Chap. 8.—An ACT to authorize the board of supervisors of Alexandria county
to borrow money by the issue of bonds to repair and improve and increase
the public roads of said county, and to authorize the qualified voters of said
county to vote on the question.

Approved December 19, 1899.

Whereas it is deemed important to the business and social interests
of the county that good roads, in sufficient number, should be had anc
kept in repair for public use; therefore,

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That the boarc
of supervisors of Alexandria county be, and they are hereby, authorizec
to issue bonds in the name and on behalf of Alexandria county, to be
called “ road improvement bonds,” for a sum not exceeding one hundrec
and fifty thousand dollars ($150,000.00), and to sell the said bonds unde
such conditions as are hereinafter prescribed, and with the proceeds 01
such sale to repair or improve the public roads now in use in said county
and to open and construct new roads in said county.
2. That the bonds issued in pursuance of this act shall be coupon bonds
»f not less in denomination than two hundred dollars ($200.00), nor
nore than two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) each; payable in not less than
en years or more than forty years from their date, and bearing interest,
yayable annually, at a rate not exceeding four per centum per annum,
he said board to have the right to redeem any of said bonds after the
‘Npirauion of ten years. ‘The said bonds may be divided into series,
yayable at different dates. ‘They shall be issued in the name of Alex-
undria county, shall be signed by the chairman of the board of super-
isors of said county, attested by the clerk of the county court thereof,
und shall have affixed thereto the seal of the said board of supervisors.

3. The said board of supervisors are empowered to make sale of
said bonds, but no bond shall be sold for less than the par value thereof,
and the said bonds and coupons for interest thereon shall be redeemable
in lawful money at maturity, and shall be receivable at maturity for all
faxes and other debts due to the said county of Alexandria, except school
levies.

4. That the form of said bonds and coupons shall be determined by
the said board of supervisors.

5. That all moneys realized from said bonds shall be received by the
treasurer of Alexandria county and accounted for by him; he shall keep
a separate account of the fund to be known as the “road improvement
fund,” and shall be liable on his official bond for the proper custody and
disbursement of the same; and shall be entitled to receive for his ser-
vices the sum of two hundred dollars ($200.00) from the proceeds of the
sale of said bonds.

6. That the bonds and coupons issued under this act shall be redeem-
alle at the office of the treasurer of Alexandria county, and when paid
by him or received for taxes or other debts shall be marked paid and
cancelled.

7. That said bonds shall be exempt from all taxation by the said
ecunty.

8. That the said board of supervisors shall create a sinking fund to
be applied to the redemption and payment of the bonds issued under
and by authority of this act, and shall annually, until such bonds are
paid, pay over to the sinking fund commissioners, provided for in this act,
the sum of three thousand dollars ($3,000.00) and shall pay the interest
on whatever bonds or money that may be held by the sinking fund com-
missioners the same as if they were held by any other person, and shall
provide for the payment of all moneys to the sinking fund commissioners
and all interest upon all bonds out of the general road levy or levies of
the county for road purposes, which levy shall be fixed by a statute, and
it shall not exceed the sum of fifty cents per annum on every one hundred
dellars of taxable property within the county.

9, The judge of the county court, the treasurer of the county, the
clerk of the county court, the chairman of the board of supervisors, and
commissioner of the revenue shall compose a board known as the road
improvement commissioners of the sinking fund, and shall have the
power to invest any money deposited with the treasurer of Alexandria
county to their credit from time to time, taking such security therefor a:
may be approved by any three of their number, except that the funds
entrusted to their custody shall not be loaned to any other use of the
county.

Provided, that the board of supervisors shall not expend any of the
proceeds received from the sale of the said bonds until they have first
given a bond in the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars
($150,000.00), conditioned to faithfully and honestly disburse said fund in
accordance with the provisions of this act, and security taken upon
said bond shall be that of some responsible incorporated company now
authorized to give such bonds in the state of Virginia.

Provided further, that the board of supervisors shall not issue any
bonds provided in this act, until it has ordered a special election for the
purpose and submitted the question of issuing the bonds under this aet
to the qualified voters of the county of Alex andria. The board of super-
visors shall fix the time for holding such election and shall cause a
notice thereof to be published at least four times in all newspapers
published in the county, and to be posted at each voting place in the
county at least one month before election, said notices to state the pur-
pose for which election is held.

That it shall be the duty of the officers charged with conducting
elections in the county of Alexandria to hold an election when so
directed by the board of supervisors in accordance with the provisions
of this act, for the purpose of taking the sense of the qualified voters
of the said county upon the question of issuing bonds authorized by this
act. Each voting precinct in the county shall be open from sunrise to
sunset; the election shall be conducted by the regular judges and clerks
of election, and shall be by ballot; the ballot sh: ull be provided for each
election precinct by the board of supervisors and upon each ballot shall
be printed the words “for bonds, against bonds;” each voter shall be
handed a ballot at the voting place and he shall express his choice by
scratching from the ballot the words “ for bonds,” if he desires to vote
against the issue, and the words “ against bonds,” if he desires to vote
for the issue; he shall hand his ballot to one of the judges of election,
who shall deposit the same in the ballot-box, and any voter who cannot
read or write may ask the assistance of any of the Judges in the prepara-
tion of his ballot.

The judges of each election precinct shall ascertain the will of the
people by counting the ballots and certify the result to the clerk of the
county court in the following form or equivalent thereto:

We hereby certify that at the election held this——day of 190 ,
for precincts on the question of issuing road improvement bonds

votes were cast for
votes were cast against

29

G. H., A. B.,
T. T., Clerks. C. D.,
KE. F., Judges.

The commissioners of election shall canvass the returns within ten
days after the election and declare the result.
And if at such election the majority of those voting shall vote to issue
such bonds, that said bonds shall be issued as herein provided; but
should a majority of the ballots cast be against issuing the said bonds,
the board of supervisors shall, within twelve months, again submit the
question to a vote of the qualified voters of the county in the same
manner as first provided, and the judges of election shall serve and
the commissioners of election shall canvass the returns as first herein pro-
vided; and if at such election a majority of those voting shall vote to
issue bonds, that said bonds shall then be issued as hereinbefore provided,
but should a majority of the ballots cast be against the issue, then the
question shall not, without further legislative authority, be again sub-
mitted to the voters and the bonds shall not be issued.

If the bonds provided for in this act-shall be issued, the county of
Alexandria shall not issue any bonds for any other purpose whatsoever
until at least three-fourths of the bonds herein provided for have been
paid.

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