Chap. 425.—An ACT to incorporate Lee district, in the county
of Henrico.

Approved February 29, 1892,

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia,
That the territory in the county of Henrico bounded on
the north by Grove avenue, on the west of the boulevard
and the property of the city of Richmond known as “ Re-
servoir Park,” on the south by Ashland street, and on the
east by the corporate limits of the city of Richmond, is
hereby incorporated and constituted a body politic by the
name of “ Lee district.” The purpose of erecting this dis-
trict is to enable the property-owners therein to raise funds
by special tax or by issue of bonds to improve streets or
roads, to provide for drainage, and other local improve-
ments. It remains a part of the county and magisterial
district to which it now belongs, and is subject in all re-
spects to the county government, except in 80 far as may
be hereinafter provided.

2. The board of supervisors of Henrico county shall an-
nually levy upon the real and personal property in the
said district, at the time of making the county levy, a tax
of not more than twenty-five cents on the hundred dollars,
for the purpose of providing a sinking fund and interest
on the bonds hereinafter mentioned, and for the use of
streets, roads, and local improvements in the said district,
which shall be collected as other county taxes are collected.
The fund so collected shall be kept separate by the county
treasurer from all taxes collected by him, and shall be
paid out only as provided for in this act. In addition tc
the said tax, the board of supervisors shall annually set
apart out of the county levy a sum equal to ten cents on
the hundred dollars of the assessed valuation of property
in the said district, also all district school taxes which
shall be levied or assessed upon property in the said dis-
trict, which fund shall be kept separate by the county
treasurer from the other county funds.

3. There shall be five commissioners for the said
district, who shall hold office for four years, and shall
be appointed by the board of supervisors, subject to
the approval of the judge of the county court of Hen-
rico. The first appointment of said commissioners shall
be made within sixty days after this bill becomes
a law, and the commissioners so appointed shall hold
office until the thirty-first day of December, eighteen
hundred and ninety-six, or until their successors are
appointed and qualified. Their successors shall be ap-
pointed at the December meeting of the board of super-
visors, in eighteen hundred and ninety-six, and every
fourth year thereafter. In making such appointments
the board shall designate which of them shall be chair-
man. The commissioners shall be residents and qualified
voters within said district, and shall give bond in the sum
of five thousand dollars each, with securities to be approved
by the said judge, conditioned for the faithful perform-
ance of the duties of their office. The said commissioners
shall decide upon all questions concerning the opening
and improvement of streets, roads, and so forth, within
the district, and shall cause such openings and improve-
ments to be made. They shall meet whenever called
together by the chairman; they shall appoint an overseer
of roads for the district, who shall superintend the con-
struction of roads, streets, and culverts and all improve-
ments thereof. His salary shall be fixed by the commis-
sioners. All accounts and expenses incurred by the said
commissioners shall be paid by checks on‘the bank in
which the district funds are kept, signed by the chairman
and secretary of the commission. The said commission-
ers shall determine the amount of the special tax to be
levied each year, and shall notify the board of super-
visors, who shall levy the same.

4. The commissioners of the revenue for the upper dis-
trict of Henrico county shall annually extend on his
books the amount of the special tax imposed under section
two of this act, and it shall be the duty of the treasurer of
the,county-to’collect said tax at the same time and in the
same manner as other county taxes are collected, and all
liens and remedies now existing for the collection of other
taxes delinquent shall be in force and operation as to the
special tax imposed by this act.
5. Whenever the owners of a majority of the numbers of
front feet upon any square shall desire the street to be
graded and improved by the making of a road bed, gutter-
ing, curbing and paving, they may make application to
the said commissioners, who may, if they approve of such
application, order such improvement to be made. When-
ever such improvement shall have been made, the said
commissioners shall apportion one-half the cost thereof
amongst the owners of property upon each side of the
street improved according to the number of front feet
owned by each proprietor, and shall certify to the county
treasurer the amount assessed against each lot per front
foot, giving the name of each owner and the number of
feet owned by him. The county treasurer shall enter ina
well-bound book, made for the purpose, the name of each
owner, the number of front feet owned by him, and the
amount assessed against him as his share of the cost of
such improvement. The said amounts shall be a lien upon
the lots against which they are assessed, and shal! be col-
lected by the treasurer as other county taxes are col-
lected.

6. The treasurer of the county shall deposit in some
bank, to be designated by the said commissioners, to the
credit of the commissioners of Lee district, all taxes col-
lected by him under this act; also in each year a sum
equal to the amount of the district school tax annually
levied upon the property within the boundaries of Lee
district, and an amount equal to ten cents on the hundred
dollars of the assessed value of real estate in the said
district in lieu of road tax.

7. In order that the said commissioners may be enabled
to provide funds for the payment of expenditures author-
ized under section five of this act, and for school houses,
drainage, water supplies and lighting the said district;
also for improving streets at their intersection, the cost of
which shall be borne out of the general fund, they are
hereby authorized to issue bonds, bearing not more than
six per cent. per annum interest, and to establish a sink-
ing fund for their redemption. But they shall not issue
more than twenty thousand dollars of such bonds in any
one year, and shall not issue more in the aggregate than
the special tax, of not more than twenty-five cents on the
hundred dollars, authorized by section two, will suffice to
pay interest on and the sum annually required for the
sinking fund.

8. The said commissioners may extend culverts, sewers
or water pipes across any road in or adjacent to said dis-
trict, and by the best route through the lands outside of
Lee district, and for this purpose they may contract and
agree with the owners of any lard for this use, or may
have the same condemned for such purposes in the same
manner as the county is authorized to condemn lands for
public uses.

9. The judge of the county court of Henrico shall sub-
mit to the qualified voters of said district at such time as
he may deem best the question of adoption or rejection of
this law. The officers conducting the said election shal]
be the regular election officers of said district, and shall
receive the ballots cast in such election, which ballots
shall be respectively as follows: “The Lee district bill”;
‘‘ Against the Lee district bill.”

10. The manner of receiving and canvassing the ballots
cast at said election for or against said law, and making
abstracts and returns of the result thereof, shall conform
in all respects to the regulations prescribed by the general
election laws of the state.

11. The persons conducting said election at Shumaker’s
precinct in said district shall certify the number of votes
cast for the law and the number of votes cast against the
law to the clerk of the county court of the aforesaid coun-
ty; and if it shall appear from the return and abstracts of
votes so returned that a majority of the qualified voters
voting are in favor of the law, the clerk shall certify the
same to the county court at the next succeeding terms
after its adoption; it shall be the duty of the judge of said
court to declare the said law in force.

12. This law shall be in force thirty days from the time
it is declared by the judge of the county court to have been
adopted by the votes of said district.