town shall be the same as those
adopted by an act of the general assembly, passed the twenty-
fifth day of November, seventeen hundred and eighty-eight,
establishing metes and bounds of said town, and designating
the streets thereof; and said town shall be subject to all the
provisions of said act, except that no person, by reason of any-
thing contained m said act, shall be required to pull down or
remove any permanent improvement or building which may
occupy 4a portion of the street or streets of said town, so long
as unobstructed passage can be given to foot passengers and
vehicles without encroachment upon private property. But
hereafter no person shall be allowed to erect any building or
improvement within the limits of said town unless the same he
erected in conformity with the streets as laid down in the afore-
mentioned act.

3. There shall be a mayor and six councilmen for said town,
who shall compose its board of council, who shall be elected
annually on and after the fourth Thursday in May, eighteen
hundred and seventy-ntne, in manner as now prescribed by law :
provided that neither the mayor nor members of the board of
eouneil shall be entitled to a salary or other compensation for
services,

. The following persons, electors of said town. shall coim-
nose its first board of council until the annual election on the
fourth Thursday in May, eighteen hundred and seventy-nine,
or until their suecessors are clected and qualified according to
law, viz: A. J. Richardson, George P. Hodgson, George P.
Cowherd, G. T. Zachary, P. Snoddy, and Q. P. Cram; and the
said board, as soon as organized and qualified according to
law, shall have power to select from their body a presiding
officer, who shall be mayor of the town, and may appoint a
town collector and police force for the proper goyernment of
the town, and may likewise fill any vacancies in said board
occasioned by the refusal or failure of any person appointed
to qualify.

). Lhe authorities of the town shall, with the consent of the
county, entered of record, have the right to use the jail of satd
county of Fluvanna for any purpose for which the use of a jail
may be needed by them under the ordinances of the town or
laws of the state; and in addition to the powers conferred by
chapter one hundred and ninety-six of the Code, edition of
eighteen hundred and seventy-three, for the organization of
chain-gangs, the jndge of the county court of Flavanna may
arrange wtih the said council of Columbia to take charge of
and keep and work in the corporation chain-gang such persons
as the judge of said county court would have authority to re-
quire to work in chain-gangs by the laws now in force or that
may hereafter be adopted.

6. This act shall be in force from its passage,