SChap. 97.—An ACT to amend and re-enact chapter 256 of the acts of assembly
of 1835~’6, as amended by chapter 123, acts of assembly of 1883-’4, entitled
an act to incorporate the town of Orange, and to enable said town to borrow
money.

Approved January 21, 1896.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That the
own of Orange, in the county of Orange, as the same has been here-
ofore laid off into streets, lanes and alleys, and consisting of the
ame area of land as heretofore belonged to said town of Orange, be
hereafter called by the name of Orange, and by that name-.shall have
and exercise all the powers, rights, privileges and immunities, and
be subject to the provisions of chapters forty-four and forty-five of
the code of Virginia of eighteen hundred and eighty-seven, so far
as the same relate to towns of less than five thousand inhabitants
and are not in conflict with the powers herein conferred.

2. The officers of said town shall consist of a mayor and four trus-
tees, who shall be elected from the qualified voters of the town on
the fourth Thursday in May, eighteen hundred and ninety-seven,
and on the same day every two years thereafter, whose term of office
shall commence on the first day of July following their election, and
continue until the election and qualification of their successors.
The mayor shall be ex-officio a member and president of the board
of trustees. The following-named persons shall constitute the first
mayor and board of trustees for said town: F. B. Perry, mayor and
ex-officio president of board of trustees; Thomas J. Peyton, David
May, R. N. Robinson and D. G. Cowbig, trustees. They shall pos-
sess the powers and perform the duties prescribed for the mayor and
trustees of said town as if elected, and shall enter upon the discharge
of their duties on the day on which this act takes effect.

3. The said board of trustees shall have power to pass all! by-laws
and ordinances for the proper government of said town, not in con-
flict with the constitution and laws of this state or the constitution
and laws of the United States, and to levy annually such taxes and
prescribe such licenses as it may deem necessary for the purposes of
said town, which said tax levy shall not exceed for one year fifty
cents on the one hundred dollars’ valuation of property as per state
assessment. The said board shall, by a vote of a majority of their
number, on the first meeting after their qualification, elect a town
sergeant, a recorder, and a treasurer of said town, who shall hold
office during the term of office of said board, unless removed by the
mayor for cause, which said removal shall be ratified or set aside by
the board of trustees at its next regular meeting. Any vacancy 9c-
curring by death, resignation, or removal, or any other cause, in any
of the officers or appointees of said town, shall be filled by the said
board of trustees, and the office of mayor, in case of vacancy, can
be filled by said board out of its own number or by any qualified
voter of the town. The compensation of the mayor shall be fixed by
the board of trustees and shall not preclude the collection of legal
fees by him.

4, The mayor, trustees, sergeant, recorder and treasurer shall pos-
sess all the powers and perform all the duties which are now or
hereafter may be prescribed for like officers of towns of less than
five thousand inhabitants.

5. The sergeant, in addition to the powers vested in, and the duties
imposed upon him by law, shall be the messenger of the board of trus-
tees, and during its meetings shall be its sergeant-at-arms. He shall
collect all town taxes, licenses, and fines, and shall have power to
distrain and sell therefor in like manner as a county treasurer may
distrain and sell for state taxes. He shall perform such other duties,
give such bond, and receive such compensation as the board of trus-
Re8 May prescribe. He shall pay into the hands of the treasurer of
he town, at the beginning of each month, all taxes, licenses and
ines collected by him during the preceding month, taking the treasu-
ers receipt therefor, and shall furnish the recorder with a memo-
andum of the names of all parties against whom fines are levied and
he amounts thereof.

6. The recorder shall keep an accurate record of the proceedings
f the council, its by-laws, acts, and ordinances, which shall be kept
ypen for the inspection of any voter of said town. He shall make
jut the tax bills for said town, upon the state estimate of assessment
unnually, and issue licenses when required, and deliver such bills
snd licenses to the sergeant for collection, taking his receipt for and
charging him with the same, also charging him with the amounts of
ll fines reported by him. His compensation shall be fixed by the
board of trustees.

7. The treasurer shall keep all money paid to him by the sergeant,
or otherwise coming into his hand, belonging to said town, and pay
ut same only upon proper vouchers drawn upon him, which shall be
signed by the recorder and countersigned by the mayor, and shall re-
eee | such compensation and give such bond as the board may pre-
scribe.

8. The laws existing at the time of and as prescribed by the code
of Virginia of eighteen hundred and eighty-seven as to the appoint-
ment of judges, clerks and registrars and the qualifications of electors
and the mode of holding elections, shall control the elections for said
town. Any contest of the legality or validity of any registration or
election, or the qualification of any one elected to an office in said
town shall be cognizable by the county court of Orange county, with
right of appeal to the circuit court of said county, but no such con-
test shall be allowed except after due notice served upon the person
or persons whose election is affected thereby at least ten days before
the first day of such county court, and within ten days after such
election ; said notice shall be served by at least fifteen qualified
voters of said town.

9. The board of supervisors of Orange county shall ascertain the
amount of tax paid by property-owners of said town to said county
and applied for road purposes by said county, and shall cause to be
paid over the same amount to the treasurer of said town on the first
day of December of each year, the tax being that of preceding year less
cost of collection; and the said board of supervisors of the county of
Orange shall ascertain the amount of tax paid by the property-owners
of the said town to the said county and applied to support of the poor-
house of said county, and to the extent of said amount shall take care
of the poor of said town when properly committed to the poorhouse ;
the price of each pauper’s keep to be agreed between the board of super-
visors of the county and the board of trustees of the saidtown. The
said town may be allowed by the county court of Orange the use of
quarters in the county jail for their purposes. The jailor of Orange
county shall be entitled to same jail fees for prisoners committed tc
the jail by said town authorities as for other prisoners, and the
town shall be responsible to the said jailor for the same.
10. The said town shall have full power, in relation to chain-gangs,
as provided in sections thirty-nine hundred and thirty-two and
thirty-nine hundred and thirty-three of the code of Virginia of eigh-
teen hundred and eighty-seven.

11. The trustees of said town, whenever the consent of a majority
of the freeholders of said town, at an election held for that purpose,
which shall be after ten days’ notice of the time and place of hold-
ing same, and the purpose thereof has been published in the newspa-
per or newspapers published in said town once a week for four suc-
cessive weeks, shall so elect and decide, shall have power to bor-
row for said town, and for the purpose of internal improvements,
a sum of money not exceeding five thousand dollars, by the issue
and sale of the bonds of said town. Said bonds shal! be registered or
coupon bonds, and shall be in such denominations as the board of
trustees may prescribe, and shall bear interest, payable annually,
at the rate of six per centum perannum. Said bonds shall be pay-
able thirty years after the date thereof, and may be redeemable at
the option of the said board of trustees after fifteen years from date
of same. Said bonds shall be signed by the mayor of said town and
countersigned by the recorder thereof, under the corporate seal of
said town, and shall be negotiated by the trustees of said town, who
are authorized to employ a suitable agent for the purpose, but in no
case to be sold at less than the par value of the said bonds. The
board of trustees shal] have power to provide for the payment of the
interest on said bonds and for a sinking fund for the redemption of
the same, when due, by a special tax levied sufficient for the purpose,
which said tax shall not be applied to any other purpose.

12. The voters of said town shall consist of such as are now duly
qualified to vote in the town of Orange, or who shall legally here-
after register for that purpose in the town of Orange.

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