Chap. 32.—An ACT to incorporate the town of Courtland in the
county of Southampton.

Approved January 27, 1888.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
the village of Jerusalem in the county of Southampton, as
the same has been or may be laid off into streets and alleys,
shall be, and the same is hereby made a town corporate by
the name of Courtland, and by that name shall have and ex-
ercise all the powers, rights, privileges and immunities, and
be subject to all the provisions of chapter fifty-four of the
Code of eighteen hundred and seventy-three, so far as the
same relates to towns of less than five thousand inhabitants
and are not in conflict with the powers herein conferred.

2. That the boundaries shall be as follows for the said
town, to-wit: two hundred and fifty yards south from the
court-house, six hundred and fifty yards east from the court-

am 5 1.
house, eight hundred yards north from the court-house, and
west by the Nottoway river from the point where a straight
‘line from the southern boundary would cross said river to the
point where a straight line trom the northern boundary
would cross said river.

3. That the officers of said town shall consist of a mayor,
six councilmen, a recorder and sergeant. The mayor and
councilmen shall compose the council of said town. The said
officers shall hold their offices for two years, and until their
successors are duly elected and qualified.

4, The said council shall have power to pass all by-laws
and ordinances for the proper government of said town, not
in conflict with the constitution and laws of the state and the
constitution and laws of the United States. They shall have
power to impose a license tax upon all business on which the
state imposes license, or which is provided by law, and its
officers shall have such power to collect the same as a state
officer would have in like case; and to impose a specific tax
for the sale of any merchandise that may be offered for sale
by any person not living in said town; and to levy annually
such taxes as it may deem necessary for the purposes of the
corporation, which shall not exceed twenty cents on the one
hundred dollars valuation of property as per state assess-
ment: and provided also, that no corporation tax shall be
levied upon the machinery, implements, money and capital
of any manufacturing establishments that may be located in
the limits of the said town for five years from the passage of
this act.

5. The mayor shall be president of the council and chief
magistrate of the town, and as such shall see that the ordi-
nances and by-laws of said town are faithfully executed. He
shall be vested with all the powers of a justice of the peace,
civil and criminal, within the corporate limits and one mile
beyond and outside of the same; and shall in addition have
such other powers and perform such other duties as are now
or may hereafter be prescribed for mayors of towns of less
than five thousand inhabitants.

6. The recorder shall keep an accurate record of all the
proceedings of the council, its by-laws, acts and ordinances,
which shall be kept open at all times to the inspection of any
voter in said town, and the recorder shall be ex-officio treas-
urer of said town, giving such bond, performing such duties,
and receiving such compensation as shall be prescribed by the
council; he shall make out the tax-bills upon estimate of
property, as per state assessment, when ordered by the coun-
cil, and deliver the same to the sergeant for collection; he
shall also administer the oath of office to any officer of the
corporation.

7. For the purpose of paving and improving the streets of
said town, the said council may levy a tax equal to that levied
by Southampton county for county purposes, which shall be
applied to the improvement of said streets for a period of ten
years, which shall exempt the said town from any county tax
during that time. This levy shall be in addition to the regu-
lar levy for school purposes and government of the town, and
may continue for ten years.

8. The sergeant shall be vested with the powers of a con- |
stable within the limits of said town; shall collect all town’
and school levies and have power to distrain and sell therefor
in like manner as a county treasurer may distrain and sell for
state taxes; he shall be a conservator of the peace and shall
have power to arrest in said town or within the county of
Southampton, upon a warrant issued by the mayor, any per-
son charged with a violation of the laws or ordinances of
said town, or with the commission of any crime in said town
or within a mile of its corporate limits. When a violation of
the laws or ordinances of said town, or any crime is commit-
ted in his presence, he shall have authority and power to
forthwith arrest the offender and convey him before the
mayor of said town to be dealt with according to law. He
shall perform such other duties, give such bond and receive
such compensation as the council may prescribe.

9, An election of mayor and all other town officers shall
be held on the first Saturday in December, eighteen hundred
and eighty-eight, and every two years thereafter.

10. It shall be the duty of the county court of Southamp-
ton, at its regular October term for eighteen hundred and
eighty-eight, and every two years thereafter, to appoint a
qualified voter of said town as registrar for said town for the
two years following such appointment. It shall be the duty
of said registrar to register according to state law, at any
time, except as herein otherwise provided, in a special regis-
tration book provided for the purpose, all the citizens of said
town who are qualified voters of said town, as hereinafter
set forth, who shall apply to him to be registered, on the
twelfth and eleventh days preceding any regular election
under this charter. It shall be his duty to set two days for
the purpose of registering voters, and from sunset of the
eleventh day preceding each election, to sunrise of the day
following such election, no names shall be entered upon such
registration book: provided, that no person shall be entitled
to have his name entered upon such registration book by rea-
son of a transfer from any other voting precinct in this state.
Such registrar shall be entitled to a compensation of two dol-
lars per day for each day he shall sit under this charter, and in
addition thereto to ten cents per name for each name he shall
enter upon such registration book on any day other than the
regular registration days, which compensation shall be paid
out of the town treasury. It shall be the duty of the regis-
trar te give notice of the days upon which he shall sit to
register voters under this chapter, by posting notices at three
or more public places in said town for ten days preceding
such sitting, and five days previous to any election he shall
post at a conspicuous place in said town a list of all voters
who have been registered since the next preceding election.

11. It shall be the duty of the county court for Southamp-
yton, at its regular term in October, eighteen hundred and
eighty-eight, and every two years thereafter, to appoint
three qualified voters of said town, who shall be judges of
elections at every election for town officers for two years fol-
lowing their appointment, or until their successors are ap-
pointed and qualified. Said judges shall have authority to
appoint clerks for each election, and such judges and clerks
shall be entitled to one dollar per day for each election day,
to be paid out of the town treasury.

12. At the first regular election under this charter, the
courthouse of the county of Southampton may be used for
election purposes. For all subsequent elections it shall be the
duty of the council, at its regular meeting in the month pre-
ceding such election, to provide a place for conducting such
election; and it shall be the duty of the sergeant of the town
to give notice of the time and place of any municipal election,
except the first held under this charter, by posting in said
town three or more notices thereof for five days preceding
any election. The judges of election, or either of them ap-
pointed at the October term, eighteen hundred and eighty-
eight, as before provided, shall give notice of the first elec-
tion to be held under this charter, by posting in said town
three or more notices thereof for five days betore any election.

13. The qualified voters of said town shall consist of all the
male inhabitants of said town qualified to vote for members
of the general assembly, who are duly registered upon the
registration books of the town, and have been actual resi-
dents of the town for three months next preceding the elec-
tion at which they offer to vote.

14. The mode of conducting said election and of canvassing
the vote shall conform to the law with reference to state elec-
tions. So soon as the result shall be certified in accordance
with state law, it shall-be the duty of the judges to seal the
poll books, each separately, and to securely seal the ballots in
a separate packet. So soon as this is done the judges shall
agree among themselves, and if this cannot be done, shall de-

3 cide by lot which one of their number shall take charge of
thereturns. Itshall be the duty ofthe judge in whose charge
the ballots and returns are given, to deliver on the day follow-
ing the election (Sunday excepted) to the clerk of the county
court of Southampton county, at the first election held under
this charter, both of said poll books and the ballots, still se-
curely sealed. 1t shall be the duty of the clerk of the county
court of Southampton county, immediately upon receipt of
such ballots and poll books, for the first election held under
this charter, to file the former away in his office, and to open
the latter and to give to the persons who, according to the
face of the returns, have a majority of the votes cast, certi-
ficates of their election, and to administer to said officers the
oath of office, which certificates of election shall be recorded
by the recorder in the record book of the council. At all
subsequent elections held under this charter, it shall be the
duty of the judge in whose charge the ballots and poll books

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are given, to deliver on the day following the election (Sun-
day excepted) to the recorder one of the poll books and the
ballots, still securely sealed, and to deliver’ the other poll
book, still sealed, to the clerk of the county court of South-
ampton county. It shall be the duty of the recorder, alter |
all elections under this charter except the first, immediately '
upon receipt of such ballots and poll book, to file the former
away in his office, and to open the latter and to record the
result of the election as certified by the judges and clerks in
the record book of the council. Within five days after any
election, except the first, the mayor shall examine said record
and give to the persons who, according to the face of the re-
turns as recorded, have a majority of the votes cast, certifi-
cates of their clection.

15. The terms of all officers elected under this charter shall
commence on the first day of January succeeding their elec- |
tion. The council shall have power by election to fill all va-
cancies that may occur in any office, and such election shall
be for the unexpired term. \

16. The authorities of said town shall have the use of the.
county jail for the safekeeping and confinement of all persons |
who shall be sentenced to imprisonment under the ordinances -
of said town; and whenever judgment shall be rendered
against any person for fines, and there are no effects which
the sergeant may distrain or sell therefor, the party so in de-
fault may be compelled to work out such fine on the public
streets or other improvements, and to suffer in addition such
terms of imprisonment as may be prescribed by the ordi-
nances of saidtown. The authorities of said town shall have
the right to use the courthouse of Southampton county for
any purpose, subject to the control of the county judge as
now given by law.

17. The county court of Southampton county shall have.
original jurisdiction ot cases of contested elections in said '
town with the right of appeal to the circuit court. The mode
of contesting such election, and of hearing and determining
such contest shall conform to the law with reference to con-
testing elections of county officers.

18. This act shall be in force from and after October one, |
eighteen hundred and eighty-eight.